I got an S3 last week. I, personally, think it's an amazing guitar. Including the pickups - to me, they don't sound in any way like a cheap set of pickups. Extremely happy with my choice and it was heavily influenced by your previous reviews of the S line. Thank you.
@@playboimarty Hey! On weight - I'm sure the spec has the correct weight, I would say it doesn't feel too heavy to me, maybe it even feels a bit light, but in a good way. On pickups brightness/warmness - I love the neck pickup, I'm no pro and haven't had the chance to own very expensive guitars, but all pickups seem pretty good to me, they are pretty low on noise, etc. Bridge is the brightest of all (if I understand how this spectrum works), it's also significantly hotter/louder than the rest. I'm using the Neural DSP stuff so I don't get any differences in output because of that, but when I'm setting up input levels to my audio interface (playing with a computer I don't use physical guitar amps), I have to go significantly quieter to have 1 setting where all pickups wouldn't peak on most aggressive playing. Honestly, I am getting strat sound and more our of this guitar. I love it. The neck feels pretty great. The satin finish makes it easy to move up and down, there is no neck dive. The rolled edges feel great. The flatter profile probably makes it easier to play certain things. Not too fat, not too slim. It's great. It's not a roasted wood though, so I'm not sure how would longevity be or if you took this on the road and have to play in different conditions - probably not the best choice. But it may be - I just don't have the experience. One thing that is disappointing to me - I don't like the sound of the guitar when unplugged. :D I know it's probably a non-issue for everyone, but I do enjoy to do an occasional quick exercise here and there throughout the day and just play unplugged. For example, I have Harley Benton DC-DLX which is even cheaper, but sounds so good unplugged, if it didn't have a neck dive - would've been my favourite guitar. I suspect the tremolo on the S3 is messing up the unplugged sound (the HB has a fixed bridge). Anyways, some random thoughts. Hope they are useful to someone and I apologise if I got something terribly wrong.
Most of the reviews I watched where they know what they are doing as far as tech goes the S3 pick ups are hotter than the S7. Hotter doesn't mean sounds better. They are louder and will push the amp at a lower volume than the S7. Louder doesn't mean sounds better. that would differ by ear of course and what you are looking for in a guitar.
@@playboimarty I recently bought an S3. It weighs 7.4lb. I suppose you would call the neck a medium C but whatever it is it is supremely comfortable with the rolled edges and perfectly fitted frets. The sound is very warm and fat. Best Strat type guitar I have ever played and a steal at the price.
I have the Flame maple S7 and it plays like dream. Andertons say the pick ups are made in house. I gigged it and it was very easy to sustain. No complaints here. Jon
I have Sire Larry Carlton Semi Acoustic Guitar A4 and V3 Bass Guitar. Sire has premium build quality and great sound with budget prices. Thinking of buying S3 now..
I bought a T3 a little over a month ago for $399 US. Got it for my songs in Open G (took the 6th string off). It’s perfect for that and it’s an amazing guitar for the price.
I’m not sure they’re your cup of tea, but some UK shops have the Cort G290 and Cort G300 on sale and they’re a bargain. It would be interesting to see you review them as I think they’re massively underrated…
do you ever try the squire affinity hss?, if you do please give me some advice, i’m so confused, some people said that sire is better than squier, but i don’t really like the sire series color, I’M SO CONFUSED PLEASE HELP ME 😭😭😭
My brother has a T3 he had a setup and it's as good as 1k fender. He has one of those so I've played both. I have a t7 modded pickups. It's a great guitar.
The name on the headstock is becoming less critical in determining quality and playability. You can get very good budget guitars, along with poor examples. This is equally true of customer shop premium guitars. I own a selection of both types and can attest that neither price or brand is an absolute measure of a guitars merits.
That's the same with a lot of products now, paying more doesn't always equate to better quality or longevity, life is a lot more confusing these days😳🤔🤔💔
These are more traditional strat (9.5 and c shaped) than the dk24. That's a super thin neck that is supposed to compete with ibanez, esp, etc (the dk24 neck is AMAZING btw. Favorite neck on any of my guitars)
I can’t get this s3 out of my head. Admittedly I was holding it legs akimbo in a Premier inn car park, but chuff me, it shouldn’t be this good for 350 notes 🤷♂️
These are very decent guitars .with discounts I got both tele and strat for around 630 quid with discounts. That’s under £100 less than Mexican made fender tele or Strat . Personally I think these are as good as Mexican mades so feel I have added very decent giging guitars for an absolute song .. very happy with purchase .
