A Budget "Les Paul" That Plays Like a Dream! - SIRE L3!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Love the combination of tv yellow, and the single p90 - such a great look, and a lot of fun to play! Guitar info/links: SIRE L3 P90 - sweetwater.sjv.io/yqRxmD SIRE L3 HH - sweetwater.sjv.io/K0eYZa Enjoy :)

[@skullheadwater9839]

That is Lemon yellow TBH, maybe banana yellow. I would have thought you knew what the Gibson finish "TV Yellow" which Gibson called limed mahogany. The lacquer yellowed so they started calling it TV yellow at some point. Of course, they are not going to brown grain fill and treat the wood with that translucent creamy color and spray tinted amber lacquer on a budget guitar. but it is actually just yellow.

[@cpk313]

What's the neck profile like?

[@markpell8979]

@@skullheadwater9839 Few of us ever knew any of that before you explained. I'm sure our host feels much better informed now too. Thanks so much, have a great day!

[@gergemall]

The beauty of having one pick up and two controls help guitarists understand natural tones better .❤

[@Roy_Gaber]

Sire's attention to play-ability was not lost on the L3, all of their models reflect it, and they are affordable to boot. Great review Darrell, thanks. Nice to see you mate.

[@HenrySchecker]

I wanted to hate it but the second you started playing my jaw dropped. Monstrous rock tone

[@norseman61]

I've been yearning for this exact model & color. It's hard to believe they are only $399.00. A few years ago I bought a T7 "Tele" and LOVED it (still do). I actually wrote Sire and told them if they were to build a double-cut Junior, the things would fly off the shelves. I also told them I'd love to see a thinline Tele. Well now they have this "Junior" (albeit as a single-cut), and they outdid my thinline Tele request. Not only did they do the thinline, but they also did a dual P90 thinline (the T7TM). Then I saw the T7TM in Rosegold, and that was it. I ordered it from Sweetwater and 6 months later, it arrived. It is KILLER! I'm looking forward to the video on that one. And no, I'm not arrogant enough to think Sire actually listened to my requests. But then again, who knows?🤨

[@stewarts8597]

For a budget guitar it has a quality look and sound to it. nice

[@PerryCodes]

Woah. This dude is back. Good news.

[@jimmyjames2022]

That P90 L3 really sounds the part! The cherry HH really looks awesome! Larry Carlton is justifiably proud of the new Sire Series 3 releases.

[@senseiruss]

Darrell - I love the guitar and especially what you chose to play to demo it, and how you played. Thanks for the quick and detailed look into an awesome affordable axe!

[@markpell8979]

I bet they hate the Sire L3 over at Gibson/Epiphone. I like it! I already have Epi Special I and II models with dual humbuckers and a dual P90 model too, and they're favorites that I don't intend to part with, but a Sire L series single cut has replaced another Epiphone on my wish list for that "one more guitar" (yeah, right...) before I quit collecting. I'd want one with two P90s, but you probably have to go up the line for that. But the simple single P90 model is killer and I could sure work with it. Thanks for featuring this, Darrell. Nice review, nice guitar! (Edit) Been to the Sweetwater link and first thing that surprised me was the awesome selection of colors available for this guitar. Something for almost everybody. Another area where Gib/Epi need to take notes and step up their game.

[@fritsvanzanten3573]

Can't wait for a DC. Would be a smart marketing move, would put them fully on the map.

[@eugenyfilimonov2114]

Hi! Glad to see you again! Everything excelent as usual! 👋

[@voyager7]

The headstock is simple and elegant, and if you're ever adrift in a canoe you can use it to paddle lol!! Nice guitar, definitely worth checking out!

[@derekjohnson5720]

Oooft, that sounds like an absolute rock machine 😎

[@ThaisianTreats]

Simply beautiful.

[@FrugalFretter]

I literally just ordered one 3 hours before this video dropped! Looking forward to getting my mitts on it.

[@JediMasterRick2]

What color?

