Seagull Guitars
 

I'm curious to hear what you guys think about Seagull Guitars and how they compare to Taylor. My personal opinion is that they aren't quite as bright, but still full. I kinda like 'em, but they aren't as clean and nice as Taylor. What do you all think?

I don't think that Taylor vs Seagull is a comparison that you can seriously make. It's apples vs oranges. Seagull is a good guitar in it's respective niche but if you were to do an a/b comparison side by side you would not play the Seagull for very long.

CaptBill is correct, they're different classes. My Seagull has seen hardly any daylight since I got my Taylor 6 weeks ago.

The Seagull has a solid top, laminated back & sides. (I think the Artist series might have solid back & sides, but I'm not sure, and haven't actually seen many of them.) They also have bolt on necks, but not like the sophisticated Taylor NT neck. Fit and finish are nowhere near as nice as an entry-level Taylor. Shorter scale on the Seagull.

I bought my Taylor after a luthier said the Seagull wasn't worth fixing. The saddle had been located a smidge too close to the neck, and as the neck settled in, the intonation went significantly sharp. I'd bet there's hardly a Taylor out there where the bridge/saddle was measured wrong.

Lest you think I'm down on Seagull's, let me say I still like them. Nice full tone, strong bass. Rather "fundamental" in tone, at least the cedar ones I've played. My solid cedar top took some significant cosmetic abuse, but aged nicely in tone. I could play it without thinking, which I can't yet do with my Taylor. Excellent Baggs electronics options.

In the end, you get what you pay for. And I think Seagulls are hard to beat in their price category. Seagull represents an entry-level line (Artist models may be 'mid-tier', semi-pro quality.) Taylor represents the top of the line among factory-built guitars (IMO.) I like my Taylor, but probably wouldn't have been willing to pay any more than I did for it; I think they're nearing the limits of their price points. On the other hand, I think Seagulls are a bargain in their price range, and would be willing to buy one even if their prices went up. So in that sense, I think Seagulls have more bang-for-the-buck value than Taylors, which is very different from saying they're as good as Taylors.

If you look at a spruce/rosewood Seagull Artist, you're in the Taylor 300/400 price range. I think that depending on what you like, it wouldn't be unreasonable to go with the Seagull. I'd still prefer the Taylor, especially with their reputation for quality and customer service.

~ Paul

Hi Chris -

It certainly isn't fair to compare Seagulls to Taylors. The most commonly found Seagull models (the S6 and M6 series) are generally in the lower price range (<$500). The cheapest Taylor (except for the Big Baby) starts around $700-$800.

However, if you've only got $300-$500 to spend, you can't go wrong with the Seagull.
I personally have a Seagull S6 Mahogany (I think it's renamed the M6) which has a great sound like Paul describes. It has solid spruce top. It does have laminated back and sides but I think they use a solid wood laminate rather than chip filler for the center layer. The strong, punchy bass has improved considerably over the years. I get a lot of compliments on the tone, even from Taylor owners.

On a different forum you mentioned that you have a percussive strumming style...I play the same way and the Seagull really works well for that. I think maybe the shorter scale length on the Seagull gives the strings less tension so you can get that palm mute/string slap sound easily.

So anyways, even though now I have a high end Taylor, I still love my Seagull which has held up fine over the past 4 years (even played out once or twice a week). Don't hesitate to get one if you only have $400 to spend on a guitar.

Ken

ps. The Big Baby is also in that price range, but is probably not what you're looking for.