Update. Sire has responded to my emails. The response is ... Interesting. Working on a part 2 to this video. 7/29/23 edit: Here is part 2 to the video: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Hey there ! Thanks for the review; I feel bad for you that you had this experience with Sire. I have an sire h7 and T7 , both of them beautiful guitars and almost flawless quality . I say “almost “, because on my H7 the stop Tailpiece posts are slightly out of their holes on the Center block. But I hear this can be an easy fix , and I have had no other “ functional” problem with the guitars. Infact the neck and fretboard are so good that I can hardly put them down when I play . However I’m Curious to know how Sire addressed your issue , do let us know on what their response was :) it would surely be representative of their attitude towards customer feedback and long term reliability as a brand . Thanks!
I have an L7V model (reverb bought - new), perfectly set-up, gorgeous looking, plays like a dream with the satin neck finish...My band mate has the S7 (Thomann), also no problems whatsoever. Not defending anyone, just adding to statistics :)
*Good points and EXCELLENT observations!* It's a shame "SIRE" didn't work with you to resolve the issues BEFORE you uploaded this video on CZcams.. to save themselves the embarrassment!
I was lucky enough to find one used (it's from one of the earlier batches the best I can tell) for 420$ with that price I wasn't saying no. The neck and fret work were amazing it's the most comfortable feeling neck I've ever had and the frets were never sharp winter or summer, but When I got it I had one complaint that being the treble bleed it was not my style as it essentially made volume less than two into an off switch so swells weren't possible. I had that removed upon my next luthier visit. Now that I've had it for 9 months I have some fret wear in the form of fairly noticable divots, and if I switch positions without a little upward pressure the pickups won't be engaged. Still hands down my favorite to play.
My trem routing is good! I judge a ax by the playability being a serious working musician. Replaced the P-Us with custom wounds. I have no complaints on my Sire.
This video actually inspires confidence in the brand for me. It’s nothing major that would be a deal breaker. Put the cover back on, oil the neck and polish the feet ends… easy as with no major faults. Thanks for the videos and your perspective
Glad to help! And glad you got it! While I was a bit let.down that is exactly what this shows. This is the 'worst' example (that I have seen) of a Sire and ... it still sounds great, holds tune and looks great. Just needed some TLC and has a pretty sloppy route.
You definitely had bad luck with this guitar. I have a Sire S7 FM in black and the the edges of the fretboard are beautifully rolled and the routing work is also fine. I can't complain at all. Thank you for your video, absolutely interesting and well done.
The tremolo cutout really looks as if someone made it by hand and with a Dremel. I also had the protruding frets here in Germany on a US Made Fender Strat for 1900 €. My currently best guitar is a Thomann Harley Benton SG Copy for €239. Perfect Guitar 😉
Someone else so said that about the fender strat at that price range. I can only say my S7 frets are as smooth as their reputation. Nice when you get something great a great price
I personally wouldn't care if they made the route in the back with a hatchet as long as it didn't affect playability (such as binding the trem block). They have to find some ways to cut cost to keep the prices low and if they choose to do that in a spot that no one will ever see, that's fine by me. It's no different in, say, the furniture industry. The top of a wooden table looks fantastic, but the underside is an unfinished mess. I'd be willing to bet they knew perfectly well that the route wasn't great, but chose not to scrap the body because it has no real impact on the aesthetics of the finished guitar or the playability. That's how you keep prices low. The fret ends (and maybe the neck dryness?) are certainly a different story as that impacts how the guitar feels. All I can say is that the S7 I bought from Sweetwater in January doesn't have those issues and I'm very happy with it.
One other comment about neck dryness. I think this has a lot to do with individual pieces of wood. I have a butcher block top on a kitchen island. I oil it at least once a month to keep it from drying and splitting in the arid Arizona climate. Some slats of maple wood in that top will soak up all the oil you put on it and look dry in 5 minutes. Other slats won't soak up the oil even if left for almost 24 hours. So, I would guess that the dryness of a particular neck just has to do with the natural variation in the pieces of wood used to make guitar necks.
I agree with you. I think he's overstating that the routing is disgusting. I get it though. Nobody complains about it but I think the tremolo held on with the set screw Needs constant adjustment with a tiny little Allen wrench. Then not that holds my banana plug is always coming loose. And my low E string broke in less than 7 days. These are minor annoyances I can fix. But I would still hope for better. No regrets at all from this customer.
You seem to take things very personally dude. You talk a lot about disrespect etc. They are a guitar company, not your buddy or someone who know. They don’t know you to respect you or disrespect you. It’s business, some are good, some not so
It looks like a B stock if you got it from Thomann they'll replace it or refund you( probably a bit late now 3 months later) I have a Sire bought from Andertons in the UK and it's absolutely perfect 👍
That as surprised me because I’ve got the same guitar and it’s absolutely flawless, seen a great deal of reviews for sire guitars and the main components were saying how great the rolled necks are, that one as obviously been stored somewhere and dried out.
Thanks, man - I was considering purchasing one. Your comments have helped me with my decision. I will wait and see if they are going to address these issues - before I spend my hard earned cash...
With all these high quality-low price new brands that we see (although $700 in this case isn't exactly low price, it's squarely in the mid-price range competing with Yamaha Pacifica 612s, PRS SE Silver Skys, etc.), something is eventually going to have to give when their investors decide they have enough market penetration and start looking for profits. High quality doesn't come free. Inevitably, they will either have to lower their quality, or increase their prices. One thing I can say about my six Shijies, which date between 2018 to 2022, is that they haven't lowered the quality even slightly, although they did raise their prices. So that was their answer, which personally I prefer over the opposite.
Funny; My S7 has smooth fret ends. Maybe you received a bad one. My routed back is smooth also. I would reach out to them. My guitar has no visual flaws. They should take care of the problem. I would contact again.
Try buying from Sweetwater, they usually get the guitar setup and ready to play right out of the box, I don't think they let any guitar leave the floor with frets like that, as far as the routing in the back, that's a different story, that comes out of the Sire factory like that, that's on sire, good informative video appreciate it thank you 👍
I'd really appreciate it if any S7 owners could let me know how your whammybar/ tremolo is treating you. Sire wants to replace my whole tremolo unit but its going to be a major amount of trouble finding a box, sending it back to Sweetwater. I just want to know if yours is working great. Mine is constantly coming loose. I would feel more confident accepting a replacement if other people are not having issues. I don't know how a new one could be any different. Last night I went to tighten the set screw and it was gone! Here is the pecular thing It appears the set screw hole doesn't go all the way through as I thought it would. It appears there is a lightly ridged tube sleeve in that little hole. Looks like plastic or rubber???? And maybe the set screw presses against the tube? That might make more sense than a tiny set screw against a slick chrome rod. I just know mine is not working the way it was intended. I can't imagine a professional tolerating having to constantly tighten that tiny screw during a performance.
I have this exact copy almost two years ago online from a guitar center in Florida. I have a 1983 Strat Elite Fender I bought new and a 2004 Fender American made Strat. I play and have played this guitar for a strat since I bought it. I took it in to Sweetwater they set up and the frets are the best I have ever had. So I bought an A7, H7 and a new Sire S7 in blue from Sweetwater a couple months ago. These are the most comfortable playing guitars with the best fret work I have ever owned. I even took the green S7 and had a coil tap to split the hum bucker like the new S7's.
I was really interested in these Sire LC model guitars and after seeing this video.. I don’t think I would ever purchase one. Greatly appreciate your honesty and showing the defects of this guitar. It’s definitely a gamble considering no two guitars are alike coming out of the Sire factory. I hope they will take more serious concern with their artist model guitars! 🙏🏼😊
Love Darrell's content! But yeah unless Thomann is selling counterfeits then I'm 100% sure 😅. I stiil had loads of positive things to say about it's sound and tuning stabiluty in the video, my critique was all about build quality. Doesn't seem to be the norm among them but it looks like a few bad ones like this one can slip through the cracks as I know of 2 other similar scenarios. If you see Darrell's recent vid on the S3 where he removes the plate, you can kinda tell the route isn't perfect either but it's definitely better than on this one. I'm surprised they don't just CNC see that part, sounds like they dremmel it or adjust themselves. There is a part 2 to this video coming at some point!
Hey Raf, first time watcher of your videos here. Awesome playing btw. I purchased a make to order S7-FM-TBL myself last year, ordered in April, received in October and the reviews I had watched after months of searching are why I bought it. I own a good 8 guitars now, previously already had a Fender American Standard Stratocaster HSS Sienna Burst with a Diamondback HB and two Fat 50s singles and Rosewood fretboard but was considering selling it if I would have been happy enough with the Sire...suffice to say that I am more than happy with the S7, but I decided to keep the Fender, it's a rare one, also own a Gibson Les Paul Studio 50s Tribute Gold Top with P90s, an Epiphone ES-339 Pro with P90s...for examples. I honestly haven't opened up everything on any of my guitars because I like them the way they are, everything works great, but if I opened one and found that the boring/routing was choppy I'd probably be surprised, but that wouldn't set me off into disappointment mode, it's not something anyone sees anyway and what I presume is you are just one of the few unlucky customers who got a lemon in that regard (and there are lemons in every brand, even Fender and Gibson) and I presume the routing is done by hand as if I remember well reading that Sire hand craft a lot of those guitars which is why there are so few in stores, they can't keep up with demand. I honestly wouldn't worry about that nor would I bother spending time on refining the routing unless you are planning on selling it and believe that would weigh on resale value, imho I highly doubt that makes any difference, in fact on the contrary, that gives it character and rarity...something some guitarists would pay higher price for. As for the neck, it's normal that it seems dry because it is baked maple and has a very fine coating of poly which is sanded finely and recoated and sanded multiple times so as to obtain the satin finish...which you want because is makes it smooth and easy to handle. However, the other esthetic defects would bother me and I would contact Sire directly about it if Thomann aren't willing to do anything for you (not very good Customer Service). I had purchased a 12 string Takamine back in the mid 90s from Steve's in Montreal and after a few months I noticed that the neck unglued/cracked at the seem, they took it back and gave me a store credit (they didn't have a replacement and I wasn't really liking it enough to order and wait for another)...I think that credit still has a balance of some 17$ lolll, which I never bothered to go back for anything since as it would cost me more in fuel than the money ha! Overall, that guitar sounds astounding if you ask me, the pickups on that model are the same as mine and are far better than many other brands, even better than SD's according to some other reviewers I watched. Again, I would write to Sire and provide them with the link to this video and get them to consider taking it back or compensating you. Otherwise, again, those little details give it character and after a few years you will have other nicks and scratches and you won't notice them as much...unless you wanted a prize piece for display haha. Anyway, try contacting Sire if you really want to take it a step further and let us know if you get any support there. I get that you feel cheated out of quality, I would write to Sire for sure myself, but I wouldn't discard the guitar even if I didn't get any compensation, it sounds too awesome. Cheers!