[@FrugalFretter]

@ Surf Green Metallic

[@JediMasterRick2]

@@FrugalFretter nice. That’s the one I like. The black one is nice too.

[@williamwoerner9938]

Welcome Back Darrell!!! Love the SIRE!

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: The guitar sounds pretty good. Impressive demonstration. Most of us would benefit more from $500 worth of lessons from Darrell than adding another guitar to the collection.

[@JediMasterRick2]

It’s like you read my mind. This is the guitar I was just checking out. I like the surf green one. The black one is nice too.

[@skye7690]

I've been waiting for this to come out. And affordable too. Good colors also with Yellow and Gold top , vintage colors, etc.

[@McRocking]

Good for kids, beginners, and someone looking for a beater 👍

[@chriscrooks8617]

Sounds killer .

[@davidkastin4240]

Welcome back to KZbin. I was wondering what happened to you. Nice guitar. Love me P- 90's

[@mbrady2329]

The Sire L3 models are currently priced at £299-349 at Andertons, here in the UK.

[@rocinblues]

Thanks, real nice tone.

[@albertoz6765]

The guitar sounds good, although I'm not a massive fan of single pickup guitars. If Sire decides to make a DC model with two P90, I'd be seriously tempted to buy one.

[@rickc2102]

2 pickup Jr. would be better, neck pickup's in the sweet spot.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

If you know what you're doing you only need one 😉

[@albertoz6765]

@@Joe-mz6dc that might be true for you. I play a Stratocaster and I typically use positions 2 and 4. Try and get those tones out of a single pickup guitar 😉

[@daithi48]

@@Joe-mz6dc Yeah but you can have a preference where the pickup is positioned! 😊

[@tomgoss6401]

I've had/have Strats, LPs, Teles, etc...and currently I've also got 3 P90 junior-type guitars and 2 strats with just a humbucker. In my experience, if you don't want to just play 'rock' the trick is to have a vintage (ie, low) output pickup, and with a P90 it should be set fairly near the strings. The 2 humbucker guitars have vintage output Alnico2 pickups. Then, using the tone and volume controls and adjusting your picking hand position, you really can get quite a variety of usable tones, including ones 'nice' enough to use in any situation. It might not suit everyone, but I've found it to be challenging and liberating at the same time. I like the simplicity.

[@mendamp1715]

I own one of these. If you choose to replace the pickup, you’ll have to route the cavity a bit to fit it. Plus, you should get a pair of pickup springs and screws from Guitar Fetish (GFS) to replace the foam pad under the pickup.still, it’s a wonderful guitar!😊

[@phishfan]

I was just thinking the past week that I should look for a single P90 guitar- good timing!

[@DrBadLlama]

I got the first one of these sweetwater had (gold top) and it's been fantastic.

[@mitchh6702]

Very cool, I like it!

[@jeromewagschal9485]

I love these 🙂 I have 3...in each color... I always modify my guitars but not this time... They're good enough for me... Anyway great video as always...Thanks 👍👍👍

[@jasonodell79er]

Wow really?.... I think I'm sold.

[@DMSProduktions]

It's very BRIGHT!

[@pedraw]

Sire makes some classy instruments.

[@dave64k]

Nice review Darrell. I totally agree with you on the playability...the neck, frets and decent set up right out of the box make this a great budget choice. I did find that the TV yellow finish was very variable in places (although yours looked better painted than mine) and the tuning stability was a bit LPJ but thats nitpicking at this price point. I also thought that the P90 seemed quite high output which is great for Green Day but not quite the same as the Epiphone and Gibson dogears for a 60s/70s tone. The 23% extra on the price for lefty models seemed a bit much but I guess that is better than not having one and it still put the price in Epiphone territory. My first Sire and I would consider another based on this experience......lefty tax aside.

[@mileswatkinson8135]

It would be really cool to see a double cut version as well. Nice guitar.

