Sire T7 vs Fender Telecaster - Tone Comparison - Can the Sire Keep Up?

[@johnnathancordy]

00:00 What's this about 00:34 Fender 1:00 Fender Auld Lang Syne 2:35 Fender Bridge 3:07 Sire Bridge 3:44 Fender Bridge 4:00 Fender Neck 4:23 Sire Neck 4:57 Sire Auld Lang Syne 6:25 More Fender Neck 7:25 Some thoughts 8:10 Some more Fender 9:17 Some more Sire 10:00 Have you gigged it 10:10 Which would I choose? 10:35 Noisy Pots?

[@clives555]

Gorgeous playing both, to me they sounded very similar, a touch more brightness on the Sire maybe but you could dial it back a bit and have some extra bite if you wanted it. Plus the neck on the Sire is sublime to play (if it's anything like the S7). Having said all that, good players make most instruments sound epic.

[@GaryKatz]

The Sire is a remarkable and affordable gem. And the $2000usd premium for the Fender is nothing to ignore. Thanks, Jon. Much appreciated.

[@seanandben]

With such a beautiful rendition of Auld Lang Syne it was difficult to concentrate fully on the guitars John. I've owned quite a few Fender Telecasters over the years, and my own feeling about the Sire comparison is that you get an awful lot more value for your money with the Sire's, even if you want to change the pots or pickups. A lot of Fender guitars are vastly overrated and overpriced in my opinion.

[@mcg1011]

I do think the Fender sounds a bit better and more like a telecaster, but the Sire sounds fantastic and for that price it seems silly not to own one :) Beautiful playing!!!!

[@Arch_Stanton.]

You make them both sound great - beautiful playing. Happy New Year!

[@mattwilliams3104]

Value wise the Sires are incredible. Top tier feeling neck, bone nut, roasted neck, rolled edges, staggered tuners, locking tuners, heel contour. The fender has none of that unless you pay almost double. Swap out the electronics and pickups and you still save a bunch

[@JMal883]

What a great way to start a New Year. Awesome and inspiring playing for 2022.

[@steverolfeca]

Proof positive that in the end a good tele is a joy to listen to- regardless of who made it. I heard a minor difference, but nothing I would assign a value to as "better" or "more expensive". I'm also highly sensitive to feel, but use some Deoxit on the Sire, and there's no way I'd pay that much extra for the Fender unless it felt AMAZING.

[@MarceloMoraisGuitar]

Thank's for the video! It's much better to listen to someone with such a great taste to play and awesome tones from effects as well when we are getting to know a new instrument or equipment

[@waynecribb4922]

What a great review. The playing made me forget about comparing the guitars. That said both sound great. So I guess it's more of what you get for your hard earned bucks. The Sire wins that easily . Most of us would probably go that route for the obvious reasons. What a fantastic review. I love Telecaster style guitars. It's a win win here. Thanks for sharing this above average review and beautiful playing.

[@johnhendricks8140]

Great melodic playing. Both guitars sound great.

[@sacredgeometry]

Yeah I agree, there is a hollowness to the sire. The tele sounds beautiful, more full. Definitely preferred out of the two.

[@jackprice7828]

Beautiful playing as always. Throw in an augmented on that John. The Fender is fatter and warmer.

[@NadaSurfinAB]

For this style of playing - and great playing! - I liked the chime and openness of the Sire. It would be interesting to me to see if the focus of the Tele was better in a country setting. My local shop hasn’t been able ever get hardly a Sire in for some reason.

[@christophebrunel8875]

beautiful playing, you're not only a guitarist but almost a musician, thanks a lot for sharing this video ; i prefer the tele but the sire is the best for the price, its hard to find it in the stores in France today because of the sucess of these guitars

[@Truthasvictim]

Hey John, by hook or crook with the utter lack of availability, I got the Sire T7 FM two days ago, and am blown away by the craftmanship alone, let alone how easily playable it is. For reference, to my ears and setup-lots of great pedals into a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18, it's as clear and clean as any of my guitars, inclduing my US made Tele and Strat and my PRS Zach Myers. I've found I have to use either my Nobel's mini overdrive or my drive side of my Novadrive overdrive section all the time to thicken and warm its sound. But, I ususally have one of thsoe 2 on for all my guitars anyway.

