I actually have a Sterling Cutlass CT50HSS that I got for $499 about 2 years ago as my first electric guitar. It has treated me very well as of now, and I’m planning to turn it into a “partscaster” within a couple weeks. I’ll be swapping a DiMarzio Super Distortion into the Bridge and a BC-1 into the Neck to fit more of the kind of sound I tend to like. I wouldn’t have found the sound that I like, however, without the more vintage style sound of the current pickups (which are great btw, I play it about as much as my 2016 Gibson SG that I bought used for like $1000). I think that cheaper guitars can not only be great guitars, but they can be a way to find your sound without having to risk too large of an investment on a piece of gear, especially for a new player. If you aren’t sure if you’ll like playing a strat, get a squier. If you don’t like it, you can sell it or let I sit and you don’t lose much money. If you do like it, either upgrade to a more expensive strat or mod it to your own specs.
@Mike Cole First off, I’m so happy to see how much you’ve grown in your playing and video styles! You’re hanging with the quality of the top guitar channels now. Second, loving the Sire content! I’ve had an H7 for 2 years, a gold top L7V going on 2 months, and soon the G5N solid body nylon string. The online hype from them is definitely justified. I only wish they had relationships with dealers where you can try in person first because the S7 and T3 are on my list for future purchases too.
I have a Sire T3 I got it thinking I would probably do modifications to it since it’s their budget model but honestly guitar is so good. The only thing I changed were tuners to locking tuners
@@joeking433 you dont have to like the guy, but to not respect him as a guitarist kind of makes people question how credible you are as a guitarist fyi
@@brandan5732 I respect the playing of Vai and Satriani, too, but their music completely bores me. In the old classic rock days people's personalities could be found in their guitar playing. Nowadays guitarists are either robotic speed freaks or clones of old rockers but without any personality. Do young people even care about new guitarists like we boomers did back in the day? I don't think they do. Rappers even garner more interest from kids these days than real musicians/guitarists. That's because that is the outlet for personality today rather than through guitars. I could be wrong. Maybe kids do care about guitarists that I never see.
Partscasters, when the fender sound iceberg isnt deep enough. I have a Yamaha EG-303 Strat Clone (think pacifica 012/112) thats been rewired and parts swapped to hell. I can relate to your friend.
I helped a friend of mine pick out his first electric guitar years ago, he ended up with a squier affinity tele and I have a mexican made fender tele for comparison. Sure the fender one has a bit nicer neck, better tuners and such, but that didn't really matter because the squier still feels nice to play. Both guitars have nice sounds and both could be exelent platforms for new pickups. My point is, if you want a guitar that's fun you absolutely can go cheap. These things are meant to be played, not scrutinized to the last detail. If it sounds nice and feels nice, it's a good guitar.
Great video my friend.. I would love you to review the Jet -300.. I have watched a lot of your videos and I am curious on what you think.. let me fill you in, The Jet-300 has a maple roasted Beck bone nut, nice frets nicely dressed in the ends, a nice trem with full block ( zinc). Try one make a video I think you will be very surprised.. Thank you Craig
Thank you for this video, and the suggestion of checking out sire. I definitely will. The next Guitar I want to buy is one to replace the Strat I sold years ago.
I decided to get a new guitar the other day so i got a squier classic 60s vibe starcaster, but my amp wasn't really the best so i got a fender amp and man do it bring that guitar to life. ive played many types of guitars i used to be a les paul guy, but even tho it took time getting use to im never going going back im team stratocaster for life when i play it just becomes a literal part of me
fender stratocaster's are really expensive, some are in triple single coil configuration others are in hss configuration, most strats have amp buzz anless you get a superstrat if thats your style double h pickups. There's also really ridiculously cheap strats that vary in tone quality or playability
I probably wouldn't buy a new Fender today. I got my strat in 2013, the USA model. Fat 50s pickup stock. I don't think they have gotten much better since. That Am Standard run was 2012-16 I think. Maybe 2018. I got an HB Tele, its fantastic. only upgraded the saddles. Was like $220.
I'm definitely going to own a Sire (or three) at some point. There's so much gear out there these days; I see no reason to think you've got to use the big (classic) names/brands.
Mike is starting to clue in, but I’d push it a bit further. Fender and Gibson are way behind in quality control if not overall quality, but the charge heaps of money for the name. It’s time to get over the big names. I recently got two FGN guitars (tele and LP types) and they are incredible (especially the tele). My poor 335 hardly gets any attention anymore! Only problem with FGN is that they’re hard to get outside Japan…
I was wondering if you were going to pick that company -- I've heard a lot of great things about their guitars. I myself just got my hands on the Squire Classic Vibe 60s P bass. And, I have to say, it too punches way above its weight, and I'm too old to care what anyone might think based on the name on the headstock!