[@flyingstratosurfer6285]

I´m pretty keen on one of these. Tried to find them at Thomann, the biggest online seller here in Germany.(you might know). Was quite disappointed when I could not find them. Then I noticed they are no longer listed as SIRE but as "Larry Carlton". Although the product photos till show the Sire logo on the headstock. So for Thomann customers in Germany or Europe this might be good to know... Edit: Available in 10 to 13 weeks, as it is announced on their website.

[@geoffwalker888]

Excellent. Thanks for this review,👌

[@RobertVeasquez]

Great review..as ALWAYS!

[@mannydecastro8604]

If I wasn’t so happy with my Harley Benton I would get one of these bad boys. Everyone should have one in their collection 🎸🎸🎸

[@Olegstuff21986]

This guitar is just pure k*ckass ... it's so resonant and, despite having only one pickup, can produce a whole ton of sounds. It sounds nice and vintage and has attitude. Also light and comfortable to play. Recommended!

[@JohnOBryan]

I LOVE the headstock

[@xMaoxoaMx]

I dont know why no manufacturer picked up the SG Jr. design by now. As far as i know there is not a single on in production at the moment. Seems like a massive miss to me.

[@garrymoss8021]

20 hours ago. Glad to see that. I was getting worried

[@joermnyc]

I’ve had the Harley Benton DC Junior (the double cut version of this style, I prefer the DC body shape). Honestly I found the one pickup too limiting, sold it and got the Epiphone SG Classic (those P-90s are monsters)

[@wildesage4172]

Darrell! LTD recently released their own "junior" models: the EC-201 at 500 bucks, and the EC-01 at 1,100 bucks! Now, LTD makes a killer budget guitar, but I wonder, can Sire outclass them on a simple guitar like this? The ECs have humbuckers, not p90s, but when it comes to build quality for the money (something both these companies excel at), I would LOVE to see a face-off from you pitting the two against each other! That is, of you still have the L3, and if you could get your hands on the EC. Anyway, great video!

[@johnwillard6198]

❤ love this one 😊

[@lost6872]

Man, I'd love it if you could put the HH version of the L3 through it's paces. I really want one, but wanna know what it's like from a first hand.

[@sgt.grinch3299]

What a nice guitar and a great price.

[@cajunboy2k]

Please review the HH model. That's the one I'm interested in. There aren't many videos reviews of it.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Or this one with a humbucker?

[@3PLMAG]

I might buy a Sire with humbuckers and put in my old JB-J pickups from the 1980s.

[@lestermobley1551]

I like the guitar. I like the sound of the single p90. I like all the first rate accoutrements. But I must say I think the teardrop pickguard doesn't help it's overall aesthetic. I would probably take it off, fill in and blend in the 3 screw holes. But on second thought being that I just now checked the price... for $399 why even bother.

[@jacobbaranowski]

just like a SG Junor, like Bill Jole's signiture SG Junor with a P90

[@modern.kidizens3672]

Can you do a video on the Greg Bennett Malibu series

[@adamfindlay7091]

Thanx , Ill check out Sire if available.Reminds me of a DeArmond i had, tv yellow also. Wonderful neck. Would prefer another pickup, eh.Anyway the best neck i ever played.sorry, i didn't get a price on her ...oh @399 got it.

[@RonJames-rb7eg]

Have the Epiphone one, you whet my appetite Darrell.

[@snörre23]

Is that a sweetwater brand, they have about 400 sire models in the store. Oh just realized Thomann in Europe also has them. Wish there was a two pickups version thought, rarely use a bridge pickup.

[@haqeembasr4414]

Great guitar👍

[@erik8674]

an idea for another ep. put in a humbucker in the neck po. (pearly gates maybe)

[@johnwillard6198]

Hard to find one😮

[@luboetr]

Double cut with one p90 is the only way to go for me. 🙂

[@lifeofthetheatre]

Too bad the HH does not have separate tone and volume controls for both pick ups- i might have considered getting one.

[@place_desjardins]

Nice review.

[@joshuataft5541]

I like it..wonder if they got black sweeet

[@2dazetake]

I've been looking for an LP Jr with a P90, really hard to find a kit with mahogany neck & body, price becomes a big factor when certain guitars come back in style and popularity like these guitars are right now, you can get les Paul standard for cheaper than a Jr, this might just be the option.

