Sire S3 Stratocaster (Best Budget Guitar?)
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- Sire S3 Stratocaster (Best Budget Guitar?)
Sire guitars (or Larry Carlton) are held in very high regard. I've gotten tons of comments saying I need to try them out, that they're the best. Even after making this video, Darrel Braun released a video saying this is the best cheap guitar that he's tried (or something to that effect).
So let's see how good it really is.
Enjoy!
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0:00 Intro
1:28 Sounds
4:30 Sponsor
4:57 Crunch
6:22 Marshall Plexi sounds
11:28 Specs
12:43 Whammy bar test
13:30 Extreme whammy bar test
14:41 Conclusion 
Видеоклипы
Check out great cheap alternatives: ruclips.net/video/IeLoR9h178s/видео.html
Don't sleep on FGN or Trev Wilkinson's Vintage brand (yes, everyone agrees he could have named it something other than literally "vintage"). I can say that unless you favor something unusual like a Strandberg trapezoid neck, you're going to be hard pressed to find a custom shop guitar that plays smoother than an entry level FGN Odyssey; the fret work on my FL Expert is amazing and they all get the same special treatment (it plays like buttered butter). TW's Vintage has the Thomas Blug model, which is on my list to actually get at some point, just because it's kind of a great guitar (I want the painted art model, not the plain white one, although some would prefer plain - they have that too, same guitar), of course, because Thomas spec'd it. Thanks for the great demo - Sire is a great brand, and you can probably get an interview with Kyle Kim if you contact him. I've seen other interviews with him and he's got a heartwarming story as well as a great attitude; he got two experts (Larry and Marcus) and listened to them, that's what it takes to do it right.
would it be possible if you review a cheap guitar from tagima? specifically the tg-540 strat, there's not much reviews about them
Thank you for your reviews, it helps to know better the gear we wanna buy on the internet. As well as showing your great skills, it's really apreciable, not many guitarists left in the vein of ritchie blackmore's class 👌💫
Hello Elmo. Many many thanks for the great review. I appreciate your amazing job.
You've really polished your videos and presentation Elmo! Looking and sounding great! Best!
Thanks :)
I received my S3 three weeks ago. I am thrilled with it. It sounds amazing.
I have to say that I was very impressed when the Sire sounded even more in-tune after that crazy extreme tremolo test😂.
Haha :D
My new Sire S3 rips. I would put this guitar up against any stock Fender on the market.
Great video. I did like the set up you did for tones. Like you I usually don't play entirely clean BUT it is nice to know that I don't need a drive pedal to get a good tone. That sire was a really good sounding guitar all around. I've been looking for a good strat style guitar in an HSS configuration and that guitar has definitely peaked my interest.
Cool bananas :)
I love that this has rolled edges for the price. Another entertaining and informative review, Elmo!😊
Thanks!
Thanks a lot for the review and the honest comments. I've been looking at the eart and the sire for a while, I would say the sire overall seems to have better QC than the eart based on the comments in different videos/forums. Additionally, it seems that these days the eart are a little behind in supply and not all options (colors) are available, I really like the golden eart...Ah I don't know which one I would choose...so many guitars, so little money :( thanks Mate! Cheers!
Cheers!
Man, that whammy bar test was brutal, I loved it!! Thanks for this excellent demo; I'll have to check out your other demos of budget Strats, but at the moment, I'm very interested in this guitar. Thanks also for that beautiful Em7,9 chord voicing you played around 2:30, never seen that before, I will definitely use it.
Glad you liked it :)
Elmo is so good at guitar, he can trem it out of tune and trem it back into tune again. A true master indeed
Many thanks for the video. Was going to get a Fender Player but leaning heavily towards the Sire S7 now. The higher specs for over £200 less than a Player are insane.
@@devinsinderwitcz9134 I've heard some great things about them beating high end Fenders. Think I'll have to get one. Glad to hear you're enjoying it!
Thanks so much for playing clean sound first! Also, you really are a guitarist, unlike many reviewers.
Thank you :)
Happy to see a Sire review. They are superb instruments.
Hello Elmo and thank you for this nice review (again), two things i'd like to point out, first that's crazy how your sound comes from the Marshall amp, when you plug anything in it there is that kind of "back home" feeling every time, and also actually your french accent is very good, you should insist in this direction 🙂
So glad you liked this Sire. I’ve got the T7, and now I’m a bit of a Sire fanboy. Whenever I see a new Sire review video come out, I’m afraid (stupidly, I know) to see if the reviewer received a bad example. I have yet to see it happen. Thanks for another great video!
