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  #31  
Old 03-07-2012, 01:57 PM
sleepyEDB sleepyEDB is offline
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Question The S6 is *almost* perfect for me...

Hi,

This is a great thread, thanks for the discussion thus far!

I have been playing for about six months and am auditioning quite a few guitars recently in search of my first. This will be my only acoustic for the foreseeable future, so I don't want to rush my decision. I have come to like the wider nut of the Seagull guitars, with the 1.8" nut of the S6 being my favorite. I love almost everything about the S6, but the overall size of the guitar body seems to be an issue. I am about 5'7" tall with a short-to-average torso and almost always play sitting down, which makes the S6 quite a handful. I can actually feel the guitar move when my left hand releases the neck to change chords. I think it is actually the depth of the body (4.9") that is the biggest hurdle, as other dreadnoughts with similar bout dimensions but a shallower depth don't pose as much of a problem as the S6. I would love to try the S6 Folk, but I have not been able to find one in person. If the S6 Folk provides a much better fit for me, I am willing to forgo a bit of volume/sound for improved playing comfort.

tl;dr: I am short and the S6 is a big, deep guitar.


With all that being said, I am wondering if I'm prematurely judging the depth issue with the S6, or if the shoe truly doesn't fit. Is the fit of a guitar something that you grow into, or is your first instinct usually right in this case? Is there anything I can do or adjust in terms of playing style or how I hold the guitar to make the S6 more comfortable, or am I better off trying to find an S6 Folk or other wide-nut acoustic?

Thanks,


sleepy
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  #32  
Old 03-07-2012, 02:37 PM
Judson Judson is offline
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As dreadnoughts go, the S-6 and other Seagull dreads are actually slightly smaller in the upper bout and shorter in overall body length than the average dreadnought (Martin, Taylor, etc.) and Seagull dreads are short scale to boot. Still, I would imagine that you'd perhaps be more comfortable with the "Folk" size Seagull, but you might miss the tone and volume of the S-6 dread. Definitely a trade-off.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sleepyEDB View Post
Hi,

This is a great thread, thanks for the discussion thus far!

I have been playing for about six months and am auditioning quite a few guitars recently in search of my first. This will be my only acoustic for the foreseeable future, so I don't want to rush my decision. I have come to like the wider nut of the Seagull guitars, with the 1.8" nut of the S6 being my favorite. I love almost everything about the S6, but the overall size of the guitar body seems to be an issue. I am about 5'7" tall with a short-to-average torso and almost always play sitting down, which makes the S6 quite a handful. I can actually feel the guitar move when my left hand releases the neck to change chords. I think it is actually the depth of the body (4.9") that is the biggest hurdle, as other dreadnoughts with similar bout dimensions but a shallower depth don't pose as much of a problem as the S6. I would love to try the S6 Folk, but I have not been able to find one in person. If the S6 Folk provides a much better fit for me, I am willing to forgo a bit of volume/sound for improved playing comfort.

tl;dr: I am short and the S6 is a big, deep guitar.


With all that being said, I am wondering if I'm prematurely judging the depth issue with the S6, or if the shoe truly doesn't fit. Is the fit of a guitar something that you grow into, or is your first instinct usually right in this case? Is there anything I can do or adjust in terms of playing style or how I hold the guitar to make the S6 more comfortable, or am I better off trying to find an S6 Folk or other wide-nut acoustic?

Thanks,


sleepy
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Last edited by Judson; 03-07-2012 at 03:10 PM.
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  #33  
Old 03-07-2012, 03:13 PM
sleepyEDB sleepyEDB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackville View Post
As dreadnoughts go, the S-6 and other Seagull dreads are actually slightly smaller in the upper bout than the average dreadnought (Martin, Taylor, etc.) and Seagull dreads are short scale to boot. Still, I would imagine that you'd perhaps be more comfortable with the "Folk" size Seagull, but you might miss the tone and volume of the S-6 dread. Definitely a trade-off.
Hi Blackville,

This is what I'm afraid of. I don't want to go ahead and get the S6, thinking I'll grow into or get used to it, and then be uncomfortable playing it when that doesn't happen. Conversely, I don't want to get the Folk (or other smaller-bodied) guitar and compromise on tone when the S6 might just need some break-in time. I realize that ultimately these are questions that only I can answer, but I appreciate any and all input.