What's the role of cheaper guitars? I'd think they lower the threshold of getting one for beginners or really anyone taking an interest in learning to play. I also see many sales ads for very cheap used ones in which case someone obviously decided it was not for them. Both aspects make it a no brainer to just get one and get started and I want to think that that's not all bad in terms of new talent entering the fold, isn't it? Other than that and if you're an intermediate or even experienced player, whom I'd boldly consider myself as well, if there are budget constraints for whatever reason, it's wonderful to be able to purchase an instrument that can stack up well against much more expensive ones so that playing can continue to be a rewarding activity. I got myself a Squier Deluxe built in Indonesia after they had just hit the stores here and have upgraded it moderately in terms of hardware. Same with my Greg Bennett semi-acoustic which really was the best buy of all guitars I ever owned and played (other than the Tokai LP copy I so ungracefully put out of operation). I was under the impression that the ceramics pickups can't be very good, but they sound pretty good in your hands, although I will say that I seem to miss a bit of that sweet "tingly", bell-like high treble top end. But maybe that's also my mind trying to convince of something illusory, that's entirely possible. Nice demo again, I could binge listen to you endlessly and never get bored for even a moment. Thanks mate!
@@Dantespeako i added a few bucks and got the cort g280 select, i tried out the ibanez azes40 in a store and wasnt blown away by it. If i were to choose between the two, i would probably choose the sire s3, just for the 2 point trem system.
Hi John, I'm thinking between the Sire S3 or Cort G260 CS which is even cheaper but appears to be a nice guitar. People say good things about Cort as well. Have you tried a Cort?
Does it have stainless steel frets like the S7 or it comes with nickel? Also, is this neck profile exactly the same as the S7 model? I tried one a while ago and found it a bit chunky for my taste. Cheers!
Cheaper guitars are necessary to provide lower income aspiring guitarists to be able to enter the guitar world without having to rob someone lol These are awesome guitars, have the S7-FM-TBL. Would have been great to hear you do some sampling of the different positions, not only the neck pickup in other words.
John Lennon stole an electric guitar once backstage at a competition in their earliest years. It was his 2nd guitar. He hid it in his house in Liverpool and it was found many years after his death; other Beatles were aware of the guitar but nobody ever saw it after he took it; he was probably ashamed of having stole it. Luckily there’s the S7.
@@sub-jec-tiv It's not a super expensive item for some, but for others who could have so much talent be wasted it's completely unaffordable until later years in life when you've become already swamped by debts that you have to work hard to pay off and then there's less time to spend to actually do enough with any hidden talent to be able to get to the potential needed to create one's own music or play in a band. For others who need to develop skill to become as good as other virtuosos, where it becomes expensive is if they have to take lessons with a professional, they don't come any cheaper. Probably only 5% of talent that is out there is doing what they have talent to be doing and making a living from it, and I'm probably being too generous. Who knows. Anyhow, the Sires aren't that much cheaper either, I mean I paid 936$CAD txes and delivery included (w/o case, bought a hardshell aftermarket for 145$CAD) and I already had several other guitars, just wanted to add this to my gear and honestly it sits closely up there with my 2008 (manufactured in 2007, first edition) Fender American Standard Stratocaster HSS Sienna Burst RW-fretboard which is a rarer colored Strat which costs more than double that much. The Sires went up in price since I got mine, now some 300$ +txes more than what I paid. When you look at more affordable type Strats, you can get some nice Squiers, but some of those too aren't cheap as well. However, in today's world there are a lot of great sounding cheaper guitars, for example the Squier Affinity Telecaster sounds awesome, I have one of those too, comes at around 400$CAD txes included from Amazon. The Bullet version also sounds good, but the pots and pups aren't as good quality as on the Affinity, also in that price range. You can even get some pretty nice sounding jazz licks from it and they are solid guitars. Thought I'd throw this out there too... Cheers.
Although most of us love to have "high end" gear (especially guitars)...but then everybody loves a bargain......and why not...back in 1969/70 there wasn't the ckoice of today....and quality wasn't always there either....