Cheers :)
Next s7 vintage sir Elmo,
T3 and T7 if you could
I will wait the vids!
Nice review and honest great playing, like it!
Cheers! I do have plans to check out at least one of those at some point. Not sure when though.
Hey Elmo,
Another great video mate ; that's a nice affordable clean on the Roland Micro Cube as I am a fan of anything with Jazz Chorus DNA (although I still love the Plexi "clean")!
Sire are a good option as they have proved themselves in the affordable guitar market going up against "bigger" brands like Squier, Yamaha, Epiphone and even Fender (Mexico) that were the only options in my teens.
Whether Sire is better than Squier Classic Vibe, Jet Guitars, Cort, EART etc. I cant say as my answer is usually the same:
"Whichever one feels better for you for the price you paid"
I don't envy you with questions like "IS PRODUCT A BETTER THAN PRODUCT B, C, D, E...." as I see all these brands being churned out by the same/similar factories - it really is all down to preference, a good setup and the motivation to actually make music.
- Gabe
Cheers! It sure is.
Nice overview Elmo. I am looking at getting another strat with a tremolo. The Vintage V6 reissued, the Sire S3 and the Cort G260CS all look decent options. And alternatives could be Harley Benton Fusion III HH FR, Jet JS-450 or Yamaha Pacifica 212. Interestingly, Sire have just announced an S5 with higher specs for the pickups, machine heads & tremolo for about £50 more than the S3. Decisions...
Hi there Ive just got a Sire sss so 3 pots and same trad Strat sound ,,, no humbucker . quality on left hand model that i own superb test sheet full result from my guitar tech . inspection intonation neck setting you name it all bang on the pick ups are ace for its price , but i always pop a British made hand wound in they are warm and lovely ..... plus if you use a good EQ pedal depending on Amp you need to set EQ BUT these guitars for 350 left hand are amazing there is also a price drop i tend to use 9s on my Strat these come with 10s and i can bend as easy as on the Strat faultless in every respect did i mention the fret quality wow .... at Xmas mine was down to 289 in the UK now still less than i paid less than a year ago .... i truly am astonished LAST of all love your RUclips channel gosh you can shred ect but your very soft and melodic at times when you sometimes play blues in reviews all the best from the UK keep up the reviews
Great demo! I love the wammy bar test! 😁
Thanks! Yeah, it's fun to do as well :)
Thank you. Excellent review.
Glad it was helpful!
I almost ordered a Squire 40th Ann strat. I was just surfin the web looking at guitars as usual when I had seen one of larger music chains was selling about 6 open box models of the CV and 40th guitars. I had one in my cart for 309 whe I remembered this guitar!!!! Which brought me to this review.
Elmo, you’re videos are sick!. I know it not must be easy do the reviews but if you have the opportunity, try the aio guitars!, specifically the aio s3 relic strat. Thanks for the content!
Been thinking about them on occasion. Probably will at some point.
I have 2 from Sire. A T7 HHFM and a gorgeous H7 in cherry burst. These are their more expensive models and they are damn good. Right now i'm flogging my new Harley Benton 25th Anniversary ST-25 in Firemist Gold finish with the flamed maple neck etc etc and it is very very good. It did need a setup as it was basically unplayable upon arrival but no big deal there.
Cool bananas 😊
I am looking forward to buying this guitar in vintage white. I have not found a used one, it's a shame 😊
Elmo, you are a great reviewer and a sick guitar player!!!
Cheers!
Nice :) would love to see you testing Sire L7V with P90s
sweet video! would love to see you cover the t3 as well. maybe a shootout with the t7?
Might do that at some point.
Thanks!!! You answered my question to compare with an EART. 😎
That guitar is a great deal. It looks and sounds great. Definitely a winner! It's $399 here in the US of A. I always enjoy your reviews :) Now, if you could just get your hands on a Sire L7V.
Thanks :)
Sire guitars main claim to fame is their consistency. It is very rare to get one that is not as described. Sire guitars are owned by one guy and he is on the factory floor running the shop and is hands on in the operation. I have read of guys buying an Eart and getting a nightmare. Even twisted necks. Most of the smaller cheap brands are from marketing companies that have the guitars made by taking bids from several companies and picking the cheapest.They never see the guitars let alone are hands on in one single factory where the owner hires the staff personally.
