Marcus Miller V7 4 New Gen Antique White

This is a review written from a completely objective perspective, without excessive enthusiasm or excitement.
Maybe I'll start by saying that there was a time when I owned four Sire basses, all of them 2nd generation: a V7 5-string, a V5 4-string, a P5 5-string and a P5 4-string. I eventually sold three of them, and by spring I only had the V7 left. I didn't sell the others because there was anything wrong with them—I loved them all, especially the 5-string P5. In the end, however, I decided to reduce the number of instruments I had at home.

When I found out in the spring that a new generation was coming out, I sold my 2nd generation V7 and ordered the new generation V7, this time a 4-string model in white with a roasted maple neck. I had to wait four months for delivery.

Now let me get to my impressions of the new bass. First of all, you have to remember that we're talking about an instrument costing around €600. The bass is beautifully made and arrived with an average factory setup. That surprised me a little because it came with a tag stating that it had passed Thomann's quality control (although perhaps that inspection doesn't include proper instrument setup). The E string was buzzing against the frets, so I had to adjust the neck relief and raise the string at the bridge. I've also noticed that the E string is noticeably louder than the others when using only the bridge pickup, with the pickup blend knob turned fully to the right. I think this may simply be a matter of adjusting the pickup height, which I'll do soon. My only concern is whether such a significant adjustment will be possible.

On the first day, despite the solid workmanship, this bass didn't amaze me. There was no "wow" effect. My first thought was that it was simply a well-made budget bass, but I already own instruments that I like even more. I told my friends the same thing, and I still feel that way today: it's good, but it doesn't have that unique soul that a truly special instrument should have (and remember, we're talking about a €600 bass made in Indonesia, not a €3,500 instrument from Europe or the USA).

However, the longer I play it, the more I appreciate its capabilities as both a serious working tool and an instrument for pure enjoyment. Above all, it sounds excellent. It's equally at home with mellow music, slap playing, or even more aggressive styles. The preamp gives you a wide range of tonal possibilities. Beautiful sounds come out of this bass, it responds wonderfully to different playing techniques, and that tells me the preamp is very good. The instrument itself is well built, it works with the player rather than against them, and it creates a real connection. It also sounds great in passive mode. In fact, I have the impression that the more I play it, the better it sounds with each passing day.

The bass has a modern tone while still retaining the unmistakable character of a Jazz Bass. To some extent that's probably thanks to the DR strings I've installed, but it's mainly the instrument itself that occasionally produces an almost piano-like response. Every day I enjoy playing it a little more. Compared to the 2nd generation, Sire has definitely taken a step forward, and this bass is a genuine evolution of the model. It's simply a better and more enjoyable instrument to play than the previous version. I won't go into the rounded fret ends or the benefits of the roasted neck because by now everyone has already read about those features.

The new control knobs are also worth mentioning. The stacked knobs have been redesigned so that the lower section, the one closest to the body, is much larger than the upper section and also much larger than on the 2nd generation models. This makes both parts of the stacked knobs much easier to use, and the lower section no longer tends to rotate together with the upper one as it sometimes did on the 2nd generation.

One detail that impressed me in particular was the excellent craftsmanship where the fingerboard meets the headstock, just beyond the nut.

There are many improvements in this instrument. They are well thought out and carefully executed. The only thing I don't like is the new way of switching between active and passive mode. In my opinion, the old dedicated switch was much better than the current push-pull system.

Another small drawback is that the jack plate isn't fitted perfectly—it stands slightly proud of the body instead of sitting completely flush. However, this is an absolutely minor issue because everything else fits together beautifully, including the neck joint and the way the plastic pickguard meets the silver preamp control plate.

To sum it up, it's hard to imagine a better bass guitar at this price point. In my opinion, even if the Sire V7 cost €900, it would still sell extremely well. If someone blindfolded you and handed you this bass, I don't think you'd ever guess that it costs this little. Once again, I believe Sire has become the benchmark for budget basses from other brands. They've started another small revolution and will probably force their competitors to raise the bar as well, which can only benefit customers. The new generation Sire is a real game changer in the budget bass market and the new leader in its class. What's funny is that the company has really outdone only one competitor—its own 2nd generation model. In a way, Sire has become its own benchmark.

*Five stars - in the hope that the pickup volumes can be properly balanced.