Hi Rusty, thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. I agree on the sound of the pickups. It's a sparkly/snappy tone with great sustain and nice clear note articulation. I really like the way it sounds and feels despite it's hiccups. I do agree that I got a lemon based on how nice my T7 is in contrast but it doesn't make it a bad guitar, I just felt like all these little details might mean that QC could be a big problem for Sire if more of these slip through the cracks. I'm hopeful for the brand nailing and finetuning the consistency becausr they do make fine guitars. I'll reach out to Sire to see if they can help. Thanks again.
I guess that was the Lemon in the bunch. (Stuff Happens). I would have put the back cover back on. Outta sight and all that. I wouldn't go so far as to call it Disgusting. It's a Mid Price not a Custom Shop. But that's your opinion & experience so that's OK. But what I didn't understand above all the slight imperfections was doing this review on a guitar you've had for 5-6 months and doing it with the tags still hanging from the head stock. That's disgusting & frankly a bit strange (to me). I saw your 2nd report and the response from Sire. That's Speaks Volumes as to the company integrity, in my opinion. And I appreciate that you had the decency to post that part of the Sire company. Thanks for your input.
Thanks for watching. Interesting comment and feedback. I tend to review guitars after I've had them for a while so I can speak on, if there is anything worth mentioning. I couldn'y get to this one sooner as I was out of state for a few months. And I put the tags back on because I still had them and felt like it but I guess that's weird? lol. But if you can call that behavior disgusting I can do the same for the rout job as the definition of disgusting is something that arouses revulsion or strong indignation, the later being relevant to how I felt when I saw the rout job (knowing what some much cheaper options looked like) and uhm appearantly how you felt seeing a guitar with tags. Either way I think Sire did a great job addressing this and was worth sharing.
I had a similar experience buying a Chapman ML1, from Andertons about three years ago. The set up was awful and the finger board was as dry a bone. I sent it back and the technician who sorted it out for me told me it was the worse setup he'd seen and confirmed the the fingerboard was super dry. They sent it back to me set up to perfection. After 13 months I couldn't select the bridge pickup, so I contacted Anderton's and they told me the warranty had expired and they wouldn't repair it. Not a problem for me, though I was disgusted with their poor customer service. I ordered a new selector switch to replace myself and changed it. Still not working so I got my meter out and tested the resistance of the bridge pickup and it was open circuit. I traced the problem and found out it was a dry solder joint on the pickup. I re-soldered the joint and problem solved. However, this fucked up my mojo and I couldn't play the guitar any more, so sold it on ebay.
I was going to buy an S7 or S3 from Thomann. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen or heard of dreadful QC and customer service coming out of Thomann. But I was thinking Sire guitars would surely be okay (as opposed to Harley Benton). Now there is *no* way I would buy a Sire from Thomann. I wouldn’t buy anything from Thomann. And I have reconsidered buying a Sire. If this what can leave the Sire factory… no - not for me. 😢
$641 before discounts... As far as fret ends go, a $5 diamond FINGER NAIL file and 20 minutes working on the individual frets will solve that. The neck? Scotchbrite, then some oil and some time to absorb it, then wipedown with microfiber or substitute to wipe off the excess oil bleed and another round of scotchbriite and the neck should be good to go. I suspect that some units may need level and crowning as inexpensive guitars often do.
I have the second of two Donner DST-400S on my lap right now. I just double checked the route in back. Fine. It's what your route SHOULD look like. The other axe is pretty much the same, I feel without looking, because had the route been bad, I would have notice and noted. Not MINDED, necessarily, but I think something like that would make an impression. Neither of these guitars cost more than $200 USD to get to my door. The are currently acclimatizing to the local weather conditions (as am I -- It's been HOT!), then they get a fret job, hopefully the best ever. Finally, I'd like to put a setup on these gals that would make Jimi Hendrix and Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers green with envy. Doesn't mean I can, but I WILL try!
Disgusting is very strong language especially judging 1 guitar in a very successful line of guitars. Fender guitars have had shotty quality control for years and still do. I’ve had no problems with my L7, T7 and S7. Like you said your 2 cents.
Fair point. I think I got particularly irate with the rout because there were also a lot of minor issues some I forgot to share here but I did do a follow up and I think Sire really showed what they're about! czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.htmlsi=gA1aAfPp1rx7EE4m
Is this a real one or a copy? I have one of these and the frets are super smooth, the neck is matt-varnished on the back and the routing is crisp. Suspicious of this example. :(
Hi I was looking to buy a sire cause other reviews claim it was best Strat for the price .Now that I saw your review looks like I will wait a little bit longer before buying. Thanks for sharing your experience with sire and now I am a new subscriber to your channel.😊
I ordered an S7 from Andertons. It had a small ding on the headstock. But I didn't want to bother with sending it back and waiting so I asked for a partial refund and we had an agreement on the amount. So far I've added my own dings to it 😭
Interesting. I bought one of these used and it's on par with other modern Indonesian made guitars - blowing me TF away with its quality. It seems like maybe you got a lemon. I hope they respond positively to you.
Sire usually takes pride in their neck and fret work, as you said yourself the neck was not oiled and conditioned, thus the wood tends to dry out & shrink resulting in sharp fret edges
I thought that was one of the reasons they use roasted maple....it doesn´t dry out and shrink, because the roasting process removes all moisture. I´ve got a sire P5 bass with roasted maple neck, and I cant feel difference between bone dry and very humid conditions. My other basses tend to react a bit.
I had a Sterling Cutless CT 50 guitar and the finish was much worse. I have Fendre Player Plus Mexico and Sire S7 and the guitars are on a similar level. After unpacking the guitar, I set the string action from 1.5 to 1.2 mm and it plays cleanly, no problems, and in Fender I had to do a delicate frets polish. So every guitar is different. I will not buy Sterling because I was disappointed but Sire I will be happy to sell other models Regards
Does the routing underneath the backplate affect the way the guitar looks, plays, or sounds? I think we know the answer to that question. I just bought an S7 myself, and I love it. It looks great, plays great, and sounds great. For $600, it can't be beat. Its a killer guitar for the money.
Thank you for this review. I am interested in a Sire guitar. I am confused by the "Dry Neck" issue. Unclear if that is a real issue or something that can be changed if you don;t like it dry? The routing and fretting issues are really disappointing though
Yeah, I think moving forward I'll modify the term dry to 'unpolished, rough or unfinished/gritty' It's a tad difficult to convey because, technically the neck IS excessively dry and needs moisture (oil provides that) but it is also obviously dried out as part of the toasting process which creates confusion for some. Ideally, when a neck is roasted (and really any neck) it should then be buffed, polished, sanded to a smooth finish and oiled. This retains an ideal level of moisture while providing a smooth playing experience and a nice shine that is not to be confused with a gloss finish. It is not difficult to fix and a little tlc will do the trick but should be taken care of at the factory imho. Hope this explanation helps.
You complained that the neck was "dry and unpolished" but that is what you should get from a satin finish, I personally love satin finishing on the backside of a neck, pretty sure all Sire guitars come that way so maybe in part 2 mention that since you made it sound like the factory messed up the finish.
@@RafsGearReviews seems like most people on here disagree with your review. I build guitars from scratch so I am aware of how a satin neck should look and feel and the L7 I just received from Sweetwater has fantastic workmanship on the neck, the fret work is top notch and satin finish looks and feels better than most entry level MIM Fenders I've ever played or owned. Maybe you really did receive a "Friday" guitar but honestly your review is the only one I've seen so far that has complaints.
@@ericpeterson5983 I did the same for a long time and no satin neck should have bumps or rough spots on it, that's for sure. Most should be at least slightly polished/buffed even if no oil is used for hydration. There's actually quite a few comments sharing similar experiences but they are definitely in the minority. Like I've told others, your 'high quality' Sire does not improve mine, nor does mine lower the quality of yours. It seems like a pretty bad one slipped through the cracks and that's what I got. I don't upload videos for others to agree with me but rather share my experience with others. I still speak very highly of it's sound and tuning stability and I also speak highly of my T7 which is a much better example.
It constantly blows my mind that people do guitar reviews and have playing examples that have tons of effects all over the sound. Effects are great, but you can't tell what the guitar sound is when it's soaked in reverb and tons of delay. Hello! How about playing clean and some distortion so we can ACTUALLY hear what the guitar sounds like. The only person looking at the bad cavity rout is my belt buckle. You know what I would like to know? How does the gloss finish on the fretboard feels like? Rickenbacker? Can't tell what it sounds like from this video....kind of important.
Thanks for watching but are you referring to clean and distortion sounds like the ones that start at 2:49? They are there. Also your belt buckle and based on the comment thread, a lot of people. Does the bad rout work affect tone or playability? No. Is it an indicator of bad qc? Absolutely! Hence why there's also: finish flaws, rough spots on the neck, fret sprout, hazing on the clear coat, etc. All noted on the video. Perhaps I should have emphasized more on that than the rout, I was just blown away by how bad it was. But it happens, it was an exception not the rule. Also, Rickenbacker? I'd bet my house 99.99% of the people who've watched this video have never tried a Rickenbacker. I've owned a little over 1,300 guitars with everything from a $30 wish guitar to a $30,000 Prs Dragon and have only tried one proper Rick with a clear coat on the board, an early 90s 381, which yes was somewhat similar from memory but a more useful comparison for everyone else, given this is a $650-$700 guirar, would be a Squier Classic Vibe which is also similar. Hope that helps but thanks for calling it out. I still suck at this YT thing, so every comment and suggestion helps. Thanks!
