Sire Larry Carlton S3 HSS Electric Guitar in Pink

I've quite a lot to say. Which I didn't expect. The value of this guitar is unparalleled. I've owned various guitars at a lot of different price ranges, and I can say hands down that this one is hands down the best in terms of value for money. I wish these were around when I started 14 years ago. I bought it on impulse, wanting a change from my very precious MIJ Strat and AZ2402-BKF. A guitar that I can actually take around with me, gig with, and not be constantly worried about damage. But when it arrived, I was blown away by the quality and craftsmanship. The fretwork: It's great, smooth, no catching, no scratchiness, and well rounded at the ends. Excellently and carefully crafted. Absolutely great playability. Comparable to my old RG1XXV Premium in terms of quality. The neck: It's not shred skinny; it's not unwieldly thick. To my hand, it's comfortable. But my Strat, which I'm used to, is a chunky lass. It's matte finished; there's no sticky gloss, just a smooth and fast feeling. The fretboard: Come on! It's rosewood. I've really missed rosewood. It's so hard to come by at this price point on a new guitar. At least until manufacturers start stocking and using it again post-CITES. The rolled edges are comfortable on the hand, and I've not played or found a guitar at this price point that features this. The pickups: They're fine. Not excellent, not terrible. Long-term, I aim to swap these. I've had and heard much worse. But for the tone junkies out there, you may wish to replace them. It's hard to describe, really... the SCs don't have the poke I get from my Strat, and the HB can be kind of harsh and scratchy. The tuners: The tuners with this trem system do lack stability. Swapping for some locking tuners like Gotoh MGTs (other brands are available) is probably a must if you're heavy on the trem usage. This has already helped with tuning stability for me. The bridge: It's fine; it does the job, especially now with locking tuners. But the guitar arrived with a broken high-E, and initially I thought nothing of it. However, four high-Es later and two weeks later, I've come to realise either the slot or the saddle is snagging it somewhere and is costing me a fortune in strings. It's a minor QC issue. Overall, the quality vs price is insane. To me, it's a great platform to upgrade and work from. If that's not your thing, on its own, it's a stellar guitar. A guitar of this spec with another name on the headstock could easily fetch £500–600, maybe even £700, if I were to compare the quality to my RG, MIJ Strat, or AZ. All of those fetched prices far far north of the £230-369 (prices vary based on colour and config) of the Sire S3. To think I paid this price for my Epi LP Standard back in 2011 which has nothing on the Sire S3 (and those things new go for £400-500 now) if this was around back then, it's this no question. The other guitar I would compare this to visually is probably the Schecter Nick Johnston S-Type and well... I haven't played it, but that's a £900 guitar; this is not. It seems to be made in Indonesia, and I'd even go so far as to say that it's not out of the question; it's made in the same place as some of the older Ibanez premiums. But don't quote me on that. Craftsmanship is just great, and value is just great. It has its faults, sure, but my AZ is the only guitar I've never found fault with. I did not expect this level of quality from a guitar at this price. If you're looking for a perfectly playable gig guitar or a good-value starter,. Look no further; this is it.

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 4

All round great value guitar. The neck is amazing and the tuners are fine. Beautiful guitar. The paint job is not the best as you can see a bit of the grain, but it’s no major issue. The only real issue I have had is the tremolo. I have lubed up the nut, but using the trem puts it out of tune instantly. Lucky I hardly use this. The S3 would be a perfect starter guitar and could even be used for gigging. This is now the first guitar in my arsenal that I go to after a hard days work!

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5