Marcus Miller M2 TBK 2nd Gen

I bought this and the M7 to compare and have to say that there really isn't a lot in it between the two. The build quality of the M2 doesn't really suffer from being the cheaper model, it's a solid bass and has clearly received a good amount of attention to its setup.

Tonally it's very versatile, albeit not quite to the same degree as the M7 with it's coil-splits and fancier pickups. That said, the preamp on these is absolutely fantastic, and you can really shape the tone however you like.

In terms of ergonomics, it sits well on your lap and on a strap, has a lovely J-type neck profile that's very easy to play on. However, the contoured body isn't quite as sleek as the M7 and is a bit more noticeable when compared to one another.

It's hard to review this without any bias, given that I had both instruments here, but as an entry-level/mid-range bass this is a quality instrument.

That said, given the choice I'd rather have the M7 as I felt it was more comfortable, and I slightly preferred the tones from the different pickups on it.

Looks great, plays great, sounds great. It's a very versatile bass. Coming from a 2-band active bass, I think the 3-band feature is a great opportunity to further fine-tune my sound. The passive mode is not that big and loud, but it may come in handy. The tone knob in active mode makes very little difference, but I already used some EQ pedals to get the dampening of the tone knob on my previous bass, so I don't really care about that. Last but not least, it's really light! My back hurts no more! Also, no neck dive.

I love this bass, its so comfortable, the neck feels amazing, i've never played anything as nice feeling and smooth. For referance this is my first bass, but i've tried others in studios i've been in: fenders, yamahas etc, and the necks always throws me off and feels almost sticky. The neck on this MM is so smooth and nice.

The tone isnt as nice as i would of wanted, i usually only use the neck pickup. Switching to flats helped and made the bass even more comfortable. The tone isnt bad or anything, but ive gotten a better tone out of other basses, BUT i think the comfortability of the thing outweighs the sound, i rarely use other basses over this one. Tone is ofc subjective tho.

The tuners are great, its easy to tune and the tuning holds for a long time. When i use my cheap guitar after playing this bass i get so annoyed by the tuning process, since i know how easy it should be.

The intonation accross the neck isnt perfect, but i dont think you can expect it to be either. I think higher up the neck was sharp when i got it, and it has drifted to flat later. So this isnt the instruments fault, its made of wood so it will drift no matter what.

To give a little background to this review: I'm 38, this is my first ever instrument, and I have no desire to ever play anywhere except in my home, for my own enjoyment.

That being said, before buying this I borrowed a from a friend... and I did not like it. Very heavy, no matter what I did to it the string action was too high (probably needed a new nut), the neck felt too thick (I'm 1.9m tall and have fairly large hands btw). But still, I was conviced I liked to play bass.

So after a lot of research I decided to try this one as my first, only, and last ever bass. Because, as I said in the beginning, I'm just looking to learn and do some solo stoner doom jamming, and nothing else.

So I decided to not buy a cheap guitar and "upgrade later" because there was no point. I got a decent guitar that I can use for a long time. Worst case it ends up as a wall decoration.

Now to the actual review... the guitar is super light compared to the Squier. I did not weigh them but it's like 50% lighter, the difference is huge.

The neck is thin and oh so nice to play... it's also narrower than the Squier I think and that helps with reaching around the frets. And speaking of neck and fretboard... it is superbly finished. The rounded edges Sire does make it feel so nice on your fingers.

And, I'm not sure if credit for this one should go to Thomann or Sire, but it came perfectly set up. I only had to tune it and started playing... The action and string height was perfect out of the box.

The body shape is very comfortable as well... fits nice on your leg if playing sitting down.

Minimal neckdive as well.

The one thing on the instrument that does not feel as high quality as the rest... are the nobs on the preamp. They feel a bit flimsy.

Also I'm either not using it right, or the tone control doesn't really do all that much, be it in active or passive mode.

Speaking of active mode, it came with 2 9V batteries in the box.
And speaking of the box, it came very well packaged in its own box, and then Thomman put it in another box with extra padding around it. Being double-boxed, it arrived in perfect condition.

Very happy with the purchase... probably my favorite part is the neck because it make playing so much nicer than the Squier neck.