So many guitar reviewers / channels demonstrate by playing insane shredding solos etc, that it's difficult for beginners to really get a feeling for how the guitar would be for THEM. DB demonstrates in a much simpler way that makes it much more useful, for what I would guess is a very high proportion of viewers. Keep it up.
But it gives a possibility to understand that the sound is in hands and no matter what guitar they use, if it is technically OK and every fret and note sound good, and tuners hold the strings, well, it is enough to learn. Once I payed for Japanese Fender strat, buying online, and received Chinese copy, it was not good, the guitar was very cheap and technically not ok, but I learned so much on it, I appreciate my Asian strat ) Finally I presented it to my 10 year old nephew, he has just started his life of a guitar player. )
Not gonna lie. In more than one DBG video, I've noticed how you continuously move the guitar in/out of frame in just the right ways to get great angles and reflective lighting on the instrument. Really helps the viewer.
Darrell sometimes I just watch your videos because they are FIRST CLASS. it’s very satisfying to watch a fantastic presenter, educator, guitarist. Thank you!
The Sire fret ends feature buried tangs that will never suffer from fret tang sprout. A very nice touch. It's like treating an unbound fingerboard as if it had binding as far as the fret work goes. That takes significant extra labor. I know, because I do it.
The cracks at fret sprout end along the fretboard can be filled in seconds by anyone, with clear fingernail polish... ez fix NOT AN ISSUE Fender and Gibson purists will ALWAYS find minor complaints with something that is NOT Fender or Gibson and pay 25-100% more for "less"... My question is......WHY?? Just for a name??? Foolhardy imho
I’ve got 2 of their basses. Rolled fretboard is awesome, but I had to have all frets, top and bottom ground down and polished. It was so jagged and sharp that my fret hand had cuts after every extended session/band practice. It may be because I live in Denver, and the wood shrank a little. Either way, both basses are AMAZING at what they do, ESPECIALLY at the price tag. Sire has all of my attention
Sire has hit the ball out of the park with the Larry Carlton line. Next will be their even more high end line. Great to see. Another fun and eye opening demo.
Im 43, been playing guitar since the 9th grade, and almost as long, been playing the piano/organ. Having the need to throw everything away last summer 2021, I find myself starting all over. I got my 2 digital pianos now (love variety), Casio Privia 870 and Yamaha DGX-670, just bought an electric acoustic, and the last piece of hardware I was looking for: GOOD but CHEAP'ish, quality guitar and you sold me on this! Just found your channel yesterday and I am glad I did! Thank you for your reviews and can't wait to "binge" your vids. Thanks again from NW Ohio!
You NEVER FAIL to DELIVER....You are BY FAR the best RUclips channel on equipment and just to listen to you play, DAMN LOVE your channel. Merry Christmas Darrell.
Sire has been putting out some really good quality instruments. Everyone should definitely take note....they are worth the money. They also as you so perfectly pointed out they're dominating the specs compared to instuments in they're range. Great video 🤘🤘🤘
@@Anjohl While I think the Sire is a great quality instrument, the PRS SE series is by far the best you can get for under $1000. Nothing can touch them.
This type of info, we need this out in the open for guitarists everywhere, gotta go back to quality over quantity for our instruments! And as you've shown, that Sire definitely put everything into quality and didn't even bother upping that price to match bigger companies
Fender is now owned by Servco Pacific, an international car dealership and venture capital fund with "ownership of the iconic lifestyle brand Fender Musical Instruments." My next guitar is a Sire. I don't need a lifestyle brand.
I had been looking for an HSS Strat style guitar for awhile. Unfortunately, none of the guitar shops in my area had these in stock, so I was unable to really play one. I ultimately went with a G&L Legacy Tribute. No locking tuners, but it comes with a bone nut, coil split and passive treble and bass tone controls. It sounds and plays fantastic. Listed for $600 and I got it for $515. Bottom line, you don't need to pay a lot to get a lot these days. This really is the golden age of cheap guitars.
Oh, 100%. My only issue is that *some* budget guitar companies intentionally "throttle" their guitars, cutting corners, to prop up more expensive lines. Some of their names start with "F" and "G", and "PR".
Yep, Legacy tribute is amazing, picked mine up 2nd for $350. As per usual on any guitar had to do a set up, but bloody fantastic guitar. I couldn't justify buying any other Strat style, i'm on the look out for a bluesboy tribute, but being sinestral hapers the choicesp
I love love love G & L…!!!! Ive got a Tribute Kiloton bass coming soon, cant wait! I also bought my third Sire this morning, they are that good. I have the strat in this video in blue, and it sounds spectacular. The one on the way is the Vintage SSS style in Mild Green. Buy a Sire!!!
Fender is living on it's Reputation. I like Fender ( own 2 of their Amps & love-em ) but once I got my Suhr-Strat . . . I had No-use for my Vintage Fender Stratocaster = Sold it. The Suhr is on another stratosphere. The Sire looks fantastic. Gorgeous guitar. Great bang-for-the-buck. Happy Holidays from NYC
I was thinking about getting my first strat, and Fender Player series was kind of a main candidate -- I've been craving for capri orange start for a few years. But holy moly Sire is amazing, it just puts Fender to shame. I tried Sire bass some time ago and it was all great in terms of quality and sound, except significant neck dive that was a show stopper for me personally. But it's great to see them releasing such a great guitars as well!
I bought mine a year ago for an equivalent of $500 US (yes, brand new), regular finished of course. I am pretty much blown away by the quality, and as for those who asked, it does come with full size 500k pots and super switch. The only downside to me is that it only has one Tone control, I like a separate tone control for bridge pick up. Other than that there just isn't anything to complain.
@behindspace666666 it’s roasted maple, not rosewood… if you wanted a gloss rosewood board and neck like this Fender sometimes will do an all Rosewood neck.
Man, the timing of this video couldn’t have been better. I’ve been looking at buying a strat (HSS) for the past month or so. Most of the time, I’m a Tele player, and I love them, but there are times when I’m in my studio working on a song, and I want the tones of a strat on a particular track…you know, “that” sound. 😉 Thanks for this, Daryl, I’m definitely going to be looking into the Sire! 😊🙏
I miss throwing the guitar on the roof and falling into the snow😂😂 classic. Great comparison video. Obviously no contest. Damn it, I don't really NEED another guitar but, Damn it!!😋
I picked up one of these a few months ago as my 2nd guitar after playing a cheap Epiphone LP for years and it was like stepping into a new world. My fretting hand isn't sliced up after an hour of shredding!
Been eyeing this guitar for weeks trying to determine if all the reviews were legit or just a little over hyped. This video finally pushed me over the edge.. just ordered this guitar in this very color.. thanks, your video quality is what pushed me into this purchase.
What quality? I wouldn't like playing that cooked finish on the neck, the guitar veneer is ugly. it doesn't have a unique sound, could be any of hundreds of guitars in this price range, but it definitely much better than the pacifica.
@@roadduster6200 ok, I'll say it this way. It sounds like any of hundreds of guitars in this price range. And I don't like the glossy fretboard personally but it is a good neck. I don't like the paint on the body of the guitar. I prefer the fender. The Sire is far better than the Yamaha in the Fender vs Yamaha comparison in the previous video.
Thanks Darrell. I bought one of these, and for those interested it's worth noting a couple of things. First, the neck IS beautifully finished, and feels fantastic, BUT it is quite different from a Fender standard 9.5" radius neck. It actually (to me at least), feels more like the neck on my Les Paul. That's not really surprising I suppose given Carllton's preference for the 335. So, if you're looking for that Fender style neck, this isn't it. Secondly, the one I bought had some fairly serious intonation issues on the low E. I've setup numerous guitars, and every now and then a guitar will be an absolute nightmare to get just right. Sadly this was the case with this Sire S7. It may have been just the one I got, and I was unlucky, but what I would say is that the fundamental issue didn't SEEM to have been caused by a QC miss, or some kind of other manufacturing problem. The low E height at the nut wasn't right, and no amount of bridge adjustment or saddle height adjustment corrected it. I don't thrash the low E and I have quite a light touch, but any significant pressure on the bass string would put it far enough out that it was just too grating to ignore. Ultimately I sent the guitar back mainly because I didn't want to pay a luthier to make adjustments to the nut, and wasn't prepared to risk voiding the warranty only to find that it still wasn't right.
@@DougHinVA Because as I said above, that would have voided the warranty with the vendor I bought it from. I wasn't prepared to risk voiding the warranty only to discover that the problem still hadn't been completely resolved. All I'm saying here is that for all it's impressive spec. it wasn't possible to setup the one I received out of the box. That may or may not be of interest.
For the Fender tremolo, Fender sells a steel spring that goes in the hole before the bar, then tighten the bar to the tension you want it at and you can make it stay wherever you want it to.
I’m back I watched this again , this guitar is so beautiful! It is a dream of an instrument, you didn’t sale me on the 2 point term , a few dives on it to see its tuning stability would be nice I’m sure I could fine it somewhere else but I trust you a lot been here for years for a reason. Thanks for a great review of this guitar as I would have never found it without you.
Great video as usual. Perhaps having begun my guitar journey at an older age, or maybe after raising a couple of kids, I’m just too sensible, but I find the almost god-like worship of “authentic” classic Fender and Gibson guitars down right silly. How hard would it be for Fender to change the jig to cut a more comfortable body, or for Gibson to stagger the tuning keys a bit so the G string doesn’t constantly go out of tune? It’s certainly not my place to tell folks how to spend their money, but it seems to me the behemoths of the industry are taking their customers for a ride with nothing more than some ink on the headstock. Now get off my lawn!
@PenileAugmentation Cheap and easy to get material. Besides, idiots believe it affects the tone, so you can charge way more than what you spend to build the guitar.
