Had the Sire S7 HSS New Gen on preorder for best part of a year! I was so looking forward to playing it
The good:
Looks stunning in person, amazing aged gold finish.
Staggered locking tuners, bridge, knobs, switch are all premium quality. Tuning stability is excellent.
It sounds just like an expensive Strat to my experienced ears. No need to upgrade the pickups.
Neck is lovely, nice dark thick piece of rosewood used for the fretboard. Edgeless board feels worn in and comfortable in the hand with superb upper fret access.
The bad:
Sadly, these next points meant I had to return the guitar. Believe me, this was a tough decision!
HIGH FRETS! Causing significant fret buzz even with a high action. I can cope with and expect some buzz but not when it’s audible when amplified. The guitar is setup with 10’s, I knew if I replaced the strings with 9’s which are my favourite gauge, this would cause even more fret buzz due to less tension.
Really gutted I had to return this guitar. I might risk it and order the SSS version in the hope the frets have been levelled properly
Conclusion:
If you can afford a full setup with fret levelling or Plek, then buy without hesitation. In this case the S7 would easily rival a £2000+ guitar, the materials used are that good.
If not it’s the luck of the draw in terms of receiving a guitar with an acceptable setup or one that can be easily adjusted without spending a fair bit extra to make it play right