I guess I'll just have to go camp out in my local music stores and log some serious playing time with the S6!



sleepy
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  #34  
Old 03-07-2012, 03:29 PM
mseso mseso is offline
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Well, sleepyEDB. I am from Europe and I tried to converse your USA measurements in our measurements.
It seems you are near 1,69 metres in hight. If so, than there shouldn't be any problems for you with any dreadnoughts. Many much smaller people could play dreadnoughts without problems. For example, Paul Simon. And women, without any problems. You said you play only for few months so it seems you use wrong technique for playing guitar. But, dreadnought is big guitar and you must hold it in hands - it is true for everybody regardless the height.
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  #35  
Old 03-07-2012, 03:30 PM
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Blueser100 Blueser100 is offline
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Gosh I guess I don't really have the typical "the dread feels too big" for me issue. I used to feel that way only because other people commented that my guitar looked too big. I am a very petite lady with not a long torso or arms, not the biggest hands, and not the smallest set of sisters upstairs (if you get my drift). The S6 is a dream to play.
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  #36  
Old 03-07-2012, 03:38 PM
GHS GHS is offline
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I really like the tone of the S6 too, but I just cant get past that headstock.
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  #37  
Old 03-07-2012, 03:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sleepyEDB View Post
Hi,

This is a great thread, thanks for the discussion thus far!

I love almost everything about the S6, but the overall size of the guitar body seems to be an issue. I am about 5'7" tall with a short-to-average torso and almost always play sitting down, which makes the S6 quite a handful. I can actually feel the guitar move when my left hand releases the neck to change chords. I think it is actually the depth of the body (4.9") that is the biggest hurdle, as other dreadnoughts with similar bout dimensions but a shallower depth don't pose as much of a problem as the S6. sleepy
See my earlier post in this thread -- I have the same problem with this guitar. It could be my lack of experience, but the weight balance could be an issue. I feel like the neck on my S6 weighs as much as the guitar body, whereas on my Martin, the body is substantially heavier than the neck and the guitar never tips down or moves on my leg when move around the neck.

Perhaps you need to try a smaller body type... like an OM or Grand Performance shape. I much prefer these now.
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  #38  
Old 03-07-2012, 04:12 PM
mseso mseso is offline
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Yes, headstock on Seagull S6 don't look impressive and many people told me that. Maybe it doesn't look serious or maybe it looks little cheap. But, because of that people are even more surprised when they hear its sound. Seriously, many people after or during some parties came to me and said that S6 have great sound.
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  #39  
Old 03-07-2012, 04:32 PM
budsy budsy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GHS View Post
I really like the tone of the S6 too, but I just cant get past that headstock.
Im the opposite regards the Seagull headstocks as theyre different to all others

i reckon theyre sexy with the pointy headstock .
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  #40  
Old 03-07-2012, 04:40 PM
vruscelli vruscelli is offline
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I always thought the Seagull S6 headstock looked kind of distinctive and have no problems in my perception of it. And I never catch myself thinking about the headstock too much when I'm playing.

And, too, my expectations of this sub-$400 guitar aren't such that I'm very critical about that kind of thing.
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  #41  
Old 03-07-2012, 04:47 PM
him him is offline
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Quote:
Yes, headstock on Seagull S6 don't look impressive and many people told me that.
That just goes to show how subjective all of this is. I really like the headstock shape.
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  #42  
Old 03-07-2012, 08:03 PM
bfloyd6969 bfloyd6969 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by budsy View Post
Im the opposite regards the Seagull headstocks as theyre different to all others

i reckon theyre sexy with the pointy headstock .
I like the headstock shape as well. According to Godin, the shape of it does serve the purpose of keeping the strings in a more direct straight line pull. I'm sure some of this has to be behind the tone of the guitar some...
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  #43  
Old 03-08-2012, 02:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bfloyd6969 View Post
I like the headstock shape as well. According to Godin, the shape of it does serve the purpose of keeping the strings in a more direct straight line pull. I'm sure some of this has to be behind the tone of the guitar some...
I think Seagulls are all about "function over form". They're probably one of the plainest-looking, most bling-free guitars ever, as far as their basic models are concerned. I like that
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  #44  
Old 03-08-2012, 11:37 PM
hotpocket hotpocket is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dominus View Post
To the OP. Did you find any finish problems with the S6 such as poor lacquering, or frets that were rough or chipped, or strings that fretted out a bit when used down low on the fretboard? I bought a Seagull Entourage Rustic today with all those problems which I'm taking back. I'm curious if this is a one-off problem or epidemic within this line of guitars?
No, mine came in pretty good shape. I did not buy the floor model though. Only complaint would be a sub average bookmatch.

Seagull's are usually built pretty solid. High action is usually the worst you have to worry about. I'd probably return it if you've got all of those problems.
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  #45  
Old 03-08-2012, 11:40 PM
hotpocket hotpocket is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by him View Post
That just goes to show how subjective all of this is. I really like the headstock shape.
Me too. It's one of the reasons I bought it.

@sleepy, if you're new to playing guitar it is most likely just an unfamiliarity with the instrument. The S6 is actually a pretty comfortable guitar as far as dreadnoughts go. Unless you are getting a lot of pain/discomfort you will adjust. If you really don't like the dreadnought there is a folk size model, though I haven't played it.
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