SIRE Guitars...Are They REALLY as Good as People Say? 

Short answer: Yes, the hype is real! 🎸 Enjoy the series!

Great to see Darrell checking the Sire range out. We’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen how great this range is for the last 5 years!! 🤘🤘🤘

I have one of the Sire S7 's with the fancy maple top and can tell you that the hype is real. It may be the only guitar that I would put equal to or above the Sterling's from Music Man ( I also have the Sterling Valentine ). The neck on the Sire with it's rolled edges and super smooth frets make it feel like a guitar costing 2~3 times the price. Bone nut, locking tuners, rolled edges....all the standard upgrades are already done.

Great story! It is amazing how so many guitar companies are boosting up their quality and value! recently.

A shop near me got in a pair of Sire H7 models, one burst and one cherry. I played both of them back to back, and was able to compare them directly with other brands. The second that Sire hit my hands my immediate reaction was "wow". Comparing it to an Epiphone 335 didn't seem fair to the Epi. It was way closer to the Gibson. The only thing it lacked was the feel of the Nitro finish. It sounded, played, and felt like a very high end instrument. I really liked the neck carve as well, it was very comfortable. The setup was spot on,, nut cut perfect level and well done fretwork, no finish flaws. I went over it with a fine tooth comb looking for something, didn't find a thing. Iown Gibson, PRS, Fender Custom Shop etc. I would have no issues putting one of these up on my display wall right next to them. I am kicking myself for not taking it home, but I was only there for strings..... now I can't stop thinking about it.

It's exciting. I love it when a guitar company outdoes the big brands in quality and price and shakes up the market. Looking forward to the series D.B. Thanks, mate.

Got my Sire S7. I love the roasted neck, the satin finish, the super slick fretboard. But I have two significant issues with the guitar. First, the rolled fretboard is on a very narrow fretboard, and significant "both way" string vibrato on the 6th and 1st string is right out, or you slip over the edge. I'd have preferred a slightly wider neck and/or slightly less roll of the edges. The second issue is that the neck single coil is NOT well aligned with the 2nd and 1st strings. It "overshoots" them (not centered under them), and the result is rather significant volume drop as you play from the 3rd to 2nd to 1st string. I see zero way to address this. What's really wrong? Seems to me the neck pick up should be slightly angled as it's "too large" for the string spacing, and angling it slightly would allow for perfect alignment. Not a change that can be made after market though.

Dude, i played my first sire about 2-3 weeks ago. It was a 5 string bass and WHOOOOO LORD. what you said was spot on. I had no idea what was going on with my hand, but it felt amazing to play, then I remembered the rolled edges, makes me wish more companies would participate in this for standard models vs just customs etc.

Darrell - I would love to see (or hear) your thoughts on how the Sire S7 Vintage (at $599) compares to the Sterling Cutlass CT50 SSS (which is now $549). Feature wise they look extremely similar.

I've had my S7 for 6 months now. I was a bit concerned about trading down from my old '64 Strat (which I'd owned for 50 years), but no worries there as the Sire is a brilliant guitar. I've done few gigs with it now and people have remarked on the great sound. Not only that but I banked quite a bit of dough in the process.

These guys are great, I love that they have classic and modern versions of the Strat, Tele models.

I have the L7. The craftsmanship is flawless and the tone so awesome, very clear. Waiting on your review full review of that model.

I like how the Spark has been given prominence on your display shelf! 🎸💥

Hi everyone, I hope that you all have a wonderful and blessed night. Take care of yourselves and be kind to others. Take care and God bless🤎

I miss the intro where you fall in the snow

Bought a Sire Marcus Miller Base last year and was quite happy with it. Just got a Tobacco Sunburst L7 (Andertons called it Vintage Burst and they were the only one that had stock), and I found it had one single bad fret that I easily fixed and the frets were in desperate need of a polish ...but I am an amateur Luthier so no biggie, but needless to say for the price the sound is fantastic! Worth way more than I spent.