Had the same initial thoughts when buying S7FM, but the biggest downside is the neck and the frets. Yes, I know, flame maple, locking tuners, fret ends, all true. But it's got a really high action if U don't want to tolerate a LOT of buzz. I suppose the frets are uneven. I need to have it plecked. So consider this and account for it the price for it. Otherwise, the specks are comprable to US made Fenders, hands on. If only they paid more attention to important stuff...
Just like appreciation over 7 years, your touch gains value. Eric, John or Joe can make a cheaper guitar sound good, It's not the arrow, it's the Indian.
Pssst…. Here is how to get a bunch of guitars for free over your lifetime: Buy a decent vintage fender or Gibson guitar now. Spend like $3-4k. In five years sell it for $6-8k then buy another two vintage guitars in the $3-4k range. Repeat many times throughout your journey. Don’t spend your money on guitars that don’t appreciate in value. Ie: what Mike is trying to sell you here.
I built a partscaster last year for the same price and this is taking into account that the body was a burnt barn door from Belgium and the neck was from the US (shipping to the UK). Not the most logical or cheapest way round it but I liked what I saw and it was in budget. It is the best sounding and feeling guitar I've played and it has all the memories along with it 😊
You can get brand new fender necks for 270 euros at thomann, if you put it in a 150eur squier and buy the best pickups possible it is still cheaper than a mexican strat 😂
From either Wikipedia or Sire’s website I got the cool origin story. The guy who started Sire believed that in Korea they could make a top level guitar for a knockout price. Then he got Larry Carlton excited about the idea and willing to spearhead development. Voilà! Sometimes the magic works. Doesn’t surprise me, I have a Korean made ‘92 Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II that was made at the Sammick piano factory and the craftsmanship is superlative, stood the test of time, with one of the nicest necks I’ve ever played. Korea is not generally known for its luthiers but they have the Asian secret sauce that goes into fine instruments.
Korean brands are awesome! I recommend looking into a Korean Acoustic brand named Crafter. I got one of their guitars, and it plays better than a Taylor 414ce (Might be tone preference tho). They've been in the biz since 1973, and their handcrafted, so they know what they're doing! Btw, the Crafter guitar I own is the Crafter Mind 2000 GCE.
I haven't even picked up a "real" Strat in years. I built two Partscasters, one with a roasted flame maple Warmoth neck, and one with a padouk Warmoth neck. Both with stainless frets. I'm all set.
Im sure most guitarist know that EVH was the guru of partscasters. He was never satisfied with a stock guitar. I totally get that now. Most of my guitars stay stock for resale reasons but the ones i love the most have been modified to fit my style of playing and comfort. I got to look at Sire one day just to try them out.
Yep. If you spend $1,000+ for guitar, modifications aren’t such a good idea. As a repairman/custom builder we so often advised people to leave classic models as is unless you never plan on selling the Frankenstein
My dad was a player & collector, so I grew-up around A LOT of gear going in & out of the house & had access to good gear as a beginner . I’ve played great $300 guitars & garbage $3,000 guitars. There are so many variables that it’s hard to make blanket-statements about gear. Especially these days.
I watched Regi Wooten play a really old Squier Strat, and I imagine it was before they upped their quality. It was proof that the player is the biggest component of the sound. Better tools make it easier to do the thing, but I’m glad that there’s a trend of people really getting into off brands and saving some money while getting inexpensive gear that performs really well. Thanks for showcasing this Mike!
I bought the squier 40th anniversary tele and swapped the pick ups with custom shop 51’s and the thing sounds absolutely amazing for a 1/4 of the price
I can tell you from experience these are NOT substandard guitars. I bought a Sire awhile back. It's a very good company and they make very good guitars.
I hate it, especially if you use the tremolo bar because it completely gets in the way. That's the reason why almost all the the strat copies out there have it on the edge.
The flushmount slant face jack was brilliant. I’ve actually thought about mounting one on the BACK, especially on “flipped” Strats - just leave a dummy on the face to fill the hole. On a flipped Strat, the jam up between output cord and vibrato arm is more problematic
@@joeking433 There’s more ways to use VIBRATO than subtle or divebomb effects. I’ll sometimes use it to go so ridiculously out of tune and then back, one wonders WTF they “think” they just heard… like a 2-second acid flashback
@@joeking433listen to Pink Floyd and youll understand. I use to be the same way, now I use it all the time and its great. When you use it to enhance your sound and not overpower it or use it as a gimmick, it can be another great tool in your arsenal
same with the s7 it's my first electric guitar. I've had it for a year and I feel like I've been spoiled by it to the point where I'll never be able to play another guitar
This reminds me a lot of my situation with my bass... It's an epiphone EB3 from 2005 (I think) that I got relatively recently for ~$340. Although it's not a perfect instrument it's got to be the best instrument I've ever played. I love it's tone and I can't imagine why I would need anything else because even gibson's versions of it are either short scale or have different pickup selections. Not to mention it's the best looking instrument I own. The only problem is since I'm more of a bass player than a guitar player I now can't justify spending any more on a guitar than I did on that bass!