"Likes are free" 😂 We love you, Elmooo! 😊 Great review, as always!
Thank you 😁
I have the Sire S7 and i think the extra cost is worth it, it has locking tuners
and at least my sample stays in tune very well.
The only thing i would like is a wider neck radius, but that is just me prefering
wide radius slim necks.
Thanks for playing some clean, i always fastforward the distortion parts.
Cheers 😊
Finally someone who play some riffs from one of my favorite (and the underrated) VH album, Balance !
I own a PRS SE Silver Sky, 2 Fender Player (one PF, one maple limited edition). But I tried both the S3 and the S7 and they're definitely better than the Fender... I will get one of these soon.
Cheers!
@@MrPolevaulter I also had the Eart, which is absolutely insane ! And yes, I admit I prefer the Eart than my Fender....
good review thanks. Against your advice I bought the Donner DST 400 and you were right quality control is lacking big time. There were so wrong many wrong with it I never even checked out the whammy bar. It went back to Amazon the next day. The Sire S3 has a lot of good reviews but like you said I won't listen to the reviews where the reviewer got the guitar free from the manufactuer.
The Sire Larry Carlton -Les Paul- eh L7 models look really promising and have gotten rave reviews, would be cool if you could review one of them.
Probably will at some point.
Me love Elmo!! Subscribed🇨🇦
Thanks!
I am seeing a consensus regarding the dire 3, and the various reviews are all positive, great playing and review as allways
Thanks!
Brilliant setup Elmo ~ hopefully no more complaining/whining about your plexi's "clean" sound!
Let's hope so :)
Great video and I appriciate your honesty! Wish Fender would offer rosewood at a lower price, how does Sire do It? Nice guitar for 4 bills.
Cheers!
I hear SRV on the clean tones , respect to you for knowing such good music 😀
I appreciate that!
@@MrPolevaulter 😀🙏 cheers 🥂
It was between a Squier CV 60's and the very Sire you are playing (same colour as well). Bought the Sire because I liked it and was two hours shorter drive than the CV 60's.
If the other way around very good chance I would have ended up with the Squier (candy apple red).
Around €400 there are some pretty nice guitars around, buy the one that sings to you 🤠
Would it compare to a player series strat? Probably heavy because of the mahogany. I just haven’t had the opportunity to try one.
This looks like a good guitar. So it costs a bit more than the others. If you play it for 10 years, the initial price will not seem so much after a few years. Nice looking guitar. I liked that you dragged the old Roland out for the clean sound.
Cheers!
Affordable guitars have become so good in the last few years it makes one question the the big dollar units. 🤔
True. I remember what cheap guitars were like when I was starting out. It's a different world now.
How this guitar and t7 version of it plays compared to cort g260(i will buy an old model with swamp ash body) and thank you for honest and quality reviews
All good
I have one - didn't like the pickups, well the humbucker at the bridge mostly. Put some Vanson alnico V's in (HSS still, another £60 or so) and it sounds much better. Other than that it needed a good setup, fret polishing, action lowering and nut lubing. It holds tune amazingly well now - even with a floated bridge. Mine looks, feels and sounds like a much more expensive guitar now.
Cool :)
All these guitars are made in the same factories. Brand hardly matters they all make good guitars. I used to chase brands looking for the secret best guitar for the money. If it comes from Indonesia, China or Korea it comes from a factory that makes guitars for many brands. From PRS to fender to squier to chapman to sire to g&l…they’re all made in the same factories. Yes PRS has their own cort factory, but the same company makes guitars for many other brands.
I will buy this as soon as possible.great axe.
Harley Benton 25th anniversary firemist strat is getting great reviews, stainless steel frets Pickups: Roswell SHR AlNiCo 5 hot rail humbucker (bridge) and Roswell STA AlNiCo 5 single coils. Locking tuners for 299 euros
Yeah, I've noticed. Seems pretty nice.
look like in Indonesia , they have in their souls ''the making great affordable gears'' jiggybug .... evolution is on his way up ,thanks for the great review
On the fretboard close up 2:17, the frets all extend too far, with sideways scalloping between them....if you know what I mean.
I think what it's made of is important , mahogany , maple , rosewood. For 400? Not many other's offering that at that price point.