[@GmanMusicProductions]

If Sire would come out with a Seafoam Green "T" , I'd buy in a second!

[@richw5612]

Hi John, happy New Year. I prefer the tone of the Fender but of course It's much more expensive, I've got the S7 which has a great playable neck and punches well above its price. Your rendition of Auld Lang Syne was beautiful.

[@marksmith7789]

Both sounded fantastic but given the really big price difference and the top of the line features of the Sire that's the one I'd go for, it also looks truly beautiful.

[@MrSlash00r]

The playing is so good. The Sire definitely has a little bit more high end (sizzle) which breaks up a little more, so not quite as smooth as the Fender - but as stated, its probably only pertinent when recording or playing specific genres. Value-wise .. of course the Sire is a winner. Mid-range (and low for that matter) guitars are becoming so good .. you really have to listen for nuances to hear the differences.

[@micwalt]

Simply beautiful playing! Negligible difference on the neck pickup to me. Sire bridge was a little brighter/thinner but not bad at all.

[@Tatasko]

I have a s7 and i love it, but this sire Tele is a stunner !!!

[@michaelthie6060]

Thanks for your video and a happy new year from Germany! In my opinion, the Fender has a great tone, that I would definitely prefer in the studio. But for gigging I would have a hard time to decide. It’s such a great tone for the price of the Sire. But then I would update the electronic...

[@akustickesrdce4690]

thanks John for posting this video, I really like how it feels playing on T7 Sire and features are great, but I cant help myself to hear that extra "Fender Tele" sound on Fender. All the best, Peter

[@AntonioRamos_To]

Your videos have helped a lot. I would like to know your preference between the Sire Larry Carlton T7 and the Squier Classic Vibe '60s Custom Telecaster, knowing that Squier could take an upgrade in pickups (with the difference in price)?

[@Ukedc259]

What I heard were your hands. And they are very beautiful sounding indeed. Well played.

[@adel1abc]

Sounds Beautiful. I preferred the fender sound but both not by far. Happy New Year!!

[@edruiz1202]

Yes I feel the Tele sounds better. Sire is a bit brighter but that can be adjusted on amp or pedal board. I have a handful of Fenders and love them but I will get a Sire soon just because of the upgrades. Hard to pass them up for the price.

[@Fahrenheit1407]

Bit brighter, but can just roll the tone knob down a smidge. And for the better feeling neck and playability for 4 times less money, the choice for me is easy

[@MascisMan1]

Yep, and if it really became a sticking point, with the saved money you could always do a pickup swap

[@guitarequalsawesome5667]

@@MascisMan1 put some nice lollar pickups in it

[@jitsroller]

The T 7 has a treble bleed so when you roll the volume the treble stays its just quieter in this case. I've got one.

[@loudspider316]

I think we've historically all spent so long listening to these guitars now that we know what they 'should' sound like. The Fender sounds like the Tele of our memories, and with typical Tele runs and playing will always win if you're asking which one sounds more like a Tele. I would have to say though that in the middle of Auld Lang Syne section I found myself really liking the tone of the Sire, almost a little John Scofield'y...it almost felt like you were playing into the tone...?. Logical summary, if you weren't in need of a guitar exactly matching that classic Tele sounds it seems like the trade off is well worth the difference.

[@desmusik]

happy new year John.both sound great.i like the fender sound a little more I think.maybe cos my ears are more used to that fender sound.cheers

[@denfinch5694]

I'm a bassist and own three ultimate hand-built custom made basses. I'm also a lover of SIRE Marcus Millers and have four. They do very much compete, and especially better any of the Fenders I've owned. Regarding this fine demonstration, I think again, the SIRE is as good, if not better than the Fender!

[@richardrust9532]

Fantastic playing skills, wonderful rendition of Auld Lang Syne, and beautiful tone achieved with effects, amp settings, etc. Personally would like to hear both guitars clean, through the same amp settings in order to compare the tone of the pickups of both instruments. With that said, I liked the sounds achieved from both instruments in this demo.

[@albertocorrea5536]

Great feeling! BRAVO!

[@KAR006]

I liked them both. Nice video.