You should really try Harley Benton Fusion III series guitars, they are great, just take the roller string tree off from D and G string, it is not necessary at all. But Stainless steel frets, roasted neck, alnico pickups, locking tuners etc, and cheap.
hello, john! i recently picked up second hand eventide timefactor. Do you have any tips to get started editing? I've been playing through some of the presets, they're good, but it was somewhat limiting. i wanted the pedal for so long, I'm kinda disappointed that I finally get it, lol. keep up the good work! cheers!
@TheBbtlegit wow. I'm thinking about getting an S3, too. I think it's a mahogany body, which I like the notion of. Warmer sound. Haven't had a guitar with a whammy bar before. Kinda worried that set up and tuning might be too much for me to handle.
For those who didn't get the reference. Cort is located in Surabaya, Indonesia, and then there's that classic cabaret song by Kurt Weill. Kudos if you got it. Great song. ruclips.net/video/aSLTvKC-P3Y/видео.html
People in Indonesia are 99% similar to you and I. They have a lifestyle and an economic system, etc. They are paid very well to make guitars and all sorts of other things for export. Plenty of shady business in all of that, but if you separate the business and the governments away, it is the labor. That labor is sooo happy to be doing this respective of other options they have. This is how a 3rd world country steps into 1st world status - manufacturing. I don't see the issue to be honest.
Those are nice guitars, and the playability is fantastic, but... I have always had problems playing the Elite's and Utras (finger hits the volume knob, and not really sold on the noiseless pickups). I went with the Pro II and it continues to grow on me. I love it.
I'm pretty sure that guitars in China aren't being made with slave labor. While the Chinese government is reprehensible, the Chinese people are not. Support as much free market in China as you can, because it may not last.
Biggest price factor is Brand name.. look at some of the garbage Gibson and Fender put out but since they have their Brand name on the headstock they can justify their outrageous price point.
I got an S3 last week. I, personally, think it's an amazing guitar. Including the pickups - to me, they don't sound in any way like a cheap set of pickups. Extremely happy with my choice and it was heavily influenced by your previous reviews of the S line. Thank you.
How heavy was it?
And how warm or bright are the neck and middle?
And how is the neck?
@@playboimarty Hey!
On weight - I'm sure the spec has the correct weight, I would say it doesn't feel too heavy to me, maybe it even feels a bit light, but in a good way.
On pickups brightness/warmness - I love the neck pickup, I'm no pro and haven't had the chance to own very expensive guitars, but all pickups seem pretty good to me, they are pretty low on noise, etc. Bridge is the brightest of all (if I understand how this spectrum works), it's also significantly hotter/louder than the rest. I'm using the Neural DSP stuff so I don't get any differences in output because of that, but when I'm setting up input levels to my audio interface (playing with a computer I don't use physical guitar amps), I have to go significantly quieter to have 1 setting where all pickups wouldn't peak on most aggressive playing. Honestly, I am getting strat sound and more our of this guitar. I love it.
The neck feels pretty great. The satin finish makes it easy to move up and down, there is no neck dive. The rolled edges feel great. The flatter profile probably makes it easier to play certain things. Not too fat, not too slim. It's great. It's not a roasted wood though, so I'm not sure how would longevity be or if you took this on the road and have to play in different conditions - probably not the best choice. But it may be - I just don't have the experience.
One thing that is disappointing to me - I don't like the sound of the guitar when unplugged. :D I know it's probably a non-issue for everyone, but I do enjoy to do an occasional quick exercise here and there throughout the day and just play unplugged. For example, I have Harley Benton DC-DLX which is even cheaper, but sounds so good unplugged, if it didn't have a neck dive - would've been my favourite guitar. I suspect the tremolo on the S3 is messing up the unplugged sound (the HB has a fixed bridge).
Anyways, some random thoughts. Hope they are useful to someone and I apologise if I got something terribly wrong.
@@tsenkov NO THIS WAS A PERFECT REVIEW THANKJU
Most of the reviews I watched where they know what they are doing as far as tech goes the S3 pick ups are hotter than the S7. Hotter doesn't mean sounds better. They are louder and will push the amp at a lower volume than the S7. Louder doesn't mean sounds better. that would differ by ear of course and what you are looking for in a guitar.