Hard to believe Darrell only has 750k subs...its such a great channel should be over 1M

S7 MF owner for a year now, and nothing to complain about ! I’m in love with it 😬 So pleased about it that I bought an H7 5 month ago ! And guess what ? Same feeling ! Great job, great sound. And finally, great price ! Waiting your rewiev now ;)

Thanks for keeping it reasonably short👍

I am thoroughly impressed by how he built his business and that alone makes me want one of his guitars!!!

Hey Darrell, it's about time man! 🙂 Can't wait to see the feature of Sire Electric guitar lineup. Looking forward to hearing your inputs. Best regards from the Philippines. 🇵🇭🤘

Thank you for all the work you do for high quality guitar information for your fans. I’ve learned a lot from you. Thanks from sunny Florida.

Thank you for the comparisons and thank you for Sire for helping out Darrell show these off.

I wish they offered a T7 with a 12" or larger radius. I love the roasted maple but that 9.5" is just tough on those of us used to flatter fretboards. I know their "Gibson-inspired" (lawyers incoming) guitars offer a 12" but I'm really hunting for a T-style in a new brand. Another great post, Darrell. I'm legit jealous of your weather. Cheers from Florida.

Ah man, you're killing me! I've been jonesing for a T7 since it was announced they'd start making them and this is adding furl to the GAS. Was sold on Sire when I tried my buddy's bass and it blew me away.

I really like the look of the L7 model. I never liked classic Strats or Tels but I always liked super strats from Washburn, Ibanez, Jackson, Charvel and ESP. As I got older, I have steered back to single cuts and the 24.75" scale. So much that I sold all my Ibanez, Jackson, BC Rich and ESP/LTD guitars and bought Les Paul style guitars. I learned guitar on an old 1975 Aria Les Paul Custom copy over thirty years ago. Just love the single cut sound, solid body shape and feel.

The guitars look beautiful and are no doubt great value. But the problem with a review video where the manufacturer partnered with the reviewer-aside from obvious questions of bias/credibility-is that we get no insight into QC. We can be certain that Darrell didn’t just get a random selection of guitars from Sire-he got the best examples they could pick out from their inventory. It would be shocking if the guitars reviewed here had even a single flaw. The manufacturer would be better served by having Darrell show off the beautiful finish on a new guitar he just bought at the store.

Great start to the series! The Tele version is definitely on my radar. Looking forward to the other videos to come. Appreciate your honesty and work. Thanks so much!

As usual I enjoyed this. Especially the background on Kyle. That’s the way to do it. Looking forward for your review on each guitar. Cheers.

I too have had a Sire S7 for about four months, despite the guitars with a beautiful top layer, I chose a beautiful white one. Since I have always loved single coil guitars, I chose Fender years ago. A stratocaster from the USA that I really like. Yet the sound of the Sire is strikingly surprising. It is somehow similar to the Fender but the sound is much stronger. It's like playing a Fender with something extra behind the amplifier. The neck appears to feel a bit fuller, but it is simply wonderful because of the smooth back. Once you play a Sire you understand the Hype. And I haven't even mentioned the price yet... Looking forward to your next video! Greetings from the Netherlands!

So... sounds like these guys are incredibly dedicated to staying honest. Just like DBG!!! Can't wait to see the breakout of each model!!!

I have an S7 blue flame. Great guitar, fantastic value. Looking forwards to the series.

Got a Sire H7 and L7 and planning on getting the S7. They really are good guitars.

My fourth Sire Larry Carlton guitar arrived from Andertons yesterday morning. It’s a white SSS Strat version and just like my HSS Strat and Tele versions it’s outstanding 👍

i ordered a sire H7 a year ago at andertons....although online stock was zero....to my big surprise i got their last guitar (from the showroom/studio?) a week later......and it's great.....very good quality and value for money....i love it... wouldn't mind one of the S or T models either...they look great....

I have a Sire bass, model M7 4 strings for 4 years now and I really like it. San Francisco Guitar Center has some Sire guitars now.

Well sir, i am now intrigued to check them out. Thanks for doing what u do, and i cant wait to see the full tear down

Wow, those are some gorgeous guitars, with really high quality craftsmanship, for $600-something each. Amazing.

