Fender Player Plus Jazz 5 or Sire Gen 2 V7 - Must Choose!

I had to make a choice between a metallic burgundy Sire Gen 2 V7 and an opal sparkle Fender Player Plus 5 string bass guitar as a Christmas present for my daughter. I ordered the Sire first and then thought the Player Plus Jazz would be better so I ordered that. With both basses in hand I was able to compare both of them side by side. Here I go over some of the differences and why I picked one over the other. The basses were played through an old SWR Super Redhead and recorded with the built in mics on a Zoom H4n. In the end, color was the biggest deciding factor because they are both great basses. Please like and subscribe. Thanks!
#Fender
#Sire
#5stringbass
#Marcusmiller
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[@bigbass421]

GREAT, comprehensive review! I am a Luthier and repairman, 50 years experience, and a bit more, as a bassist as well.. I'm 70 now. One of my repair clients has several Sire 5's. I've worked on all of them. I think they are excellent basses- especially for the price. I make my own 5's wide spacing, 19mm bridge, and 2"- 2.125" nut widths. The spacing on the Sires is just a little too narrow for me. But, I set one up recently, and decided to order one, and just play it. As Carl Thompson once said to me- "Dave, you can get used to anything." He's right. My upright has a 1.5" nut. I'm lefty, so it's a five to six month wait for my Sire V7 lefty 5. I'm almost four months into it. Another client ordered the same bass in righty, and it was a much shorter wait. I just set it up- same color blue as mine is. A really well made bass, and it adjusted and set up easily. Only a few things will need more of what I do to optimize new basses. P.S., The fingerboard did not look like any Ebony I'm familiar with.. and I work with Ebony upright bass fingerboards all the time. it looked like dyed Rosewood to me. Very porous, totally unlike Ebony. Still not a deal breaker. My client, and I both agree with you on the string retainer. My solution is pretty simple. Remove it altogether, fill the holes with color epoxy, and put ONE Fender disc retainer for the A- and D. The other tuners are close enough to the nut to 'stack' the windings like you do on the the E-A on a Fender four string. Your review, along with some others, and my personal experience, influenced my decision. Thanks!

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks for the very thoughtful comment Dave. Very good advice from Mr. Thompson and I agree that you get used to whatever you play and that becomes your normal. Please post back when you get your Sire and give a follow up! Take care.

[@KeithCopeland778]

I've had my 1st Gen Sire V7 5 since 2016 and it's a keeper! For the money, it's almost impossible to beat the Sire in my opinion! My Sire came with a nice gig bag but the newer ones don't.

[@hoganshideout]

I agree, Keith, the Sire is a fantastic deal and a great bass.

[@bassheadjazz2708]

Pacing of this video is perfect, talking quick and cutting to examples. First time I can remember not feeling like I have to scroll halfway into the video to find the info I want.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks for checking the video out and for the comment!

[@pjmuck]

Nice review. Glad you went with the Sire. I think they're pretty hard to beat for the price. I like the preamp, personally. It's easy to figure out once you get used to it, and playing with the mid knobs makes this bass extremely versatile.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks pjmuck, the Sire really does sound great!

[@emmanueltemilade2547]

This is EXACTLY the kind of review i needed to see. Thanks a lot man !

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Emmanuel!

[@YummyPork]

Fantastic review - all the relevant details, good commentary on the sound quality and great array of playing samples. Looking at getting my first bass and have the Sire V5 (or V7) high on my short list. Your review was very helpful.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Kevin! I think a Sire would be an awesome first bass.

[@calvinwilds46]

A Awesome first bass I've been playing for almost 50 years and have played alot of basses and right now my main bass is my 5 string vintage v7 but love my 4 string p7 but my lakland 5 see the 1 I use when I just want to be ready for anything both sires have flatwound on them

[@mlchaelphelps1158]

I'm an old school bass player From the 70's. When I was growing up before five string basses were around, ( although fender did for two years, made a five string), it wasn't popular at the time. Four string basses were heavy in the days from 1951 to the mid 90's to date. The weight helps the tone and sustain of the bass. certain types of players started complaining about the weight, so luthiers and everybody connected to the business, had to rethink the old school way of building basses to accommodate those who were complaining. I agree with Marcus Miller basses now days don't sound the same due to light weight designs. I personally have to applaud Marcus Miller for bringing some old school back.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks for checking the video out and for the comment Michael.

[@chucksyl]

Great review/comparison! I bought the Sire P7 5 string P/J bass. I absolutely love it, but I agree with you on that stupid string tree running all the way across all 5 strings. Not only will it interfere with changing the strings, but it also adds friction to the strings making them tougher to tune. I may decide to remove it down the road and replace it with the Fender style string tree.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks for checking the video out Chuck. Yeah I don't love the string tree!