My main strat started life as a '91 MIM that I bought brand new in high school. Today, it's essentially a parts caster with an Allparts neck, Bootstrap pickups, and a custom-made passive treble bass tone setup. It plays as well as the American Vintage ii I played and sounds incredible. Partscasters are great and they are custom to the player who put it together. I just got another parts caster that has an MJT body, an MIM Fender Strat neck, and Benson Custom 50s noiseless pickups. I didn't put this together, I just traded into it, but it's a killer player. I do want to try a Sire S7.
why does every video about fender mention american made does it really matter if i can get a good priced quality guitar for 500 buck im taking that idc where its made as long as the company is reputable
I found that Godin guitars are a bargain on the used market, and for similar to Sire money you can get North Anerican made… i am still amazed by the quality of some of the offshore brands, with a good setup they can play as well as anything out there! Best advice - find a great Luthier that is close to you… they can make almost anything play bettet
Sire Larry Carlton L7 is the best Les Paul style guitar ever made IMHO. Also, I really couldn't give a rats ass about the name on the headstock. I know what to expect from big brand names, which makes them not very exciting.
After 5 years of being an old man learning to play guitar, I'll say this: the name on the headstock has nothing to do with how that guitar will sound. I've lusted after a red Gibson SG like Frank Zappa played for much longer than I've been playing. I had the opportunity to play a 2014 Gibson SG and a '91 Orville by Gibson at the local shop, and the Orville was a screamer! That poor Gibson sounded dead by comparison. The Orville's were licensed by Gibson, and made in Japan. I regret not buying that Orville to this day. Lessons learned, play it before buying, and buy it for the magic inside instead of the name on the outside. Thanks for another great video Mike, you rock!😁
Not only play before buying - also ask if there is another of the same model stocked “in back”, because no two guitars are the same, even when built by the same hands
My son recently bought a Squire used for $300. Redid the electronics and put in new pickups, pick guard (now an HSS), and for around total $500 investment, it's killer. However, it sounded really good with the stock pickups too. He wanted a bigger sound and no noise (Gibson 57+ bridge and two 80s Lace Sensor Gold in middle & neck).
Where the heck did you get them? Sweetwater has been out of stock for like the last 2 years.....or they get in an order but there is a huge waiting list of buyers.
I don't normally care about the name, I've had a bunch of cheap guitars from various brands, and I currently have a Squier Jazz bass, a couple Schecters, a custom Warmoth build, and just last year I got my first Fender. I wanted a guitar similar to the Tom Delonge signature Strat, I'm left handed and they don't make official ones for lefties, plus they're more expensive than I want to spend even if they did. I could have gotten any old Strat style guitar and did what I wanted with it, but I wanted the real deal. I found a used lake placid blue MIM Strat for a good price, but it didn't have the neck I wanted, so I got a replacement for it. I was able to recoup a lot of the extra cost by selling off the original neck and loaded pickguard. New pickguard, new electronics, vintage tuners, and it's got the right headstock and name. It's a dropped C sleeper chug machine and it plays amazing. Maybe I would have been happy with an alternative, but I was in a "buy once, cry once" kind of mood after years of buying and selling gear.
The key is not to buy a retail, fully built guitar. It's a bit like building your own PC, you can source and find the parts that you like best, spend your $ on the quality parts that matter like electronics and hardware, and many light hardware and plastic components are so cheap it's unbelievable. You can get body and necks on the second-hard market for cheap. My partscaster would destroy many expensive strats, and is the best stratocaster I own hands down.
My Aria Pro II PE-850 was $200 CAD and plays better than a top Epi Les Paul. Sounds crazy good, better than actual Gibson Les Pauls. Some of these knock offs are just too good.
Ironic timing as I was just mentioning the Sire T7 to a friend and how I'm thinking of stepping up from my Squier Affinity Tele to it or a Chapman ML3. Reasonably priced good guitars are wonderful things. Have a wonderful day yourself, too, Mike.