Thanks Daryl great overview and info. One point I'd like to add is that changing up manufacturing to another company isn't a sellout it's just the fact of life in this industry and a lot of others too sometimes it's just what a company has to do maybe not what they want to do.

Marcus Miller and Larry Carlton are two pretty solid endorsers for sure. I've seen Marcus playing his Sires on gigs as well, not just putting his name on them and continuing to play his custom Fenders

Darrell...you are too cool...That FourPlay Christmas album is fantastic...one of my all time favs for the holidays...rock on my brother!!!

Everything I have heard about the Sire guitars has been good and when I get a Les Paul tobacco burst Sire is the company I have in mind. The only potential negative point I have heard is that their Les Paul is a bit on the heavy side, because they don’t chamber them. One of our local music stores does carry the Sire brand, so I will definitely check them out.

I have three Sire Larry Carlton guitars and they are all awesome . I bought my first HSS Strat version from Andertons after watching John Robson guitar tuition video on his burst version a few months ago.Was so blown away by the build finish and sound quality I bought the Tele version from Thomann because Andertons didn’t have any. That again blows me away with the build finish and sound quality So bought a acoustic from Andertons and that’s the same Absolutely outstanding soud that punches well above its price .

I’ve changed one Yamaha Pacifica 612 (having pocket neck crack as brand new) with Sire LC S7. Best choice ever. Thank you Darell for review.

I've been waiting for a good review of the T7 for a while. Wow what a great looking guitar

I just received a Sire L7. Darrell, your review was spot on. I bought mine from Sweetwater, so I can’t say if the set up on arrival was from them or the factory, but it was perfect. It may not be the right guitar for everyone, but it is the right one for me, and I thank Darrell Braun for introducing me to that guitar. The neck is a slim taper and more narrow than my Gibson Les Paul Tribute. The workmanship is flawless. With the right tube amp settings it sounds just like I always hoped it would. In short, expectations exceeded. Can’t beat the price. Thanks again!

Great job as always Darrell, im looking forward to each and every model coming…

When they first got the Marcus Miller endorsement for their basses I remember Miller talking about the decisions that went into production: Sire ran the numbers and the money that they would save not having any marketing or advertising at all allowed them to put the neck through the plec machine for three more runs. And that's what you get, an incredible neck. The rest for the most part is gravy.

I'd love that semi hollow but I have way too much stuff for now. I Bought a Sire 5 string M7 bass at the beginning of this year and I love it! The neck is so comfortable and you can get so many different tones out of it it's crazy. So many good features on a guitar which isn't exactly cheap but you don't even see on even more expensive big brands.

I'm a bass player, so I have known about Sire for a few years now. I did try them, but never got one for a few reasons, that had nothing to do with quality. However, a friend got a Sire Strat a few months ago and I was surprised by the absolutely abysmal job they did with the nut. Yes, it's bone, but the slots were all over the place (random height, which made the guitar borderline unplayable). What made it completely unplayable was one particular slot where they apparently carved in twice, a few tenths of a mm apart, which made the bottom of the slot kind of a W-shape, so the string would jump between the two valleys, if you did any kind of bending or vibrato. That's why I'm quite surprised about the quality control allegedly being consistent. Because obviously, it unfortunately isnt.

I got a Maple top in blue S7, its a beauty, so well made and set up, the neck is like butter, exceptional value, i waited 8 months for mine to arrive so well worth the wait 100 % better than a Player series Strat

Snowbound one of my favorite Christmas albums of all time Carlton's guitar work is just wonderful

Thank you, Darrell. I always look forward to your videos. Your channel rocks!!

Can't wait, I love the history lesson on the company as well!

Hey Darrell. I have a Sire P5 bass, and it is absolutely perfect. I'm currently looking at a Sire "strat" style guitar because I know the dollar value and the specs. This video really helped. Thank you.

Yes. I own two, and I do believe they are best quality for the money, incredibly great price for the quality

I am interested in the T7, waiting for the demo!!

Amazing story and integrity of the builder. Now these guitars will be even harder to get with Darrell focusing on them.

You sound very excited about doing the Sire guitar series reviews. You're getting us excited too. 👍👍👍

I have purchased L7 black/hold hw from Thomann in Europe recently. Great built, great playability guitar.

