Sire Marcus Miller P5 Alder 5-string Bass Guitar - Red

5-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Roasted Maple Neck and Fretboard, and 1 Single-coil Pickups - Red

Item ID: MMP5A5R

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Sire Marcus Miller P5 Alder 5-string Bass Guitar - Red

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Premium Components, Quality Craftsmanship, and Impressive Value

The Sire Marcus Miller P5 5-string bass is built to meet the performance needs of its world-renowned namesake — and Sire's commitment to quality is evident right out of the box. First, your fretting hand will delight to the touch of the roasted maple fretboard's rolled edges, which give the Marcus Miller P5 a smooth and comfortable feel you typically won't find on basses in this class. Plug in, and you'll experience powerful, punchy tone from its premium Marcus Vintage Fat-P Revolution single-coil pickup. Once you experience its thunderous tone and eminent playability, you'll understand what an impressive value the Sire Marcus Miller P5 truly is.

A neck that plays like a dream

Crafted from roasted hard maple with a matching fretboard, the Sire Marcus Miller P5's neck enhances note definition and attack to perfectly complement the beefy sound of its alder body. Players at Sweetwater are amazed by its rolled fretboard edges, giving this bass a fast and smooth feel normally reserved for top-tier instruments. This type of attention to detail gives the Marcus Miller P5 a custom shop playability that belies its value-packed price.

Bone nut and steel bridge for superior tone from tip to tail

Superior components like a real bone nut and a steel bridge are more reasons why the Sire Marcus Miller P5 bass stands out in its class. Bone transmits vibrations better than inexpensive plastic nuts, giving you better note definition and attack. The same is essentially true for its all-steel bridge, which enhances your tone beyond what inferior alloy bridges can offer. Also, the bridge allows for both body-through and bridge-through string loading, giving you one more option for customizing your bass setup to your preferences.

Sire Marcus Miller P5 Alder 5-string Bass Guitar Features:

Bass with premium components built to meet the performance needs of Marcus Miller
Alder body with roasted maple neck and matching fretboard combine for rich, vibrant tone
Rolled fretboard edges create a fast, smooth playing experience
Marcus Miller Vintage Fat-P Revolution pickup delivers iconic P Bass tone
Real bone nut and all-steel bridge for superior tone and performance

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Tech Specs

Number of Strings: 5
Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
Body Shape: Marcus Miller P5
Body Material: Alder
Color: Red
Body Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
Neck Material: Roasted Hard Maple
Neck Shape: C
Radius: 9.5"
Fingerboard Material: Roasted Hard Maple
Fingerboard Inlay: Black Dots
Number of Frets: 20, Medium
Scale Length: 34"
Nut Width: 1.874"
Nut Material: Bone
Bridge/Tailpiece: Marcus Miller Vintage-S
Tuners: Open Gear with Clover buttons
Middle Pickup: Marcus Miller Vintage Fat P Revolution Split Single-coil
Controls: 1 x volume, 1 x tone
Strings: Ernie Ball, .045-.130
Case/Gig Bag: Sold Separately
Manufacturer Part Number: 00810046133163

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Reviews

5.0

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First things first – HUGE shoutout to my Sweetwater rep Damian Hyde who absolutely killed it with great service, answering my questions, and geeking out over gear with me.

I purchased the Sire P5 5-string bass back in July 2023. My main bass was a 2008 Fender USA 5 string P-bass that I owned since 2008. I noticed a few neck issues with my Fender P5, so I figured I would get the Sire P5 as a backup while I sort out the Fender…$ for a demo model Sire…hard to lose at that price.

The Sire arrived with a good setup out of the box and only needed a little tweaking to get it to where I like. The first thing that caught my attention was the neck. The neck carve is a somewhat neutral C shape that feels very comfortable. Moreover, the satin finish on the neck feels excellent…it almost feels like a cross between a stain and a natural finish. The fretwork on the bass is great as well, no sharp corners and frets are all relatively smooth. I was able to get the action fairly low without any major buzzing. I think it could use a detailed fret leveling and polish to take it to the next level, but out of the box it is completely fine and totally useable.