Guitar inflation even just in the time I’ve been playing is ridiculous. In 2018 I purchased a brand New Mexican standard strat for 599. Now if you try to get something like that with the vintage style trem , you’re looking close to $1200 with the Vintera series. It’s disappointing fender doesn’t fill that void anymore, but it’s great for the little guys getting their excellently valued products out
I know ill probably get roasted for this because im sort of a noob. But, I just cant imagine dropping that kind of money on a Sire when I could easily get a Player 2 series Fender in that same price range. I really gotta lose the brand loyalty but man... i love Fender
Got my first Sire a month ago (same as in this video) and I’m blown away with how good it is.The neck is by far the best I’ve played,and the spec is pretty damn good for the money,I would definitely buy another.
I AM DYING. I have had a Quad Cortex for over a year and it wasn't until one random shot in this video I realized every button is also a knob OH MY GOD HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THAT???
You know what Mike? YOU KNOW WHAT!?!?!?!? WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY!? How about that huh? I hope YOUR day is wonderful. Take that! (appreciate you and all of your content)
When you said “double the cost,” that didn’t really surprise me to be honest. Guitars between $400 - $800 can definitely surprise you. They can be pretty solid. As we move into the new age, a $400 gal isn’t a huge stretch anymore, considering MIM and IN fenders are hitting the 1200 mark, as well as Epiphones lol. The world of guitar has gotten crazy
The Danelectro U2 is one of those where the price (I got mine used last year for under 200 bux) is WAY worth it. I've used this guitar in recent recordings as much as guitars that cost 10 times as much. I have a few partscasters - I select unique pickups and I prefer the backwards slant on the bridge pickup - They are a nice way to assemble a guitar that can compete with a 1000 dollar guitar for 4 or 5 hundred bucks. That sire sounds nice but the headstock - it's hard on the eyes lol.
I've been looking for a first guitar either an S or T for my grandson. I've thought about kits and parts, but then a Yamaha popped up on Sweetwater for $220 so I clicked and it arrive a few days later. Umm... better quality than my 2020 Player Strat. Fender has some competition that they can't beat.
Cmon bro you’re above this shilling BS. I was genuinely interested in your story …. Right until i realised it was just another ad. Nothing wrong with getting brand deals mate, you have to pay the bills like everyone but just be upfront with that shlt. Don’t spend your credibility like that mate its non-refundable
I think you haven't tried Baum's S Type yet right? Would be very interesting to hear your thoughts, right after you tried the Ibanez. I think the Baum Celestor is also a modernized strat, but still kept the vintage in there...
My biggest issue with fender strats is the damn volume knob. I cant play one without constantly banging my pinkey against it. I get an Sterling by Music Man Cutlass s/s/s and love everything about it. Volume knob is further away and i have no need for a second tone knob. Nearly perfect.
I play an e2 sn2. It's geared toward "metal" and doesn't really fit in this class as it's expensive af (not really a brag point) however I feel it still punches well over its hefty weight. I can play so many different styles so comfortably it's scary! My second favorite guitar!
So many of my basses are some form of kit-bashed partscaster kinda abomination, like almost every one. They all sound and play amazing. I tinker with them until they’re just right. Some are really ugly, some are gorgeous, but they put some of the brand name basses to shame.
All of guitars are modified, especially the bolt-on Fender style ones. Had my first one made in the late 70s. It's the best way and most fun way to get what I want. Some end up pretty expensive.
What model of the squire hss (do they sell an, HHS)? Only saying because their cheapest version strats - under $350 - have a slimmer body style. The"Classic Vibe" line of guitars have a standard sized body. The cheaper (< $350) have a thinner body. It makes things like changing pickups or the bridge more difficult - or they might not even fit. At least that is what I heard from some online youtube reviewers. But anyway, something to keep in mind.
$1,000+ guitars are severely overrated, in my opinion. After 2 dozen models now…. I play a Squier/Fender ‘51 I paid $170 retail for (upgraded the tuners) and I bought a PRS Silver Sky SE (nut width matches my main axe - Martin 000-10e. The other great thing about competitive priced guitars… if the thing falls over on a concrete floor, you won’t have a heart attack or be traumatized by the first ding/scratch. Nice Axis riffs.
I have a Tradition PRS Copy. Really nice looking tobacco burst, 24 frets. Plays, sounds and looks great. I had an oil change being done, walked across the parking lot to a Music Go Round and bought it 10 minutes later. It was also my birthday gift to myself. The End.
I have played guitar for years and had never purchased a strat so I decided last year to purchase my first strat. I went to a music store and tried out several including a Fender Player Plus series and was not impressed. Long story short I ended up purchasing a Sire S7 with the blue flame top and absolutely love it. To my ears it sounds much better than the Player Plus and played better. The neck and frets are as smooth as silk and the tonal variations is awesome. I have had it for about a year now and would definitely purchase one again if something happened to this one.