[@JansenAnthony]

Hey Darrell! How's it going? Could u plz do a review on Diamond guitars?They're basically known for being the slimmest guitars on the planet.😂😂 U should check them out.

[@MrMoneyHelper]

$399 seems a bit high. Still, I want to try one. Similar guitars on Amazon cost under $200. With a little work they could be as good as this Sire. Perhaps because I have most of the tools to adjust guitars, I'm willing to do the work that would cost somebody else $150-$200.

[@perrins57]

Will we hear a sample of the sounds from that HH model?

[@Hemidakota]

Ok, for the price, it plays great. Amazing...

[@Olegstuff21986]

Not for the price. It just plays great, period.

[@PhillipHolt-f9r]

I Wonder how the pricing compared to Epiphone.?

[@jerryhollis8155]

Would it kill someone to make a Double cut of these LP specials?

[@stevengoss3036]

How much does it weight ?

[@Gerry-cg6kr]

Can you set intonation easy on a wrap around bright

[@devinwright131]

How's the neck feel? Fat/round like the 50's based LP's/Jr's or? Thanks

[@floatinganarchychannel3204]

no Sire T5? in VINTAGE PURPULE FINISH??? :]

[@GaryBertolo]

Try the donner noise gate for $39, I believe.

[@trentaraggi]

How do you compare the neck shape and feel with the l7?

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

What magnet is in this P90 pickup?

[@trentaraggi]

Let us hear the hh! We deserve it! Please!

[@jimdevries9479]

Good punk rock guitar

[@14TacomaDR]

The link doesn't work.

[@Yelbomsirhc1]

I thought I was over G.A.S., but now I'm jonesing again.

[@TomaszWoch-g8h]

Darell, can you help me to buy a new guitar? I am looking at something wirh superstrat shape, i'd love to have active pickups or humbuckers (but the covered type if you know wim). im looking for color black, the body, neck, head, everything black. can you help me find something like that as a person who knows about it? please 🙏 (my max budget is 670$)

[@erik8674]

hi from usa

[@texanfournow]

How to describe the tone? "Nasal"

[@Olegstuff21986]

It's a P90? That's how P90s are supposed to sound. And for a P90, it actually sounds quite open.

[@texanfournow]

@@Olegstuff21986 Agreed. I love P90s!

[@LucasdeFarias]

Will you ever tell us why you went missing for that time Bro? Love ya anyways. 😂❤

[@carlc2597]

Been eyeballing this guitar on sw……

[@8bitparty-pl]

👍🏻

[@matthewearl9824]

I had this guitar on pre-order for 8 months. I just canceled it because it took too long.

[@davidwood351]

My guitar closet is freaking full. I’d love to get one of these, but 🤐

[@babybang6388]

👍

[@daleordogne1490]

You always play a lot of distortion on your demos but there’s a lot of people who love to play clean You always just do a few seconds on clean

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

Pretty nice … undercuts the Epiphone Jr in price and may even play/sound better.

[@VicSounds3]

I was considering buying Epiphone Billy Joe Lp junior. But know I don't know.. Somebody here owns a billh joe lp ? It seem to me that the sire's model has a pickup with less caracter.

[@martincloutier666]

Here in Canada the Sire are not as budget friendly. They are good guitars but not as good a deal as elsewhere.

[@tomneil6830]

I’m not seeing them at that price point. $50 higher at Sweetwater

[@Marcoguzzi1969]

Why lefty 100 dollars extras 😢

[@Noneofurbusinesseh]

camera focus

[@davelewis4215]

I’ve had one for months and my only gripe is Why didn't they put locking tuners on it like on my other Sire Larry Carlton guitars.

[@cb4j]

Hi

[@woofcity6307]

All guitars should he this. Nobody complains about a single pickup acoustic… but electric guys think switching pickups is so important. I never noticed anyone in the audience ever cheer for a pickup switch :)