@@playboimarty I recently bought an S3. It weighs 7.4lb. I suppose you would call the neck a medium C but whatever it is it is supremely comfortable with the rolled edges and perfectly fitted frets. The sound is very warm and fat. Best Strat type guitar I have ever played and a steal at the price.
I can't stop playing this guitar i love it.
I have the Flame maple S7 and it plays like dream. Andertons say the pick ups are made in house. I gigged it and it was very easy to sustain. No complaints here. Jon
Where can I go learn a solo like this?? 00:26
I have Sire Larry Carlton Semi Acoustic Guitar A4 and V3 Bass Guitar.
Sire has premium build quality and great sound with budget prices.
Thinking of buying S3 now..
if you had to choose between AZES or S3, what would you choose?
My question too
And my too.
Damn son! You're tearing it up in that intro! I had to play that twice! Nice chops
I bought a T3 a little over a month ago for $399 US. Got it for my songs in Open G (took the 6th string off). It’s perfect for that and it’s an amazing guitar for the price.
I find the pups to be excellent .. great playing as always
I’m not sure they’re your cup of tea, but some UK shops have the Cort G290 and Cort G300 on sale and they’re a bargain. It would be interesting to see you review them as I think they’re massively underrated…
cort has been making guitars for other manufactures overseas for decades.
Was the g290 heavy
@@keithjones3714 Like a strat, more or less. It maybe was on the heavier side of the Strat spectrum, but I can't remember. It was acceptable for me.
I really want to play one of these. I’ve heard the fretwork they have trademarked is incredible to play on
do you ever try the squire affinity hss?, if you do please give me some advice, i’m so confused, some people said that sire is better than squier, but i don’t really like the sire series color, I’M SO CONFUSED PLEASE HELP ME 😭😭😭
little late but ive tried both the sire is better than squier but if you dont like how the guitar looks theres no point of buying it
Next time I am at Sweetwater I really want to A/B these Sire's with similar G&L Tributes. (Even though I don't need either haha).
I’m really interested to see what you think of the new T3. You raved about the T7, be cool to know how you see it’s newer, cheaper cousin.
My brother has a T3 he had a setup and it's as good as 1k fender. He has one of those so I've played both. I have a t7 modded pickups. It's a great guitar.
JNC, how about some love for the Ibanez AZES? Could they also be in the same category as the Sire S3?
Exactly what I wanted to ask!
Ask and ye shall receive... ruclips.net/video/VzRTk99-_H8/видео.html
@@CraigCrider Both of the guitars in the video you linked are the higher end versions.
The name on the headstock is becoming less critical in determining quality and playability. You can get very good budget guitars, along with poor examples. This is equally true of customer shop premium guitars. I own a selection of both types and can attest that neither price or brand is an absolute measure of a guitars merits.
That's the same with a lot of products now, paying more doesn't always equate to better quality or longevity, life is a lot more confusing these days😳🤔🤔💔
How's the neck profile on this? Is it comparable to something like a Charvel DK24 maybe?
These are more traditional strat (9.5 and c shaped) than the dk24. That's a super thin neck that is supposed to compete with ibanez, esp, etc
(the dk24 neck is AMAZING btw. Favorite neck on any of my guitars)
Dear John , thanks for your amazing review. may i know what do you pick between Sire S3 and Ibanez Azes40 ? thanks again for your amazing channel.
How fat or thin is this neck compared to regular Ibanez Gio series guitars?
Please compare it with ibanez AZES 40
I can’t get this s3 out of my head. Admittedly I was holding it legs akimbo in a Premier inn car park, but chuff me, it shouldn’t be this good for 350 notes 🤷♂️
This guitar is amazing.
No videos in youtube about new Sire S5?
Weight in details?
This vs fujigen odyssey or yamaha pasifica 112?
These are very decent guitars .with discounts I got both tele and strat for around 630 quid with discounts. That’s under £100 less than Mexican made fender tele or Strat . Personally I think these are as good as Mexican mades so feel I have added very decent giging guitars for an absolute song .. very happy with purchase .
What's the role of cheaper guitars? I'd think they lower the threshold of getting one for beginners or really anyone taking an interest in learning to play. I also see many sales ads for very cheap used ones in which case someone obviously decided it was not for them. Both aspects make it a no brainer to just get one and get started and I want to think that that's not all bad in terms of new talent entering the fold, isn't it?