Wow, Raf, you totally killed my buzz. I just placed an advance order with Sweetwater for a Sire S7. I've been waiting 2 years for them to become available. This is the first negative review I've seen. Now I'm as worried about my new guitar as I am excited and I haven't even received it yet. The shipment is expected in around a month. Fingers crossed.
Hey Don, don't let.my one bad experience reign in on your parade! This is the minority vs the majority from what it seems. I have a T7 that is fantastic!
I just got mine a little over a week ago and it lives up to its reputation. But my E string did break in less than a week. I've never had a string break on my current acoustic. The nut that holds on my socket for the banana plug I've had to retighten three times because I didn't have a wrench that size handy. The only thing I really dislike is the tremolo arm being held on by a set screw. It's constantly getting loose in having to run and find that tiny allen wrench to readjust it is a major pain in the ass. For some reason I never hear anybody complaining about that.
@@BigBSinclair Sounds great. Everything was fine with it. No worries so far. I like the cream pickup covers, but I think I prefer the black ones on the original roll-out.
@@BigBSinclair I just sent you a note in your most recent broken finger post both asking how you are as 7:00 isn't telling you how mine they really took care of me and gave me a complete pro setup in addition to solving my problem
Just bought a guitar a few days ago and so glad that I decided to get an Eart instead of a Sire. Eart was less than half the cost and while it is also not perfect and I think Eart is doing the same and starting to cut more corners, it has lived up to all my expectations for under $300.
I've taken the plate off the back of my S7 and the routing is as good as any other guitar I've seen. Mine had no problems the neck and fretwork are great and better than my American telecaster. Perhaps as you say you have a Friday afternoon guitar and was unlucky. It is a shame really I guess I would be disappointed if I found the same.
QC missed that routing job....Id be pissed to BUT!!!! Doesnt take tone away from the guitar. Eddie Van Halen's frankeinstrat looked like hell but the tone was always in the pickups/amp and hands.
Seems that dry neck and fret sprout would be connected and *very* out of character for everything I've seen from the brand. Every one I've played had had one of the best necks, fretboards, and fret finishing I've seen under $1k in over 20 years playing. I would have returned this as soon as I noticed and demand a refund with images, video, and written description of issues. I've never dealt with Thomann, but that's some bad service.
Nah. They should be called out for the sloppy router and fret work. I have an Epiphone and Sawtooth with better workmanship than that and they cost a lot less.
I bought one of the first S7 guitars to come to the UK and was blown away by the quality and feel of the neck as well as the rest of the guitar, I think you've just been unlucky and received a lemon.
Isn't the point of roasting maple to get the moisture out? You end up with a harder and denser piece of wood. Had been looking at picking up a S7. Sorry to hear the shoddy work on the guitar has put you of playing it. Samples you played sounded sweet. Wondering if you got a bad one because I've seen close up comparisons on Fender Player necks, and the Sire looks so much smoother. Interested to hear what Sire had to say. Thanks for the video and all the best.
It is. That in itself is not an issue, but the neck wasn't polished or oiled and feels rough to the touch while also looking 'whiter' because of it. It's hard to convey that well enough. It sounds killer. And it does seem this was a dud.
Dry?? I have only bought three guitars which didn’t need setups. Yeah u are talking about the routing and a “ dry” neck. Ridiculous. No I don’t own one but I’m gonna buy one. The guitars sound amazing and the playability is fantastic
Yes. Dry, rough, not polished, not oiled, some bumps, etc. When done properly the neck will feel smooth, this didn't until I took care of it since It hindered the playing experience. I never said these were bad instruments. Notice both title and thumbnail say that it does sound great, and after a HEFTY amount of TLC it play great but what would you prefer I do on the aesthetics? Lie? Say it came perfect? Ignore any finish flaws? Ignore rough fret ends? Say the routing that looks like a drunk guy did it is acceptable when a $40 Wish guitar has better route work? Yeah, no, I won't do that to anyone watching. THAT would be ridiculous. I'd prefer to do an honest and thorough review even if it rubs some people the wrong way.
Appreciate you pointing out the low quality issues; something w Carlton's name shouldn't look like a home made project. Can I offer constructive comments? you can hear "sparkle"? from THIS demo? you have so much effects on ...can't hear what that thing actually sounds like, bro. Suggest you briefly play a strat clean, then play THAT guitar clean, so we can HEAR how close it sounds to a Strat, and judge whether or not we players could actually USE the thing...
Thanks for watching Yeah I guess I meant to say it's a very treble heavy and percussive sound. Twangy? Spanky? Lol not sure what the best way to describe it is. Comparing it to a strat is a great idea. Would definitely do that comparison if I had an original strat. Maybe I will in the future.
Yea the routing was an amateur job at best but since it is the least important thing on a guitar , if everything else was spot on I could live with it. Since I am a technician/amateur luthier I would route it properly - paint the routed surfaces with conductive paint and that would be the end of it. There are many high end guitars that come with sub standard fret dressing - poor nut slotting - etc so this is pretty minor in my opinion.
Honestly if it had been the only thing I would have been too but there were a few more hiccups (some I forgot to mention). Still a great sounding guitar. I got a 2nd part coming this week!
I get what u are saying ... I own few Sire basses n had s7 which didn't have your issues ... i own a l 7 .... I think u were unlucky and should have complained immediately on receipt. I 'm sorry u picked a friday afternoon one ... I own 4 Sire V7 a V10 and a L7 and never experienced all them qc flaws all together in one instrument
Oh Man...blew my buzz too. I was going to get on the wait list but I am a really impatient guy and this exact guitar is in stock right now...I wanna pull the trigger...I gotta ask if Sire has responded to this review....and .... thank you (I guess) 🤨
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret' not just one time but everytime you buy a new guitar' doesn't matter if anything is wrong with or not' get in touch with the seller and complain about it' they'll give you the option to return it/swap it out or give you an percentage of the sale price back and refund that money to your credit card. They would rather do that instead of going through the hassle of sending you a return label and having it shipped back and then shipping out another one. You can fix minor issues for near to nothing or just live with it. Any way you look at it' you discounted the guitar yourself since they overcharged for them to start with.
The routing on mine was horrific. The drilled holes for the trem backplate were so close to the edge of the cutout ,that the screws broke free. Sire customer service was very bad. I had the same issues with the fret ends, the QC was the worst I've ever experienced. I paid to get the guitar all fixed up and it's great,but it cost me an extra $150 or so to get it right. I'll stick to the PRS SE line if I buy anymore Indonesian made guitars.
Surprisingly all those tremolo routs you showed were... pretty poor. Just because it's under a cover?! Slack. Why don't they use fresh / sharp templates (assuming they use them at all - which I'm not even convinced they do). Overall a 5/10 is also pretty poor - Sire ought to listen even if they don't feel inclined to replace your guitar. BTW - if they don't want to replace your guitar it will be mostly because ALL of them are probably routed like that so they know they'll be unlikely to find one that meets your expectations. Going to look to see if you made the update video now!!
A lot of people have made comments about the neck being 'dry because it's roasted' Even roasted maple necks need to be polished, oiled and hydrated with minerals for a smooth playing experience. I'm surprised several people have asked or made comments about this, I thought it was more common knowledge.
Sire makes great instruments, specially their basses. I want to correct you on the statement "they're model after Larry Carlton's guitars", they ARE NOT!. Larry uses a Fender guitars for his Strat and Tele, and Gibson's for his Les Paul and 335, the specs on the Sire guitars are not the same specs as Larry's at all. The neck profiles are different, starting with the Sire H7 which has a very thin neck, unlike Larry's 68' ES335, on the Sire Strat, again the neck profile, radius, and pickup configuration is different. Larry never used a humbucker on the bridge of his Fender Strat, and so on with the rest of the models. I think Larry worked with Sire in designing what he would like to see and play, if he was making his own guitars. The gloss on the neck looks nice, but any Luthier will tell you is a terrible idea, because with time it will start to crack and the neck will look horrible. I would say that for the money, you're getting a lot of guitar, so even if there are a few issues with some of the models, you're still ahead of the game as far as getting your money's worth. The flaws the Rafael is seeing on this guitar are the exception to what Sire is putting out, I've seen quite a few of these guitars from friends and they don't look like that. It looks like Sire might have a quality control issue.
Thanks Arnold, I agree that this is still a good guitar, in terms of sound and specs, even if the build quality and factory set up/fit and finish were really rough. I do want to counteract one thing though. They are designed based on some of Larry Carlton's guitars. Larry actually sent some of his Fenders and Gibsons to Sire to mimic/draw inspiration from them (how they sound/play/feel) but the designs were noticeably different and more modern with the H7 being the closest thing to his og.
I got a Sire and I'm not a crier, the h7 is total fire ,got a Gibson Lucille a 94 real deal, a b'd it with the Sire it's right there,I'm no liar,I like thomann for bentons but not for a Sire get it from Sweetwater or you might be a crier!Yeah it's modeled after Larry's 335,hence the narrow nut.Let me put it this way...that h7 is never leaving my hands😂
@@pejoarda772 I'm not crying about my experience lol. Just sharing it with others so they know what to watch out for. I do prefer buying gear from Sweetwater and Andertons vs Thomann but I also have a buddy who bought a Sire from Sweetwater and it was worse than this one. Of course these are the minority but still important to call out 🙃
Nah I was just saying I wasn't crying not you bro,maybe I got lucky with mine but it is mint and to be honest I know this can happen and that's why I payed those jokers for a set up(I'm an amateur luthier)so I did it to eliminate any chance of a lemon but it cost me a 100 clams, it worked out exactly like I wanted,I don't need their set up or tossing away a hundred but I didn't get trash.Again nothing against you man
Yeap. Dry. Also rough. Even roasted maple necks need to be polished, oiled and hydrated with minerals for a smooth playing experience. I'm surprised several people have asked about this, I thought it was more common knowledge.
