high end seagull

[Daveyo]

I really like the seagull line
Just wondering if anyone plays one of their
Higher priced models
Thinking about an s6 slim myself
Dave

[Earl49]

I have test driven the Peppino D'Agostino signature model on a few occasions (including his personal guitar at a camp) and they are fine instruments. I have not owned a higher end Seagull, mostly because I already have too many good acoustic guitars. I've had a new S12 and an old used S6 for about 25 years now - intended as a beater / travel guitar - and that guitar plays and sounds way better than it should be for the price paid. Even though it is inexpensive, I would still be sick if something bad happened to it. My preference is the 1.8" neck, but whatever works for you.

[Ed66]

I think Godin does a fantastic job in producing some great guitars at a relatively inexpensive price point. I have two of the Artist series and both have exceptional tone, though each has a very different sound. One is Sitka/Rosewood the other is Cedar/Mahogany. There are a lot of really good guitars out there in the 1,000 - 1,500 price point, but Seagull is as good as any, and, in my book, beats some of the "major" names at 2x that price point.

[gitarro]

A seagull s6 was my first steel string guitar and it was a fine choice for that purpose. To this day (with the possible exception of an original schoenberg Martin whereby the parts were made hy a luthier but it was assembled by the Martin factory) it is the only factory steel string guitar that I have ever bought.

Based on that, I am sure a higher end seagull will be a good instrument to play though once you get into the higher end, there are a great many choices in the market to choose from and godin has its work cut out to compete with.

[Wade Hampton]

Back in the 1990’s there was a charter airline called Canada 3000 that flew between Anchorage and Vancouver, British Columbia during the summer months and offered inexpensive airfare. I would buy a cheap round trip ticket, fly down, stay with a buddy in Coquitlam, and usually buy a Seagull or Simon & Patrick guitar to take back to Alaska with me.

Back then there weren’t any Seagull dealers in Anchorage, and the guitars themselves were much cheaper in Canada. I’d buy one each trip, play it a bit then turn around and sell it, usually for a small profit. So over the years I’ve owned lots of Seagull and Simon & Patrick guitars, however briefly. I’ve also auditioned dozens, perhaps a hundred or so of their guitars at all price points.

Truthfully, in my experience and to my ears, the best-sounding Seagulls and Simon & Patricks are those made with solid cedar tops and laminated cherry backs and sides. I’ve played lots of their high end instruments, but I keep being drawn back to their humblest instruments. For me, that particular tonewood combination is what works the best with the Godin guitar designs.

Obviously, not everyone has the same perception, which is fine with me. It might just be that the solid cedar/laminated cherry combination is what works best for my individual right hand attack. But should you go guitar shopping and find that you like the sound of the most inexpensive Seagulls more than the all-solid wood Artist models, you’re not crazy and you’re not alone.

So my suggestion is that you go try those guitars without any foregone conclusions about which will sound the best, and just let your ears guide you.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Mike Sylvia]

I owned a S6 for a couple years, and sold it. It was a wonderful playing/sounding guitar, and I'm considering another. I'm now looking at the Entourage with Spruce top, and Wild Cherry b/s. I have given it a test drive, and "it's a wonderful sounding guitar". I'm going to GC today with son today when he goes off work, so I'll be giving it another rip. My son is looking at a new Martin D-28, or HD-35.

[Paddy1951]

I have an S6, one of the fancier versions with a gloss top sunburst. I very much like it.

In general, I think the Godin made guitars are a good choice for anybody. They are well thought out and an excellent value. Do try both nut widths. Mine is a slim.
IMO, they should not at all be thought of as beginners guitars, even the most basic versions.

Since you are considering a higher end version, you will likely get recommendations for other guitars in the same price range. Fair enough.

But follow through on your Seagulls first. Whether or not you like them is up to you and you only.

Look at other guitars if you feel the need.

Whatever guitar you decide on, buy it for YOU, for your reasons.

[Birdbrain]

I've spent the past five years working my way up the Seagull range. Now I have three acoustics, listed below. I'd like to thin the herd, but each has its distinctive merits. Of the two laminated B&S models, the S&P has the smoothest tone, with chords that blend beautifully. The Folk has a surprisingly loud voice, with bass beyond its size, especially since I has a MacPherson bone saddle installed. But it's my all-solid Maritime SWS MJ that leads the pack. It's the one I bring to play with other guitars. The spruce top gives it power and responsiveness, and its bass notes sound and feel much deeper. There's a subtle curve to the back- maybe that helps?