I just received my S7 Vintage yesterday. I'm loving playing it, but that may be just because it's a new thing for me. Observations I've made after playing for about 3 hours. The neck DOES feel good....that being said, I do believe that the feel is actually overhyped. Not just by Darrell, but every youtube reviewer gushes over the neck, with the rolled edges, the fret ends dressed perfectly, what have you. Now, for context, I build parts-casters, pretty regularly. When purchasing necks, it's always a crapshoot, just like when you buy budget guitars. Sometimes, they're good, sometimes they need a bit more work. I've bought necks that feel similar to this S7 neck. I've rolled my own edges, dressed fret ends, etc. So I feel I'm pretty qualified to be able to compare necks. That being said, I haven't had the ability to compare THIS neck, with the necks found on Fender comparable guitars....after all, this is the most expensive guitar I've ever purchased. One thing that I don't recall anyone mentioning in their reviews, is not only are the tuners locking, but they are also staggered, which was a nice surprise. I mean, similar tuners from Hipshot, could cost over $100 themselves. I'm not sure if I like the pickups. I wanted the vintage because I already have enough HB equipped guitars, and getting another would be redundant. I think I just have to fiddle with pickup height, tone controls, string gauges, compression, etc, to find a sound that fits for me. They seem a bit to top end heavy, very bright. Could just be that the strings are new, I don't know. I play through a DSM Humboldt Simplifier. I've tried this on all 3 amp settings. The Fender setting just doesn't have the output to get a great full sound. the Vox setting REALLY makes this guitar chime. I think I've settled on the marshal setting, but I have to be careful with the gain, as a very small tweak can get out of control fast. But the highs dominate the tone. (I play at church, direct to FOH, no physical amp at all, not even at home, practice how you play, right?) The bone nut seems perfect. The bridge is VERY high quality for a vintage trem bridge. Height adjustments are a cinch, with none of the grub screws locking the wrench in place, or stripping in any way (I'm sure you've experienced this) The trem springs seem pretty ridged . The claw is nearly halfway in the cavity, and the trem is not "loose" in any way. if I screw it in further, it will take some force to use the trem, and there are only 2 springs installed. I'll probably swap in some softer springs. I got the white guitar with the tortoise pickguard, and was a little surprised to find that the back cavity cover is black...not a big deal, but it just doesn't fit the scheme. Another little thing that I hadn't noticed on these reviews....the jack is on the side of the guitar. It's a little thing, but for me, it looks so much better than that football jack right there on the front...I know, petty. But I like it on the side. All in all, I'll be playing this thing pretty regularly, getting it set up just how I like it, taking out all of my gauges, to get the perfect setup. I'm sure I'll love this guitar. It's fun to play, and to tweak. I may think about doing some wiring mods, maybe add a blend control to get the bridge and neck sound. I'm definitely not going to md this as much as I've done all my other budget guitars. But honestly, this doesn't need as much as they do, since most of it is already done.
Thank you for your brutally honest reviews. I’m getting a Sire! Getting rid of my fender… just can’t believe how tricked out the Sire is for the price! Fender needs to get with it… the Yamaha Pacifica that you did a demo on was another option , but I think the S7 appears to be even better
I’ve had the sire S7 in green for about a year. I haven’t touched any of my other strats since. I enjoy the tones, but one could easily swap the pickups to fine their ideal tone. It’s a great amazing guitar. Enjoy it!
@@anthonyangelis1094 if you have a strat style guitar that doesn’t have the upgraded rolled frets and features this sire does, just play it as much as possible. Once this guitar comes it really hard to go back lol. I have a pretty good guitar collection and after playing the sire for a while I’m serious contemplating selling my American tele, my strat and more guitars to get more sites. The feel of the frets and neck for me personally are just too perfect. Can’t wait for you to get yours, you’ll love it! 🙌🙌
Not sure if you knew this but I'm sure you do. The tone knob pops out to do the split. I didn't know this until I took it to my setup guy and had it professionally setup. I didn't see you cover it in the video so I was just letting you know. I love these guitars. The Goldtop is still the best in my book. Love the L7. But I do love this one too
I'd like to see you comparing that Sire S7 $659 to a Harley Benton Fusion Pro 2 €398: specs wise they are the same. Tone wise very close. I have the HB Fusion Pro 2 HSH, perfect build, no flaws at all.
I have this strange feeling (based on absolute lack of research) they are being made in the very same factory. Having Fusion II myself and seeing this review, the way the roasted maple neck looks like with gloss headstock and silver logo along with the serial number stamp on the back. I do realize HB doesn't have gloss fretboard but its a plus imo. Although i still want to try Sire out, having said that i think i'll choose my HB fusion anyday because of SS frets. Remaining €100 (comparing roasted neck HB and Sire prices on thomann) i would invest in swapping out the pups which i did anyway.
Honestly i've tried them both and the Sire is the better guitar by far IMO :) Amazing build quality, great sounding PUs and overall great feel to play. HB is a good guitar for that price i'm not gonna lie but I'd dish out extra cash for the sire :)
@@soulassasin10 Hey, that's sounds quite impressive. I thought most of those are using oem of some kind. Thank for your input, now i'm tempted to try one despite of being quite happy with the HB.
just recently got a Pacifica just to play around with a tremelo(have owned epihones, they are awesome too!) after being blown away by my acoustic electric Yamaha FGX800C(it literally sounds as if I summoned angles). The Pacifica is decent for $200! The real unexpected surprise is how well the Pacifica stays in tune, not compared to a tremolo guitar, but compared to any guitar. Yamaha deserves more credit.
ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!!! LOL I saw one of this exact guitar for sale on Marketplace, and the seller lived nearby. I had seen this video, and love the guitar, but it was more than I had to spend. Along comes Marketplace, and the seller wanted to sell, or perhaps trade something interesting. I offered him in trade a Simon & Patrick 12 string cedar top acoustic I can no longer play because of arthritis in my hands and wrists, and long story short... I OWN THE SIRE!!! Amazing guitar! Fantastic tones, and sounds, and LOVE the flame top! I looked for this guitar on Reverb, and it cannot be had used ANYWHERE in the US, but it's for sale in the Netherlands, Italy, and France... Im glad I got it when I did! Thanks for your great review!
I did a ton of research before I bought a Sire and I ended up with the green version of this guitar. Darrell is right, it really is a surprisingly good guitar. The neck is what makes it, but the pickups are surprisingly good too, especially if you like bright sounding strats, which I do. The headstock kinda looks like a foot, but it grew on me and now I actually kinda like it. The trem system is nice and will allow you to do some flutters. Honestly I don't have much to say negative about this guitar because I love to pick it up and play it. The high E string likes to sneak off the fretboard if you're not conscientious about how your finger is being placed on the string. Maybe the biggest complaint... and this may sound weird... is that I only spent $600 for this. If you go and spend $2k for a Fender Custom Shop or some PRS you're going to think about a guitar a little differently. You may think that because you spent only $600 for this that it's some kind of cheap guitar and maybe since it's a new brand that's warranted to some degree. However, I believe this is one of those guitars that will stick around in your collection for awhile just because it's so nice. I hope some of this helps those who are doing research.
Hi, I have a quick question, I want to upgrade from an Affinity Stratocaster and want to avoid another narrow nut (the Affinity is like 40mm... Super small and hard to play). So how'a the Sire at the nut? I'm scared because of the rounded edges that it might just feel like an Affinity.
so hard to appreciate the sound without a direct comparison. mic'ing, amps, room acoustics, or whatever you're using counts so much, as well as the player's skills.
Bet you won't find one you can actually try. Beware, most of these reviews are seeking to influence buyers who absolutely trust the review, have no opportunity to actually try it, then, yep, you buy it... only to find what you actually get is nothing like the demo. I can say with absolute certainty, that Darrell demos guitars that are NOT what you will get. Suspect he gets pre-setup guitars that are nowhere near typical. What he doesn't do: go grab one off the shelf from an actual store, or actually just buy one online, then demo it. Don't trust this crap. He gets a near perfect "sample". Good for him, bad for everyone who wants to know the truth. Frankly, don't trust any reviewer, of any product where the reviewer gets sent an "example" to "demo".
@@homerdude38 Anderson's appears to have an excellent selection. Wish there were something like that near me. I am going to be a skeptic after my guitar buying experiences. If you can play it, and like it, then get it. So many are buying online now, that I don't think they realize you can pick up 10-15 and not like them, then find "that one". Buying guitars online is just rarely the way to go.
Hi Darrell, I'm Marco from Naples Italy, I already bought a Sire S7 Vintage Black (3 single coils) last December 2nd, first of all, I compared on the same Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III amplifier, a Fender Vintera (3 single coil ), a Schecter Route 66 Amarillo (a particular series for sale only in Italy 3 single coils) and the Sire. The Amarillo had the most modern sounding pickups, roasted maple neck and locking tuners at a cost of 1000 euros, the vintera you know well, was around 900 euros and the sire Vintage Black 540 euros. The Sire won out on all supplies, in particular with the Vintera the Pickups were similar in tone and sonority, while the neck beat them both, in particular the radius 9.5 much more comfortable than Vintera and Scehcter and in particular, the Rounded edge, amazing for feeling. Finally, buy the Sire, because it has specifications that make it equal if not superior, at least for the neck, to Schecter which costs twice as much as Sire, while if you are looking for Fender you start from Professional up, as even the Performers are a step under Sire.
Import guitar companies are listening to consumers and straight stomping a lot of the ridiculously high dollar USA models. I just don't understand why Fender is sitting back and watching this happen. Gibson as a company is at least getting it done with their import line. I just got my 3rd Epiphone and like my other 2, it's stellar. Completely different beast than this MIM Strat, but spec'd out to the max and still less money. I have no interest currently in a strat style guitar, but if I was this thing looks amazing, especially since it's HSS. Thanks for digging in to these.
@@ss_whole I never said or even implied that Fender doesn't have a budget line. It's about high quality import guitars that are a fraction of these USA models that are excellently spec'd and for the money are owning them.
I have an Epi LP pro plus and also an Epi SG. They are OK for the money. Then I got an Agile 3100 LP that was a little less($50 or $100 cheaper I believe) and it beats the Epiphone LP in every single category. Better pups, better electronics, better hardware, ebony neck, tusq nut, 3/4" solid maple cap instead of veneer, tuners are both grover.
@@ss_whole and the higher end Squire's like the Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe series are very good guitars for the money, pretty close to MIM strat for 1/2 the price. My Squire has Duncan Designed pickups that are excellent.
I came back to this after a while and the already great impression I had from the first time got reenforced upon seeing this back to back a second time. Amazing quality and "bang for the buck" in the S7! At least for certain models and price categories, there really aren't many or any "good" as in: sensible reasons to go with the iconic brands unless someone needed to have that company logo on their headstock. Apart from that and even from a less analytic perspective, but a more "feely" one I can't see any good reason why someone would ditch the S7 in favour of a Player Series Strat. Thanks, really great and honest, sincere presentation!
I just went over and checked out their website. Holy smokes. It's not just Fender that should worry. They have a single cut "Les Paul" style and the Larry Carlton (yes, THAT Larry Carlton) "335 semi-hollow" that are stunning works of art. And the basses are just sick. Other than the name, which is what Fender is relying on, there's nothing that would justify buying a Fender over a Sire. You would have to get a Fender Custom Shop guitar to match spec for spec, and pay at least $4000. What sorcery is this?
Yeah but for 4000 usd you can buy a used car that actually works. Think of all the parts and the different little mechanics that all need to function. A guitar is just two pieces of wood, strings fastened at two ends, and some eletro-magnets. You just have to do a decemt job at manufacturing the parts and then a monkey can put it together. I think what is ridiculous is the high price on the fenders.