@@rickhammel9541 typically you wouldn't need to. More affordable budget guitars with roasted necks sometimes have that issue but most are usually fine. I have some examples from HB and Eart that are amazing. My Sire T7 was great too. Just not sure what happened here. I have a follow up vid coming soon and the 'issue' is a bit more visible. It's a super easy fix though just annoying it came out that way.
I got someone in a strat group I'm a member of to take the back plate off their new sire s7 and have to say it was rough. No where near as bad as yours but pretty bad. My concern is the neck pocket is cut as badly, I don't really care about the trem cavity. Seems like the care has gone into the neck at the sacrifice of the body. I'll be honest probably still going to order it.
So mine just arrived. There's quite a few flaws in the paint but I took the back plate off and it is routed to perfection and I mean perfection. Neck is perfect too. The bodies need to catch up with the neck imo. QC needs a small amount of work. Neck and pickups sound off the charts, I can't put it down
yours is the only negative review ive seen and i seen quit a few so ide say you just got a bad one and people need to consider this when they watch your review mine is flawless none of the things you point out.
Yeah, It's always a lottery when you buy an import guitar. Some just have much better odds of getting a great instrument when the QC is better. I only know of my experience and one other and I do have a T7 that is fantastic so definitely recommend it. Thx for watching 🙏
Can Raf or somebody who owns this guitar explain the tremolo to me because it’s not threaded. Its held in by a tiny set screw, and the arm is polished stainless steel. It’s constantly getting floppy like a limp banana peel. Sometimes in 20 minutes sometimes in a few days. But I am sick of running to my guitar bag to pull up that teeny tiny Allen screwdriver which one day I’m going to forget to put back in its little bag. Which means I’m going to have to run to the hardware store and buy an entire set of Allen wrenches, because a few stores anymore carry individual wrenches. Pick up some setscrews because that’s probably gonna get lost too. Is something missing. Is it supposed to have a spring? I looked in that little hole and they didn’t seem to be one. Something just seems to be wrong about this even though I know it’s a great guitar.
No spring on it. I get it but It's just how the mechanism works. You tighten the tiny screw with the small allen key to secure it. I tighten it just enough so it's easy to move the bar out of the way but prevents the bar from falling. If you're worried about losing it you can try something like a HexHider which goes on the back of the headstock and magnetically secures it.
@@RafsGearReviews hex hider sounds interesting. It’s too soon to tell but what I did for now is I sprayed a thin layer of plasti dip on the bottom of the tremolo. For now it is giving me a more confident amount of control. I don’t think it will last, but I think it will lengthen the time between adjustments. You were right, I contacted Sire, guitars, and there is no spring. That is the system. Thread lock on the set screw could also keep it from loosening. I suppose it possible there might be a cap style hex screw so I could finger tighten.
Router had a bad day possibly, on drugs or too much caffeine. I wouldn’t call it disgusting as in 🤢 🤮 I would say it is what it is. Plus I heard these Sires have rounded fret board edges. Supposed to be smooth maybe you got a Monday guitar????
Is the fretboard covered in high gloss or is that just a crazy reflection from your light? Also, screw Thomann! Those guys never did anything for me even after they admitted that the one guitar I bought from them was manufactured wrong. So yeah, screw 'em! 😄
Yeah I was a bit dissappointed that Thomann basically told me to take a hike lol. And it is a gloss finished fretboard! I actually quite like it with the satin neck.
I do see it. Every day. I like using my trem guitars without a back plate for easier string access when I change or break a string. A lot of people do the same. While the sloppy route is my biggest gripe here it is still a great guitar that sounds phenomenal.
Send it back. Thomann wouldn't accept that either. I have one without ANY of your issues here. This is why I buy all my guitars from Sweetwater. 52 point check after receiving any guitars and basses. This would never be shipped out from Sweetwater and they have a real 2 year warranty. They would never ignore a customer and you have personal sales engineer.
Granted I've played a LP for the past 8 years and a SG for like 8-10 years before that. But what's the issue with the routing job? To me this seems like a non issue. It's something that you won't be bothered by unless you start removing stuff from the guitar?!?
LIke others, I have this guitar and the fretwork is immaculate, the neck silky smooth and not "dry" in any way, and as for the quality of the routing, well I didn't see much in the way of differences in your photos, and to me that's immaterial. It's a hellah guitar for $600 or so. Okay maybe (?) you got some kind of a dud...but I don't hear anybody else reporting similar. I DO have a slight issue with the guitar, but nothing you cited. I find the highly rolled edges take some getting used to on the high (1st string) E side. Aggressive vibrato down can slip off in a way a nice flat edge Gibson doesn't. So for all considering this guitar, try to get some time on one before committing and decide if the feel is right for you. My constructive $0.02. "The guitar quality is very poor because I don't like the routing" isn't real constructive.
There was a lot more to it. The routing I had just found right as I was recording, hence why maybe I was a bit more irked than normal. Still, a $40 wish guitar should not have better routing. Like I said several times in the video, this seems like a one of and not the norm. I reference my T7 being an excellent guitar and I make note of.how great this one sounds I made a part 2. Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
I think you are knit picking. The back comes with a cover, right!? Who sees it? I’ve seen other videos on these guitars and they love them, and they are not sponsored. Maybe you received a fluke. I have the T7 and it’s perfect, especially the neck edges. They are selling for $641 new at the main stores, and all are out of stock, so that says something. Nice blocks, locking tuners, great sounding pickups and trem system. All for $641, which even if paid $700, that’s a low price, not expensive. Sorry to bash your video, but on this one, you are way off.
No offense taken but I don't think you watched the whole thing. Which is fine, I get it. But it wasn't just the rout work (which to me is meh on a cheap guitar but a $650ish one? I mean I dunno. I kind of care, but I get it if others don't) There were multiple issues; rough neck, rough fret ends, multiple finish flaws, the rout work, etc. All details not in line with what is 'atypical' of a Sire. And you know what? Sire agreed! They reached out and sent a new one which was much better than the one in this vid. While I respect everyone's thoughts and opinions, they don't change the fact that 'their good Sires' still don't make the one in this video any better. Just like this Sire doesn't make the good ones any worse. That is why the video is titled 'This' Sire. I have a T7 and it's fantastic. Pretty much perfect. I'll need to make a vid on it. Phew long reply but appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts man!
Update. Sire has responded to my emails. The response is ... Interesting. Working on a part 2 to this video.
7/29/23 edit: Here is part 2 to the video:
czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Hey there ! Thanks for the review; I feel bad for you that you had this experience with Sire. I have an sire h7 and T7 , both of them beautiful guitars and almost flawless quality . I say “almost “, because on my H7 the stop Tailpiece posts are slightly out of their holes on the Center block. But I hear this can be an easy fix , and I have had no other “ functional” problem with the guitars. Infact the neck and fretboard are so good that I can hardly put them down when I play .
However I’m Curious to know how Sire addressed your issue , do let us know on what their response was :) it would surely be representative of their attitude towards customer feedback and long term reliability as a brand . Thanks!
You ever do follow up pt 2?
@@PaulEubanks Not yet. Broke my finger so everything's been pushed back
@@RafsGearReviews OUCH!
Can you at least expand on "Interesting"?
To fix that rough routing, reinstall the cover plate.
Ha ha ha....solved. This guy.
Just the idea of something that amateur craftsmanship under the plate is unsettling.
I received my 3S7 FM 3 weeks ago and my fretts are super smooth and the routing is great. I own 3 Fenders and none are better and all 3 cost more
I agree.. my S7 and L7 are perfect.
Man I must of got a good one. Smooth frets, Lowered action, plays great.
I have an L7V model (reverb bought - new), perfectly set-up, gorgeous looking, plays like a dream with the satin neck finish...My band mate has the S7 (Thomann), also no problems whatsoever. Not defending anyone, just adding to statistics :)
*Good points and EXCELLENT observations!* It's a shame "SIRE" didn't work with you to resolve the issues BEFORE you uploaded this video on CZcams.. to save themselves the embarrassment!
I have a S7 FM and all the frets were perfect, so far I've found nothing to complain about
I own an S7 and an L7. Both are fantastic and a hundred times better than their competitors.
I have that exact model and it is flawless
Me, too!
Same here!
I just didn’t have those problems with mine.. Frets were near perfect…
I was lucky enough to find one used (it's from one of the earlier batches the best I can tell) for 420$ with that price I wasn't saying no. The neck and fret work were amazing it's the most comfortable feeling neck I've ever had and the frets were never sharp winter or summer, but When I got it I had one complaint that being the treble bleed it was not my style as it essentially made volume less than two into an off switch so swells weren't possible. I had that removed upon my next luthier visit.
Now that I've had it for 9 months I have some fret wear in the form of fairly noticable divots, and if I switch positions without a little upward pressure the pickups won't be engaged. Still hands down my favorite to play.
My trem routing is good! I judge a ax by the playability being a serious working musician. Replaced the P-Us with custom wounds. I have no complaints on my Sire.
This video actually inspires confidence in the brand for me. It’s nothing major that would be a deal breaker. Put the cover back on, oil the neck and polish the feet ends… easy as with no major faults. Thanks for the videos and your perspective
Glad to help! And glad you got it! While I was a bit let.down that is exactly what this shows. This is the 'worst' example (that I have seen) of a Sire and ... it still sounds great, holds tune and looks great. Just needed some TLC and has a pretty sloppy route.
You definitely had bad luck with this guitar. I have a Sire S7 FM in black and the the edges of the fretboard are beautifully rolled and the routing work is also fine. I can't complain at all. Thank you for your video, absolutely interesting and well done.