The SWS is probably the best guitar I'll ever buy (though I still long for a 12-fret). I'd need to spend three times as much, used, to beat it. And it would be hard to find Seagull's old standard of short and wide necks in other lines.

All I regret about my SWS is that is doesn't come with QII pickups and a bird mosaic!

[ljguitar]

Hi Daveyo

I've owned and taught students with Seagulls. I've played a ton of them.

The S-6 with the 1¾" nut (1.8" nut) is probably my favorite all-around good solid guitar. My least favorite is the OM sized Seagulls - never played one that didn't sound like boxy cardboard.

The absolute two best sounding Seagulls I ever heard/played were two different mini-jumbos, both with 1¾" nut, purchased used by their owners as beater guitars.

The pickup system was great, the acoustic sound was great, the action, responsiveness, projection, and resonance were great.

No Seagull I ever played (including a Peppino D'Agustino model) were in the same league as high end Taylor, Martin or Gibson guitars. But they were all under $800 new so I didn't expect them to be. The things that distinguishes the D'Agustino model from standard models is all-solid sides/back, and the 1.9" (48.26mm) nut. It's about like a 1 ¹³⁄₁₆ nut…not quite 1⅞" [i](not for everybody)[i]

Just solid performers.

As a teacher I was always happy to see students show up with a Seagull or a Yamaha. Both would be easy to setup and would last a long time with minimal care and attention, and both would sound good for the student till their needs grew.

[zoopeda]

I grew up with an S6. 20 years on it. Love that guitar. My dream was always the fancy version, Seagull Artist Mosaic I think it’s called. I was given a Taylor as a gift a few years ago. Then discovered Martin and traded the Taylor for a D-28. The rest is history, but I’d still like the Artist some day, if I can swing it. I did play one once, and it’s a cool guitar.

[Pura Vida]

I owned three of their Artist series guitars, which are truly a step above anything else they offer. I had an Artist Studio (Rosewood/Sitka) and two Artist Mosaic (Mahogany/Cedar) -- one dread, one folk. Every cedar top Seagull I owned was outstanding, including both Artist models.

I could never bond with their Sitka and Mahogany tops, and I owned several of them in different body sizes. S6 and Entourage Cedar w/ Cherry Lam are core product, IMHO. The bracing seems well suited for the cedar tops, and their "secret sauce" is the triple layer hardwood laminate -- three equal pieces of hardwood; same pieces on each side (i.e. cherry) with a piece of maple sandwiched in between.

[Ed66]

Maybe I'm just lucky. Apparently both Larry and Wade have had run-ins with some Artist Series guitars that weren't "top-shelf", and they've certainly played more than I have. However, both of my Artist Series were relatively recent builds, a 2017 Deluxe Cutaway and a 2016 Mosaic Element. They are both amazing guitars and (to my ear) are tonally more enjoyable and easily the equal in terms of build quality of big name manufacturers offerings running significantly more in terms of cost. Maybe Godin has been "upping" their game recently. I do have to echo Larry's comment on Seagull smaller scale guitars - they just don't do it for me. But in looking at Dreads and the mini-Jumbo sizes the tone quality is consistently good. In any case, as one other poster noted, don't pass up on the opportunity to check out some of the Seagull Artist options, you may very likely find what you're looking for.

[jcpharm]

if you can wait another month or so, Godin's line of acoustic guitars is coming out very soon so i would consider them "higher end" Seagulls since Godin is the parent company of Seagull.
https://godinguitars.com/acoustics/

[String_Theory]

I bought an artist studio back in 2006. It's been an awesome guitar. However I am selling it to fund a harp guitar

[jrodriguez]

My wife and I have two Seagull Artist series guitars in our lineup – both Mosaics, one dread and one folk. They’re both fantastic instruments with a lot of volume and sweet tone, though the dread is a bit bass heavy. We would have been happy to pay double what we did for them – they’re a huge value, but also stellar instruments irrespective of their price.