[@sychustudio2525]

Pięknie zagrane, sounds Awesome 🎸

[@MisioNalle]

Hi ! I do love how You play with tones and with the instrument !!! LOVELY !!!

[@Johnherold121]

Yeah so I have that same crackly pot problem with my S7, to an extent where the selector gets stuck between positions and there's no sound. That's one thing they clearly saved some money on.

[@christopherramirez4131]

A $2799 Fender compared to an under $600 Sire that sounds really close in tone, I think I would have to go with the Sire.

[@ralex3697]

Just a matter of time before people catch on to these Sire guitars. Expect them to go up in price. The whole line is spectacular

[@chakakhan3751]

Fender has more bass and mid. But could be a mind trick as when i was looking away I did not notice the guitars change. Sire is nearly there with better woods (Pine Fender for £1.5k) and neck feel. In the market for a Tele. Will be swapping out electrics and pickups as I do that to all my guitars. Sire, take my money 💰and when they release a seafoam green will be buying another

[@TeleCaster66]

Clean is best for hearing what a guitar sounds like in my opinion.

[@mackenlyparmelee5440]

I feel like the fender pickups had more musical compression and were a bit more smooth sounding. I would like to know what you think putting the fender pickups on the sire would be like.

[@cliffjenkins7]

Yes the fender but you made both sound like great guitars , the fender seemed to be able to create a softness that the sire couldnt match, the sire seemingly more in your face but maybe with a full backing track that may be a good thing or at least less of an issue

[@richgrothaus3537]

Love the choice of songs!

[@rondroid8478]

Masterfully played, sir! What kind of equipment are you playing through (amp, fx etc)? This is pretty much exactly the tone i am after.

[@Savvathan]

neck pickup 0:58 5:00 1:26 5:13 6:12 6:30 bridge pickup 2:48 3:37 2:57 3:27

[@MrTageamu]

Considering the massive price difference....Sire for me any day of the week!

[@billholder1330]

your "Auld Lang Syne" kills me! Beautiful! Nice guitars too. Mine don't sound quite like that! hehe

[@Anjohl]

To me, the Sire looks to be in the ballpark as the Fender Player Plus series, in terms of specs, for about 2/3's the price. They will start making waves soon, they have all but taken over the Bass market.

[@jhstony]

Fender sounds better to my ears, but your playing is the best 👍

[@day1detail]

Can you please tell me how you learn your licks? Like what did u work on? Caged system? What scales? You are great btw man! Loved every second of this vid!!!

[@nilsplathe9045]

I like the top end if the Sire more. It would cut through the mix better, I think. They would however both fit well into my modest collection. But for the price I think it's no contest.

[@remoteviewer57]

Sire T7 Is Impressive Overall! Player & Guitar Tech!

[@redcomn]

It's 2022 and John now talk in the intro

[@johnnathancordy]

Happy New Year chap!!

[@Johnherold121]

He was drinking wine straight out of the bottle during a livestream, I even saw him tapping. It's going to be a wild year

[@johnnathancordy]

@@Johnherold121 things can only go downhill faster than a duck down a Waterfall into the waiting mouth of a furious Alligator

[@redcomn]

@@Johnherold121 felt like he may just drop 'but can it djent' video

[@killacoiler1707]

I like how the Sire plays better and when you consider the price difference, you can upgrade the pickups and controls in the Sire to the same as in the Fender and still be under the cost of the Fender by more than 1k. Just my opinion.

[@jansbamusic4778]

fairly to say that between the price difference if you're on a budget, the Sire has a lot to offer, tonewise nothing wrong there, would not even swap the pick ups, maybe pots, switch yes, the ultimate breakpoint is always the playability, and the only way to know that is to play them both, but if it feels good in your hand and you don't have the over 1000pound/dollar/euro budget I would not doubt over the Sire

[@Truthasvictim]

I don;t know Johnnathan, I thought they sounded just incredibly similar and if one was blindfolded and you were switching between the two, it'd very difficult to discern when, or if you had. Sure like the sound of the neck pickup on the Sire at the end. Personally, I'm leaning towards getting the Sire T7 FM version for it's extra tonal variety and already owning a beauty USA Fender Tele.

