Sire R3 GS Grand Auditorium Electro Acoustic Guitar in Natural

Sire made waves in the industry with their stunning range of bass guitars, co-designed by the legendary Marcus Miller. Now they’re taking a leap into uncharted territory: acoustic guitars. And if their basses are anything to go by, you’re in for a treat…

Contemporary Design

Sire have unveiled two acoustic models: the R3 and the R7, the former being the more affordable. As you might expect from Sire, the R3 boasts top-class design and specs that far outweigh its accessible price point.

First of all, carefully selected and treated tonewoods are used throughout. This ensures excellent harmonic depth and sustain, a feature that you’ll seldom find at this price. The classic acoustic combination of Solid Spruce (top) and Mahogany laminate (back & sides) ensures resonant lows, a healthy midrange projection and just the right amount of clarity in the top end. The body and neck both feature subtle binding, headed up by the unique but understated Sire headstock design. Simple, subtle hardware finishes off the R3’s classic-meets-contemporary aesthetic; chrome tuners with black pegs, a broad yet familiar bridge design, simple fretboard dots.

The R3 G models boast a modern cutaway design and a relatively compact size – you’ll find that it offers a totally familiar, comfortable playing experience. As mentioned before, the classic Spruce & Mahogany wood combination provides the R3 with a degree of familiarity, both in terms of looks and a wholesome tonal palette. The gloss finish adds a final touch of class, accentuating the R3’s already-smooth playability.

World-Class Preamp

Sire’s preamps are known the world over for their quality. In the case of their acoustics, they’ve designed the Zebra SIB with this same quality in mind.

The Zebra SIB (standing for Simple Is Best) aims to combine the best of both worlds: a piezo undersaddle pickup and an internal mic. 3 intuitive controls allow you to take this combination and make it your own: pickup blend (controlling the level of the microphone), volume, and EQ searcher. The latter acts as a mid-contour control, ranging from accentuated bass to boosted treble and mid – it’s up to you to find your sweet spot!

The Sire Story

Sire began their journey in Korea in the late ‘90s. A group of friends set about making their own instruments after becoming frustrated with rising prices. After much hard work, research and determination, their instruments turned out a lot better than they expect – so good, in fact, that they started to attract the attention of other musicians. Combining excellent quality with affordable prices seemed to be a winning formula.

As demand grew in Korea, founder Kyle Kim saw an opportunity. He began seeking international expansion, but it found it difficult to break into the market due to tough competition. He set up Sire USA in Los Angeles, and began contacting influential artists for help. It was at this point, they crossed paths with Marcus Miller, a living legend in the bass world. Kim’s vision resonated with Miller, and led to highly successful design collaboration. The Marcus Miller line of basses from Sire were an international success. Now, Sire are looking to the horizon for their next adventure – onward and upward!  

Specifications

• Sire model number: R3 GS NT
• Body shape: Grand Auditorium
• Top wood: Solid Spruce
• Body wood: Mahogany laminate
• Neck wood: Mahogany
• Fretboard wood: Rosewood
• Cutaway: Yes
• Scale length: 25.5"
• Fingerboard Radius 16"
• Nut width: 43mm
• Electronics: Zebra SIB piezo & microphone pickup
• Controls: master volume, microphone pickup blend, EQ searcher