Sam Beattie
11/03/19 10:00am - 4 min read | 41 min watch
Sire earned their reputation with their hugely popular bass range, co-designed by the legendary Marcus Miller. The range hit the ground running with incredible specs, stunning sound and design, and borderline-miraculous prices. Having cemented their place as a force to be reckoned with, they set their sights elsewhere: acoustic guitars.
Why Buy a Sire Acoustic?
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
- You get a choice of two studio-class preamps, included at no extra cost
- They were painstakingly designed by musicians wanting to offer something more competitive to the market
- They’ve kept the range simple; choose your shape, your finish, your preamp, your budget – and you’re away!
The Sire Story
Sire was started by a group of friends in Korea in the late ‘90s. They had grown frustrated with rising instrument prices, so they decided to make their own. They worked extremely hard until they were happy with the result – and in fact, it all turned out better than expected. So good, that they started to make a name for themselves. The aim was to offer top-notch quality with decent prices. A no-brainer, right?
To keep up with demand, Sire founder Kyle Kim set up Sire USA in Los Angeles, and reached out to Marcus Miller, a living legend in the bass world. Kim’s vision resonated with Miller, and led to highly successful design collaboration. The Marcus Miller line of basses from Sire were an international success. Kim and his team aim to apply the same formula to their acoustic range. These are professional-grade guitars without the associated price tag. Here’s UK acoustic wizard Mike Dawes giving them a spin for the first time:
Sire Acoustics – the best acoustic preamp for your money?
One of the most popular traits of their bass range was the quality of the preamps. Pro-grade sound without the associated price tag. Naturally, Sire applied followed the same path with the acoustic range. These instruments aren’t just well designed and built – the electronics are top-notch too. There are two systems to choose from:
Sire Zebra SIB Preamp
This stands for Simple Is Best. An internal mic is combined with an under-saddle piezo pickup for a natural but clear sound. You’ve then got three simple controls; volume, EQ search and microphone blend. The SIB is voiced to suit acoustic music – smooth and dynamic. Easy!
Sire Zebra 7 Preamp
This system combines a piezo pickup with a (removable) soundhole pickup. But the real star of the show is the outboard preamp, which you connect the guitar to using a guitar cable. The belt-clippable unit offers unprecedented control, including 3-band EQ, gain, phase switch and more.
Mr. Kim is adamant that these systems alone are worth the amount that you pay for the guitar – but they come included. There are few acoustic manufactures (at any price point) that offer such value and choice.
Acoustic guitar pick and mix
As mentioned earlier, the Sire acoustic range is both versatile and easy to navigate. Two shapes, two finishes, two preamp choices, two prices. Tick the boxes you like, and you’ll find the guitar that works for you. The R3 is the more affordable of the two, priced around the £300 mark. The R7 is the more premium model, around £700. Once you’ve picked your budget, you can choose between natural and vintage sunburst, dreadnought and grand auditorium, Zebra SIB and Zebra 7 – and you’re there!
Affordability meets quality
Instrument manufacturers, for the most part, are always striving to strike the perfect balance between quality and price. Very few are successful in this endeavour; Sire are one of those rare cases.
They achieve this by manufacturing everything in-house, buying materials and components in high volume and by cutting out unnecessary distribution. This means they have full control over the design and quality of their instruments. They know exactly what materials are being used and why. They know exactly where all their instruments are destined. This attention to detail and commitment to quality is what sets them apart!
The Sire Acoustic Range
Want to find out more? Check out the full Sire range here – and why not check out the rest of our learn content while you’re here?
