Larry Carlton demos his $641 Sire signature guitar (2024)
Now this is what we like to see! A legendary guitarist playing and singing the praises of their affordable signature model. Larry Carlton's L7V Sire is the latest in his line with the company – a single-cut LP-style electric guitar with P-90s that Larry makes sing straight out of the box in the Sweetwater demo below.
The influential session player clearly loves this Gold Top L7V guitar, and indeed his whole signature range that includes S-type, T-style and the semi-hollows he's known for; "We've tried to do quality, quality, quality at [lower] price points so that more people that want to play a quality guitar can afford it. And that's one of the things that really excited me," says Larry.
It's great to see, and Larry uses them on the road. "Everybody thinks it sounds like me and I'm playing basically a $700 guitar with the H7 version. I couldn't be happier."
The H7 is based on the semi-hollow guitars Larry is more identified with and you can check out his demo of that below too – it even has the premium touch of rolled fingerboard edges!
The whole range over at Sweetwaterin the US, and at Andertons in the UK where H7 guitars are just £599. And they're even cheaper over at Thomann.
Still, considering that Carlton has spent a lifetime playing Gibson and Fender guitars, one has to wonder if some adjustment had to be made when switching over to the Sire. And make no mistake, Carlton took these guitars out on the road, and he absolutely plays Sire guitars live.
Sire Guitars has a rich history rooted in a passion for creating instruments of exceptional quality. In the late 1990s, a group of friends in Korea founded Sire. They made their own after being discouraged by the increasing cost of instruments.
Carlton was lucky to have survived, but he suffered severe nerve damage and lost one vocal cord. He was also left wondering whether the real fatality wouldn`t be his career. One of the `70s` most respected studio players, Carlton appeared on more than 3,000 sessions that resulted in more than 100 gold albums.
"Did you know: Sire founder Kyle Kim started building his own instruments with friends in the '90s when they grew frustrated with rising prices. When these instruments turned out better than expected, Kim started exploring the global market.
Carlton began taking guitar lessons at the age of six and was discovered as a teenager playing in Los Angeles supper clubs. “I started getting calls for demo sessions, and at 16, 17 years old, I'd gone from playing in little clubs to being in the studio,” he once told Premiere Guitar.
Carlton, who performed with Fourplay for 12 years, says he wanted to spend more time on his solo career. Living up to his promise, he released the album "Take Your Pick" just two months after his departure.
This 1961 Gibson Les Paul (SG)1 is one of the more significant in Allman Brothers history because it is the only guitar that I know of that both Duane and his guitar partner Dickey Betts played on a regular basis.
Should You Buy a Fender or Sire? You can't go wrong with either of these basses, honestly. Both are extremely well-made, pack tons of tone into the reasonable price point and have been made by experienced hands.
Much like their bass selection, Sire's acoustics guitars have proven extremely popular. Here are a handful of reasons why we think Sire have hit the nail on the head: They use solid tonewoods whenever possible (the R7 is solid Spruce and Rosewood throughout) High-quality bound Rosewood and Ebony fretboards.
Larry then became interested in Barney Kessel, Wes Montgornery and the legendary blues guitarist B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane was also a major influence on Carlton, beginning with Coltrane's 1962 classic Ballads. In 1968 he recorded his first LP, With A Little Help From My Friends (Uni).
In addition to his solo work, Carlton has been a member of the successful jazz bands the Crusaders and Fourplay. Carlton is married to Christian rock singer Michele Pillar and is the uncle of pop singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton.
He came back in the early 80's with strong commercial and critical success, but wasn't able to sustain it past 1985. He released another R&B album in the 90's, but has more recently turned to gospel music. Carlton released his first gospel single in 2010, and he continues to perform and make appearances.
2) "The Frankenstrat": Larry customized this guitar over the years. This stratocaster guitar has a 1968 (Fender) body with a DiMarzio neck, EMG pickups with fat-tone control and indivdual pick-up on/off switches. 3) 1990's Fender Custom Shop Telecaster: This is Larry's main guitar.
Frey's main electric for years has been “Old Black,” a black '50s Gibson Les Paul Jr. with P-90s, which he has played live and in the studio for years. In the '70s, he occasionally played a Gibson 330; he also played a Gibson 335 on the recording of “I Can't Tell You Why.”
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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