Thanks Darrell, very informative (as usual!) I always wonder if sample instruments sent for review have been specially QC'd, I know if it were my company I'd make sure they were as perfect as possible before despatch to a reviewer! It's just that I'm seeing differences between Darrell's experience of Sire and comments on other videos where some people are expressing disappointment with the quality of these guitars. Yes, I realise you're bound to get dodgy bits on a guitar at these prices, but poor, scruffy QC is just not good. I'm very tempted to buy one, the L7 Les Paul-type in my case, but I'm wary at the moment of having a huge dose of buyer's remorse after getting one. BTW, I live in the depths of Cornwall and it's just not practicable to visit Andertons in Guildford to try one (they are the only UK dealers) almost 500 miles away.
Same concern here. I can tell you that I recently had good success with their low end bass guitar, the V3 version 2. Remarkable instrument for $300, shipped via Thomann (Germany) to the USA with a decent gig bag was under $400. The fact that Sweetwater has now decided to distribute for Sire probably speaks well of their quality and stability? Unless I can justify a Strat Ultra (similar specs), I may buy one of these and will most likely procure it through Sweetwater since their return policy is quicker and less costly for me here in the USA.
I have never played guitar, but I have wanted to for years. I finally decided to just bite the bullet and give it a try. After doing a lot of research, I had settled on buying a Fender Stratocaster, but this video made me change my mind! I just bought a transparent black Sire S7 off of Reverb. At your recommendation, I also bought a Spark Amp. None have arrived yet, but Im stoked to play my first note! Thanks so much for the great tips. I like your channel and I subbed too!
Awesome 😎 it can take a year to feel comfortable so please don’t get discouraged... ur better off to practice 30 mins everyday than just spending 4 hours on the weekend...
@@skeeterbodeen8326 Thanks for the tips! I will definitely take it to heart and work on it a little at a time. My plan was to not watch TV at night and use that time to learn guitar. That’s about 2 hours per night or so on most nights. I’m pretty persistent so I’ll probably be OK with the year ramp up time. I’m just going to take it day by day.
@@brian.d.mobley Attitude is everything, so your half way there already... 1 more note and I'll leave you alone... I love to practice while watching TV... unplugged on the couch...#1 it drives my wife crazy, #2 once you develop ur "Ear" picking up riffs from TV commercials is a fun "quickie" challenge.
@@skeeterbodeen8326 Believe me! You are not pestering me so you dont need to worry about leaving me alone. I have no knowledge and no "guitar friends!" so all your advice is being soaked up like a sponge!
@@brian.d.mobley Well cool and thanks and remember you'll never be alone in the You Tube Guitar community... everyone has an opinion...LOL... for beginners to learn songs may I suggest "Justin Guitars", "Marty Music", "Your Guitar Sage", "Brett Papa"... guys like this have great attitude and easy going style... (also everybody is trying to SELL their lesson plans, but don't rush to buy anything too quickly), Peace.
The S7 body looks a lot like a Yamaha Pacifica body minus the contour cuts on back. Maybe a comparison to the Pacifica 612VII would be more appropriate, although as much as I like my Pacificas I think I know how the comparison would come out.
Took delivery 2 weeks ago of one of these in the trans black over here in Bristol, England. Supplied by Andertons. Only one note to mention..the high strings were all rusty! Don't know if that's due to a shipping issue eg: long time sitting in the container in cold conditions?? Anyways, no prob. Put new strings on. Plays a dream! Set up appears to be where I would want it? Action maybe a little lower? ...it looks fab!!! Feels fab!!! Finish & detail looks like a guitar 3 x price! All p/u selection works fine..interesting choice of tone & twang! I've yet to go to town with it. I have a jam session with a bassist 25th Feb. I will play it through my Blackstar HT5 head & 12" Celestion Vintage 30 Montage cab, a few naughty pedals & see how she blows!! B4 I new of the Sire range I was seriously debating going for a Fender Jaguar player series. I did try one at a music store only a few weeks ago. Just was'nt getting the attachment from it. The more I looked at it & stroked it the less I felt affection for it. Corny I know. But guitars are a little like women..some you warm to..some you don't! Anyway, I'm still very attracted to this 6 string siren & I'm glad I made the choice!
Amazing review!! This one was one of my options. I was adviced to buy a Sire by my guitar teacher since they are great value and play amazing. I ended up getting a Sterling Valentine which is amazing and didn't get to try the Sire since they didn't have it in store
After a few months of monitoring eBay, I just picked up a Mk II version of one of these for an absolute steal! They’re sold out everywhere in the UK and the price seems to be rising with Sire’s well deserved reputation. Also bought a Sire V3 bass and both instruments are ace!
Wow!!! I know that Sire sent you these and doubters might argue that this had a subjective effect on your evaluation....but the tones don't lie! The contours, finish and attention to detail don't lie. I'm an LP, SG and 335 man so far, but the S-style is in my near future and Sire S7 will be the first instrument I check out when the time comes.
The construction and specs are great, but the tone isn't that great. I wish Darren did an actual A/B comparison with the player strat, because these Sire pickups are overly bright and sound artificially compressed. You can check out some other videos with high quality and varied demos. If you swap out the pickups for brand ones, these will end up costing more than the Player - still a good deal compared to the Fender, but there are other cheaper and better choices (like Sterling, Yamaha, Schecter, G&L or even Cort). I think for Sire guitars, their Les Paul is actually the best deal, because it has locking tuners and the pickups genuinely sound pretty decent for the price range. I think in recent years Harley Benton and Cort have really shaken up the budget and lower-mid range guitars to the point that not just the big brands but also other smaller brands are threatened. There are just too many good options at lower price for beginner/intermediate players that although Sire offers great value, they're becoming too expensive.
Excellent review man. I'm liking the looks of that Sire. Never heard of the brand before, but know about them now. I like underdog brands that compete against the big boys, so yeah this is something I would really consider if i were after a strat style guitar.
I bought the Sire S7 FM Blue V2 and love it! It plays better AND right out of the box it destroys a similar Fender that's $1,000 more. I played a Fender Pro II at Guitar Center and it was ok but definitely wasn't getting value for the money! I have an older Fender Tele from 94-95 MIJ and it was also better than a Made in USA equivalent. If I'm not getting the value I'm not overpaying for anything just because of the name!
I feel like recently fender squire has made some huge strides with their contemporary series, especially the new contemporary jaguar. They all have roasted necks, countered heels, and great pickups. I'd love to see you review one of those!
They're no Sire but I got the Contemporary Strat and it is super cool. I bought it on impulse, went to a local shop to have one of my guitars worked on and I thought "hm I've seen these online let's try it" and was like "whoa I need this in my life" XD
Poplar bodies is a big turnoff for me on them, but they are fantastic otherwise. I would rather pay $40-50 more, and have a proper hardwood body (Alder, Mahogany, Ash, etc).
Thanks a lot for the great job you are doing here. This is the first time I've seen and heard of Sire Guitars on your channel and it really makes me happy because... I bought and use the Sire Larry Carlton S7 non-stop and have not regretted a single penny I paid for it. This guitar is just great. Another advantage would be (also at a slightly higher price and as an alternative S7 model) that this guitar would come standard with (for example) Lace Sensor Pickups. However, this is a matter of taste. I would definitely buy this second model as well.
Thanks for the video! Oh, I have a Fender stratocaster, a USA model. And it's still a guitar I love to hold in my hands. But when I saw and also bought the Sire, I have a white one, I knew how everything could be better. A fantastic guitar that S7. I can also really recommend.
Outstanding review. I love the neck. Unfortunately Fender appear to be going the Gibson route, over priced on some models due to its name. Many good brands out their for less money and this Sire appears to be one of them. I'm going to check them out. Thanks
Thanks Darrell, you made very informative and detailed comparison between those guitars. I think this is the best comparison in RUclips of those guitars. Sire is offering great features than fender at such a good price..❤️
Hi Darrell. I looked seriously at the Sire which is available in the UK in the spec you describe however, the guitar shop in question (Andertons, who also sell Chapman guitars, I believe the owner is a shareholder in them?) had an Chapman ML1 Hybrid on sale for Black Friday at £369 so I bought that. For the price, I'm blown away! Plays great, feels excellent and quality control seems to be super! It was set up and strung with Ernie Ball 9's and was in tune and playable straight out of the box. Brilliant guitar to add to my collection.
Darrell - I wish you had pulled the pick guard off and looked at the electronics and body cavity like you typically do. Do they use shielding paint? Full size or dime size pots? Cheap or quality switch?
Haven't opened mine up but I have 0 noise/interference so the shielding seems good. Switch doesn't feel amazing, can be hard to land in the correct position because the stops aren't very firm. The guitar is excellent except for the pots: between 10-1, the volume control does almost nothing. Then it cuts out completely from 1 to 0. There's no cleaning up your sound with the volume knob on these guitars, unfortunately.
My switch is really noisy. I plan on replacing it. It feels really cheap to me. No problem with the pots, but the tone control is tapered differently from other guitars, but it's usable, just takes some getting used to.
@@alexmanderson7182 Is there a treble bleed on the S7 as well? The L7 has the same problem but just removing the treble bleed circuit fixes this to make the volume pot more usable.
Lol just so you know man before you played the first demo you cost me $650. I put my name on one of the L7 models because after your intro video to the series I started digging into the sire brand and decided I don’t have a les Paul model. So I figured what a better company to support and get a solid inexpensive guitar from. Love your videos man thanks for doing this series.
As usual a very impressive and detailed comparison, thanks a lot for your time helping players to be well educated. My question is, are those noisless pickups? I could not hear any hum? Or are you using a noise gate? Sounds great to believe that this is not a noisless pickups though!
Sir, I watched your video, then checked out other videos, then I ordered one for both my sons and one for myself. You have great reviews and always make the guitars sound fantastic. Thank you.
Thanks for the review. Bought this exact guitar in October 2020. I have much more expensive ones, but this is absolutely beautiful and definitely holds it's own! 🎸👍
Man DBG yah pulled it off I have been pondering about these guitars not alot on the tube about them so glad you did this series DB comon my fellow Canadian neighbor please try and reach out for a yamaha series il leave it to you what to do I mean I'm really curious about the revstar series I mean there are alot of videos but not a FBG breakdown bud .I'm sure my fellow subscribers would agree .thanks for all you do .Tim from london ontario
I have a Sire L7 which I think is great. I also have 3 strats and this one isn't tempting me. Can't say I found the 2 and 4 positions very pleasing or "straty".