The next thing I noticed was the low B. Honestly it is excellent, especially considering that this is a $, 34-inch scale bass. I have owned many high-end basses before such as Ritter, Benavente, F-bass, Warwick, and Sadowsky, and the low B on the Sire P5 is one of the best I have owned. It is even better than some of the high-end basses I previously have owned. It is certainly better than the low B on my Fender P5, which is useable, but sometimes feels like it is hanging on by thread. I very recently have tracked some bass on a song in which the guitars are tuned to Eb, and the low B on the Sire even did completely fine with being tuned down ½ step. Very impressive for the money.

As for the sounds, it sounds like a P-bass! A little brighter than my Fender, but for me that was easily compensated for with minor adjustments to EQ. The volume pot has a smooth roll-off, and the tone knob works great and has a really useable range. Being a Fender guy, I am considering switching out the pickup for a Fender USA 5-string P-pickup, but I'm still not sure yet. Either way, out of the box, the Sire sounds great!

Overall, I am absolutely shocked by how good this bass is for the money. It's hard to say, but I now prefer it to my Fender, as I feel more comfortable with the Sire neck and low B. Also, while I prefer the tone of the Fender a bit more, the Sire is about 95% of the way there, and could probably get to that point with a new pickup.

If you are considering getting one of these, do it. I don't think I've ever played an instrument that provides so much value for the money.

Purchased this bass a few weeks ago and I really love so many things about it. The fit and finish was superb right out of the box. I adjusted the action on mine because I like a pretty low action. The roasted maple neck and board give the bass a little smoother/darker tone than what I am used to. I love the vibe of this bass. There are a bunch of reviews on youtube that give the pickup a bad review. At first I thought the same thing but after playing it for a while I get it. It's rock and roll that's for sure. The upper mids on this pickup are pushed forward. It did seem to lack the lower mids a bit, but the tone knob helps get the old school vibe. I did try another pickup because I love to tinker. I replaced the Sire pickup with a Nordstrand Alnico 5, angled pole piece pickup. The difference wasn't that much different to be completely honest. I think if you wanted a more vintage vibe, perhaps another pickup voiced that way would be the way to go. BUT, I can get exactly that with a little EQ on my amp. I am running a Fender Rumble V3 500 and recently a Rumble 800H. This is paired with the Rumble V3 cabs, a 2x10 and a 1X15. It sounds glorious. The neck on the bass is incredible, really. It feels so comfortable with the 9 1/5 radius and the smooth edges on the frets/fingerboard. The hardware seems better that the original offerings. All the tuners turned nice and have some mass to them. The bridge is similar to the V7's and I like it. I believe this was strung with D addario's from the factory and I think they pair very well, strung through the bass.

I was planning on the Fender American 5 P bass but I didn't want the hassle of returning if I didn't like the low B string. Sometimes it's hit or miss with these. So, the Sire was a no brainer. The main use for this is for live use in a Church Band. The reason I bring this up is often times in Church settings the music varies greatly by styles. We play anything from Hymns to straight up rock to R&B and gospel. Forget about it, this covers everything. It even sounds wicked slapped!

From a quality standpoint, I can't find anything wrong with it. From a tone standpoint, besides lacking a little low mids, unstoppable. Something I have been getting into over the last couple years is playing more rock with a pick and distortion. This bass fits really well into that vibe. I think it sounds fantastic. The roasted maple gives it a slight warm/round thing I feel. Couple that with a pick and distortion, straight up Rock and Roll. Played finger style, so good, I love R&B and Country on this thing. The mids are classic P bass all the way. I have the 5 string version and the low B is really good. It has a strong fundamental and great sustain. No issues with this bass at all. The fact that it is completely passive is pretty cool too. No batteries to think about. Plug and play baby. All day (night).

As per usual Sweetwater killed it. The best customer experience ever. Thanks Mike Picotte!

I don't see how you could be disappointed with this purchase. It's really good......

See also: 5 String Bass Guitars, Sire, Sire 5-string Bass Guitars