[@JPC-do8xi]

Nice comparing,if there was a option for a tremolo on the single coil fender telecaster that would be great.What’s that reverb/delay you are using with that long sustain?

[@updem]

I can't get past the workmanship and attention to detail on the Sire, especially the neck. I'm quite tempted to get my hands on a butterscotch T7 and then change the electronics out for high end pots and the like. The end result would be a guitar with amazing feel AND sound for still probably under a grand.

[@jitsroller]

If you want a nice guitar for under 600.00 get one. I have t7 and love it. I did have to replace the bone nut. The guitar is well worth owning and is one of my favorites.

[@robersniper]

I think they already have high end pots

[@garywinters2282]

I like the Sire better, especially the price!

[@peterallen1041]

I liked them both, it would be interesting to hear the Sire with the same DiMarzio pups in it.

[@Rulon-bo1ig]

Came for the comparison but after a while I was just blown away by the beautiful guitar playing to be honest. I liked the tele a bit more which you would expect for a 2000€guitar. Wouldn’t you get closer to that sound if you put the same telecaster pick-ups in the sire? Is this possible?

[@peppymus]

the real difference is only in the price, the fender does not sound $1500 more than the sire. the sire guitar is amazing, with this video it is clear that it is not necessary to spend that extra $1500. you play great

[@morgenholz]

The Sire T7 is a great value!

[@theemrsg]

While I've never done a personal comparisons, I've always heard that maple necks are brighter than rosewood fingerboards. Also, have you ever tried the Fishman Fluence pickups? I'd be curious what your take is.

[@sychustudio2525]

Fender got more low and middle tones, Sire more hight tones. Both sounds great

[@Mauriibor1]

hi what pedals are you using to make such a beautiful armony sounding on the background

[@willdenham]

I have the Sire and the neck sounds as beautiful as it does here. The quality of the instrument was shocking. The quality of the pickups, even more so! It also, for certain sounds like a classic tele.

[@mattclark1278]

Your Mark Knopfler tones on the Sire are AMAZING. Th Fender has great balance across the register, but to my ear sounded pretty dry and sterile by comparison.

[@GER_1]

Nice playing man!!! Thank you! Which pedals you are using?

[@nicaltrad8015]

Hi John, you really put me into deep trouble with this video! For weeks I have been desperately trying to get these dynamics from clean to distortion that you seem to get just at the tip of your pick (especially when you play the anthem), but I can't figure out what the cruicial factor is. I am using a strat-type guitar with Alnico V single coil PUs and I even bought the Neuro DSP Mesa Boogie plugin because Archetype Gojira didn't do the job. Now even though the sound is more direct and transparent, It always seems like a bad compromise between clean and distortion, I always get one at the expense of the other. Is it really the Fender Tele that makes the difference? Or do you get these dynamics also let's say with a Sire T3 (with "ceramics PUs")? I would be more than happy if you could help me solve the riddle 🙂. By the way, I love your playing and your videos in general because of the variety of topics you are presenting in such a very natural and authentic way. Looking forward to seeing a lot more from you!

[@simonm3889]

Happy New Year John

[@johnnathancordy]

Happy New Year Simon!!!! Hope yours is a great one!

[@DennisAlvarezMusic]

Considering that the Sire probably costs less than half of what the Fender costs, it might come down to the "bang for your buck" concept. The difference in tone between the two is slight at best. I own a '92 American Standard with Lindy Fralin pickups. As much as I love it, if all I could afford was the Sire, I would still be quite happy.

[@garywinters2282]

The Sire is over $100 less expensive than a Fender player series in the US. I really like the neck on the Sire as well.

[@Savvathan]

Hi Johnathan! Thanks so much for the video. How do the bass frequencies compare between the 2? I feel like the T7 is lacking bass.

[@johnnathancordy]

Seems brighter yes! I wonder if lowering them might have an impact?

[@rolandashdown4903]

Hi. Can I ask a humble question please. Would you mind sharing a lesson on your interpretation of Auld Lang Syne. Was lush. Cheers and HNY!

[@johnnathancordy]

Hey Roland! Thanks for asking - yes!

[@brianlebrun2382]

The Sire had a bit more top end clarity but that's not necessarily a good thing. I have the Deluxe Nashville Tele....basically very similar with a Strat pickup in the middle and I've found that it's extremely versatile.