Great comparison. Two small call outs to make are: 1.) The Fender is actually $829.99 (and often goes on sale for $699) and 2.) Which shouldn't be too important but can matter to some: Sire is made in Indonesia whereas the Fender is made in Mexico which is considered part of North America. The other thing to consider is value retention. Still. The Sire is fantastic and definitely a better value. Psa for metalheads looking at the Sire: It's got a bit of a quacky/vintage tone to it which metalheads and shredders might want to consider changing pickups on it.
Alrighty, so I went on a road trip as there’s only 1 store I could find that has these. I bought the flame top blue FM7, and it also has a humbucker split through a two position tone knob. Nice little surprise, although there’s no info anywhere, even in Sire’s site about this. FWIW, the volume and tone knobs were switched but it’s new according to the store. Either way, I tried the PRS silver sky SE, and fender player and player plus all back to back with the Sire and just fell in love with the Sire. I was carrying it around the store like a 2 year old so nobody else would grab it while I was trying other things out!
I've really been impressed with Sire guitars! This one sounds really amazing, too! And it looks awesome!!! Thanks again, Darrell! I can't wait to see what others in the series you demo. I may buy a Sire guitar the next time!. Impressive.
I recently bought this guitar because of this video. And I have to say I really love this guitar. Thanks Darell for this video! Just one comment, my S7 can split the humbucker in position1 when pressing the tone knob.
Great review Darrel, thanks again for your service to the YT community 🙋♂️😘! Got to find me a suitable SIRE dealer here in Germany and try them out 🤔🙄😃! You all have a good time and take care 😘!
I have a Pacifica 812, swapped out neck and middle pups for Seymour Duncan cool and vintage rails. Really is a fine guitar, I'd say the doesn't accept a set up terribly well, but for the bang for buck yeah it's great
I just bought an S7 and S7fm absolutely love them. One issue was my Tech had to replace the input jack as it was coming loose. Otherwise he said this is a great guitar. I own 2 USA Fender Strats and the Sire is much better and more comfortable to play. They are very hard to get right now. I have a feeling the price will increase. So if you can find one for $659 or less get it. Players are hung up on the Fender brand. You won’t go wrong with Sire
I tried one of these, and was super impressed. You get a *very* nice feature set for the price. I would rate these as better than Squiers, and maybe even better than MIM Fenders. My only real complaint was that the pickups were a *little* underwhelming. If we have a 1-10 scale, and 1 is ceramic starter guitar pickups, and 10 is Gibson USA pickups, I would rate the pickups Sire put in the S7's as a 5 or a 6. I mean, you could change them up, but at that pricepoint, I think a guitar should be playable as-is. I am eyeing their Telecaster-style guitar that's coming out in the Spring *very* closely! I also want to try one of the SSS models they have, that apparently have re-voiced pickups as compared to the HSS S7.
Daryl I love the way the light shines on that fretboard! I know some people like an unfinished fretboard but if I could I would have one made of glass with fretts polished like mirrors! the color and finish of that roasted maple looks like a piece of furniture!!!!. Would you please show us a little bit more of the neck and fretboard? it has got to feel even better than it looks? this is the first guitar review I've seen in a long time that made me sit up and go wow! thanks for your honesty as usual. PS Darrell am I detecting a little bit of Eric Johnson lead playing from you? yes don't try to deny it I can definitely pick up on it! lol have a good night man.
Nice! I would also recommend the EVH Wolfgang Standard Exotic series. They run about $649-699 and also have awesome features like roasted maple necks with satin finish, rolled frets, Floyd rose trem, contoured heel and body, locking nut, locking trem arm, exotic wood finishes, etc. Way better value than the MIM Strats.
The EVH standard, in any finish, is top draw. Incredible guitar for the price. Plus the HBs split really well as high output. I had a middle SC put in. It out strats a LOT of strats. Plus bullet proof tuning as body mounted floyd.
Does it come with SS frets like the Sire? That is a must for me ever since i had bought 2 Melancons down here in south Louisiana from my good friend and Luthier Gerard Melancon, unfourtunetly he died of cancer a few years ago.
Darrell, seriously, get some Fender tension springs to go into your trem arm's screw hole before you screw in the arm. They're cheap, so you can lose a few rather painlessly. No, this isn't as good as an arm you can set and forget, but it beats the hell out of flyaway arms!
@@stevef4010 I suppose I haven't seen his videos on that. For my own part, I try to find vibrato units that use pop-in arms. Even so, I'm still using the first replacement vibrato I ever bought and installed -- a vintage-style six-screw unit -- and I use one of those springs in it. Quite happily, I might add! I have yet to take that guitar anywhere, though, so I might sing a different tune once I do.
I'm loving that roasted maple neck. Sounds amazing but hard to tell on RUclips. I live near Portsmouth, UK so I'm on the hunt for a local dealer to try one for myself. Thanks for a great vid😁
I bought this guitar some days ago and really like it, especially the neck profile. However, there are some cons: the QC can be better, in case of the first exemplar I've got, the routing of the neck pocket was a little sloppy. There were also scratches at the nut-area. The second one I've got is a lot better but still has very high strings action so that is very difficult to get the intonation right. The nut work was also not good, the G-string broke already at the first tuning attempt. The most annoying problem for me were the sharp fret ends. Maybe due to the dry winter climate of Europe but the fret end are not flush with the wood and because of the rolled fretboard, the edge of the frets are really sharp.
This is what I don't like about Darrell's channel. No matter what he reviews, it's always "amazing" and "awesome" and he really doesn't pick apart the flaws. From everything I see about this guitar, it looks like a fantastic value. The things you mention could be addressed, though sharp fret edges are a real pain. One thing I notice from the video, Darrell says the 4 position has that strat quack, but I definitely don't hear it. Position 2 had a decent quack, but the 4 sounded much more like a les paul in the middle position. I think it's the humbucker, which is fine. I stopped watching Darrell a while back, because I couldn't trust his channel anymore. I'm also not really fond of the amp tones he uses these days. They used to be lush, but now they are harsh. All that said, I would definitely consider one of these guitars. The features appear great as long as the tuning stability and comfort is there. And it's a damn good looking instrument too.
@@Dartheomus I've extra bought a fret end file for this guitar and after 30 minutes it played like a charm. Now I am waiting for the Graphtech nut to arrive, in order to make this guitar perfect (at least for me ;) ).
@@TeddyBullard I'm reading OP's comment, and yours makes no sense to me. OP is saying the neck pocket route was sloppy and the fret ends are sharp. These are not things that a "setup" would fix. You can't even fix the routing, ever. The sharp edges can be fixed for sure, but back to my point... what does a "guitar setup" have to do with any of this?
Sire makes some terrific geetars! I have the L7 ( LP Style ) and now I’m trying to find an S7 because we should all have several different Strat style geetars to choose from… Sire is coming up and fast! Great instruments at a great price. My L7 is my favorite LP guitar at the moment and even nicer than my Gibsons! That says a lot, as I have some stellar LP’s! Thanks Darrrell and enjoy folks!!! ✌🏼
Well, I have an Ibanez Rga42 at home (FR, of course), and it has the strat/humbucker coil split switch so I can have a super metal guitar or a crazy blues guitar, so…
I really appreciate this information. I love Strats and most of my guitars are Strat style guitars. I have 1 American made, genuine Strat and I love it. But, I'm not so hung up on name brands that I won't go for something different, if it's just as good or better for less money. For instance, I have a motor cycle that looks very much like a Harley. But, it's actually a Suzuki Boulevard. It looks and runs as good as any Harley, but for half the price. Sounds like this Sire guitar is right up my alley.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
So many guitar reviewers / channels demonstrate by playing insane shredding solos etc, that it's difficult for beginners to really get a feeling for how the guitar would be for THEM. DB demonstrates in a much simpler way that makes it much more useful, for what I would guess is a very high proportion of viewers. Keep it up.
But it gives a possibility to understand that the sound is in hands and no matter what guitar they use, if it is technically OK and every fret and note sound good, and tuners hold the strings, well, it is enough to learn. Once I payed for Japanese Fender strat, buying online, and received Chinese copy, it was not good, the guitar was very cheap and technically not ok, but I learned so much on it, I appreciate my Asian strat ) Finally I presented it to my 10 year old nephew, he has just started his life of a guitar player. )
Guitar reviews are getting better, this is one of them, sensible playing rather than 5- notes a second. Bravo
Not gonna lie. In more than one DBG video, I've noticed how you continuously move the guitar in/out of frame in just the right ways to get great angles and reflective lighting on the instrument. Really helps the viewer.
Darrell sometimes I just watch your videos because they are FIRST CLASS. it’s very satisfying to watch a fantastic presenter, educator, guitarist. Thank you!
Love the new intro!
Hello, I am the one person who watches all your videos.
@@aaronlouis2049 No youre not, I am!
Thanks bro!
Who are u again?
I do miss the throwing the guitar on the roof, then face planting in the snow bit….😆😉
The Sire fret ends feature buried tangs that will never suffer from fret tang sprout. A very nice touch. It's like treating an unbound fingerboard as if it had binding as far as the fret work goes. That takes significant extra labor. I know, because I do it.
They will though, crack the edge of your fingerboard.
I have seen other reviewers point that out as a very high end feature. I would imagine that it could split the fretboard eventually.
The cracks at fret sprout end along the fretboard can be filled in seconds by anyone, with clear fingernail polish... ez fix NOT AN ISSUE
Fender and Gibson purists will ALWAYS find minor complaints with something that is NOT Fender or Gibson and pay 25-100% more for "less"... My question is......WHY?? Just for a name??? Foolhardy imho
I’ve got 2 of their basses. Rolled fretboard is awesome, but I had to have all frets, top and bottom ground down and polished.
It was so jagged and sharp that my fret hand had cuts after every extended session/band practice.
It may be because I live in Denver, and the wood shrank a little.
Either way, both basses are AMAZING at what they do, ESPECIALLY at the price tag.
Sire has all of my attention
Sire has hit the ball out of the park with the Larry Carlton line. Next will be their even more high end line. Great to see. Another fun and eye opening demo.
Im 43, been playing guitar since the 9th grade, and almost as long, been playing the piano/organ. Having the need to throw everything away last summer 2021, I find myself starting all over. I got my 2 digital pianos now (love variety), Casio Privia 870 and Yamaha DGX-670, just bought an electric acoustic, and the last piece of hardware I was looking for: GOOD but CHEAP'ish, quality guitar and you sold me on this! Just found your channel yesterday and I am glad I did! Thank you for your reviews and can't wait to "binge" your vids. Thanks again from NW Ohio!
You NEVER FAIL to DELIVER....You are BY FAR the best RUclips channel on equipment and just to listen to you play, DAMN LOVE your channel. Merry Christmas Darrell.
