Marcus Miller P5 Alder-5 DRD

This instrument plays like it is much more expensive that it actually is. Let's break part of it down - 5 strings. Option to top-load strings or to string through-body. Body-access truss rod adjustment. Adjustable string tree that covers all five strings. Smooth, rolled fingerboard edges. Roasted. Maple. Neck.

The Sire Marcus Miller P5 is a fantastic bass, well-suited for any genre you intend to play. I have it strung with flatwound strings currently, but the roundwound strings it comes strung with aren't just any cheap, unfortunate strings; they sound great and play well. You can play quiet, you can play aggressive, you can play dolce, you can play risoluto. You can slap and pop on this bass! Putting the Marcus Miller name on the headstock isn't just for show, its got a great slap & double-thumb tone too!

My few issues with this bass take it from a 10/10 down to a 9/10 score:
1. It's a bit heavy. I mean, it's to be expected, with a full roasted maple neck and a body built for 5 strings. The tuners on the headstock definitely create some weight, but it's not anything that can't be changed out.
2. The pickup doesn't have as much low-end as I, and some others I have seen review this bass, desire. Again, it's not anything that can't be changed, but it should certainly be kept in mind.

It should be noted that opening the tone knob really brings a lot of brightness into the sound, more so than one might be familiar with. I'd say tone at about 80%-85% open is similar to the tone being 100% on, say, a Fender brand Precision bass.

Overall, this bass is extremely well worth it if you've got a 5-string P-bass itch that needs scratched, and extremely well worth it if you're thinking about what to get as a next bass. The folks at Thomann also did a wondrous job packing and shipping it over very quickly and carefully, so my thanks to them as well.

When you end up buying, enjoy your new instrument! It's definitely built for a long time.

Just received my Dakota red P5 5 string bass today.
I am very impressed with this bass. It feels very solid and has a beautiful
roasted maple neck with a smooth fingerboard and the setup was nice right out of the box. Needed some intontation.
Thomann lists the width at the nut as 46mm but it's acutally 47.6 mm. I found this out after ordering and was concerned it would be too wide but it feels great because the neck has a nice profile.
The B string has a lot of sustain. I had been looking at the Yamaha BB435 for a while but after trying one I was discouraged by the the low B. Not much sustain in the one I tried. So I went for the P5 after hearing seeing a few reviews on youtube. Lots of growl from the bass, which I like.
The bass sounds great with the rounds it came with.
Lastly the bass weighs 4.1 Kilos (9 lbs). That's really good for a 5 sting IMO.
Thanks to Thomann for offering their instruments at such great prices!

Gekauft um auf einem echten passiven P-Bass etwas in Richtung Vintage Blues und Rock zu spielen. Der Body und der Hals sind absolut perfekt gearbeitet, aber ich muß auch sagen, nach Kleinigkeiten such ich da auch nicht, mir kommt es mehr auf den Sound an.

Und der ist klasse. Aber nicht Spitzenklasse, die mitgelieferten Saiten fühlen sich sehr rauh an, und sind mir für ein Instrument auf dem ein "Vintage-P Pickup" sitzt, viel zu aggressiv in den Obertönen.

Aber mit der Tonblende kommt man schon in den Vitage-Bereich gut rein, die Trennfrequenz ist gut gewählt. Wer es besser möchte, braucht aber Flatwounds, denn das war vor 60 Jahren Standard, genauso wie Röhrenamps.

Zum Üben hab ich den Harley Benton Mighty 15th, EL84 Endstufe an einer 15" Markbass Box. Der Verstärker glänzt auch im Bassbereich, obwohl er eher als Gitarrenamp verkauft wird. Fast ein Geheimtipp für Bassisten.

Was mir etwas sauer aufstößt und für 4 Sterne bei Features / Verarbeitung sorgt sind diese eiernden billigen Knöpfe. Metallisch beschichtet, Plastik-Steckknöpfe aber unrund? Och nee. In der Preisklasse echt schon ein Manko.

Und was auch ein wenig stört... die Löcher an der Brücke als auch die String Through Löcher gestatten keine einfache Montage von Saiten, die untenrum noch mit Baumwolle umwickelt sind wie z.B. D'Addario ECB81. Die haben .130 und passen nicht, man muß das blaue Hüllenmaterial abzubbeln. Seltsam daß in anderen Sire-Bässen diese Löcher größer sind... ich hab noch einen Marcus Miller M7 fretless mit genau diesen Saiten... als SL da 35" Mensur.

So alles im allem aber ein gutes Preci-Paket wenn man Richtung Vintage will. Und auch vom Gewicht her tragbar, meiner wiegt 4200 Gramm. Für einen Fünfsaiter fast ein Leichtgewicht.