Need some thoughts on Seagull Choice

[Florida Bob]

Hi-

New here, but having read a LOT of posts already, I can see there's a world
of informed folks whom I hope will kindly provide me a little insight from their experiences with Seagull.

I'm in my 60s now and hadn't played for a good five years until my first grandchild got to be about three or so
and loved dancin' around when music came on. My daughter urged me to have some kids-song, sing-a-longs but I had sold my last guitar years prior.

Being a dutiful Dad, I raced out to a Guitar Center just to grab something inexpensive that made some noise.
Was actually surprised to find a great-sounding little Washburn with a built in tuner. I was actually kinda shocked by the tone.

Well........my young lad LOVED and still loves the 'sing-a-longs' and now he's got a young sister coming up as well. AND WELL....

I also started enjoying to play again but this little guitar has a 1.69" nut and my last guitar was a 45mm nut that I played for years.

My huge hands and long fingers loved and got very used to that layout. Ergo, I stumble now on the thin neck and often mute say,
the high E on an open C chord. (Part of that I know is also for having not played a lot but still, the picking part with narrow string-spacing
is tough for me as well. Old habits die hard.)

THAT...prompted me to look at Seagulls with the 1.8 nut because I have no need to drop the
kinda coins my old 45mm required and even more-so today. '-)

I'm just looking for a nice, well balanced tone, Acoustic Electric Seagull with a 1.8 nut. A little warmth would be nice too.

WITH THAT SAID...

I have a chance to pick up a 10 year old Maritime SWS QIT that's in literal MINT condition and was hardly played,
if at all for a reasonable price........OR.....I was also thinking of a new S6 with a Cedar top.

My last guitar was cedar-rosewood and I know nothing'll come close to that sound but I think cedar does impart more warmth and especially with age.

THE HARD PART about the MARITIME is that it's over a 1000 miles away and I can't play it before buying. Ugh!

I'm still intrigued though about the 10+ year aging factor and the "solid" woods. Not sure if that comes into play that
much though if the thing hadn't been played much, if at all. Are MARITIMEs that much better sounding or playing than the S6?

ANY THOUGHTS, insights, alternatives etc. would be GREATLY appreciated!

I've been SO FAR out of the loop with guitar buying, I truly need some
experienced advice. I don't want to spend any more than say $600ish.

I also thank you sincerely!

Sorry for the long post but needed to describe the usage history etc. I used to do a LOT of recording and
wouldn't mind laying a few tracks down again as well....beyond the kids' sing-a-longs. '-)

Thanks for any help in advance!

Bob

[FrankHudson]

Well as hard as it for you to say if you'd like a guitar you've never played, it's hard for us to say if you'd like a guitar you've never played.

I, like you, much love the original style Seagull necks width and thickness. Not everyone does, and over the years they've introduced more and more models that don't have that feature. If that's what you're looking for, pay attention to models you're shopping remotely as they don't all have that feature.

The solid wood series guitar you're looking at a spruce top I believe. There's nothing wrong with that, more acoustic guitars are built with spruce tops of one variety or another than anything else. I have an older spruce topped Seagull M6, and I like it fine. However it won't sound much like a cedar topped Seagull.

That doesn't mean you wouldn't like it. We can't tell.

Again, it's not to everyone's taste, but the original Seagull recipe of a good quality laminated cherry back and sides with a solid cedar top produces a very nice sound to many ears, including mine.

How much does age enter into sound quality? Not in predicable ways I think. Does my 20th century Seagull Folk may sound like it does because it's old and it's been played a bunch? I can't say for sure. It was used when I bought it. The "story" oft-told says solid woods will change with playing and time, but I suspect those changes are almost entirely from the top, not from having solid woods on the rest of the body. Others may have different opinions.

[guitar12]

Hi Florida Bob,

The Seagull S6 is very well thought of around here and not just in a 'Good for the money' guitar. They are really good guitars period. I think the cedar topped guitars sound very nice right away and would work well for you.

You can find brand new S6's (with and without electronics) all day on Reverb. That is where I would start if I were you. Many dealers there also have return policies that are pretty flexible.

Rob

[Florida Bob]

Thanks Frank-

I should have been more precise in regards to thoughts on the Maritime.
I was actually just looking for opinions from Seagull fans in regards to the overall sound of a Maritime vs S6. Whilst doing more research here, I happened upon a thread that didn't show up when I searched Seagull. It was a thread where a lad was asking just that. A couple answers helped.

I also read that older Seagull Maritimes (writer didn't mention HOW old) but went on to say that early Maritimes did NOT HAVE solid sides and back. The seller of the one I'm considering, who's a dealer of 30 some years, said his best guess based on the serial number was that it was made "before 2012".

Now that I've had a chance to do a slew of research on Seagull, just about everywhere online, I'm thinking it's probably best to buy one, new or used, that I can actually play. One can go crazy with fine points of EVERYTHING these days.

Now that I think more about this, I just don't know enough about the various sounds and neck feels of various Seagulls to actually buy something sight unseen. Were it something with which I was VERY familiar, well that's less of a crap shoot.

THANKS for your insight. Once the local shops get their inventories back, I'll go have a Seagull day...

Best regards and stay safe!

[Florida Bob]

Thanks Rob-

Yes, I'm liking what I'm seeing and reading about Seagull.

I had a look at that one video of the Godin Factory with Mr. Godin himself. THAT passion in his voice and expressions spoke volumes and that WE CARE 'vibe' reminded me of going to the Martin Factory in Nazareth, PA as a young lad WAY back in the early 70s.

