Question about neck separation

[LiverpoolFC]

I just received my new Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo and it's amazing, totally love it! Upon close inspection I see a very tiny amount of space between the body and where the neck (shoulder?) attaches. It's less than a millimeter gap, and not all the way from top to bottom. There is a more complete attachment towards the bottom of this piece. I compared it to my other 3 acoustics and they all have glossy finishes and that area is covered with the gloss, so I can't tell what kind of attachment there is between the wood. Is this small gap normal? Acceptable? A problem? Need to be repaired or exchanged?

[tomana]

Originally Posted by LiverpoolFC

I just received my new Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo and it's amazing, totally love it! Upon close inspection I see a very tiny amount of space between the body and where the neck (shoulder?) attaches

I've need the heel pulled away a bit on 1 or 2 guitars thorugh the years but never near the fingerboard. If there's a Seagull service shop near you maybe no problem but since it's brand new, personally I'd ship it back to the seller.

[LiverpoolFC]

No shop nearby. The seller was an eBay store...

[clintj]

That guitar has a bolt-on neck and a very thin lacquer finish, so that may not be a problem other than cosmetics. I have two Seagulls and neither show that gap, though. How's the neck angle?

[LiverpoolFC]

Originally Posted by clintj

That guitar has a bolt-on neck and a very thin lacquer finish, so that may not be a problem other than cosmetics. I have two Seagulls and neither show that gap, though. How's the neck angle?

I think the angle is pretty good, no noticeable issue with it to me.

[clintj]

I don't see a problem, but a luthier could look at it in person and give you a second opinion or you could contact Seagull directly to gain some peace of mind. I can't see a gap on my two Seagulls, but there is one there apparently. I just tried, and I can slip the corner of a piece of tissue paper in there but not a piece of notebook paper. My S12 is five years old, and I think if it were a problem it probably would have manifested by now.

[freedomfarm]

I just double checked my 4 Seagulls, my mini jumbo has a slight gap like the one you show. I bought it new a year and a half ago, it's not an issue at all on this guitar, plays like a dream and the neck is secure. It's my best Seagull. My two folk models have no gap and a Cedar top S6 I just rescued from the local guitar shop has no gap. Personally, I'd send those pictures to Seagull (Godin) and ask them why it has a gap and see what they say. They usually respond within a day or two.

[LiverpoolFC]

Originally Posted by freedomfarm

I just double checked my 4 Seagulls, my mini jumbo has a slight gap like the one you show. I bought it new a year and a half ago, it's not an issue at all on this guitar, plays like a dream and the neck is secure. It's my best Seagull. My two folk models have no gap and a Cedar top S6 I just rescued from the local guitar shop has no gap. Personally, I'd send those pictures to Seagull (Godin) and ask them why it has a gap and see what they say. They usually respond within a day or two.

Sent in an email yesterday, hopefully they will respond tomorrow or Tuesday. I'll update this thread when I get a response. Thanks all!

[Diamond Dave]

If it's a new Seagull it does not have a bolt-on neck, it has a set epoxied neck with a mortise and long tenon joint. There is no epoxy between the heel and the body of the guitar, however--the heel is totally unattached. Since it's epoxied, that neck is not going anywhere and neither is the heel; if you like the guitar as much as you say, then I wouldn't worry about it. If for some weird reason the gap ever grew, it would be covered by Godin's lifetime warranty and they'd have to give you a new guitar since they can't reset the neck (easily or affordably, anyway).

[clintj]

I must have missed that change in construction. When did they switch to a set neck?