I like the Sire just a bit more. But for the sound, specs and finish I'll take a Firefly FFST for half the price. Roasted maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard depending on model, locking tuners, ball end stainless steel frets, bone nut, Alnico V pickups and some amazing finishes. $169 to $259 depending on model...plus $27 shipping. I'm thinking they only ship to the US at this time though.
Nice review. Agree with you that your playing was more fluid on the Sire. Also as for tone I would give the Sire a slight edge. It sounded a bit more full, or rounded, especially on the overdrive tones.
Brilliant demo of the two guitars ! The Squier is much sharper and Strat like for me . The Sire a bit smoother -less spikey which helps iron out the usual ice pick bridge pickup tone . I had thought about getting a Sire as the price is great but not dissapointing sound wise and the rough finish on the neck wouldn’t suit me . That said a Silver Sky SE I’ve got had a very rough finish but it’s smoothed out with playing . I believe it’s the same pickups in the 40 th anniversary as the Classic Vibe Strat . The problem with Sire guitars is you can’t try them out anywhere in shops unless second hand . The S7 has Alnico pickups and maybe be brighter than the ceramic ones on the S3 but there’s a big difference in price but you’ve got a roasted maple neck and locking tuners . Great playing ! Cheers 🏴
Both sound really good but the Squier has more ‘air’ in the sound - cleaner, Sire sounds warm but a little fuzzy by comparison. Could be partly due to the ceramic pups, the shorter scale length and lower string tension or a combination of both. I’d probably go for the Squier because I prefer the sound slightly and it would be easier to mod.
If the amp is set the same, the Sire will probably sound a little more overdriven due to the ceramic pickups. Squier is a classic, it's got Fender specs. The Sire are a serious contender though. I've had more than a handful of Squier guitars, and just one felt really good, good quality control. Others have had nuts that weren't cut properly, fret sprout, fret buzz, you name it. Although, I recently tried a Squier Classic Vibe 60's Stratocaster at the local shop, and it felt great! It was a joy to play! I didn't but it, I wasn't on the market for a new guitar. But now that it's sold, I kinda wish I bought it. Another CV Strat that I tried a year ago didn't feel nearly as good. A 40th Anniversary Squier Stratocaster with block inlays might have been the worst I've had. Awful QC, and setup was non existent. Totally unplayable. Sire might have a little better QC. But who knows?
Both sounded great, but I definitely preferred the sound of the Squier. It had a lot more Straty spank than the Sire, which, for me, is the whole point of getting one. It just had a lot more personality than the Sire, which sounded a bit generic. The shorter scale length is a bit surprising. I wonder how much it influences the sound. Really, it comes down to preferences, as we can see in the other comments here.🤷♂️
I just bought a 40th Anniversary in sonic blue but the frets were too short/narrow. I'm hoping I can get a better example because the guitar felt great and was actually very light.
Frets are not going to change regardless of which you by there is no variation in fret size. On variations are on workmanship and wood because no two trees are identical.
Good comparison Andy. I have the Squier Contemporary HT and that sounds similar to the 40th anniversary. I am after a strat with a tremolo and the Sire S3 caught my attention. Have you tried the Vintage V6 reissued, that looks good too? Interestingly, Sire have just announced an S5 with higher specs for the pickups, machine heads & tremolo for about £50 more!
Got my Squier 40th vintage sunburst new for less than $240US, made it easy to justify building a new loaded pickguard and upgrading the trem with a full steel block and steel keyhole type saddles. It's pretty heavy but I'm all in now. If I were you I'd be sorely conflicted! I like the Squier driven more than the Sire but Sire is a touch sweeter clean.
HI Andy sorry to bother you, great video, and really loved the last solo. Could you help me? I've been trying for the life of me to understand what scale or mode you were playing in the last solo and I just can't figure it out XD. Do you hace a tab or could you tell me the mode or scale? (it's probably a mix, but still the main one) I'm a beginner who just likes to play over backing tracks but I cant find this one. Thank you for your effort, and don't stop posting. Your charisma and calmness is perfect aswell as your "chops" :)
Glad you enjoyed it! The last jam is a tune of mine called 'At The End Of The Day' (full track and backing track here: andywatt.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-end-of-the-day). You're right in that it uses several different modes/scales. Overall it's in the key of C major (Ionian) but with quite a few modulations along the way. Send me a message via my website andywattguitar.com/contact/ and I'll email you a chord chart - it might help you make more sense of the changes 👍🏻
@@AndyWattGuitar Thank you very much Andy, I have chord charts I will keep learning your solo another bit today hehe and I'll try some soloing later of my own with the C scale :) Best of luck.
I was going off the Andertons website: www.andertons.co.uk/sire-larry-carlton-s3-sss-electric-guitar-mild-green?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_OetBhAtEiwAPTeQZ0o0vK-ZuYAoxWffAwrniTY4davEW29PIaadzmQzYFyVopqrVzE-kRoCxDQQAvD_BwE
The Squier is more typical Strat, whereas the Sire is creamier and fatter---and dare I say veering towards P90 tones, which is much more my sound. Full disclosure time---I recently bought a Sire S3 so I am probably biased!
Great review!! In my opinion, tonality and sound is not super relevant since almost any guitar can sound like you want. What could make a difference is in playability, finishing, neck, tunning stability etc. A Squier can sound like a 20.000€ strat.
If you come to sell the sire where would you list it. I would be interested in buying. You would have to post or package the guitar ready. If you only will be keeping one then surely it will be the squire. The others only try and compete with fender they will never surpass them. They will always try but it's impossible. It was right first time like 1954 so how can you better that. You can not. But it's lots of fun trying.
The sire sounded dull, lifeless, too mid heavy, especially on the cleaner tones..Squire had better chime and overtones, more presence, better harmonic content; the sire would get lost in most mixes. Keep the Squier...it also looks better.
Bro not even lol. You are absolutely biased on the Fender headstock. Sire sounds much better, much clearer, nastier. Fender sounds good too, but not really as good or as focused. It sounds like a Squier... cheap. And looks like a Squier. The Sire S7 would be a huge step-up. Roasted maple neck is much better. But the Sire is really much better. Also, "getting lost in the mix" because of the guitar you are using is absolutely noobish. And is not a valid argument at all.