This guy is wonderful. I feel like I know this dude and like Sire's standard for high quality, Darrell is also high quality.

I've got a Sire U5 SS Marcus Miller bass and it's amazing for TWICE the price! I play drums, bass, but I'm primarily a singer/songwriter....and this bass is great for recording, live, wall art...just a great 30" bass. Alder with bolt on maple neck is magical IMO. My favorite guitars are my PRS 91 and 94 CE24s. And I have many many PRS, including an Emerald Green Custom 24 10 top! Alder with maple cap and bolt on 24 fret maple rosewood neck with the HFS and Vintage Bass are my favorite combo for sure.

I like hearing the word "integrity" in connection with a guitar brand.

Been looking for the T7 model forever but everything is on back order…can’t wait to get one👍🏼

I have the Sire V7 5 string bass. Amazing quality. It's a keeper ❤️

Awesome review as usual. Looking forward to the individual review of the Sire series, and to see if it is going to rock the current rating on the best guitars under $1000 or $500.

Hi Darrell, thanks for initiating this product line review. Having looked at the S7 Larry Carlton, I bought a Harley Benton Fusion Pro 2 HSH blue burst flamed maple top, maple binding cheaper than the Sire for same quality. There are very positive reviews of other HB products by professional guitarists, like Jonathan Koh for example.

I have the exact grey flame S7. Bought it a year and a half ago. Nice 🎸. Can't beat it for the price point. 👍

Hi Darrell. So looking forward to your indepth overview of the S7. I just picked one up recently and I'm lovin it. The quality is amazing. My only concern is that in 4 and 2 position the higher tones are very thin and a bit shrill. Still with a tone adjustment on the guitar that can be sorted. Somebody said that it might be due to the bleed feature on the guitar would be interested in your view. Love your reviews as always.

Hello Darrell, you should try Jet Guitars, they're amazing!

I used to own one of their basses, and I currently own their acoustic, the A7. Same deal with that one. Sounds and plays like a guitar coating 2-3 times it’s price point and has great specs. I’m getting the H7 at some point

The necks are stunning

I bought my green S7 as my first guitar, thinking if I just spend a bit more than a squier I would be able to keep it for longer. Just holding it feels so nice.

I’m a Gibson guy, and a Fender guy. I am generally a US made snob. I own a 2023 Gibson Les Paul Standard, and a 2022 Fender American Pro II strat, just to let you know for perspective. I want an ES 355 and I can’t afford one. So I’ve been shopping for semi’s with ebony fretboards. I have poured through info on all the brands. I decided that I would go on Darrell’s word, despite being compensated I still tend to believe the guy. Well let me tell you. Sire is no joke. I ended up buying an H7V which is the Larry Carlton Semi-hollow with P90’s. It’s the first guitar less expensive than a Gibson that had a similar neck feel. To be honest, I prefer the neck feel to my 2023 Les Paul custom. That feels so insane to be saying… but wow. The feel of this H7 is crazy. And sound wise I also must rave about it. I heard the HH version was great, but I haven’t tried it, I can only comment on the 2x P90 version- but wow. It sits in the area between my Les Paul with HH and my SSS strats where it sounds as good as both, has more of the single coil scream than a humbucker obviously would, but it also has more output than a SSS strat. Also I feel like the P90 as a whole is a perfect fit for a semi-hollow body befause it screams like an eagle, and if you want even more impact just turn towards a loud amp and you get feedback on demand. In summary: the Sire H7V fn rips like crazy, and feels as good as a Gibson, and is far superior to an Epiphone. It’s more on par with a gibson. If you are on social saying your Epiphone is just as good as a Gibson you’re flat out wrong. But if you say your Sire H7V is as nice as a Gibson- i have to tend to agree with you. Epiphones always left me half satisfied to a gibson. I own all 3c I play them back to back and tbh If I was blindfolded and played an H7 vs a 335 I’d probably pick the Sire blindfolded. I cannot believe that I’m saying this.

I really enjoy watching your videos they are super informative and very well made. I especially like the one minute solos and the Ibanez RG370AHMZ hanging in the back ground. I own the exact same one and it’s a great guitar. Thanks DBG you rock!