The tremolo cutout really looks as if someone made it by hand and with a Dremel. I also had the protruding frets here in Germany on a US Made Fender Strat for 1900 €. My currently best guitar is a Thomann Harley Benton SG Copy for €239. Perfect Guitar 😉
Someone else so said that about the fender strat at that price range. I can only say my S7 frets are as smooth as their reputation. Nice when you get something great a great price
Yes, the price-quality ratio is not linear.
Sweetwater will dress those frets.
I personally wouldn't care if they made the route in the back with a hatchet as long as it didn't affect playability (such as binding the trem block). They have to find some ways to cut cost to keep the prices low and if they choose to do that in a spot that no one will ever see, that's fine by me. It's no different in, say, the furniture industry. The top of a wooden table looks fantastic, but the underside is an unfinished mess. I'd be willing to bet they knew perfectly well that the route wasn't great, but chose not to scrap the body because it has no real impact on the aesthetics of the finished guitar or the playability. That's how you keep prices low.
The fret ends (and maybe the neck dryness?) are certainly a different story as that impacts how the guitar feels. All I can say is that the S7 I bought from Sweetwater in January doesn't have those issues and I'm very happy with it.
One other comment about neck dryness. I think this has a lot to do with individual pieces of wood. I have a butcher block top on a kitchen island. I oil it at least once a month to keep it from drying and splitting in the arid Arizona climate. Some slats of maple wood in that top will soak up all the oil you put on it and look dry in 5 minutes. Other slats won't soak up the oil even if left for almost 24 hours. So, I would guess that the dryness of a particular neck just has to do with the natural variation in the pieces of wood used to make guitar necks.
I agree with you. I think he's overstating that the routing is disgusting. I get it though. Nobody complains about it but I think the tremolo held on with the set screw
Needs constant adjustment with a tiny little Allen wrench. Then not that holds my banana plug is always coming loose. And my low E string broke in less than 7 days. These are minor annoyances I can fix. But I would still hope for better. No regrets at all from this customer.
You seem to take things very personally dude. You talk a lot about disrespect etc. They are a guitar company, not your buddy or someone who know. They don’t know you to respect you or disrespect you. It’s business, some are good, some not so
@@thelolguy007fair point.
I did do a sequel and their response was interesting: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
It looks like a B stock if you got it from Thomann they'll replace it or refund you( probably a bit late now 3 months later) I have a Sire bought from Andertons in the UK and it's absolutely perfect 👍
That as surprised me because I’ve got the same guitar and it’s absolutely flawless, seen a great deal of reviews for sire guitars and the main components were saying how great the rolled necks are, that one as obviously been stored somewhere and dried out.
Thanks, man - I was considering purchasing one. Your comments have helped me with my decision. I will wait and see if they are going to address these issues - before I spend my hard earned cash...
With all these high quality-low price new brands that we see (although $700 in this case isn't exactly low price, it's squarely in the mid-price range competing with Yamaha Pacifica 612s, PRS SE Silver Skys, etc.), something is eventually going to have to give when their investors decide they have enough market penetration and start looking for profits. High quality doesn't come free. Inevitably, they will either have to lower their quality, or increase their prices. One thing I can say about my six Shijies, which date between 2018 to 2022, is that they haven't lowered the quality even slightly, although they did raise their prices. So that was their answer, which personally I prefer over the opposite.
Valid points. Every Shijie that has crossed my path has been superb.
I own 3 Shijies and each one is impeccable. Great quality guitars.
@@LuvhandleR Agreed. Shijie's are phenomenally well built instruments.
700 dollars???
@@robersniper OK, I guess the most expensive one is $650 at Sweetwater
I bought one when they first came out directly from Sire and have not had any of the problems that you described the routing on mine is very nice
Yeah this looks like the exception instead of the rule.
Surprised to see this. Mine is immaculate.
Yeah this seems to be part of the minority
Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Funny; My S7 has smooth fret ends. Maybe you received a bad one. My routed back is smooth also. I would reach out to them. My guitar has no visual flaws. They should take care of the problem. I would contact again.
Here's what Sire said: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Try buying from Sweetwater, they usually get the guitar setup and ready to play right out of the box, I don't think they let any guitar leave the floor with frets like that, as far as the routing in the back, that's a different story, that comes out of the Sire factory like that, that's on sire, good informative video appreciate it thank you 👍
Thank you, I just uploaded a sequel video on Sire's response: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
I'd really appreciate it if any S7 owners could let me know how your whammybar/ tremolo is treating you. Sire wants to replace my whole tremolo unit but its going to be a major amount of trouble finding a box, sending it back to Sweetwater. I just want to know if yours is working great. Mine is constantly coming loose. I would feel more confident accepting a replacement if other people are not having issues. I don't know how a new one could be any different. Last night I went to tighten the set screw and it was gone! Here is the pecular thing It appears the set screw hole doesn't go all the way through as I thought it would. It appears there is a lightly ridged tube sleeve in that little hole. Looks like plastic or rubber???? And maybe the set screw presses against the tube? That might make more sense than a tiny set screw against a slick chrome rod. I just know mine is not working the way it was intended. I can't imagine a professional tolerating having to constantly tighten that tiny screw during a performance.
Mine just goes in the hole but nothing holds it in place, is yours like that?
I have this exact copy almost two years ago online from a guitar center in Florida. I have a 1983 Strat Elite Fender I bought new and a 2004 Fender American made Strat. I play and have played this guitar for a strat since I bought it. I took it in to Sweetwater they set up and the frets are the best I have ever had. So I bought an A7, H7 and a new Sire S7 in blue from Sweetwater a couple months ago. These are the most comfortable playing guitars with the best fret work I have ever owned. I even took the green S7 and had a coil tap to split the hum bucker like the new S7's.
I was really interested in these Sire LC model guitars and after seeing this video.. I don’t think I would ever purchase one. Greatly appreciate your honesty and showing the defects of this guitar. It’s definitely a gamble considering no two guitars are alike coming out of the Sire factory. I hope they will take more serious concern with their artist model guitars! 🙏🏼😊
Thank you. I'd recommend you check out part 2: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Good to see an honest review on these at last. Everyone else was gushing how wonderful they are. Well done!
Great guitar. Mine had great fretwork, needed intonation and bridge adjustment. but its excellent. you may have gotten a fake.
It is not a fake (bought directly from Thomann, validated by Sire) just a bad one. It still sounds great though.
Darrell Braun reviewed the s7 with a much different opinion. Are you sure you didn’t get a counterfeit guitar?
Love Darrell's content! But yeah unless Thomann is selling counterfeits then I'm 100% sure 😅. I stiil had loads of positive things to say about it's sound and tuning stabiluty in the video, my critique was all about build quality. Doesn't seem to be the norm among them but it looks like a few bad ones like this one can slip through the cracks as I know of 2 other similar scenarios. If you see Darrell's recent vid on the S3 where he removes the plate, you can kinda tell the route isn't perfect either but it's definitely better than on this one. I'm surprised they don't just CNC see that part, sounds like they dremmel it or adjust themselves. There is a part 2 to this video coming at some point!
Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Honestly, Darrell Braun never really says anything bad about any guitar. His channel is so big that I’m sure companies send only the best.
oh btw these are $659 at sweetwater
I was fsctoring tax in my head lol
Hey Raf, first time watcher of your videos here. Awesome playing btw.
I purchased a make to order S7-FM-TBL myself last year, ordered in April, received in October and the reviews I had watched after months of searching are why I bought it. I own a good 8 guitars now, previously already had a Fender American Standard Stratocaster HSS Sienna Burst with a Diamondback HB and two Fat 50s singles and Rosewood fretboard but was considering selling it if I would have been happy enough with the Sire...suffice to say that I am more than happy with the S7, but I decided to keep the Fender, it's a rare one, also own a Gibson Les Paul Studio 50s Tribute Gold Top with P90s, an Epiphone ES-339 Pro with P90s...for examples. I honestly haven't opened up everything on any of my guitars because I like them the way they are, everything works great, but if I opened one and found that the boring/routing was choppy I'd probably be surprised, but that wouldn't set me off into disappointment mode, it's not something anyone sees anyway and what I presume is you are just one of the few unlucky customers who got a lemon in that regard (and there are lemons in every brand, even Fender and Gibson) and I presume the routing is done by hand as if I remember well reading that Sire hand craft a lot of those guitars which is why there are so few in stores, they can't keep up with demand. I honestly wouldn't worry about that nor would I bother spending time on refining the routing unless you are planning on selling it and believe that would weigh on resale value, imho I highly doubt that makes any difference, in fact on the contrary, that gives it character and rarity...something some guitarists would pay higher price for. As for the neck, it's normal that it seems dry because it is baked maple and has a very fine coating of poly which is sanded finely and recoated and sanded multiple times so as to obtain the satin finish...which you want because is makes it smooth and easy to handle. However, the other esthetic defects would bother me and I would contact Sire directly about it if Thomann aren't willing to do anything for you (not very good Customer Service). I had purchased a 12 string Takamine back in the mid 90s from Steve's in Montreal and after a few months I noticed that the neck unglued/cracked at the seem, they took it back and gave me a store credit (they didn't have a replacement and I wasn't really liking it enough to order and wait for another)...I think that credit still has a balance of some 17$ lolll, which I never bothered to go back for anything since as it would cost me more in fuel than the money ha!
Overall, that guitar sounds astounding if you ask me, the pickups on that model are the same as mine and are far better than many other brands, even better than SD's according to some other reviewers I watched. Again, I would write to Sire and provide them with the link to this video and get them to consider taking it back or compensating you. Otherwise, again, those little details give it character and after a few years you will have other nicks and scratches and you won't notice them as much...unless you wanted a prize piece for display haha. Anyway, try contacting Sire if you really want to take it a step further and let us know if you get any support there. I get that you feel cheated out of quality, I would write to Sire for sure myself, but I wouldn't discard the guitar even if I didn't get any compensation, it sounds too awesome.
