Marcus Miller Z3-4 Sparkle Black

I bought this after trying my brother in law's Sire bass. I wanted something in a Music Man shape though and so went for the Z3-4.

It's really comfortable to play, especially with the rolled edges on the neck. It feels quite luxurious. It's nice and versatile too, working well for slap (as you'd expect with Marcus Miller's name on it) as well as pick and fingerstyle.

The sound is nice and raspy, kind of aggressive. That's what I wanted rather than a flatwound sort of 70s sound. My bass style is rooted in '80s goth, punk and indie. Nice and hard-hitting.

The look is the interesting thing In the pictures it looks more black than sparkly, but this is way more sparkly than you'd think. It's a little audacious and definitely surprised me but I immediately liked it. It's very unique.

I recently purchased the Sire Marcus Miller Z3 4-string from Thomann, and while I ultimately had to return it, I wanted to leave a review to highlight my experience.

First off, the bass itself is absolutely top-notch. The build quality, finish, and overall playability were fantastic straight out of the box. The tone is incredibly versatile thanks to the active electronics and the dual pickups—great for everything from clean funk to aggressive rock. It felt solid in the hands and had a growly, punchy tone I was really excited about using in my band project.

However, after trying it out for a few days, I realized I actually needed the 5-string version to suit the tuning and range required in my current band. Thomann made the return process easy and stress-free, which I really appreciate.

If you’re looking for a high-quality 4-string bass with excellent features for the price, I’d absolutely recommend the Z3. I’m now in the process of ordering the 5-string version instead—can’t wait to get it in my hands!