Other than that and if you're an intermediate or even experienced player, whom I'd boldly consider myself as well, if there are budget constraints for whatever reason, it's wonderful to be able to purchase an instrument that can stack up well against much more expensive ones so that playing can continue to be a rewarding activity.
I got myself a Squier Deluxe built in Indonesia after they had just hit the stores here and have upgraded it moderately in terms of hardware. Same with my Greg Bennett semi-acoustic which really was the best buy of all guitars I ever owned and played (other than the Tokai LP copy I so ungracefully put out of operation).
I was under the impression that the ceramics pickups can't be very good, but they sound pretty good in your hands, although I will say that I seem to miss a bit of that sweet "tingly", bell-like high treble top end. But maybe that's also my mind trying to convince of something illusory, that's entirely possible.
Nice demo again, I could binge listen to you endlessly and never get bored for even a moment. Thanks mate!
I ended up ordering a Schecter Omen Extreme-6. :)
Great playing and tone. Im really curious to know how the Sire s3 holds up compared to the ibanez azes 40…
That's something I'd like answered too, the Ibenez looked well specd not sure of quality in their budget range though🤔🤔
J'ai testé les 2 aujourd'hui et je suis partie avec la s3 beaucoup, beaucoup mieux que azes 40
Same question here months later :)
@@Dantespeako i added a few bucks and got the cort g280 select, i tried out the ibanez azes40 in a store and wasnt blown away by it. If i were to choose between the two, i would probably choose the sire s3, just for the 2 point trem system.
How come they don't say if they are alnico or ceramic pickups? Have you opened one up?
Ceramic
Hi John, I'm thinking between the Sire S3 or Cort G260 CS which is even cheaper but appears to be a nice guitar. People say good things about Cort as well. Have you tried a Cort?
Same
Especially the roasted maple neck on it and the gorgeous look of Olympic white colour
Does it have stainless steel frets like the S7 or it comes with nickel? Also, is this neck profile exactly the same as the S7 model? I tried one a while ago and found it a bit chunky for my taste. Cheers!
Does the S7 have steel frets?
John, how do these guitars compare to an FGN as far as playability, sound and feel?
oh sh...so nice piece of music and a great improviser !
This or the Jet-400?
Cheaper guitars are necessary to provide lower income aspiring guitarists to be able to enter the guitar world without having to rob someone lol
These are awesome guitars, have the S7-FM-TBL. Would have been great to hear you do some sampling of the different positions, not only the neck pickup in other words.
John Lennon stole an electric guitar once backstage at a competition in their earliest years. It was his 2nd guitar. He hid it in his house in Liverpool and it was found many years after his death; other Beatles were aware of the guitar but nobody ever saw it after he took it; he was probably ashamed of having stole it. Luckily there’s the S7.
@@sub-jec-tiv Interesting. Thanks for sharing that.
@@sub-jec-tiv It's not a super expensive item for some, but for others who could have so much talent be wasted it's completely unaffordable until later years in life when you've become already swamped by debts that you have to work hard to pay off and then there's less time to spend to actually do enough with any hidden talent to be able to get to the potential needed to create one's own music or play in a band. For others who need to develop skill to become as good as other virtuosos, where it becomes expensive is if they have to take lessons with a professional, they don't come any cheaper. Probably only 5% of talent that is out there is doing what they have talent to be doing and making a living from it, and I'm probably being too generous. Who knows. Anyhow, the Sires aren't that much cheaper either, I mean I paid 936$CAD txes and delivery included (w/o case, bought a hardshell aftermarket for 145$CAD) and I already had several other guitars, just wanted to add this to my gear and honestly it sits closely up there with my 2008 (manufactured in 2007, first edition) Fender American Standard Stratocaster HSS Sienna Burst RW-fretboard which is a rarer colored Strat which costs more than double that much. The Sires went up in price since I got mine, now some 300$ +txes more than what I paid. When you look at more affordable type Strats, you can get some nice Squiers, but some of those too aren't cheap as well. However, in today's world there are a lot of great sounding cheaper guitars, for example the Squier Affinity Telecaster sounds awesome, I have one of those too, comes at around 400$CAD txes included from Amazon. The Bullet version also sounds good, but the pots and pups aren't as good quality as on the Affinity, also in that price range. You can even get some pretty nice sounding jazz licks from it and they are solid guitars. Thought I'd throw this out there too... Cheers.