Cheers!
Hi Rusty, thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.
I agree on the sound of the pickups. It's a sparkly/snappy tone with great sustain and nice clear note articulation. I really like the way it sounds and feels despite it's hiccups. I do agree that I got a lemon based on how nice my T7 is in contrast but it doesn't make it a bad guitar, I just felt like all these little details might mean that QC could be a big problem for Sire if more of these slip through the cracks. I'm hopeful for the brand nailing and finetuning the consistency becausr they do make fine guitars.
I'll reach out to Sire to see if they can help. Thanks again.
@@RafsGearReviews Let us know what you hear back.
@@russtyruss_i-Investhere's Sire's response. It merits it's own video lol
czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
I guess that was the Lemon in the bunch. (Stuff Happens). I would have put the back cover back on. Outta sight and all that. I wouldn't go so far as to call it Disgusting. It's a Mid Price not a Custom Shop. But that's your opinion & experience so that's OK. But what I didn't understand above all the slight imperfections was doing this review on a guitar you've had for 5-6 months and doing it with the tags still hanging from the head stock. That's disgusting & frankly a bit strange (to me). I saw your 2nd report and the response from Sire. That's Speaks Volumes as to the company integrity, in my opinion. And I appreciate that you had the decency to post that part of the Sire company. Thanks for your input.
Thanks for watching. Interesting comment and feedback. I tend to review guitars after I've had them for a while so I can speak on, if there is anything worth mentioning. I couldn'y get to this one sooner as I was out of state for a few months. And I put the tags back on because I still had them and felt like it but I guess that's weird? lol. But if you can call that behavior disgusting I can do the same for the rout job as the definition of disgusting is something that arouses revulsion or strong indignation, the later being relevant to how I felt when I saw the rout job (knowing what some much cheaper options looked like) and uhm appearantly how you felt seeing a guitar with tags.
Either way I think Sire did a great job addressing this and was worth sharing.
I had a similar experience buying a Chapman ML1, from Andertons about three years ago. The set up was awful and the finger board was as dry a bone. I sent it back and the technician who sorted it out for me told me it was the worse setup he'd seen and confirmed the the fingerboard was super dry. They sent it back to me set up to perfection. After 13 months I couldn't select the bridge pickup, so I contacted Anderton's and they told me the warranty had expired and they wouldn't repair it. Not a problem for me, though I was disgusted with their poor customer service. I ordered a new selector switch to replace myself and changed it. Still not working so I got my meter out and tested the resistance of the bridge pickup and it was open circuit. I traced the problem and found out it was a dry solder joint on the pickup. I re-soldered the joint and problem solved. However, this fucked up my mojo and I couldn't play the guitar any more, so sold it on ebay.
I was going to buy an S7 or S3 from Thomann. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen or heard of dreadful QC and customer service coming out of Thomann. But I was thinking Sire guitars would surely be okay (as opposed to Harley Benton).
Now there is *no* way I would buy a Sire from Thomann. I wouldn’t buy anything from Thomann.
And I have reconsidered buying a Sire. If this what can leave the Sire factory… no - not for me. 😢
$641 before discounts... As far as fret ends go, a $5 diamond FINGER NAIL file and 20 minutes working on the individual frets will solve that. The neck? Scotchbrite, then some oil and some time to absorb it, then wipedown with microfiber or substitute to wipe off the excess oil bleed and another round of scotchbriite and the neck should be good to go. I suspect that some units may need level and crowning as inexpensive guitars often do.
I have the second of two Donner DST-400S on my lap right now. I just double checked the route in back. Fine. It's what your route SHOULD look like. The other axe is pretty much the same, I feel without looking, because had the route been bad, I would have notice and noted. Not MINDED, necessarily, but I think something like that would make an impression. Neither of these guitars cost more than $200 USD to get to my door. The are currently acclimatizing to the local weather conditions (as am I -- It's been HOT!), then they get a fret job, hopefully the best ever. Finally, I'd like to put a setup on these gals that would make Jimi Hendrix and Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers green with envy. Doesn't mean I can, but I WILL try!
Disgusting is very strong language especially judging 1 guitar in a very successful line of guitars. Fender guitars have had shotty quality control for years and still do. I’ve had no problems with my L7, T7 and S7. Like you said your 2 cents.
Fair point. I think I got particularly irate with the rout because there were also a lot of minor issues some I forgot to share here but I did do a follow up and I think Sire really showed what they're about!
czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.htmlsi=gA1aAfPp1rx7EE4m
Update; reached out to Sire. We will see what they say 😕
Watching as I have the new gold champagne one in my basket
@@MrSmoothasfhere is what they said:
czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
My v3 fretboard is pristine, really nice fretboard ends for the price. You received a bad sample
Agreed. Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Is this a real one or a copy? I have one of these and the frets are super smooth, the neck is matt-varnished on the back and the routing is crisp. Suspicious of this example. :(
Original validated by Sire andconfirmed A stock from Thomann
Hi I was looking to buy a sire cause other reviews claim it was best Strat for the price .Now that I saw your review looks like I will wait a little bit longer before buying. Thanks for sharing your experience with sire and now I am a new subscriber to your channel.😊
It's been a while since I uploaded but here's part 2! czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
You got the one in a million bad one
I ordered an S7 from Andertons. It had a small ding on the headstock. But I didn't want to bother with sending it back and waiting so I asked for a partial refund and we had an agreement on the amount. So far I've added my own dings to it 😭
Interesting. I bought one of these used and it's on par with other modern Indonesian made guitars - blowing me TF away with its quality. It seems like maybe you got a lemon. I hope they respond positively to you.
Thank you, here's their response: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Sire usually takes pride in their neck and fret work, as you said yourself the neck was not oiled and conditioned, thus the wood tends to dry out & shrink resulting in sharp fret edges
I thought that was one of the reasons they use roasted maple....it doesn´t dry out and shrink, because the roasting process removes all moisture. I´ve got a sire P5 bass with roasted maple neck, and I cant feel difference between bone dry and very humid conditions. My other basses tend to react a bit.
I have 2nd gen hss S7 and it's satin coated on the back. You oil only raw wood.
I had a Sterling Cutless CT 50 guitar and the finish was much worse.
I have Fendre Player Plus Mexico and Sire S7 and the guitars are on a similar level. After unpacking the guitar, I set the string action from 1.5 to 1.2 mm and it plays cleanly, no problems, and in Fender I had to do a delicate frets polish.
So every guitar is different.
I will not buy Sterling because I was disappointed but Sire I will be happy to sell other models
Regards
Does the routing underneath the backplate affect the way the guitar looks, plays, or sounds? I think we know the answer to that question. I just bought an S7 myself, and I love it. It looks great, plays great, and sounds great. For $600, it can't be beat. Its a killer guitar for the money.
I bought my son a Sire Les Paul. We are very happy with it but it also has lousy fret-end finish. Jagged.
Holy cow. Did Fred Flintstone do that trem route with a hammer and chisel?
🤣🤣🤣 Probably
Thank you for this review. I am interested in a Sire guitar. I am confused by the "Dry Neck" issue. Unclear if that is a real issue or something that can be changed if you don;t like it dry? The routing and fretting issues are really disappointing though
Yeah, I think moving forward I'll modify the term dry to 'unpolished, rough or unfinished/gritty'
It's a tad difficult to convey because, technically the neck IS excessively dry and needs moisture (oil provides that) but it is also obviously dried out as part of the toasting process which creates confusion for some. Ideally, when a neck is roasted (and really any neck) it should then be buffed, polished, sanded to a smooth finish and oiled. This retains an ideal level of moisture while providing a smooth playing experience and a nice shine that is not to be confused with a gloss finish. It is not difficult to fix and a little tlc will do the trick but should be taken care of at the factory imho.
Hope this explanation helps.
You complained that the neck was "dry and unpolished" but that is what you should get from a satin finish, I personally love satin finishing on the backside of a neck, pretty sure all Sire guitars come that way so maybe in part 2 mention that since you made it sound like the factory messed up the finish.
Satin necks still need to be buffed/cleaned or smoothed out so there are no bumps or rough spots. This is what I meant.
@@RafsGearReviews seems like most people on here disagree with your review. I build guitars from scratch so I am aware of how a satin neck should look and feel and the L7 I just received from Sweetwater has fantastic workmanship on the neck, the fret work is top notch and satin finish looks and feels better than most entry level MIM Fenders I've ever played or owned. Maybe you really did receive a "Friday" guitar but honestly your review is the only one I've seen so far that has complaints.
@@ericpeterson5983 I did the same for a long time and no satin neck should have bumps or rough spots on it, that's for sure. Most should be at least slightly polished/buffed even if no oil is used for hydration.
There's actually quite a few comments sharing similar experiences but they are definitely in the minority. Like I've told others, your 'high quality' Sire does not improve mine, nor does mine lower the quality of yours. It seems like a pretty bad one slipped through the cracks and that's what I got. I don't upload videos for others to agree with me but rather share my experience with others. I still speak very highly of it's sound and tuning stability and I also speak highly of my T7 which is a much better example.
@@ericpeterson5983Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
It constantly blows my mind that people do guitar reviews and have playing examples that have tons of effects all over the sound. Effects are great, but you can't tell what the guitar sound is when it's soaked in reverb and tons of delay. Hello! How about playing clean and some distortion so we can ACTUALLY hear what the guitar sounds like.
The only person looking at the bad cavity rout is my belt buckle. You know what I would like to know? How does the gloss finish on the fretboard feels like? Rickenbacker? Can't tell what it sounds like from this video....kind of important.
Thanks for watching but are you referring to clean and distortion sounds like the ones that start at 2:49? They are there.
Also your belt buckle and based on the comment thread, a lot of people. Does the bad rout work affect tone or playability? No. Is it an indicator of bad qc? Absolutely! Hence why there's also: finish flaws, rough spots on the neck, fret sprout, hazing on the clear coat, etc. All noted on the video. Perhaps I should have emphasized more on that than the rout, I was just blown away by how bad it was. But it happens, it was an exception not the rule.
