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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 843
Location: CA | I was in GC the other day, and with time on my hands made a beeline for the acoustic room, where I hide while SWMBO is shopping in another store down the way. After I'd molested a few different guitars hanging on the wall, a guy comes over and says "You obviously know what you're doing. Could you give me some advice before the sales guy comes back?" Well, I'd fooled another one with the "know what you're doing" stuff, but anyway...
He was a beginner and was trying to decide between a Fender acoustic and a Seagull S6. Both were $399ish, which was his price range. I gave him the line I give anyone who asks: Buy what sounds good to you, and if you can afford better, buy that. If you love the sound, you'll be more apt to keep coming back and picking it up, which facilitates the learning process.
He says, but how do you know which sounds better? And would I tell him what I thought of these two guitars he'd narrowed it down to?
Well, okay.
The Fender sounded like every other Fender acoustic I've ever played, which was dead and awful. But the Seagull...
Hey, that thing sounded good, really good. They are made by Godin in Canada and this one had a cedar top and 'wild cherry' back and sides. Strings were whatever they're shipped with, and were tarnished. But it blew the Fender away, and actually sounded better than an $800 Taylor I'd been plunking on. Not as good as an Ovation Legend, mind you. But good.
I told him if it were me, and these two were my choices, I'd get the Seagull. But if he really wanted a nice guitar, to consider Ovation — but none of the glitzy laminated Celebs that GC has. A real USA-made one. And he could probably get a good used one for his price range.
At that point, the sales guy came back in and I bowed out. It was time to go meet the Red Queen, so I don't know what decision he made, if any.
But yeah, Seagull. Any of you have any experience with them? Nice entry-level all-wood gits, if that's what you gotta have. Or at least that one was. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | I was going to buy a Seagull artist several years ago when I was looking for my first acoustic electric. Then the sales dude handed me a 1778LX. Then O beat it on all levels, and thus began my O-Obsession |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | I have a Seagull Artist. Cedar top/ Hog back and sides....very nice. I wouldn't necessarily pay "new" pricing, but I picked mine up used for $300 and feel like it's worth every penny. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 5331
Location: Cicero, NY | I would agree they're woth every penny of $300.
'Specially in dB's hands.
(All kidding aside, I think they're very nice guitars for the price. If I want a great guitar for the price, I throw in another $100 and talk to Al about what he's got on the shelf.) |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | I've got a '98 bare bones S-6 with a cedar top. Paid $100 for it. Many scuffs and battle scars. About as generic as a guitar can be. I like it because it's a simple, well made guitar with no frills, and it plays and sounds good.
Don't get me wrong, I like bling, but the S-6 shows that a guitar can be 'good' off the rack without going into four figures.
It's got a big chunky neck and the thump of an old Gibson. I must confess it's the only Seagull I've owned and I hesitate to make assumptions as to wheter any others are any good.... or better or worse. But I'm happy with this one. |
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Joined:
December 2005
Posts: 247
Location: Seacoast NH | A buddy of mines wife asked me to find a cheap used acoustic for him for XMas. He's a bass player, but has wanted a 6 string acoustic to beat around on and do some recording. I steered her towards a Seagull S6 Cedar top on Craigslist that was conveniently in the next town over.
I've never owned one, but everyone I know that has a Seagull loves it. I've played a few, and for the money I would say they are some of the best wood boxes dollar for dollar. I have a Godin electric which I love, and it seems the quality of the Seagulls is on par with Godin -- which is to say excellent. |
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Joined:
December 2005
Posts: 247
Location: Seacoast NH | p.s.
I was thumping around on a Martin at GC a few months ago. Some kid walks around the corner saying "Holy Crap John, when did you learn to play like that? Oh, sorry, thought you were my buddy."
Did a lot for my ego! :) |
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Joined:
August 2007
Posts: 1008
Location: Tuscany, Italy | I owned at one point a seagul enturage rustic model. Did not like the look but the sound was really, really nice. It's the X braced tuned cedar top that makes the sound so mellow and good at the first strum .... |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | FWIW, for about the same price you could pick up an old cedar topped Takamine N10. I've had both and prefer the Tak. |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | I prefer the 1.8" nutwidth of the Seagull over the skinny Tak |
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Joined:
August 2010
Posts: 63
| Owned an S6, played a Coastline at some point. IMO, vastly underrated guitars. Which is in fact very good - beginners can afford very decent guitars, if they choose to not fall for the Fender bling. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | Originally posted by dark bar:
I prefer the 1.8" nutwidth of the Seagull over the skinny Tak I like 'em skinnier, prolly why I liked the O and the Tak over the Artist |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 354
Location: nashville | I have liked every Seagul I've played at GC. 4 or 5 different ones. My buddy has one of their 12 strings and it two is a good bang for the buck. Guess there's room for one more underrated guitar around here. |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 747
| I have a Norman B20 dread which was made at the Godin factory. Solid spruce top, cherry laminate back & sides. Bought new 12 years ago for about $350. Sounds good and has held up real good too. Nice machine heads on it as well and nice neck. Went in just to buy strings, tried this guitar and decided I wasn't leaving w/out it.
Apparently, the guy who started Norman Guitars was called Norman and one day, in or about 1970, Norman went to town and rented a Martin D-18. He then went home and took the Martin to pieces so he could copy it. When he was done, Norman cobbled the Martin back together and tried to return it to the rental place where the owner, who relied upon an old fashioned but effective business model, popped Norman a good one on the nose and said "fat chance buddy, you're paying for this thing now." |
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Joined:
December 2011
Posts: 8
Location: Southern California | I have a Seagull 25th Anniversary which is a solid wood guitar with bearclaw spruce top and mahogany back and sides like their upper end Maritime series and it sounds great. If you don't mind the bigger neck I would go for a seagull over a lot of other guitars in their price range. Like others have said, pretty underrated guitars. They are made in Canada and it came setup pretty well too |
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Seagull? Not bad.