Sire has been putting out some really good quality instruments. Everyone should definitely take note....they are worth the money. They also as you so perfectly pointed out they're dominating the specs compared to instuments in they're range. Great video 🤘🤘🤘
*in their range
in their range*
I would take a Sire over a PRS SE any day.
@@Anjohl While I think the Sire is a great quality instrument, the PRS SE series is by far the best you can get for under $1000. Nothing can touch them.
This type of info, we need this out in the open for guitarists everywhere, gotta go back to quality over quantity for our instruments! And as you've shown, that Sire definitely put everything into quality and didn't even bother upping that price to match bigger companies
Fender is now owned by Servco Pacific, an international car dealership and venture capital fund with "ownership of the iconic lifestyle brand Fender Musical Instruments." My next guitar is a Sire. I don't need a lifestyle brand.
I had been looking for an HSS Strat style guitar for awhile. Unfortunately, none of the guitar shops in my area had these in stock, so I was unable to really play one. I ultimately went with a G&L Legacy Tribute. No locking tuners, but it comes with a bone nut, coil split and passive treble and bass tone controls. It sounds and plays fantastic. Listed for $600 and I got it for $515. Bottom line, you don't need to pay a lot to get a lot these days. This really is the golden age of cheap guitars.
Owned one regret getting rid of it
Oh, 100%. My only issue is that *some* budget guitar companies intentionally "throttle" their guitars, cutting corners, to prop up more expensive lines. Some of their names start with "F" and "G", and "PR".
Yep, Legacy tribute is amazing, picked mine up 2nd for $350. As per usual on any guitar had to do a set up, but bloody fantastic guitar. I couldn't justify buying any other Strat style, i'm on the look out for a bluesboy tribute, but being sinestral hapers the choicesp
I love love love G & L…!!!!
Ive got a Tribute Kiloton bass coming soon, cant wait!
I also bought my third Sire this morning, they are that good.
I have the strat in this video in blue, and it sounds spectacular.
The one on the way is the Vintage SSS style in Mild Green.
Buy a Sire!!!
Fender is living on it's Reputation. I like Fender ( own 2 of their Amps & love-em ) but once I got my Suhr-Strat . . . I had No-use for my Vintage Fender Stratocaster = Sold it. The Suhr is on another stratosphere. The Sire looks fantastic. Gorgeous guitar. Great bang-for-the-buck. Happy Holidays from NYC
I'm enjoying the Sire series youre doing. I like them all so far, the tones on this one sound really good to me
I was thinking about getting my first strat, and Fender Player series was kind of a main candidate -- I've been craving for capri orange start for a few years. But holy moly Sire is amazing, it just puts Fender to shame. I tried Sire bass some time ago and it was all great in terms of quality and sound, except significant neck dive that was a show stopper for me personally. But it's great to see them releasing such a great guitars as well!
I bought mine a year ago for an equivalent of $500 US (yes, brand new), regular finished of course. I am pretty much blown away by the quality, and as for those who asked, it does come with full size 500k pots and super switch. The only downside to me is that it only has one Tone control, I like a separate tone control for bridge pick up. Other than that there just isn't anything to complain.
Got mine a couple of weeks ago for €369. One must love cyber deals!
Could one add another tone control? Customize it.
@behindspace666666 it’s roasted maple, not rosewood… if you wanted a gloss rosewood board and neck like this Fender sometimes will do an all Rosewood neck.
I'm looking for "great rock bands I never heard of".
Anyone?
Can you add an extra tone knob?
Man, the timing of this video couldn’t have been better.
I’ve been looking at buying a strat (HSS) for the past month or so.
Most of the time, I’m a Tele player, and I love them, but there are times when I’m in my studio working on a song, and I want the tones of a strat on a particular track…you know, “that” sound. 😉
Thanks for this, Daryl, I’m definitely going to be looking into the Sire!
😊🙏
I miss throwing the guitar on the roof and falling into the snow😂😂 classic. Great comparison video. Obviously no contest. Damn it, I don't really NEED another guitar but, Damn it!!😋
I picked up one of these a few months ago as my 2nd guitar after playing a cheap Epiphone LP for years and it was like stepping into a new world. My fretting hand isn't sliced up after an hour of shredding!
Been eyeing this guitar for weeks trying to determine if all the reviews were legit or just a little over hyped. This video finally pushed me over the edge.. just ordered this guitar in this very color.. thanks, your video quality is what pushed me into this purchase.
What quality? I wouldn't like playing that cooked finish on the neck, the guitar veneer is ugly. it doesn't have a unique sound, could be any of hundreds of guitars in this price range, but it definitely much better than the pacifica.
@@luismangiaterra1031 reading comprehension matters.
@@roadduster6200 ok, I'll say it this way. It sounds like any of hundreds of guitars in this price range. And I don't like the glossy fretboard personally but it is a good neck. I don't like the paint on the body of the guitar.
I prefer the fender. The Sire is far better than the Yamaha in the Fender vs Yamaha comparison in the previous video.
Thanks Darrell.
I bought one of these, and for those interested it's worth noting a couple of things.
First, the neck IS beautifully finished, and feels fantastic, BUT it is quite different from a Fender standard 9.5" radius neck. It actually (to me at least), feels more like the neck on my Les Paul. That's not really surprising I suppose given Carllton's preference for the 335. So, if you're looking for that Fender style neck, this isn't it.
Secondly, the one I bought had some fairly serious intonation issues on the low E. I've setup numerous guitars, and every now and then a guitar will be an absolute nightmare to get just right. Sadly this was the case with this Sire S7. It may have been just the one I got, and I was unlucky, but what I would say is that the fundamental issue didn't SEEM to have been caused by a QC miss, or some kind of other manufacturing problem. The low E height at the nut wasn't right, and no amount of bridge adjustment or saddle height adjustment corrected it. I don't thrash the low E and I have quite a light touch, but any significant pressure on the bass string would put it far enough out that it was just too grating to ignore.
Ultimately I sent the guitar back mainly because I didn't want to pay a luthier to make adjustments to the nut, and wasn't prepared to risk voiding the warranty only to find that it still wasn't right.
So if the problem was a bass E string height at THE NUT... WHY NOT HAVE A LOCAL PRO raise the nut a bit and re-cut the slot?
@@DougHinVA Because as I said above, that would have voided the warranty with the vendor I bought it from. I wasn't prepared to risk voiding the warranty only to discover that the problem still hadn't been completely resolved. All I'm saying here is that for all it's impressive spec. it wasn't possible to setup the one I received out of the box. That may or may not be of interest.
For the Fender tremolo, Fender sells a steel spring that goes in the hole before the bar, then tighten the bar to the tension you want it at and you can make it stay wherever you want it to.
Anyone worth their salt in regards to Strat knowledge should know this already.
Take it from Mr. Chrome Dome Dohbie himself, eh?
I’m back I watched this again , this guitar is so beautiful! It is a dream of an instrument, you didn’t sale me on the 2 point term , a few dives on it to see its tuning stability would be nice I’m sure I could fine it somewhere else but I trust you a lot been here for years for a reason. Thanks for a great review of this guitar as I would have never found it without you.
Great video as usual. Perhaps having begun my guitar journey at an older age, or maybe after raising a couple of kids, I’m just too sensible, but I find the almost god-like worship of “authentic” classic Fender and Gibson guitars down right silly. How hard would it be for Fender to change the jig to cut a more comfortable body, or for Gibson to stagger the tuning keys a bit so the G string doesn’t constantly go out of tune? It’s certainly not my place to tell folks how to spend their money, but it seems to me the behemoths of the industry are taking their customers for a ride with nothing more than some ink on the headstock. Now get off my lawn!
@PenileAugmentation Cheap and easy to get material. Besides, idiots believe it affects the tone, so you can charge way more than what you spend to build the guitar.
I just received my S7 Vintage yesterday. I'm loving playing it, but that may be just because it's a new thing for me. Observations I've made after playing for about 3 hours. The neck DOES feel good....that being said, I do believe that the feel is actually overhyped. Not just by Darrell, but every youtube reviewer gushes over the neck, with the rolled edges, the fret ends dressed perfectly, what have you. Now, for context, I build parts-casters, pretty regularly. When purchasing necks, it's always a crapshoot, just like when you buy budget guitars. Sometimes, they're good, sometimes they need a bit more work. I've bought necks that feel similar to this S7 neck. I've rolled my own edges, dressed fret ends, etc. So I feel I'm pretty qualified to be able to compare necks. That being said, I haven't had the ability to compare THIS neck, with the necks found on Fender comparable guitars....after all, this is the most expensive guitar I've ever purchased. One thing that I don't recall anyone mentioning in their reviews, is not only are the tuners locking, but they are also staggered, which was a nice surprise. I mean, similar tuners from Hipshot, could cost over $100 themselves.
I'm not sure if I like the pickups. I wanted the vintage because I already have enough HB equipped guitars, and getting another would be redundant. I think I just have to fiddle with pickup height, tone controls, string gauges, compression, etc, to find a sound that fits for me. They seem a bit to top end heavy, very bright. Could just be that the strings are new, I don't know. I play through a DSM Humboldt Simplifier. I've tried this on all 3 amp settings. The Fender setting just doesn't have the output to get a great full sound. the Vox setting REALLY makes this guitar chime. I think I've settled on the marshal setting, but I have to be careful with the gain, as a very small tweak can get out of control fast. But the highs dominate the tone. (I play at church, direct to FOH, no physical amp at all, not even at home, practice how you play, right?)
The bone nut seems perfect. The bridge is VERY high quality for a vintage trem bridge. Height adjustments are a cinch, with none of the grub screws locking the wrench in place, or stripping in any way (I'm sure you've experienced this) The trem springs seem pretty ridged . The claw is nearly halfway in the cavity, and the trem is not "loose" in any way. if I screw it in further, it will take some force to use the trem, and there are only 2 springs installed. I'll probably swap in some softer springs. I got the white guitar with the tortoise pickguard, and was a little surprised to find that the back cavity cover is black...not a big deal, but it just doesn't fit the scheme.
Another little thing that I hadn't noticed on these reviews....the jack is on the side of the guitar. It's a little thing, but for me, it looks so much better than that football jack right there on the front...I know, petty. But I like it on the side.
All in all, I'll be playing this thing pretty regularly, getting it set up just how I like it, taking out all of my gauges, to get the perfect setup. I'm sure I'll love this guitar. It's fun to play, and to tweak. I may think about doing some wiring mods, maybe add a blend control to get the bridge and neck sound. I'm definitely not going to md this as much as I've done all my other budget guitars. But honestly, this doesn't need as much as they do, since most of it is already done.