Also, Rickenbacker? I'd bet my house 99.99% of the people who've watched this video have never tried a Rickenbacker. I've owned a little over 1,300 guitars with everything from a $30 wish guitar to a $30,000 Prs Dragon and have only tried one proper Rick with a clear coat on the board, an early 90s 381, which yes was somewhat similar from memory but a more useful comparison for everyone else, given this is a $650-$700 guirar, would be a Squier Classic Vibe which is also similar. Hope that helps but thanks for calling it out. I still suck at this YT thing, so every comment and suggestion helps. Thanks!
Wow, Raf, you totally killed my buzz. I just placed an advance order with Sweetwater for a Sire S7. I've been waiting 2 years for them to become available. This is the first negative review I've seen. Now I'm as worried about my new guitar as I am excited and I haven't even received it yet. The shipment is expected in around a month. Fingers crossed.
Hey Don, don't let.my one bad experience reign in on your parade! This is the minority vs the majority from what it seems. I have a T7 that is fantastic!
I just got mine a little over a week ago and it lives up to its reputation. But my E string did break in less than a week. I've never had a string break on my current acoustic. The nut that holds on my socket for the banana plug I've had to retighten three times because I didn't have a wrench that size handy. The only thing I really dislike is the tremolo arm being held on by a set screw. It's constantly getting loose in having to run and find that tiny allen wrench to readjust it is a major pain in the ass. For some reason I never hear anybody complaining about that.
How is your Sire?
@@BigBSinclair Sounds great. Everything was fine with it. No worries so far. I like the cream pickup covers, but I think I prefer the black ones on the original roll-out.
@@BigBSinclair I just sent you a note in your most recent broken finger post both asking how you are as 7:00 isn't telling you how mine they really took care of me and gave me a complete pro setup in addition to solving my problem
Just bought a guitar a few days ago and so glad that I decided to get an Eart instead of a Sire. Eart was less than half the cost and while it is also not perfect and I think Eart is doing the same and starting to cut more corners, it has lived up to all my expectations for under $300.
Glad to hear it. I think Eart guitars are some of if not the best bang for your buck we've ever seen.
I've taken the plate off the back of my S7 and the routing is as good as any other guitar I've seen. Mine had no problems the neck and fretwork are great and better than my American telecaster. Perhaps as you say you have a Friday afternoon guitar and was unlucky. It is a shame really I guess I would be disappointed if I found the same.
QC missed that routing job....Id be pissed to BUT!!!! Doesnt take tone away from the guitar. Eddie Van Halen's frankeinstrat looked like hell but the tone was always in the pickups/amp and hands.
It definitely sounds amazing. Just wish it had been taken better care of at QC
Seems that dry neck and fret sprout would be connected and *very* out of character for everything I've seen from the brand. Every one I've played had had one of the best necks, fretboards, and fret finishing I've seen under $1k in over 20 years playing. I would have returned this as soon as I noticed and demand a refund with images, video, and written description of issues. I've never dealt with Thomann, but that's some bad service.
I think you are slightly over exaggerating but I get what you mean for the price
Nah. They should be called out for the sloppy router and fret work.
I have an Epiphone and Sawtooth with better workmanship than that and they cost a lot less.
I have a Sire L7. You need to send that guitar back. That's unacceptable.
Glad to know I'm not alone on this. Thanks man.
I bought one of the first S7 guitars to come to the UK and was blown away by the quality and feel of the neck as well as the rest of the guitar, I think you've just
been unlucky and received a lemon.
Agreed. Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Funny thing is Corey Congilio channel had a review praising their fret ends and a ad from Sire saying they make sure to roll the edges... 🤣
I play metal on my sire s7 and it does shockingly well
Isn't the point of roasting maple to get the moisture out? You end up with a harder and denser piece of wood. Had been looking at picking up a S7. Sorry to hear the shoddy work on the guitar has put you of playing it. Samples you played sounded sweet. Wondering if you got a bad one because I've seen close up comparisons on Fender Player necks, and the Sire looks so much smoother. Interested to hear what Sire had to say. Thanks for the video and all the best.
It is. That in itself is not an issue, but the neck wasn't polished or oiled and feels rough to the touch while also looking 'whiter' because of it. It's hard to convey that well enough.
It sounds killer. And it does seem this was a dud.
@@RafsGearReviews Thanks for the reply. Understand the neck not being finished properly now. Sorry to hear you ended up with a bad one.
@@bravestarr8857Here's Sire's response: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
I have 3 Sires all FLAWLESS
Dry?? I have only bought three guitars which didn’t need setups. Yeah u are talking about the routing and a “ dry” neck. Ridiculous. No I don’t own one but I’m gonna buy one. The guitars sound amazing and the playability is fantastic
Yes. Dry, rough, not polished, not oiled, some bumps, etc.
When done properly the neck will feel smooth, this didn't until I took care of it since It hindered the playing experience.
I never said these were bad instruments. Notice both title and thumbnail say that it does sound great, and after a HEFTY amount of TLC it play great but what would you prefer I do on the aesthetics? Lie? Say it came perfect? Ignore any finish flaws? Ignore rough fret ends? Say the routing that looks like a drunk guy did it is acceptable when a $40 Wish guitar has better route work? Yeah, no, I won't do that to anyone watching. THAT would be ridiculous. I'd prefer to do an honest and thorough review even if it rubs some people the wrong way.
Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Appreciate you pointing out the low quality issues; something w Carlton's name shouldn't look like a home made project.
Can I offer constructive comments? you can hear "sparkle"? from THIS demo? you have so much effects on ...can't hear what that thing actually sounds like, bro. Suggest you briefly play a strat clean, then play THAT guitar clean, so we can HEAR how close it sounds to a Strat, and judge whether or not we players could actually USE the thing...
Thanks for watching
Yeah I guess I meant to say it's a very treble heavy and percussive sound. Twangy? Spanky? Lol not sure what the best way to describe it is.
Comparing it to a strat is a great idea. Would definitely do that comparison if I had an original strat. Maybe I will in the future.
Yea the routing was an amateur job at best but since it is the least important thing on a guitar , if everything else was spot on I could live with it. Since I am a technician/amateur luthier I would route it properly - paint the routed surfaces with conductive paint and that would be the end of it. There are many high end guitars that come with sub standard fret dressing - poor nut slotting - etc so this is pretty minor in my opinion.
Honestly if it had been the only thing I would have been too but there were a few more hiccups (some I forgot to mention). Still a great sounding guitar. I got a 2nd part coming this week!
I get what u are saying ...
I own few Sire basses n had s7 which didn't have your issues ... i own a l 7 ....
I think u were unlucky and should have complained immediately on receipt.
I 'm sorry u picked a friday afternoon one ...
I own 4 Sire V7 a V10 and a L7 and never experienced all them qc flaws all together in one instrument
Yeah it was more bad luck than anything seems like it. Thank you
Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Dont have a S7, but my T7 and my L7 are flawless.
I love the neck but hate the body shape and look in general. That said, the teles T3 and T7 seems gorgeous and great.
Oh Man...blew my buzz too. I was going to get on the wait list but I am a really impatient guy and this exact guitar is in stock right now...I wanna pull the trigger...I gotta ask if Sire has responded to this review....and .... thank you (I guess) 🤨
Thank you. Sire did in fact respond. Working on an update video.
Sorry it took so long but here's how they responded: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret' not just one time but everytime you buy a new guitar' doesn't matter if anything is wrong with or not' get in touch with the seller and complain about it' they'll give you the option to return it/swap it out or give you an percentage of the sale price back and refund that money to your credit card. They would rather do that instead of going through the hassle of sending you a return label and having it shipped back and then shipping out another one. You can fix minor issues for near to nothing or just live with it. Any way you look at it' you discounted the guitar yourself since they overcharged for them to start with.
The routing on mine was horrific. The drilled holes for the trem backplate were so close to the edge of the cutout ,that the screws broke free. Sire customer service was very bad. I had the same issues with the fret ends, the QC was the worst I've ever experienced. I paid to get the guitar all fixed up and it's great,but it cost me an extra $150 or so to get it right. I'll stick to the PRS SE line if I buy anymore Indonesian made guitars.
Sorry to hear that. I reached out in hopes of a favorable response from Sire and here's what happened: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
i have one and my only complain is a losse wammy bar
Surprisingly all those tremolo routs you showed were... pretty poor. Just because it's under a cover?! Slack. Why don't they use fresh / sharp templates (assuming they use them at all - which I'm not even convinced they do). Overall a 5/10 is also pretty poor - Sire ought to listen even if they don't feel inclined to replace your guitar. BTW - if they don't want to replace your guitar it will be mostly because ALL of them are probably routed like that so they know they'll be unlikely to find one that meets your expectations. Going to look to see if you made the update video now!!
Took me a while to do it but here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Mine was perfect and sounded better than my $2,000 superstrat - straight up!
I ended up getting a replacement unit and it's fantastic.
That is pretty bad, ive seen a lot of rave reviews but this might be the first to criticize one. Thanks for the honest review!
Yeah it was probably rushed through production and no one QC'd.it.
Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
A lot of people have made comments about the neck being 'dry because it's roasted'
Even roasted maple necks need to be polished, oiled and hydrated with minerals for a smooth playing experience. I'm surprised several people have asked or made comments about this, I thought it was more common knowledge.
Sire makes great instruments, specially their basses. I want to correct you on the statement "they're model after Larry Carlton's guitars", they ARE NOT!. Larry uses a Fender guitars for his Strat and Tele, and Gibson's for his Les Paul and 335, the specs on the Sire guitars are not the same specs as Larry's at all. The neck profiles are different, starting with the Sire H7 which has a very thin neck, unlike Larry's 68' ES335, on the Sire Strat, again the neck profile, radius, and pickup configuration is different. Larry never used a humbucker on the bridge of his Fender Strat, and so on with the rest of the models. I think Larry worked with Sire in designing what he would like to see and play, if he was making his own guitars. The gloss on the neck looks nice, but any Luthier will tell you is a terrible idea, because with time it will start to crack and the neck will look horrible. I would say that for the money, you're getting a lot of guitar, so even if there are a few issues with some of the models, you're still ahead of the game as far as getting your money's worth. The flaws the Rafael is seeing on this guitar are the exception to what Sire is putting out, I've seen quite a few of these guitars from friends and they don't look like that. It looks like Sire might have a quality control issue.