Hello Elmo. At this price level which one you belive I must try as a possible better. Thanks
gotta love a jam in E or A
Elmo, always aiming to please the fans with cleans and everything =)
In what European shop did you find the Sire? I want one but of course with humbucker and single coils, what else is there ? :)
Sorry for the late reply. I bought it at Thomann.
Change the tuners to locking and the bridge saddles to stainless steel . Maybe a new switch and pick ups if you don't like the stock ones and you have a nicer guitar than the Silver Sky SE.
I live near Andertons and know a lot of Guitarists, here's my take, for less than £200, can't beat Jet, a pro might want to change the pups, but they are amazing for the money, trem springs change too, Epiphones are now good, tuners are crap, give them a Gilmore bend and oops, again an easy fix, everything else good, then it's Sire, amazing guitar for any price, go try one. Honourable mention to Fazley, frets are not good, but for beer money they are very playable nice sounding Teles, rock solid tuning, ideal for taking places you don't want to take a nice guitar. I have 2 Sire and some very expensive named brands, the Sire are just as good imho.
Hi!
I have a question about the amplifiers.
I have electric guitar about 5 month. And I want an amplifier.
Which one should I choose of these.
Line 6 V20 MKII or
Boss katana mini or
Fender champion 20 or
Fender frontman 20G
Or if neither. Do you know of a good amplifier in this price category?
Not the Frontman. The Katana is good, but I haven't tried the other two.
The new Harley Benton 25th Anniversary ST Strat is fantastic for the money, I purchased one last week. It has SS frets, a Tusk nut, Alnico 5 pickups, locking tuners, roasted maple neck ect, better value compared to the Sire and it costs less. The S3 has ceramic pickups, that's disappointing. Great video!!!
That's good to know. I was looking at getting the HB 25th Firemist which seems very good value for money. The Sire S3 looks nice too though but costs more.
I prefer Teles/Esquires but that seems like a nice guitar.
What'd be really interesting is if you'd put this up against Cort's own HSS model from that price range :P
True.
I HEARD THE NEWS BABY!
Thanks, Nice videos..what's about Slash sound with a budget..maybe Yngwie is a past season already..heh
Thanks! That's not a bad idea tbh.
Is the whammy bar supposed to lock in ? Mine just falls out the moment i reach for something
There was some way to lock it in, but I forget how.
Which one do you think would be a better pick between this and a Classic vibe?
This.
Remember the Kramer Focus?
How does the Jet compare?
I really like the Marshall amp only setup much better.
Not a complaint just an opinion. I still loved the review.
Thanks! I'll have to think about it a while.
What's better? This or the Cort G 260 that you've once reviewed? The 200 euro cort that you mentioned is better priced but it isn't as good as this I believe
Not sure actually. The G260 was really good as well.
@@MrPolevaulter Was the G260 uncomfortably heavy? Sb on thomann said that it weights 4.5 kg but he's the only one who said so
That guitar looks beautiful, to me.
Is this the best guitar as a late beginner (only played acoustic) with the budget of 426$? or any other recommendations?
It's a really good one for sure.
sire s3 , pacifica 212 or ibanez azes 40 , wish one day you test them together...
Sire for me.
I have one in black and it’s very good!
Nice :)
Black always had better tone....its a fact proven by Mr. Gilmour over and over....
Cort g250 or 260cs same price as sire is unbeatable. 260cs is better product in specs, sound and in my limited experience playability.
Another option is vintage v6 + Profesional setup is roughly same price as sire. Cort 260cs is better option and vintage v6 atleast comparable option.
Great thanks you 😊
No problem 👍
I have a question . Did you install the floyd rose or was it already there ? If you installed it can you tell me which one did you install ?
Which Floyd Rose?
@@MrPolevaulter I mean the floyd rose arm/whammy bar
@@Ayan-vs9ut On what? This guitar? That's not a Floyd.
@@MrPolevaulter oh sorry , I meant the whammy bar . Did you install it , if yes then can you please send me the link of the whammy bar ?
Full fat Fender(ish) sound from the pups. Looks and sounds great. The only downside is the name Sire ! Surely a bit more thought would have done better ?
Maybe it's a typo. Dire? :D
I recently bought a Sire S3 and I have to say it is the best playing Strat or Strat type guitar I have ever had---and that includes the American Standard. I also prefer the sound of the S3 mainly because it doesn't sound like a typical Strat---it's less twangy and warmer and fatter, which suits me better. As for the price, at less than 300 quid it is insane value.