Does it have 500k pots? Single coils use 250k for that exact reason, to remove some of the brightness.
This guitar is worth every penny if I was an S style player. I can’t wait to see the other models.
One thing that really first stood out on the Sire was the finish on the neck. You pointed out the details too. Tnx Darrell.
Thank you for your brutally honest reviews. I’m getting a Sire! Getting rid of my fender… just can’t believe how tricked out the Sire is for the price! Fender needs to get with it… the Yamaha Pacifica that you did a demo on was another option , but I think the S7 appears to be even better
I’ve had the sire S7 in green for about a year. I haven’t touched any of my other strats since. I enjoy the tones, but one could easily swap the pickups to fine their ideal tone. It’s a great amazing guitar. Enjoy it!
@@GuitarTabsDaily guess I am going to have to wait. It seems they’re sold out everywhere and you have to be on a waitlist now!
@@anthonyangelis1094 well worth the wait 😉
@@GuitarTabsDaily 6 month wait list currently Uggg! Got one pre-ordered from Sweetwater Maybe by summer they said😞
@@anthonyangelis1094 if you have a strat style guitar that doesn’t have the upgraded rolled frets and features this sire does, just play it as much as possible. Once this guitar comes it really hard to go back lol. I have a pretty good guitar collection and after playing the sire for a while I’m serious contemplating selling my American tele, my strat and more guitars to get more sites. The feel of the frets and neck for me personally are just too perfect. Can’t wait for you to get yours, you’ll love it! 🙌🙌
Not sure if you knew this but I'm sure you do. The tone knob pops out to do the split. I didn't know this until I took it to my setup guy and had it professionally setup. I didn't see you cover it in the video so I was just letting you know. I love these guitars. The Goldtop is still the best in my book. Love the L7. But I do love this one too
I'd like to see you comparing that Sire S7 $659 to a Harley Benton Fusion Pro 2 €398: specs wise they are the same. Tone wise very close. I have the HB Fusion Pro 2 HSH, perfect build, no flaws at all.
I have this strange feeling (based on absolute lack of research) they are being made in the very same factory. Having Fusion II myself and seeing this review, the way the roasted maple neck looks like with gloss headstock and silver logo along with the serial number stamp on the back. I do realize HB doesn't have gloss fretboard but its a plus imo. Although i still want to try Sire out, having said that i think i'll choose my HB fusion anyday because of SS frets. Remaining €100 (comparing roasted neck HB and Sire prices on thomann) i would invest in swapping out the pups which i did anyway.
@@Paraphrasaurus Sire has its own factory which only produces Sire guitars :)
Honestly i've tried them both and the Sire is the better guitar by far IMO :) Amazing build quality, great sounding PUs and overall great feel to play. HB is a good guitar for that price i'm not gonna lie but I'd dish out extra cash for the sire :)
@@soulassasin10 Hey, that's sounds quite impressive. I thought most of those are using oem of some kind.
Thank for your input, now i'm tempted to try one despite of being quite happy with the HB.
@@Paraphrasaurus I thought i heard in the Sire review that it had SS frets too, unlike the fender?
Im a big SS fret fan and will get them every time.
Here we go. The Yamaha Pacifica is the same price as the Sire, I think would get that only because I love my Revstar so much.
just recently got a Pacifica just to play around with a tremelo(have owned epihones, they are awesome too!) after being blown away by my acoustic electric Yamaha FGX800C(it literally sounds as if I summoned angles). The Pacifica is decent for $200! The real unexpected surprise is how well the Pacifica stays in tune, not compared to a tremolo guitar, but compared to any guitar. Yamaha deserves more credit.
@@lyleswan6671 They make a $500.00 Pacifica, I'm sure that one would be great.
Sire's basses are killer. Glad to see that same value translated over to their electric guitars.
I have one. I agree. Have a Ceriatone Expression arriving any day.
ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!!! LOL I saw one of this exact guitar for sale on Marketplace, and the seller lived nearby. I had seen this video, and love the guitar, but it was more than I had to spend. Along comes Marketplace, and the seller wanted to sell, or perhaps trade something interesting. I offered him in trade a Simon & Patrick 12 string cedar top acoustic I can no longer play because of arthritis in my hands and wrists, and long story short... I OWN THE SIRE!!! Amazing guitar! Fantastic tones, and sounds, and LOVE the flame top! I looked for this guitar on Reverb, and it cannot be had used ANYWHERE in the US, but it's for sale in the Netherlands, Italy, and France... Im glad I got it when I did!
Thanks for your great review!
I did a ton of research before I bought a Sire and I ended up with the green version of this guitar. Darrell is right, it really is a surprisingly good guitar. The neck is what makes it, but the pickups are surprisingly good too, especially if you like bright sounding strats, which I do. The headstock kinda looks like a foot, but it grew on me and now I actually kinda like it. The trem system is nice and will allow you to do some flutters. Honestly I don't have much to say negative about this guitar because I love to pick it up and play it. The high E string likes to sneak off the fretboard if you're not conscientious about how your finger is being placed on the string. Maybe the biggest complaint... and this may sound weird... is that I only spent $600 for this. If you go and spend $2k for a Fender Custom Shop or some PRS you're going to think about a guitar a little differently. You may think that because you spent only $600 for this that it's some kind of cheap guitar and maybe since it's a new brand that's warranted to some degree. However, I believe this is one of those guitars that will stick around in your collection for awhile just because it's so nice. I hope some of this helps those who are doing research.
Hi, I have a quick question, I want to upgrade from an Affinity Stratocaster and want to avoid another narrow nut (the Affinity is like 40mm... Super small and hard to play).
So how'a the Sire at the nut? I'm scared because of the rounded edges that it might just feel like an Affinity.
@@devinsinderwitcz9134 having the strings close to each other might make muting some a bit easier... But maybe a bit too much :)
so hard to appreciate the sound without a direct comparison. mic'ing, amps, room acoustics, or whatever you're using counts so much, as well as the player's skills.
This is top of my to buy list! You helped push me over the edge and you tested everything I wanted to know. Brilliant as always! Thanks Darrell! 👍
Definitely. Me too :-)
Bet you won't find one you can actually try. Beware, most of these reviews are seeking to influence buyers who absolutely trust the review, have no opportunity to actually try it, then, yep, you buy it... only to find what you actually get is nothing like the demo.
I can say with absolute certainty, that Darrell demos guitars that are NOT what you will get. Suspect he gets pre-setup guitars that are nowhere near typical. What he doesn't do: go grab one off the shelf from an actual store, or actually just buy one online, then demo it. Don't trust this crap. He gets a near perfect "sample". Good for him, bad for everyone who wants to know the truth.
Frankly, don't trust any reviewer, of any product where the reviewer gets sent an "example" to "demo".
Andertons in The UK has these in stock I bought the black S7 and they had 12 of them
@@homerdude38 Anderson's appears to have an excellent selection. Wish there were something like that near me.
I am going to be a skeptic after my guitar buying experiences. If you can play it, and like it, then get it. So many are buying online now, that I don't think they realize you can pick up 10-15 and not like them, then find "that one". Buying guitars online is just rarely the way to go.
Hi Darrell, I'm Marco from Naples Italy, I already bought a Sire S7 Vintage Black (3 single coils) last December 2nd, first of all, I compared on the same Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III amplifier, a Fender Vintera (3 single coil ), a Schecter Route 66 Amarillo (a particular series for sale only in Italy 3 single coils) and the Sire.
The Amarillo had the most modern sounding pickups, roasted maple neck and locking tuners at a cost of 1000 euros, the vintera you know well, was around 900 euros and the sire Vintage Black 540 euros. The Sire won out on all supplies, in particular with the Vintera the Pickups were similar in tone and sonority, while the neck beat them both, in particular the radius 9.5 much more comfortable than Vintera and Scehcter and in particular, the Rounded edge, amazing for feeling.
Finally, buy the Sire, because it has specifications that make it equal if not superior, at least for the neck, to Schecter which costs twice as much as Sire, while if you are looking for Fender you start from Professional up, as even the Performers are a step under Sire.
Import guitar companies are listening to consumers and straight stomping a lot of the ridiculously high dollar USA models. I just don't understand why Fender is sitting back and watching this happen. Gibson as a company is at least getting it done with their import line. I just got my 3rd Epiphone and like my other 2, it's stellar. Completely different beast than this MIM Strat, but spec'd out to the max and still less money. I have no interest currently in a strat style guitar, but if I was this thing looks amazing, especially since it's HSS. Thanks for digging in to these.
Well said!
But Fender does have an budget line, it's Squier
@@ss_whole I never said or even implied that Fender doesn't have a budget line. It's about high quality import guitars that are a fraction of these USA models that are excellently spec'd and for the money are owning them.
I have an Epi LP pro plus and also an Epi SG. They are OK for the money. Then I got an Agile 3100 LP that was a little less($50 or $100 cheaper I believe) and it beats the Epiphone LP in every single category. Better pups, better electronics, better hardware, ebony neck, tusq nut, 3/4" solid maple cap instead of veneer, tuners are both grover.
@@ss_whole and the higher end Squire's like the Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe series are very good guitars for the money, pretty close to MIM strat for 1/2 the price. My Squire has Duncan Designed pickups that are excellent.
I came back to this after a while and the already great impression I had from the first time got reenforced upon seeing this back to back a second time. Amazing quality and "bang for the buck" in the S7! At least for certain models and price categories, there really aren't many or any "good" as in: sensible reasons to go with the iconic brands unless someone needed to have that company logo on their headstock. Apart from that and even from a less analytic perspective, but a more "feely" one I can't see any good reason why someone would ditch the S7 in favour of a Player Series Strat.
Thanks, really great and honest, sincere presentation!
I just went over and checked out their website. Holy smokes. It's not just Fender that should worry. They have a single cut "Les Paul" style and the Larry Carlton (yes, THAT Larry Carlton) "335 semi-hollow" that are stunning works of art. And the basses are just sick. Other than the name, which is what Fender is relying on, there's nothing that would justify buying a Fender over a Sire. You would have to get a Fender Custom Shop guitar to match spec for spec, and pay at least $4000. What sorcery is this?
Yeah but for 4000 usd you can buy a used car that actually works. Think of all the parts and the different little mechanics that all need to function. A guitar is just two pieces of wood, strings fastened at two ends, and some eletro-magnets. You just have to do a decemt job at manufacturing the parts and then a monkey can put it together. I think what is ridiculous is the high price on the fenders.
Just ordered this exact one after watching this. I have a Tele and been looking for a Strat. Glad I saw this. Thanks.