[@cameronlesley2428]

A straight forward concise review comparison . you definitely know what you are talking about, no opinions disguised as facts here. This has been the best video I’ve seen anywhere comparing these two basses. Well done

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks so much for the kind words, Cameron, I'm glad the video was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@MarcG7424]

I think the Sire is excellent for the price but me being a modder figured out that by the time I'm done replacing parts like the bridge ( it's proprietary ) pickups and preamp ( to many knobs ) for a Sodowsky VTC or the like I may have well just bought the fender ( I would swap that preamp too ) but that's all but great review thank you very informative you even included the weight of each bass I appreciate that

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Marc, appreciate the feedback.

[@Mastagon]

Solid, professional and to the point review. Thanks

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Mastagon.

[@iamgribs]

It sound like sire more depth to it. They both sound nice. What a great gift. Nice video.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks iamgribs, I really appreciate the kind comment.

[@CoenBijpost]

Just bought that exact sire v7 burgundy for 500 bucks new! Such a good deal 🤩 Can’t wait till it gets here. Guitarist wanting to dip my toes in the bass world 😅 Thanks for the great comparison. Though the fender was way out of my reach either way.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Coen. We just restrung my daughters v7 yesterday with a new set of DR Neon Blues!

[@CoenBijpost]

@@hoganshideout ooh! That sounds REALLY cool. I bought some DR sunbeams with it. But neon blues should make this bass extra beautiful 🤩

[@gerodoth]

it's exactly that i was looking for, thanks!

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks gerodoth glad it was helpful!

[@rfuriati]

I´v V7 4s 1rst Gen ,, , and is marvelous !, Only changed cheap Batteries cages , all Original is perfect and perfect sound

[@vasifazan1162]

Great playing , and great comparison. In my opinion Sire Marcus miller win!

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks! The Sire is a very cool bass, and they offer a bunch of cool colors.

[@ziggysmalls9329]

Great review of these basses.I had a bass by Dame,which the Sire is modeled .It was a nice bass but real heavy.I dig that fender,and less knobs on the pre

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Ziggy! I like less knobs and switches too.

[@ziggysmalls9329]

@@hoganshideout You're welcome

[@mikelambert5592]

I like the Sire also. Lots of info thank you!

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks. The Sire is a cool bass and a great color!

[@oststadtseuche]

Thank you, i enjoyed your review a lot.

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Markus!

[@andriyaniliev3344]

Thanks! Fender have better sound for me.

[@user-es9yj4jb1v]

"I can't imagine why anyone would change the hardware. Same for the Fender". Actually, there's a good reason to replace the bridge on the Fender with the slightly narrower (18.3mm ?) version that Fender make for this bass. The wider, factory-installed one puts the G string too close (1.0 ~ 1.5mm) to the edge of the fretboard.

[@AllAboutBasses]

Sire all day!

[@jeffyee3680]

Being loyal to my Fenders (8) , I found the B string on 34" scale sounds lacking tonally. Not crisp/clear . I was looking into a Players Plus in Opal Sparkle too . I eventually settled on a Dingwall Combustion 5 . Sustain on B and E strings for days ... literally. I just ordered a 4 string Combustion ...

[@swramplifiersmariopettinao]

Great review

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks Mario.

[@MrSparks54]

I have the 4 string Player Plus and love it. Haven't played a Sire so I can't comment on it either way.

[@hoganshideout]

Player Plus is a great bass.

[@davidhull6332]

I thought the Sire had a slight edge tone wise, possibly due to the wood on the neck. Although the tone of each are in my opinion very close. Both sound great

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks for the reply David!

[@mjolnircarlssen4211]

Both sound great but, to my ears…I liked the sound of the Sire better.

[@paulbradley8654]

Hey man review but I’m really diggin that SWR Redhead combo🤪I sure miss SWR

[@hoganshideout]

Great amps!

[@gnomishviking3013]

The B sounds a little tighter on the Sire to my ears

[@hoganshideout]

I agree, the Sire is tighter in general than the Fender. Thanks for watching.

[@FrensTimmerpens]

Since i bought a HB JP5 bass…..i know all the others are 10 times to expensive! (Only the weight with 4,35k is heavy)

[@danplaysbass6294]

Sounds to me that the Sire would be best.

[@ks8161]

Great comparison, very on point! Is there any difference in how Low B sounds/feels in person?

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks KS. The B string felt slightly better on the Fender and I thought it sounded a little better too. But really there wasn't much in it and it could just be the strings themselves. I think the Fender is probably a better bass, but at almost half the price, the Sire is a great bass too and a better deal.

