Marcus Miller V5 Alder-5 NT

Bought this as my second bass, at about 2years experience. I play in a metal band.

Tested tens of basses. This thing, labeled a Jazz Bass, sounded very well. The few basses that sounded better were 2x the price, and did not like how they look. No immediate discernable difference between this bass and a Made in USA fender costing 2000$+. Even though I bought it from Thomann, and not the place I tested, I received the same bass, sounding the same, with same good setup and a good fresh set of strings.

- It is heavy, but not a boat anchor. You will feel the weight. Has a huge shovel of a fretboard head, opinions vary on it.
- If you play with it on the right leg, it will have noticeable (but not enough to bother you) neck dive. I usually play with it between legs with strap, so no issue. Standing up, no issue.
- Is a bit more roasted mustardy color than the bland yellow you see in the pictures. Much nicer to look in reality. No discernable visual or quality control issue.
- From factory setup is good. For me I had to drop the strings a bit and the pickups, but doesn't need a full setup.
- Sustain is absolutely excellent , every note very clear. I drop the thick string to A, still sounds good.
- Is a passive bass but somehow sounds clearer and louder than my active one. Pickup volume is balanced, one pickup is not louder than the other. I suppose this is how good pickups should sound like.
- Frets are kind of thin and small, no impact on playability or sound.

- Do not, under any circumstance, use the provided Allan keys to adjust it. They are smaller then they should and will probably strip the truss rod nut or the saddles. Throw them away and buy good ones! This is the only bad thing I have to say about the bass.

Conclusion: perfect bass for the money, to plug in and play blues and jazz. For anything fast, spend 5 minutes to drop the fresh, good strings. Have fun! If you are not very thin, have a bad back or very small hands, buying this bass will for sure not be a mistake.

Oh, and do not only watch Youtube reviews and buy a bass without testing it. No need to spend weeks watching every review. In 2 hours of actually testing them you will find out way more info regarding how they are. Reviews should only confirm "is this bass good or it is just me?".

Why test them: (from a guy that has never tested basses, tested them now in vacation, 3000km away from home): every neck feels different. Some have very bad fretwork that you need to file down (yes, those 4/5 very good basses from reviews that cost almost 1000$). Some are just too tiny and guitar-like. Some are like an airplane cockpit with millions of switches but all tones very similar. Some have too wide or narrow string spacing. Weight varies a lot from bass to bass. And some do not have a comfortable place for your right hand thumb.

In case you're wondering 34 vs 35 inch, I could not tell the difference when playing. After actually looking at them for 30 seconds and putting my hands on them, I would never buy some of the "very popular, great quality, excellent entry levels basses" that people are very happy with online. Fortunately, this bass or a similar Sire bass are rather popular, I hope you find a place to play it a bit. For reviews, search lowendlobster on YT.

I bought this bass in January 2024. It is a decent bass regardless of price.
Thanks Thomann for quick shipment and delivery.
Pros:
- Price;
- Good action set-up;
- Beautiful wood – no visible seals, looks like a one piece of wood;
- Nice neck with great fretwork;
- Bass is well assembled;
- Tone, although it is clear that this is subjective. It has a lot of midrange growl that cuts through the mix nicely.
Cons:
- Weight – 4,3 kg and neck dive.
- Pickups’ pads are thin and do not give opportunity to raise the pickups higher.

Together with the bass I have also bought from Thomann Gotoh GB528 tuners which help me to reduce the bass’s weight by 200gr and eliminate the neck dive. When replacing tuners, be careful when removing the stock bushings. It is very easy to damage the front part of the neck of the head.
I also put cardboard underneath of the pickups to raise them.

B string is quite tight and sounds pretty good for 34’ scale.

I would strongly recommend this bass for those who do not want to pay a lot of money for a brand while want to buy a decent bass.