Thanks Darrell, very informative (as usual!) I always wonder if sample instruments sent for review have been specially QC'd, I know if it were my company I'd make sure they were as perfect as possible before despatch to a reviewer! It's just that I'm seeing differences between Darrell's experience of Sire and comments on other videos where some people are expressing disappointment with the quality of these guitars. Yes, I realise you're bound to get dodgy bits on a guitar at these prices, but poor, scruffy QC is just not good. I'm very tempted to buy one, the L7 Les Paul-type in my case, but I'm wary at the moment of having a huge dose of buyer's remorse after getting one. BTW, I live in the depths of Cornwall and it's just not practicable to visit Andertons in Guildford to try one (they are the only UK dealers) almost 500 miles away.
I am from Bolivia and have the R3 acoustic and the S7, and both play like a dream...
Same concern here. I can tell you that I recently had good success with their low end bass guitar, the V3 version 2. Remarkable instrument for $300, shipped via Thomann (Germany) to the USA with a decent gig bag was under $400. The fact that Sweetwater has now decided to distribute for Sire probably speaks well of their quality and stability? Unless I can justify a Strat Ultra (similar specs), I may buy one of these and will most likely procure it through Sweetwater since their return policy is quicker and less costly for me here in the USA.
I have never played guitar, but I have wanted to for years. I finally decided to just bite the bullet and give it a try. After doing a lot of research, I had settled on buying a Fender Stratocaster, but this video made me change my mind! I just bought a transparent black Sire S7 off of Reverb. At your recommendation, I also bought a Spark Amp. None have arrived yet, but Im stoked to play my first note! Thanks so much for the great tips. I like your channel and I subbed too!
Awesome 😎 it can take a year to feel comfortable so please don’t get discouraged... ur better off to practice 30 mins everyday than just spending 4 hours on the weekend...
@@skeeterbodeen8326 Thanks for the tips! I will definitely take it to heart and work on it a little at a time. My plan was to not watch TV at night and use that time to learn guitar. That’s about 2 hours per night or so on most nights. I’m pretty persistent so I’ll probably be OK with the year ramp up time. I’m just going to take it day by day.
@@brian.d.mobley Attitude is everything, so your half way there already... 1 more note and I'll leave you alone... I love to practice while watching TV... unplugged on the couch...#1 it drives my wife crazy, #2 once you develop ur "Ear" picking up riffs from TV commercials is a fun "quickie" challenge.
@@skeeterbodeen8326 Believe me! You are not pestering me so you dont need to worry about leaving me alone. I have no knowledge and no "guitar friends!" so all your advice is being soaked up like a sponge!
@@brian.d.mobley Well cool and thanks and remember you'll never be alone in the You Tube Guitar community... everyone has an opinion...LOL... for beginners to learn songs may I suggest "Justin Guitars", "Marty Music", "Your Guitar Sage", "Brett Papa"... guys like this have great attitude and easy going style... (also everybody is trying to SELL their lesson plans, but don't rush to buy anything too quickly), Peace.
The S7 body looks a lot like a Yamaha Pacifica body minus the contour cuts on back. Maybe a comparison to the Pacifica 612VII would be more appropriate, although as much as I like my Pacificas I think I know how the comparison would come out.
Took delivery 2 weeks ago of one of these in the trans black over here in Bristol, England. Supplied by Andertons. Only one note to mention..the high strings were all rusty! Don't know if that's due to a shipping issue eg: long time sitting in the container in cold conditions?? Anyways, no prob. Put new strings on. Plays a dream! Set up appears to be where I would want it? Action maybe a little lower? ...it looks fab!!! Feels fab!!! Finish & detail looks like a guitar 3 x price!
All p/u selection works fine..interesting choice of tone & twang! I've yet to go to town with it. I have a jam session with a bassist 25th Feb. I will play it through my Blackstar HT5 head & 12" Celestion Vintage 30 Montage cab, a few naughty pedals & see how she blows!!
B4 I new of the Sire range I was seriously debating going for a Fender Jaguar player series. I did try one at a music store only a few weeks ago. Just was'nt getting the attachment from it. The more I looked at it & stroked it the less I felt affection for it. Corny I know. But guitars are a little like women..some you warm to..some you don't!
Anyway, I'm still very attracted to this 6 string siren & I'm glad I made the choice!
Amazing review!! This one was one of my options. I was adviced to buy a Sire by my guitar teacher since they are great value and play amazing. I ended up getting a Sterling Valentine which is amazing and didn't get to try the Sire since they didn't have it in store
Ĺ
After a few months of monitoring eBay, I just picked up a Mk II version of one of these for an absolute steal! They’re sold out everywhere in the UK and the price seems to be rising with Sire’s well deserved reputation. Also bought a Sire V3 bass and both instruments are ace!
Wow!!! I know that Sire sent you these and doubters might argue that this had a subjective effect on your evaluation....but the tones don't lie! The contours, finish and attention to detail don't lie. I'm an LP, SG and 335 man so far, but the S-style is in my near future and Sire S7 will be the first instrument I check out when the time comes.
I agree with your comments, I just love the neck on the Sire, it’s really nice, as you mentioned the only missing item is the single tone control.
The construction and specs are great, but the tone isn't that great. I wish Darren did an actual A/B comparison with the player strat, because these Sire pickups are overly bright and sound artificially compressed. You can check out some other videos with high quality and varied demos. If you swap out the pickups for brand ones, these will end up costing more than the Player - still a good deal compared to the Fender, but there are other cheaper and better choices (like Sterling, Yamaha, Schecter, G&L or even Cort).
I think for Sire guitars, their Les Paul is actually the best deal, because it has locking tuners and the pickups genuinely sound pretty decent for the price range. I think in recent years Harley Benton and Cort have really shaken up the budget and lower-mid range guitars to the point that not just the big brands but also other smaller brands are threatened. There are just too many good options at lower price for beginner/intermediate players that although Sire offers great value, they're becoming too expensive.
@@zxbc1 I couldn't agree more!
@@zxbc1 What? For 600 bucks a G&L will get you roasted maple neck, locking tuners and a rolled fingerboard?
They have a new "Vintage style" SSS model as well as the regular HSS model. Might want to try both!
Great work Darrell. Thanks for the excellent review and comparison of these guitars!!
Thank you very much! Can’t wait to see the rest! But that’s the one I’m interested in and you’ve been very helpful and I respect your opinion!
Yes sire is really great guitar..im using L7,S7,H7,T7 FM..really happy with the guitar..😁🙏
Excellent review man. I'm liking the looks of that Sire. Never heard of the brand before, but know about them now. I like underdog brands that compete against the big boys, so yeah this is something I would really consider if i were after a strat style guitar.
I bought the Sire S7 FM Blue V2 and love it! It plays better AND right out of the box it destroys a similar Fender that's $1,000 more. I played a Fender Pro II at Guitar Center and it was ok but definitely wasn't getting value for the money! I have an older Fender Tele from 94-95 MIJ and it was also better than a Made in USA equivalent. If I'm not getting the value I'm not overpaying for anything just because of the name!
Oh my God that guitar just sounds so beautiful. Those high notes ring out so clean! Great-sounding dirt too
I've had a Sire S7 for about 6 months...Awsome guitar! Worth twice as much as I paid for it!!
Had or have?
@@vividvulpe9842 I've had it for 6 months... I still have it. 😎
@@harvey785 fosho!
I ordered this guitar on December 21,2021 and i just got a call from Sweetwater that it's coming in mid April with Sire gig bag. WOOHOO!
I feel like recently fender squire has made some huge strides with their contemporary series, especially the new contemporary jaguar. They all have roasted necks, countered heels, and great pickups. I'd love to see you review one of those!
Me too. And would like to see a comparison with the Sire S7
They're no Sire but I got the Contemporary Strat and it is super cool. I bought it on impulse, went to a local shop to have one of my guitars worked on and I thought "hm I've seen these online let's try it" and was like "whoa I need this in my life" XD
*Squier
@@QS-si3cq Do you prefer the Squier Contemporary over the Sire S7?
Poplar bodies is a big turnoff for me on them, but they are fantastic otherwise. I would rather pay $40-50 more, and have a proper hardwood body (Alder, Mahogany, Ash, etc).
Thanks a lot for the great job you are doing here. This is the first time I've seen and heard of Sire Guitars on your channel and it really makes me happy because...
I bought and use the Sire Larry Carlton S7 non-stop and have not regretted a single penny I paid for it.
This guitar is just great.
Another advantage would be (also at a slightly higher price and as an alternative S7 model) that this guitar would come standard
with (for example) Lace Sensor Pickups.
However, this is a matter of taste. I would definitely buy this second model as well.
That fretboard is beautiful. Great playing
Just bought one of these. Absolutely love it. Thanks for helping me make that decision!
I Agree that Sire seems to be offering a lot more for less but good luck finding one right now.
Thanks for the video! Oh, I have a Fender stratocaster, a USA model. And it's still a guitar I love to hold in my hands. But when I saw and also bought the Sire, I have a white one, I knew how everything could be better. A fantastic guitar that S7. I can also really recommend.
Outstanding review. I love the neck. Unfortunately Fender appear to be going the Gibson route, over priced on some models due to its name. Many good brands out their for less money and this Sire appears to be one of them. I'm going to check them out. Thanks
Thanks Darrell, you made very informative and detailed comparison between those guitars. I think this is the best comparison in RUclips of those guitars. Sire is offering great features than fender at such a good price..❤️
I saw this model with a swapped dark coloured paisley pattern pickguard. It looked very nice!
Hi Darrell. I looked seriously at the Sire which is available in the UK in the spec you describe however, the guitar shop in question (Andertons, who also sell Chapman guitars, I believe the owner is a shareholder in them?) had an Chapman ML1 Hybrid on sale for Black Friday at £369 so I bought that. For the price, I'm blown away! Plays great, feels excellent and quality control seems to be super! It was set up and strung with Ernie Ball 9's and was in tune and playable straight out of the box. Brilliant guitar to add to my collection.
Darrell - I wish you had pulled the pick guard off and looked at the electronics and body cavity like you typically do. Do they use shielding paint? Full size or dime size pots? Cheap or quality switch?
Ditto
Haven't opened mine up but I have 0 noise/interference so the shielding seems good. Switch doesn't feel amazing, can be hard to land in the correct position because the stops aren't very firm. The guitar is excellent except for the pots: between 10-1, the volume control does almost nothing. Then it cuts out completely from 1 to 0. There's no cleaning up your sound with the volume knob on these guitars, unfortunately.
My switch is really noisy. I plan on replacing it. It feels really cheap to me. No problem with the pots, but the tone control is tapered differently from other guitars, but it's usable, just takes some getting used to.
Same: I'm personally curious about the route.
@@alexmanderson7182 Is there a treble bleed on the S7 as well? The L7 has the same problem but just removing the treble bleed circuit fixes this to make the volume pot more usable.
