Sire Marcus Miller M5 5-string Review

Believe the hype

A lot has been said about Sire's Marcus Miller basses ... high quality at a (relatively) low cost. Their cost-containment formula is simple: they are a Korean company doing their manufacturing in Indonesia. I also understand they run on lower margins than, say, Fender/Gibson. But are these beasts really as good as the reviews are saying? In a word: Yes. I took a look at the… read more M5 and M7, and realized the only real difference is that the M7 comes with a nice flame maple top over an alder body, whereas the M5 is swamp ash without a fancy top. However, I prefer the sound of swamp ash over alder, and while the flame maple is certainly beautiful, it doesn't add much to the tone. So, I saved myself a couple Benjamins and went with the M5. Sire does the little things that usually make high-end basses ($2K+) stand out: rolled fretboard edges ... premium fretboard wood (ebony) ... premium high mass locking bridge ... top-end electronics ... real bone nut, rolled on the sides just like the fretboard. They also listen to their customers. Earlier models used cheaper knobs. Now you get high-end aluminum knobs that don't stick. (This is a small upgrade, but notable for the attention to detail.) The neck is as good as they come. 5-piece maple/mahogany means stability plus solid overall tone. Sire really nailed the perfect 5-string profile, too - not too flat, not too thick. A beautiful silky smooth satin finish means no sticky hands for those more humid gigs. Frets aren't too big, or too small. The neck on my bass was set up perfectly, right out of the box (sorry Sweetwater, I grabbed this from another certain excellent Midwestern single-location store). The neck joint is such that you have true open access to all 24 frets, despite the bass being a bolt-on. (Fender, please take note...) The electronics ... ahhhh ... Humbuckers with individual 3-way switching is, to me, the ultimate. This is a very similar set up as you'll find on a German-built Warwick Corvette $$, but at less than half the cost. Sire's proprietary pickups are beautiful sounding regardless of the switching. Then there's the active EQ. Most EQs give you either a +/- 10 dB or 12 dB span. Sire gives you an insane +/- 15 dB. The selectable midrange is HIGHLY effective, unlike many other midrange EQs I've used. The quality of all switches and knobs is top-end, as is the output jack. The tuners are your standard Gotoh/Grover-style mini-tuners... I don't know the tuning ratio but I've found them to allow for an excellent level of solid, fine-tuning. Combined with the killer bridge and real bone nut, you have all the tuning stability you'll need. I docked half a star for some picky things, but things I think are necessary to get a full 5-stars: The bass (at least mine) arrived with no documentation regarding the locking-saddle bridge or electronics. This info is available online (cost-cutting measure?), but I personally feel should arrive with the bass. Also, what's up with the lack of gig bag? I think Sire used to ship with a cheaper one, but now you get zippo. They are providing a high-quality bass, and while I'm not expecting something like what Godin and Warwick ship their basses with, it's surprising they include nothing. But hey ... those are pickier items and have nothing to do with how the bass feels/looks/sounds. Which is truly, top-shelf on all 3 counts.

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