LeftyBassist.com

I know Matt R. has had experience in this area...I missed buying his burgundy one by the slimmest of margins. I I just ordered the bass in the attached photo. Lefty V7 five string, Alder/ ebony in the killer Lake Placid Blue color. This color looks more like the 'Ice Blue Metallic' color that Fender made a special run of Jazz basses for the now defunct Mars Music about 20 years ago .. TWENTY years ago? Man.. I'd better finish paying my mortgage! lol!
Sire U.S.A. said five to six months. Wow. Matt said he was quoted the same order-to delivery time, but got it in three months.
Has anyone here ordered directly from Sire U.S.A.? If so, what were / are your experiences with them?

No experience with Sire USA, sorry. I ordered mine from Thomann when they first came out. It was a nice bass, though. But not as nice looking as yours!

It's funny, I left home in '96 to pursue audio engineering in Florida. One day my friends asked if I wanted to go to a grand opening of a new music store. At that time, the biggest music store I'd ever seen was my neighborhood store, which had a showroom that was maybe 10x10m.

We arrived at Mars, and it was totally insane. A thousand people lined up down the block. It was the size of a Walmart, and inside it was beautiful! They gave us free swag bags, like a couple sets of branded guitar strings, picks, and stickers. Never set foot in another one again, though. Ha!

I can’t remember if I mentioned it in my earlier thread but if you’re wondering about customer service and such, they were great in that area too.

I've order 3 Sire basses directly, through the last one I ordered was in 2018 (A V7 fretless, which I've since sold). It took 7 weeks then, though Sire's more popular today than ever so I wouldn't be surprised if their lead time (compounded with Covid delays) pushed that out to 5-6 months today.

I went to a Mars Music Store in Southern California, probably in Orange County, somewhere around 200-2001? Not sure, but I'll also never forget the sheer size of the place. I worked at Sam Ash Music, in Brooklyn, N.Y. repairing guitars and basses, from 1979, ending in 1982, after the staff moved to Forest Hills, Queens. The Queens store was about double the size of the Kings Highway Ash store. Funny how everything in N.Y., is compact, and crowded, and all the stores out west are humongous!
That Mars Music was a really big store, completely stocked with a lot of really great gear. Rumor was, the guy that opened those stores was the owner/ creator of one of those large office equipment stores, like Office Depot, or something.
Mars was simply too big. And, not too big to fail. I actually saw one of those Mars Music special run Jazz Basses there. GREAT Ice Blue color with matching headstock. Really gorgeous color. Apparently, there were only 75 made.. see link. Now, going up in value as well!

https://reverb.com/item/2719084-fender- ... e-metallic

No kidding! I grew up in Flatbush and went to the Kings Highway store all the time. We probably crossed paths. Did you know Jim Agnello? he was my main go to guy at Sam Ash. I did some home recording vocal sessions for him a few times. Small world.

I know Jimmy for 43 years! We- prior to our time working together at Ash, played in different bands on the straight rock circuit in N.Y.. City! He was in "For Shakes Sake," if I remember correctly, and I was in "The Rogues"- with The Late Nicky Martyn on guitar- formerly of Street Punk.
I see him on Fascist Novel frequently, although we're not really in touch frequently anymore. Jimmy was always a really great guy. He stayed in Brooklyn, at the "Paul Ash Music Catalog Store" as it was then called after the move- and I went to Forest Hills- even though, I moved to E.13th. st., just off Kings Highway to be closer to work! That store was right up the block, just north of Kings, at the Eastern end of Quentin road, right where it meets Kings Highway. It was, like about a block from my apartment! Eventually, it became an official Sam Ash store- now moved to some other location in Brooklyn.
Here's something funny- I happened to be at my then Girlfriend's home in Los Alamitos, Ca., So, her brother and I go to the grand opening week- in Huntington beach, California, of a Sam Ash store- like about 2000. I walk in, and hear "DAVE EDWARDS! DAVE EDWARDS!" I thought- who the hell knows me all the way out here? Well, it was Jimmy! He was made West Coast regional manager. I think he then moved up to Hollywood, and worked for them there... Sadly, the Ash's fired him, after like 35 years working for them. I heard stories about them doing things like that. It really is a small world.