Can anyone with this guitar explain why there is no string trees as very strat seems to have string trees, does this affect the S3 tuning at all
I've had mine for three weeks and the tuning has been very stable.
The tuning machines are staggered in height, eliminating the need for string trees.
Although most of us love to have "high end" gear (especially guitars)...but then everybody loves a bargain......and why not...back in 1969/70 there wasn't the ckoice of today....and quality wasn't always there either....
That ending...
This or ibanez azes40?
Did you choose? Same question here
@@Dantespeako nope, got a fender mim instead 🤣
You should really try Harley Benton Fusion III series guitars, they are great, just take the roller string tree off from D and G string, it is not necessary at all.
But Stainless steel frets, roasted neck, alnico pickups, locking tuners etc, and cheap.
I wouldnt say 400 dollars is a cheap guitar. You could get an gretsch electromatic second hand for 400
hello, john! i recently picked up second hand eventide timefactor. Do you have any tips to get started editing? I've been playing through some of the presets, they're good, but it was somewhat limiting. i wanted the pedal for so long, I'm kinda disappointed that I finally get it, lol. keep up the good work! cheers!
Rad the manual buddy
I think I'm going to purchase this guitar.
Well, did you get an S3 yet ?
If so, how is it ?
Thanks
@mikec6733 Yes I did I love it.
@TheBbtlegit wow. I'm thinking about getting an S3, too.
I think it's a mahogany body, which I like the notion of. Warmer sound.
Haven't had a guitar with a whammy bar before. Kinda worried that set up and tuning might be too much for me to handle.
I appreciate that you mentioned the ethics involved. Complicated.
Nah, it's more unethical to put a group of people out of work. The cost of living in London is not the same as in Surabaya, Johnny.
For those who didn't get the reference. Cort is located in Surabaya, Indonesia, and then there's that classic cabaret song by Kurt Weill. Kudos if you got it. Great song.
ruclips.net/video/aSLTvKC-P3Y/видео.html
People in Indonesia are 99% similar to you and I. They have a lifestyle and an economic system, etc. They are paid very well to make guitars and all sorts of other things for export. Plenty of shady business in all of that, but if you separate the business and the governments away, it is the labor. That labor is sooo happy to be doing this respective of other options they have. This is how a 3rd world country steps into 1st world status - manufacturing. I don't see the issue to be honest.
I'm wondering how is it out of the box? Did you need to have it set up, or was everything great already?
Well I got one yesterday and I noticed I need to do some work on it but I think nothing major.
My question exactly. I've had to intonate and adjust most new guitars. This one sounds great.
350 pounds is really heavy for a strat style guitar. My strats are all around 7 pounds.
I’ll take 3 Sires to go please! And that’s even after I win the lottery! Haha
Like you care for the people in Indonesia
I gave up searching for the best cheap guitar after I bought my American Ultra Strat. There’s just no comparison. You really do get what you pay for.
Glad you had a good experience - I hated my American Ultra that had noiseless samarium cobalt pups which were lifeless.
@@ericvinson4628 interesting. My experience has been very different. My fav guitar of all time. And I’ve had a lot of guitars.
I have one, too. I think it’s overrated. The built and stability is exceptional, though.
Those are nice guitars, and the playability is fantastic, but... I have always had problems playing the Elite's and Utras (finger hits the volume knob, and not really sold on the noiseless pickups). I went with the Pro II and it continues to grow on me. I love it.
I have an AM Pro I strat and I love it, I don't need any more strats.
Not everyone can afford a Suhr, Gibson, or Fender...
The role of cheaper guitars is that they are all that many people can afford.
I'm pretty sure that guitars in China aren't being made with slave labor. While the Chinese government is reprehensible, the Chinese people are not. Support as much free market in China as you can, because it may not last.
Like you care
@@PaulAzizan -- Why wouldn't I care? Don't you?
@@enonknives5449 Exactly
Me and the lads were literally saying this a week ago on the forum on bestcheapguitars.com
PRS ? Nope.
Biggest price factor is Brand name.. look at some of the garbage Gibson and Fender put out but since they have their Brand name on the headstock they can justify their outrageous price point.