Looking for a 5-string J. KSD Proto vs Sire V7 5STR

SpasticTastic

SpasticTastic

Dec 22, 2012
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#1
So I'm possibly considering a 5-string J bass. Need more of that extended growl in my life. I was considering these J's because they seem to be right up my alley.

One of the main contenders is the KSD Proto-J. Korean-made, used at around $400 - $600. Hear a lot of good things about it. Commonly found with maple fretboards, which I looove. Only problem is they're a bit hard to find in the color I want, and it's only a 2-band EQ. Easy fix, though. I hear the on-board EQ is meh and needs to be replaced anyway. Judging by videos, though, the low B sounds nice and defined.

Then there's the Sire. Everyone here seems to really love Sire. :D And honestly it seems very feature-packed. 3-band EQ, really great build quality. And easier to get in the colors you want. Only problem is, for some reason, a maple board is $100 more than the standard V7 5Str. And people seem to love how bright and lively these sound, but it does have a shorter scale length, so I wonder if that'll kinda give it a slight disadvantage to the KSD in terms of the B-string's definition?

Basically I just wanna know which bass would be better for what I want. A bright, growly, tight grinding J-bass sound that can handle grit without being too muddled out, especially on the low B. Not like... extreme distorted grind, but something ala Geddy Lee and Chris Squire.
 
#2
I know these VS threads aren't popular, but it would be pretty sweet to get a hand.

I know it's high quality J vs high quality J, so either one should do what I want. Heck, I can mod the KSD for a better preamp and basically get something similar to the Sire. But I'm curious if the overall package is worth it? I'm also still curious at how well either one handles their low B.
 
#5
SpasticTastic said:
Only problem is, for some reason, a maple board is $100 more than the standard V7 5Str.
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It's the ash body that the $100 extra is for, not the maple board. FWIW. Can't help with your choice - love my Sires, never tried a KSD to compare with.
 
#6
bholder said:
It's the ash body that the $100 extra is for, not the maple board. FWIW. Can't help with your choice - love my Sires, never tried a KSD to compare with.
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Aaah I see. Shame, I'd like to see them do a standard V7 alder with a maple board. The white or red bass with maple is absolutely killer looking.

And after reading more about KSD, I think I'll pass on it. They seem really hit or miss. Lots of modding needed to get them up to par.

I'm still curious about how clear the B is on the Sires. I honestly yet to see a video of anyone really showing off the low B on the V-series basses.
 
#7
Those KSDs dont' seem real common around here, whereas there are lots of Sires.

If your main hang up is the pre, There are lots of J style preamps out there, and installation is pretty easy. I have an audere in my J type and it's great. I didn't install it myself, but my recollection is that you didn't even need to solder anything. Jretro or Sadwosky would be pretty similar installs.

Personally, I don't think 34 scale is a deal breaker on a 5 string, but if 35 is important to you, you can switch the pre in the KSD, you can't change the scale on the Sire.
 
#8
SpasticTastic said:
Aaah I see. Shame, I'd like to see them do a standard V7 alder with a maple board. The white or red bass with maple is absolutely killer looking.

And after reading more about KSD, I think I'll pass on it. They seem really hit or miss. Lots of modding needed to get them up to par.

I'm still curious about how clear the B is on the Sires. I honestly yet to see a video of anyone really showing off the low B on the V-series basses.
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I don't do videos, but I've posted several soundclips featuring the B in the Sire club thread, I'll see if I can find the posts again...

Edit: forget finding it again, here it is uploaded to Soundcloud:

This is with a DR DDT .145 for the B string. Fingerstyle, I think active mode, set almost flat, balance slightly to the neck pu.
 
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#9
MobileHolmes said:
Those KSDs dont' seem real common around here, whereas there are lots of Sires.

If your main hang up is the pre, There are lots of J style preamps out there, and installation is pretty easy. I have an audere in my J type and it's great. I didn't install it myself, but my recollection is that you didn't even need to solder anything. Jretro or Sadwosky would be pretty similar installs.

Personally, I don't think 34 scale is a deal breaker on a 5 string, but if 35 is important to you, you can switch the pre in the KSD, you can't change the scale on the Sire.
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Yeah the more I think about it, the more I can overlook the scale length since I don't really plan on going lower than B for this bass. Just plan on keeping it in standard. It's why I may just go with the Sire. I just did quite a bit of searching on KSD and seeing all the hit-or-miss stories kinda turned me off.
 
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#10
SpasticTastic said:
Yeah the more I think about it, the more I can overlook the scale length since I don't really plan on going lower than B for this bass. Just plan on keeping it in standard. It's why I may just go with the Sire. I just did quite a bit of searching on KSD and seeing all the hit-or-miss stories kinda turned me off.
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You piqued my curiousity, and it looked like there hasn't been a KSD in the classifieds in like 6 months. They just don't seem that popular.
 
#11
MobileHolmes said:
You piqued my curiousity, and it looked like there hasn't been a KSD in the classifieds in like 6 months. They just don't seem that popular.
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There's a few on Reverb. Unfortunately not the one I'm looking for. I'm looking for the 705, which seems to be much rarer than the 605.

But anyways, I'll stick with the Sire. Unless I can find something like a used Schecter Diamond J5 for a great price. I'm afraid I'll have to put waaay too much work and money into the KSD and still won't have something as quality as a Sire or Schecter.

EDIT: Although I'm eyeing a Tribute L2500 now. :lol:
 
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#14
Funny you should say that. I've got the KSD Proto-J 5 string with a Sadowsky preamp and it is way better than my standard Sire V7 5 string (1st gen). So you're probably right about the modding part for the KSD, but I definitively have to install another preamp in my Sire because it is lousy. So maybe I was lucky on the KSD and unlucky on the Sire?
 
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