I will DEFINITELY be trying out an s6. I like cedar. I saw a couple other Seagulls with cedar but had 1.72 nuts. However, maybe when I sit down and play I'll see it's just enough to get playing like I remember.

THANKS for chiming in and stay safe!

Bob

[Earl49]

The S6 is a good guitar - I've had one for a very long time, and also have other guitars that cost several multiples of its price. The 1.8" nut width ultimately gives you exactly 1.5" string to string spacing, just like most 1.75" nuts (Taylor, etc). Seagull starting making 1.72" slim necks just a few years ago, so watch out for that.

As for the underlying question, think of the Seagull S6 as a basic Honda sedan and the Maritime series as the Acura version of same. And don't get too hung up whether the back & sides are laminated or not. When it comes to tone, the top is the thing....

[500melon]

Bob, If you are in the Tampa bay area you are welcome to come play my S6.
just let me know. Ive had it for about 4 years and it sounds great to me.

James

[Birdbrain]

My first Seagull was a cedar S6. I just had an SWS Mini Jumbo in my lap. It's been year between them, so my memory of the S6 is less clear. But I never got the sort of bass richness from the S6. It sounded fine, but the SWS is another league. Like pushing the "Loudness" button on a stereo, the SWS cranks up the highs and lows.

Maybe the better comparison is my two Mini Jumbos. The S&P Woodland MJ sounded wonderfully sweet and musical. Chords sounded like a tightly woven blanket of overtones. But it was in no way loud or dynamic. Other guitars smothered it in a jam. Based on mine, a big-bodied SWS spruce/mahogany guitar has so much more power. It's a race car, compared to a luxury car.

You can't go wrong either way. I'd probably choose by body shape and neck specs. I wouldn't expect any SWS to have laminated sides- that's what the initials indicate. But laminated sides don't seem to bother my S&P Pro Folk, listed below. Maybe you should buy and try the one that's easiest to return. If that's not the guitar of your fancy, take it back and get the other. I went through three other Seagulls/S&Ps until I settled on my current pair of keepers.Compared to other high-quality guitars, they're a cheap date.

[Pura Vida]

Hi, Bob. As Earl mentioned above, the string spacing in a 1.8" Seagull is identical to the 1.75" guitars from other brands. The extra width is actually outside of the high/low E strings.

As for the guitars, the S6 with Cedar top and Cherry laminate body is Seagull's bread and butter. They have a really nice tone (warm cedar top, bright cherry body). Keep in mind that Cedar is soft and dings easily (be careful around the grandkids).

If the Maritime doesn't say SWS (which stands for Solid Wood Series), then it's possible that it's an older Maritime with a laminate body. There's nothing wrong with that, but make sure you're not paying solid wood price for a laminate guitar.

I've owned several Seagull guitars, but for whatever reason, I could never bond with Seagull's Spruce tops. I owned an S6 Spruce (Cherry lam/Sitka), SWS Mini Jumbo (solid Mahogany/Sitka), and Artist Studio (solid Rosewood/Sitka). I much preferred the S6 / Entourage and Artist Mosaic dread and folk models, all of which had Cedar tops.

[Robin, Wales]

Hi Bob,

I have a spruce topped S6 and my friend has just bought a cedar topped S6. Both are fine guitars. The cedar is a little more mild and even tempered, a lovely guitar for solo playing and different styles. It is a great all rounder. My spruce topped version is a cannon - lots of bottom end and top end with scooped mids. It is a great string band instrument but you'd really need a bigger voice voice than mine to comfortably carry songs over the top of it - I have to back off a lot when I play it solo. Both these guitars have the wild cherry laminate back and sides.

I got to play an S6 SWS Maritime that was spruce topped with solid mahogany back and sides a few months back in a guitar shop. I was trying out lower to mid end Martin guitars and picked it up as a comparison (it was cheaper!) and it blew the Martins off the wall in terms of volume and resonance. Now that's either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your use for the guitar!

I'm keeping my S6 spruce top because it is such a great string band instrument but I have a small bodied Martin on the way for solo singing. The S6 cedar would probably do both jobs.

[Florida Bob]

Thanks Earl.
The last guitar I had sold a few years back had a 45mm nut.
I have no idea what the string spacing was on it but will endeavor to find out
since the neck width and spacing was perfect for my larger hands and fingers.

And I agree in regards to laminate or solid when it comes to this price point. Heck, if it sounds good and is easy to play, who cares? '-)

[Florida Bob]

500 Melon-

Hey thanks for the offer!
I'm actually on the other coast but did live
down in Tierra Verde when first coming to Florida many years ago.
Put a LOT of miles on cars back then travelling I-275 to Tampa. '-)

[Florida Bob]

Bird brain.
Great info and suggestions.
I like your analogies. '-)

[Florida Bob]

Pura Vida, thanks for the info.
Yes, I hadn't thought about the SWS label.
I'll check that out for sure.

Interesting about your findings r.e. spruce-cedar.
My last "great" guitar was a rosewood-cedar from
the early 90s that I called Ms. Mellow. Gorgeous tone.

Yes, cedar's soft for sure. By the time I sold it, after years of
studio work etc., the pick had done its damage but not anywhere
near "trigger" status. I've had spruce/mahogany and spruce/rosewood
guitars and the latter did skew mellow and especially after time and opening.

Your experienced comments were very helpful...Thanks!

[Florida Bob]

Robin-

Thanks for your thoughts and experience.
Yes, I can see I'm leaning toward cedar.
Don't need the "cannon" for my applications and
I know what you mean by that.

Many thanks for adding some insight.
It helps considerably being new to Seagull.