[@MrAntpre]

Tks for the comparaison. Do u know if sire has kept the treble bleed on the t7 ? Tks . Happy new year to you.

[@KAR006]

I asked Sweetwater and they checked saying it did not have one.

[@KANSTEF]

Both guitars sound great, but it seems to me that the fender sings more sensitively...

[@rooroo3199]

The Fender has a much more beautiful resonant tone. Hard to judge playability obviously.

[@lukather1]

Nah 🤪

[@sixstringcity3931]

Beautiful playing I didnt watch just listened and when i glanced Youd switched guitars flawlessly and i heard no major tonal difference

[@GeorgeHeil-gg6wv]

Hard to say compression and other issues of not "being in the room". Sire sounds cleaner and more note articulate. That's a good thing in my book.

[@tmuka]

happy new year! I've been thinking about adding a strat middle pickup to my baha tele. I'd love to hear your take on if that pickup is useful and or if it sounds anything like a strat. both these guitars sound different, but both good to me!

[@tmuka]

nevermind my question, i found your "The Perfect Tele" video :)

[@glencooper1091]

The amount of pickups and wiring in a guitar can affect its overall tone, so its not a fair comparison. Hence that's why Esquires are a thing, less wiring and less magnetic pull on the strings.

[@Profilolavoro]

fender sound much better but whit a new pair of pickup on the t7 should be better

[@Dave-rk2nl]

maple sounds brighter ever time..youll play your own guitar better just from shear experience on it, but your last 10 seconds of playing was tasty

[@keithb5612]

Sire seem to be voicing their pickups on the brighter side. I swapped my Sire S7 pickups out because of this. I'm not sure if an EQ pedal would sort out the T7 Vintage bright pickups or not? Might be a worthwhile video on this subject????

[@briane.paulson]

What pickups did you end up with!

[@keithb5612]

@@briane.paulson I purchased from independent boutique pedal builder for a HSS pickup set. He also supplies his Pickups to professional musicians too.

[@hegodamask3213]

which one did you prefer playing? was there a noticeable difference between rosewood and roasted maple? or anything else for that matter...? thanks.

[@dimebagtribute]

There are subtle differences between the 2 obviously, but I am not able to decide which one have a better tone than the other... If you search the best bang for your bucks I think the Sire is hands down the best choice you can make, and I say that even if I don't own one😄 Should I??!

[@adamdagosto570]

Is the T7 brighter or just have more clarity and that's what we are hearing? Seems to me that if you added a touch of gain to the T7 the two guitars would match.

[@Prajnana]

I agree that the T7 has more clarity.

[@Dodzee.44]

for the price the sire is great guitar but that fender sounds reeeeeeeeeal nice 🙏

[@reggaebuster3624]

what reverb are you using sounds great

[@DennisAlvarezMusic]

BTW, lovely playing. Your tele did sound just a bit nicer to my ear. I also own the Squier Classic Vibe 50's and 60's Strats. They sound slightly different from a Fender American Standard, but I'm very happy playing them. Although my Tele is my #1.

[@victorasikele7147]

Fender sounds warmer. Great player

[@keenedgedesigns]

Fender pickups sound a little looser but it’s close. Where is the Fender made?

[@ransombaggins9301]

The Sires are one of the only "good for the money" guitars that I really believe lives up to the hype. It's good for twice the price in most cases. Also, a lot of the "good for the money" guitars suffer from bad QC and if you can't pick out your guitar yourself, you're playing the lottery. I don't see Sire having any more QC issues than any of the big names like Fender, Gibson, etc. and that's saying something.

[@scottbronder]

Sire is brighter and a bit hotter maybe? seemed to break out a bit more (maybe i'm getting fooled by it just being brighter). I think they are both practical.

[@stratman9449]

The Fender Tele is by far the superior sounding guitar....depth, clarity, complexity....great sound alround...i bet the middle pickup sound good as well.... my mexican tele sounds better than the Sire.....:-)...but i have changed the pus there as well plus i put a good humbucker in mine for the neck pu...got some real body now.

[@mitchb.1746]

I’m curious what kind of pedal you’re using to hold the background chords?