Lol just so you know man before you played the first demo you cost me $650. I put my name on one of the L7 models because after your intro video to the series I started digging into the sire brand and decided I don’t have a les Paul model. So I figured what a better company to support and get a solid inexpensive guitar from. Love your videos man thanks for doing this series.
Congrats Adam! 🎸🤘
As usual a very impressive and detailed comparison, thanks a lot for your time helping players to be well educated. My question is, are those noisless pickups? I could not hear any hum? Or are you using a noise gate? Sounds great to believe that this is not a noisless pickups though!
Sir, I watched your video, then checked out other videos, then I ordered one for both my sons and one for myself.
You have great reviews and always make the guitars sound fantastic.
Thank you.
Thanks for the review. Bought this exact guitar in October 2020. I have much more expensive ones, but this is absolutely beautiful and definitely holds it's own! 🎸👍
Man DBG yah pulled it off I have been pondering about these guitars not alot on the tube about them so glad you did this series DB comon my fellow Canadian neighbor please try and reach out for a yamaha series il leave it to you what to do I mean I'm really curious about the revstar series I mean there are alot of videos but not a FBG breakdown bud .I'm sure my fellow subscribers would agree .thanks for all you do .Tim from london ontario
How is this guitar against the pacifica 612?? Hugs from Chile Darrell
Good video but wished you would have also included the Fender in the sound test.
I have a Sire L7 which I think is great. I also have 3 strats and this one isn't tempting me. Can't say I found the 2 and 4 positions very pleasing or "straty".
Andertons in The UK has these in stock.I purchased the black one yesterday and they had 12 in stock.Very excited
Great comparison. Two small call outs to make are: 1.) The Fender is actually $829.99 (and often goes on sale for $699) and 2.) Which shouldn't be too important but can matter to some: Sire is made in Indonesia whereas the Fender is made in Mexico which is considered part of North America. The other thing to consider is value retention. Still. The Sire is fantastic and definitely a better value.
Psa for metalheads looking at the Sire: It's got a bit of a quacky/vintage tone to it which metalheads and shredders might want to consider changing pickups on it.
hes canadian that might be the difference in price
@@thedboi1911 nope the Player is 1,059 and the Sire is 859 here in canada
The rolled fret edges on the Sire is the best feeling neck I've ever played. It's that good !!!
Loving the Sire guitar series Darrell. They are quite the guitar!!! I’d like to have ALL of the models and some… 🎸
Alrighty, so I went on a road trip as there’s only 1 store I could find that has these. I bought the flame top blue FM7, and it also has a humbucker split through a two position tone knob. Nice little surprise, although there’s no info anywhere, even in Sire’s site about this. FWIW, the volume and tone knobs were switched but it’s new according to the store. Either way, I tried the PRS silver sky SE, and fender player and player plus all back to back with the Sire and just fell in love with the Sire. I was carrying it around the store like a 2 year old so nobody else would grab it while I was trying other things out!
I've really been impressed with Sire guitars! This one sounds really amazing, too! And it looks awesome!!!
Thanks again, Darrell!
I can't wait to see what others in the series you demo. I may buy a Sire guitar the next time!. Impressive.
Got my blue S7 FM two days ago! And the hype is real! Now I am definitely getting an T7 too!
I recently bought this guitar because of this video.
And I have to say I really love this guitar.
Thanks Darell for this video!
Just one comment, my S7 can split the humbucker in position1 when pressing the tone knob.
Great review Darrel, thanks again for your service to the YT community 🙋♂️😘!
Got to find me a suitable SIRE dealer here in Germany and try them out 🤔🙄😃!
You all have a good time and take care 😘!
Wow, looks like a pretty damn good deal! I'll definitely look into this before buying my next one
Sire S7 is $1,200 in Australia. You can get a Fender Player with equivalent specs for less than $1,000.
Hey Darrell,please compare this Sire guitar to Yamaha Pacifica 612. ))
I second this request. Im debating between the same two guitars.
I just bought the 612, not regrets. Probably 95% of my old strat elite.
I have a Pacifica 812, swapped out neck and middle pups for Seymour Duncan cool and vintage rails. Really is a fine guitar, I'd say the doesn't accept a set up terribly well, but for the bang for buck yeah it's great
My favorite !
Guy gets paid to mislead you
I just bought an S7 and S7fm absolutely love them. One issue was my Tech had to replace the input jack as it was coming loose. Otherwise he said this is a great guitar. I own 2 USA Fender Strats and the Sire is much better and more comfortable to play. They are very hard to get right now. I have a feeling the price will increase. So if you can find one for $659 or less get it. Players are hung up on the Fender brand. You won’t go wrong with Sire
I tried one of these, and was super impressed. You get a *very* nice feature set for the price. I would rate these as better than Squiers, and maybe even better than MIM Fenders. My only real complaint was that the pickups were a *little* underwhelming. If we have a 1-10 scale, and 1 is ceramic starter guitar pickups, and 10 is Gibson USA pickups, I would rate the pickups Sire put in the S7's as a 5 or a 6.
I mean, you could change them up, but at that pricepoint, I think a guitar should be playable as-is. I am eyeing their Telecaster-style guitar that's coming out in the Spring *very* closely! I also want to try one of the SSS models they have, that apparently have re-voiced pickups as compared to the HSS S7.
Daryl I love the way the light shines on that fretboard! I know some people like an unfinished fretboard but if I could I would have one made of glass with fretts polished like mirrors! the color and finish of that roasted maple looks like a piece of furniture!!!!. Would you please show us a little bit more of the neck and fretboard? it has got to feel even better than it looks? this is the first guitar review I've seen in a long time that made me sit up and go wow! thanks for your honesty as usual. PS Darrell am I detecting a little bit of Eric Johnson lead playing from you? yes don't try to deny it I can definitely pick up on it! lol have a good night man.
Nice! I would also recommend the EVH Wolfgang Standard Exotic series. They run about $649-699 and also have awesome features like roasted maple necks with satin finish, rolled frets, Floyd rose trem, contoured heel and body, locking nut, locking trem arm, exotic wood finishes, etc. Way better value than the MIM Strats.
The EVH standard, in any finish, is top draw. Incredible guitar for the price. Plus the HBs split really well as high output. I had a middle SC put in. It out strats a LOT of strats. Plus bullet proof tuning as body mounted floyd.
Does it come with SS frets like the Sire? That is a must for me ever since i had bought 2 Melancons down here in south Louisiana from my good friend and Luthier Gerard Melancon, unfourtunetly he died of cancer a few years ago.
Just ordered one for Christmas, seems like an affordable boutique style guitar. Thanks Darren
Darrell, seriously, get some Fender tension springs to go into your trem arm's screw hole before you screw in the arm. They're cheap, so you can lose a few rather painlessly. No, this isn't as good as an arm you can set and forget, but it beats the hell out of flyaway arms!
You are so right. I bought a bag from sweetwater and love them.
He knows. He has done videos on that. Fender should still put them on standard with push/pull trem.
@@stevef4010 I suppose I haven't seen his videos on that. For my own part, I try to find vibrato units that use pop-in arms. Even so, I'm still using the first replacement vibrato I ever bought and installed -- a vintage-style six-screw unit -- and I use one of those springs in it. Quite happily, I might add! I have yet to take that guitar anywhere, though, so I might sing a different tune once I do.
I'm loving that roasted maple neck. Sounds amazing but hard to tell on RUclips. I live near Portsmouth, UK so I'm on the hunt for a local dealer to try one for myself. Thanks for a great vid😁
I bought this guitar some days ago and really like it, especially the neck profile. However, there are some cons: the QC can be better, in case of the first exemplar I've got, the routing of the neck pocket was a little sloppy. There were also scratches at the nut-area. The second one I've got is a lot better but still has very high strings action so that is very difficult to get the intonation right. The nut work was also not good, the G-string broke already at the first tuning attempt. The most annoying problem for me were the sharp fret ends. Maybe due to the dry winter climate of Europe but the fret end are not flush with the wood and because of the rolled fretboard, the edge of the frets are really sharp.
This is what I don't like about Darrell's channel. No matter what he reviews, it's always "amazing" and "awesome" and he really doesn't pick apart the flaws. From everything I see about this guitar, it looks like a fantastic value. The things you mention could be addressed, though sharp fret edges are a real pain. One thing I notice from the video, Darrell says the 4 position has that strat quack, but I definitely don't hear it. Position 2 had a decent quack, but the 4 sounded much more like a les paul in the middle position. I think it's the humbucker, which is fine.
I stopped watching Darrell a while back, because I couldn't trust his channel anymore. I'm also not really fond of the amp tones he uses these days. They used to be lush, but now they are harsh. All that said, I would definitely consider one of these guitars. The features appear great as long as the tuning stability and comfort is there. And it's a damn good looking instrument too.
@@Dartheomus I've extra bought a fret end file for this guitar and after 30 minutes it played like a charm. Now I am waiting for the Graphtech nut to arrive, in order to make this guitar perfect (at least for me ;) ).
@@duyhoang Nice. Yeah I'm super impressed with it. It sounds like you are making it even better. Enjoy it!!! :)
Uhh. Guitar setup is essential for *any* new guitar. Read Erlewines book and square it away.
@@TeddyBullard I'm reading OP's comment, and yours makes no sense to me. OP is saying the neck pocket route was sloppy and the fret ends are sharp. These are not things that a "setup" would fix. You can't even fix the routing, ever. The sharp edges can be fixed for sure, but back to my point... what does a "guitar setup" have to do with any of this?
Sire makes some terrific geetars!
I have the L7 ( LP Style ) and now I’m trying to find an S7 because we should all have several different Strat style geetars to choose from…
Sire is coming up and fast! Great instruments at a great price.
My L7 is my favorite LP guitar at the moment and even nicer than my Gibsons! That says a lot, as I have some stellar LP’s!
Thanks Darrrell and enjoy folks!!! ✌🏼
Well, I have an Ibanez Rga42 at home (FR, of course), and it has the strat/humbucker coil split switch so I can have a super metal guitar or a crazy blues guitar, so…
I just bought the T7 sire. And wow! 😍 what a well built beautiful guitar! You and the andertons guys do great reviews
Can you compare the Sire with your Yamaha 612?
I really appreciate this information. I love Strats and most of my guitars are Strat style guitars. I have 1 American made, genuine Strat and I love it. But, I'm not so hung up on name brands that I won't go for something different, if it's just as good or better for less money. For instance, I have a motor cycle that looks very much like a Harley. But, it's actually a Suzuki Boulevard. It looks and runs as good as any Harley, but for half the price. Sounds like this Sire guitar is right up my alley.