[@calvinwilds46]

@@hoganshideout I felt the b sounded better on the sire more Definition

[@michaelblaney4461]

If I had to decide between my Fenders or Sires ......Sires all the way !

[@cashth]

A lot is made of the Sire having a real bone nut…the fender pp series has synthetic bone…did you notice a difference in the sustain?

[@hoganshideout]

There was no tonal or sustain difference that I could hear and I think the synthetic bone nut Fender is using works fine. Thanks for the comment.

[@BlommaBaumbart]

Huh. Wouldn't have expected that "bass guitars" is a product where vegans have to pay attention.

[@fredparker3384]

Torn between a Sire V8 or Fender Player Plus Jazz…4 strings. Thoughts??

[@hoganshideout]

Do you like a 60s style Jazz or a 70s? I really like 70s spec'ed Jazz basses like the V8 (ash body, maple board, 70s pickup spacing). Player Plus is more of a 60s spec. Both are great basses though.

[@miltonhd5811]

Marcus miller 👍

[@Lord_Hiram]

I’m scared of buying a sire because there’s always that one comment of ppl having issues

[@jerometene]

I like the Fender better...

[@hoganshideout]

I actually like the Fender better too, and if I were picking for myself it would be the Fender. My wife really helped convince me to go with the Sire because she and my daughter had been looking at it online and my daughter loved the color and look of the bass. I actually was still undecided when I shot the video and recorded an ending where I picked the Fender instead of the Sire :) I installed a set of neon pink DR strings on the Sire and got some better (direct) sound samples of the the original strings and the new strings and I'm going to upload that video later in the week. Anyway, thanks for checking the video out!

[@brandonmalone1893]

I payed 347$ for my sire v7 vintage. Used but .in basically new condition...and I wouldn't pay another 1000$ for a fender... Because the sire plays better than anything I've played. And the quality is amazing. I've played 33 years. And I play everyday. And consider myself an advanced player. I had planned on buying an American Fender too. Sire blew me away. I love fenders but now I figured out they're just conning people. If sire can make an amazing bass for that price then fender can too... they're greedy. And I'll put my sire against an American Fender...and I'm talking about the tone...I could care less about tone. It's the way it plays. The neck is amazing. Most people get hung up on the tone...you can put pick-ups in any bass and make it sound good...that doesn't makw it a good bass...and the sire plays absolutely amazing.

[@CillBlintonOfficial]

5 string fenders are just too dang muddy on that low string. I hate to say it because I absolutely adore fender instruments but it's the truth

[@michaelanderson4265]

Are the string gauges the same, nickel or stainless steel..?

[@hoganshideout]

The gauges are slightly different but both are nickel plated steel rounds. Daddario XLs are 45, 65, 80, 100, 130. DRs are 45, 65, 85, 105, 125.

[@davidnaranjo6919]

How would you compare the tone to your Stingray?

[@hoganshideout]

There are tonal differences between the Sire and the Player Plus, but they are both Jazz basses and sound like Jazz basses. The Stingray is a totally different animal. Stingrays in general are more in your face and aggressive than Jazz basses and sound great for a lot of styles of music. Jazz Basses are fatter sounding than Stingrays and and warmer. If I could only have one bass it would be tough to choose between and Jazz and a Stingray. I think bass players really need a Jazz, a Stingray, and a Precision and that covers anything.

[@piotrkarcz3536]

What is the balance in a sitting position? Both have neck dive

[@hoganshideout]

Yes both have a bit of neck dive, but the Sire is a bit worse. Neither one is too bad, but different people have different levels of tolerance for neck dive. It has to be pretty bad to bother me, and both of these basses are fine for me.

[@stefaneduard8169]

I'd get a Sire and swap the electronics with Sadowsky noiseless pickups & active preamp and maybe i'd change the saddles too cuz the materials used on low and medium priced instruments are pretty cheap and sometimes stability problems appear. Or just get a Sadowsky MetroExpress 21-5 Vintage, although i heard the neck and the fingerboard are not as good as with the Sire basses...

[@hoganshideout]

The Sire would be an excellent modding platform. I do like the stock pickups I just wish the preamp was less complicated.

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

I've got the same Fender and I love it! This is my unboxing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5qwZYqhbZylhZY

[@hoganshideout]

Hey great unboxing and demo, and nice playing!

[@BADDying]

I don’t like the sound of the 5th string on the Sire so I would not buy it. great video!

[@hoganshideout]

Thanks for the comment BADDy.

[@stevedunch581]

Lots of clack

[@severinodeletteriis6293]

Fender player plus😂