Tried the S7 a while back and the L7 lately. The S7 was very nice looking but it just didn't resonate with me. I don't know if it was the neck shape or fret wire but it felt clumsy in my hands. I had also just played a Godin Summit Classic beforehand and ended up buying that one because it blew me away. Maybe it just didn't have the magic. The L7 was a fantastic instrument, exact same color and similar beautiful flame than the T7 in the video. Vintage vibe and sound with a modern feel. I loved that satin neck. With a price tag of about 850$ CAD, it is one of the best instruments I've played in that price range and definitely the most spec'd out.

Nicely put, learning to play is one thing, and learning about different types of guitar manufacturers is good for the mind set of learning... information is knowledge and any info about something you want to learn is key... well done 👏... I try to keep my head full of your videos in hope prosperity to learning... thanks

When are reviewing those models, would you please mention the neck profile and depth at first fret? That really is a critical thing to know and is so often ignored in reviews. I'm especially curious about that 335 model.

Awesome video! Could you check out those Jet guitars once they're available in North America? They look very interesting and are very affordable.

The value , quality and beauty of the guitars in our current times are outstanding. It’s becoming hard to make choices. We thank you Darrell for showcasing all these wonderful instruments. Happy holidays brother.

Of course you like them - you’re doing a Sire miniseries and highlighting each model lol

finally, Darrell talks about Sire guitar, I love to see it. ❤️❤️❤️

Zedem music store have a great selection of sire stars I'm definitely getting one of these next

I have 6 of the basses and they are very nice. They are improving. The first generation basses were very heavy and had pretty bad tuners. Really want a telecaster and a passive P bass, but they are hard to find right now. The rolled edges are very nice on the newer versions. The active electronics on the basses are very complicated, I like the passive ones better. Interesting company. Hope they continue to evolve and improve.

For once the hype is very real, so much that i bought an S7 Larry Carlton in 3 tone sunburst in July. A superb guitar with a spec and price that the big names would charge you more than twice the price for. It played well out of the box, no fret issues, and a perfect blemish free finish. It's rare for me to praise a guitar as i am a very hard person to please, but in this case these S7's are worth every penny.

I saw the p90 335 prototype they just made for Danish Pete and OMG they need to put that model into the production line up ASAP!

Soooooo curious to hear your thoughts on the Sire H7 (335) vs similar offerings from Epiphone, D'Angelico, etc.

Interesting and informative a great video. Thank you Mr DBG.

Look like solid quality and craft. It is all about feel and sound though imo . I've been looking into tons of brands . Keep coming upon *Sire.

6:59 Darrell is from Canada, we all know this but every now and then it REALLY comes out in his speech and this was had me laughing. It reminded me of when I had a contract job in Bemidji, Minnesoooooooota. Not making fun of him by any means, I love the channel, just something that stood out. BTW, I’m from Texas and yeah, I get razzed about my drawl all the time. Hope y’all have a Merry Christmas!

Thank you my friend! Just what I needed to see! 🤩

Never heard of them, looking forward to this series

I got my eye out for a strat & a semi hollow, can’t wait to see more about these!

That S7 currently costs $1200 here in Australia. The AVERAGE price of Indonesian made guitars here in Australia (because we are geographically so close) is less than $500. I'm guessing that since every Sire guitar carries the Larry Carlton moniker that's where the extra price comes from.

WOW! Now those are good looking guitars man, and what attention to detail, and the prices are so, so good. I want one! And I'm going to try to buy one S7 even though I don't have the budget for a guitar right now.

Recently got an MIM Tele, with the plus top (aka a flame veneer), the frets aren’t too bad. Unfortunately fret sprout is a thing sometimes since the wood can shrink, but the metal frets can’t, I’m guessing roasting the maple stops this?

Wow, what a great initiative, very stimulating!

That roasted maple gloss fretboard is beautiful my god I need one of those

Hi Darrell, so far I haven't finished watching the video, but I was immediately interested in how you would compare Sire to Chapman and, most interestingly, Shijie.

Should check out the acoustics, too - A3 and A4. Talk about Value!