Thanks Arnold, I agree that this is still a good guitar, in terms of sound and specs, even if the build quality and factory set up/fit and finish were really rough.
I do want to counteract one thing though. They are designed based on some of Larry Carlton's guitars. Larry actually sent some of his Fenders and Gibsons to Sire to mimic/draw inspiration from them (how they sound/play/feel) but the designs were noticeably different and more modern with the H7 being the closest thing to his og.
I got a Sire and I'm not a crier, the h7 is total fire ,got a Gibson Lucille a 94 real deal, a b'd it with the Sire it's right there,I'm no liar,I like thomann for bentons but not for a Sire get it from Sweetwater or you might be a crier!Yeah it's modeled after Larry's 335,hence the narrow nut.Let me put it this way...that h7 is never leaving my hands😂
@@pejoarda772 I'm not crying about my experience lol. Just sharing it with others so they know what to watch out for. I do prefer buying gear from Sweetwater and Andertons vs Thomann but I also have a buddy who bought a Sire from Sweetwater and it was worse than this one. Of course these are the minority but still important to call out 🙃
Nah I was just saying I wasn't crying not you bro,maybe I got lucky with mine but it is mint and to be honest I know this can happen and that's why I payed those jokers for a set up(I'm an amateur luthier)so I did it to eliminate any chance of a lemon but it cost me a 100 clams, it worked out exactly like I wanted,I don't need their set up or tossing away a hundred but I didn't get trash.Again nothing against you man
Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
dry? it's roasted
Yeap. Dry. Also rough. Even roasted maple necks need to be polished, oiled and hydrated with minerals for a smooth playing experience. I'm surprised several people have asked about this, I thought it was more common knowledge.
@@RafsGearReviews I have a few guitars with roasted necks and have never had to touch them, and they are perfect.
@@rickhammel9541 typically you wouldn't need to. More affordable budget guitars with roasted necks sometimes have that issue but most are usually fine. I have some examples from HB and Eart that are amazing. My Sire T7 was great too. Just not sure what happened here. I have a follow up vid coming soon and the 'issue' is a bit more visible. It's a super easy fix though just annoying it came out that way.
U seem to get a waste product. Mine has no such fret issues and not the neck dry at all
I believe you just got a one off. Mine is perfect!,.
I got someone in a strat group I'm a member of to take the back plate off their new sire s7 and have to say it was rough. No where near as bad as yours but pretty bad. My concern is the neck pocket is cut as badly, I don't really care about the trem cavity. Seems like the care has gone into the neck at the sacrifice of the body. I'll be honest probably still going to order it.
It's worth the gamble so long as you buy from a reputable dealer because this seems to be the minority instead of the majority.
@@RafsGearReviews they sound incredible
So mine just arrived. There's quite a few flaws in the paint but I took the back plate off and it is routed to perfection and I mean perfection. Neck is perfect too. The bodies need to catch up with the neck imo. QC needs a small amount of work. Neck and pickups sound off the charts, I can't put it down
yours is the only negative review ive seen and i seen quit a few so ide say you just got a bad one and people need to consider this when they watch your review mine is flawless none of the things you point out.
Yeah, It's always a lottery when you buy an import guitar. Some just have much better odds of getting a great instrument when the QC is better. I only know of my experience and one other and I do have a T7 that is fantastic so definitely recommend it. Thx for watching 🙏
Can Raf or somebody who owns this guitar explain the tremolo to me because it’s not threaded. Its held in by a tiny set screw, and the arm is polished stainless steel. It’s constantly getting floppy like a limp banana peel. Sometimes in 20 minutes sometimes in a few days. But I am sick of running to my guitar bag to pull up that teeny tiny Allen screwdriver which one day I’m going to forget to put back in its little bag. Which means I’m going to have to run to the hardware store and buy an entire set of Allen wrenches, because a few stores anymore carry individual wrenches. Pick up some setscrews because that’s probably gonna get lost too.
Is something missing. Is it supposed to have a spring? I looked in that little hole and they didn’t seem to be one.
Something just seems to be wrong about this even though I know it’s a great guitar.
No spring on it. I get it but It's just how the mechanism works. You tighten the tiny screw with the small allen key to secure it. I tighten it just enough so it's easy to move the bar out of the way but prevents the bar from falling.
If you're worried about losing it you can try something like a HexHider which goes on the back of the headstock and magnetically secures it.
@@RafsGearReviews hex hider sounds interesting. It’s too soon to tell but what I did for now is I sprayed a thin layer of plasti dip on the bottom of the tremolo. For now it is giving me a more confident amount of control. I don’t think it will last, but I think it will lengthen the time between adjustments. You were right, I contacted Sire, guitars, and there is no spring. That is the system. Thread lock on the set screw could also keep it from loosening.
I suppose it possible there might be a cap style hex screw so I could finger tighten.
Man, hats off to you. You are the first that has highlighted neck imperfections.
Router had a bad day possibly, on drugs or too much caffeine. I wouldn’t call it disgusting as in 🤢 🤮 I would say it is what it is. Plus I heard these Sires have rounded fret board edges. Supposed to be smooth maybe you got a Monday guitar????
Maybe? Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
You're the only one I've seen looking over tons of sire reviews that has said any of this ... 🤷🏻♂️ I'm thinking You're a "lemon" attractant
Is the fretboard covered in high gloss or is that just a crazy reflection from your light? Also, screw Thomann! Those guys never did anything for me even after they admitted that the one guitar I bought from them was manufactured wrong. So yeah, screw 'em! 😄
Yeah I was a bit dissappointed that Thomann basically told me to take a hike lol.
And it is a gloss finished fretboard! I actually quite like it with the satin neck.
Great sound .😢. Can please tell me what pedal reverb is this?? At first'clean you played
The tones in this video are actually coming from my Spark 40.
If it plays great,,, why worry about a route that you never see for this amount of money?
I do see it. Every day. I like using my trem guitars without a back plate for easier string access when I change or break a string. A lot of people do the same. While the sloppy route is my biggest gripe here it is still a great guitar that sounds phenomenal.
A covered shabby rout is a problem. But it is not a big problem.
Agreed. I think it was more the accumulations of small problems that had me frustrated.
Fortunately their response was a positive one: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.htmlsi=y2nOiH0dULoRU7T-
That's a super minor issue; easily fixed. And, for a $700 guitar, that's not a big deal.
Don't see the problem with mine...
I have another one that build quality seems to be good. I think the problem is that it seems like they can be a bit inconsistent.
Send it back. Thomann wouldn't accept that either. I have one without ANY of your issues here. This is why I buy all my guitars from Sweetwater. 52 point check after receiving any guitars and basses. This would never be shipped out from Sweetwater and they have a real 2 year warranty. They would never ignore a customer and you have personal sales engineer.
Granted I've played a LP for the past 8 years and a SG for like 8-10 years before that. But what's the issue with the routing job? To me this seems like a non issue. It's something that you won't be bothered by unless you start removing stuff from the guitar?!?
Not a real issue as most pointed out, just an aesthetical thing and within expectation on an affordable guitar.
LIke others, I have this guitar and the fretwork is immaculate, the neck silky smooth and not "dry" in any way, and as for the quality of the routing, well I didn't see much in the way of differences in your photos, and to me that's immaterial. It's a hellah guitar for $600 or so. Okay maybe (?) you got some kind of a dud...but I don't hear anybody else reporting similar. I DO have a slight issue with the guitar, but nothing you cited. I find the highly rolled edges take some getting used to on the high (1st string) E side. Aggressive vibrato down can slip off in a way a nice flat edge Gibson doesn't. So for all considering this guitar, try to get some time on one before committing and decide if the feel is right for you. My constructive $0.02. "The guitar quality is very poor because I don't like the routing" isn't real constructive.
There was a lot more to it. The routing I had just found right as I was recording, hence why maybe I was a bit more irked than normal. Still, a $40 wish guitar should not have better routing. Like I said several times in the video, this seems like a one of and not the norm. I reference my T7 being an excellent guitar and I make note of.how great this one sounds
I made a part 2. Here's what Sire had to say: czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
Another great review from Raf! Nicely done mate.
Thanks!
Here's part 2; czcams.com/video/Ud75IFrOR_M/video.html
I think you are knit picking. The back comes with a cover, right!? Who sees it? I’ve seen other videos on these guitars and they love them, and they are not sponsored. Maybe you received a fluke. I have the T7 and it’s perfect, especially the neck edges. They are selling for $641 new at the main stores, and all are out of stock, so that says something. Nice blocks, locking tuners, great sounding pickups and trem system. All for $641, which even if paid $700, that’s a low price, not expensive. Sorry to bash your video, but on this one, you are way off.
No offense taken but I don't think you watched the whole thing. Which is fine, I get it. But it wasn't just the rout work (which to me is meh on a cheap guitar but a $650ish one? I mean I dunno. I kind of care, but I get it if others don't)
There were multiple issues; rough neck, rough fret ends, multiple finish flaws, the rout work, etc. All details not in line with what is 'atypical' of a Sire. And you know what? Sire agreed! They reached out and sent a new one which was much better than the one in this vid.
While I respect everyone's thoughts and opinions, they don't change the fact that 'their good Sires' still don't make the one in this video any better. Just like this Sire doesn't make the good ones any worse. That is why the video is titled 'This' Sire. I have a T7 and it's fantastic. Pretty much perfect. I'll need to make a vid on it.
Phew long reply but appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts man!
Send it back order another one. Put it on the dealer.They are there to help.