In your opinion, witch one is better: S3 Sire or Cort S260CS?
That's a tough one. Not sure actually.
Yes, it is a bit heavy compared to a Squier CV strat
Sire is now made in Indonesia by Cort, so they are made by the same factory as Squier and so many others.... Beautiful guitar I must say!
Sure is.
@@christineayres7199 While I do understand your EVH relevancy statement I do not agree! Just because we do not try to write a Van Halen type record does not mean his is invalid in 2023 lol
@@audiomonster303 Yeah but times changed guys like Ichika or Marcin have revolutionised the guitar for the 21st century and that never use a whammy bar
@@christineayres7199 I def never said the whammy bar is making a comeback. So we can agree to disagree, we are both right IMO! I rarely wham the bar lol
@@audiomonster303 😜👍
try review ibanez azes31 and azes40 if you have a chance sir elmo, thankyou!!
I have both waiting to be reviewed.
@@MrPolevaulter i heard people having issue with the trem system, hope you dig full of it ( torture the trem 🤣) sir elmo, thanks!
Can you do a review about tagima t635
Not sure. Maybe.
Harley Benton cst 24 t and sire s3 which is better?
Sire imo.
Is the Music Man Cutlass CT50 better than this guitar?
The one I tried was pretty bad tbh.
this? or vintage v6?
I own this and the G&L Tribute Legacy. The G&L owns it hands down.
Good to know! I saw a nice, gently used Legacy Tribute strat and was wondering which is better.
How would you say this compares to the Mexican Fender Player Strat?
It's been quite some time since I tried one of those, so I'm not really sure. But I do think this is probably almost as good, if not just as good.
Which would you say was better, the T3 or S3?
Just different.
E' meglio questa Sire S3 o la EART strat HSS?
Haven't tried the Eart HSS
For the algorithm, thx
Thanks :)
The crazy playing in the tuning test is funny.
:)
The only strat I own is a G&L tribute S 500 (an old indonesian one, with alder body), paid it 330€ used, good guitars but not "real" strat sounding. Also tried a prodipe strat, the neck is really big, and it sounds really stat, even too much, almost caricatural, but OK for the price.
You need to try the Jet Js-300 if you haven't already
Video on the way.
I have a Jet JS400, changed the single coils, ok but I put good ones in, hb was fine, trem springs are crap, but in every other respect, very good for the money, stays in tune.
I’d much rather have a second hand player Stratocaster and put in some tasty pups, if you don’t want to do that get yourself a player plus strat I have one and the whole guitar is simply amazing.
Fair enough.
How it compare to yamaha pacifica 112v?
Better
Did you try g&l triute?@@MrPolevaulter
S.R.V. Nice!
:)
+500 for seventh seal!!❤
I bought the S7 and got a lemon. Could not stay in tune and had RUSTY strings out of the box. I guess it was either B-stock or demo or whatever. In any case, my first experience with Sire was not the best one. Maybe I'll give it another go someday. I do want a nice tele style guitar.
I had the same. I wouldn’t touch them with a barge poll.
Sorry to hear.
My S3 had rusty strings, no lube in the nut and the tops of the frets were dull and a scratchy. Also had 5 slightly high frets. So you definitely need to work on them or factor in a luthier's time in the cost. Still worth it for me as the body and neck are great, bone nut cut well, the bridge and tuners are surprisingly good, nicely routed and shielded inside and the electronics are fine.
Same here. Bought the S7 from Andertons and had nothing but bother with it. Frets needed levelling, major tuning issues and a badly cut nut that Andertons ignored me over. After spending around £150 to get all these things sorted, the tremelo unit still won't stay in tune and I get major choking if the action is taken below medium-ish. A bad experience - I'll never buy another Sire and will certainly never deal with Andertons again either..
@@adrianharvey6689 haha I’ve had problems with Andertons. Same here. As for the S7. Well it just goes to show it’s better to avoid these no name companies and go with well reputed makers. 500.00 pounds gets you a lot of guitar for your money. Shecter, fender, charvel, Ltd esp, all top dollar companies.
It sure sounds good, but then that's Professor Elmo playing. I recommend always try a guitar before buying. It has to feel right in your hands first and foremost. Tone can be altered. Feel cannot.
Absolutely. Try before you buy.