NGD- Seagull MJ CW GT Qll, PDQ

[Birdbrain]

Today was one of the quickest and most impulsive buys I've made. But it was a Craigslist deal, so there was no point in sleeping on it, like I usually do.

Listed as a Seagull Maritime Mini Jumbo CW GT Qll, it showed up in a case, that was good! And it was a cedar top, that's better. To confirm the specs, I tape measured the neck and got that magic formula, 25.75" x 1.8." It looked good all around, with a light gloss on the top and matte hog back and sides, just one nick to certify the cedar top. And yes, that's the fabled Qll system, as listed. Wonder if it works? There was no battery, of course, but I thought to being a fresh one. And though we were in a Starbucks parking lot, I'd brought my Boss amp and plugged it into the AC outlet my plug-in hybrid car.

The pickup made noises- that's important, since replacement parts are unavailable. If it fails, the ovoid shape will make an attractive soundport. They weren't good noises, because the blackened strings were so old and gross that they were untunable. The nut was cut too deep, with the strings laying flat across the first fret.

(P.S.- Now it's back from the shop and it plays like a dream. The Qll pickup seems tricky, and oversensitive to my squeaky fingers, but with the treble rolled back and the mike turned up relative to the piezo, it's the best amplified acoustic I've got. Very woody and acoustic sounding, with crispness from bass to treble.))

The seller told me that his wife spotted this in a thrift store. I never see nice guitars there, but his good luck was my gain. He didn't play, and was just flipping it. I gave $380, which probably left him with a large profit, while I saved about half the median Reverb price.

I'm not sure where this fits among my three Mini & Little Jumbos. The Tacoma limited edition isn't going anywhere, since it's virtually impossible to replace. I'll give this one a few months to compete for my attention with my SWS MJ and my Pro Folk.

[Wellington]

Cool, interested in seeing pictures, always nice when you snag a deal, I pretty well never have, perils of living where I live. Looks like you're very familiar with Godin, so you know what you're getting.

[Birdbrain]

Shopping among strangers can seem risky, I know. I once bought a Simon & Patrick (on St. Patrick's Day!) at a machine shop/junkyard in a section of town called Commerce City, which is as lovely as that that implies. The seller turned out to be a gracious and friendly middle-aged female dirt bike racer, and the guitar was pristine. Now I try to meet people at a public place, though.

[cyberdog]

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

And what did GT stand for? (It's a 2007.)

AFAIK that would be Gloss Top. Enjoy your new Seagull

[marty bradbury]

Sounds like a nice guitar!

[Perchman]

Those Seagull mini jumbos are very cool. I’m sorry they quit making the basic Entourage version. Cedar top with laminated cherry back and sides. Huge sound for its size. I played 3 different ones and they were very consistent. Enjoy your purchase!!

[Pura Vida]

Congrats!

As mentioned, GT = Gloss Top

As for the QII system, I think they're great pickups, so glad you got one! I owned three of them, all Artist models. The volume, bass, and treble are self-explanatory and operate from low-to-high (as you would expect).

But the mic dial confuses a lot of people b/c it's actually a two-way blending dial. Center position is UST only (no second mic), and all the way left or right is 100% mic (no UST). It's blended in between left and center, and it's blended between right and center... the difference being in phase or out of phase, which can affect the sound you desire, as well its susceptibility to feedback.

Hope this helps!

[personatech]

Cool! There's one on Reverb I'm keeping an eye on!

However... 25.75" scale?? I thought those were 24.84".

[Birdbrain]

Originally Posted by personatech

Cool! There's one on Reverb I'm keeping an eye on!

However... 25.75" scale?? I thought those were 24.84".

Not being trained in that measurement, I used the midpoint of the bridge. Are you supposed to use the long side of it, by the low E?

[personatech]

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

Not being trained in that measurement, I used the midpoint of the bridge. Are you supposed to use the long side of it, by the low E?

From the base of the nut to the middle of the 12th fret, then multiply by 2.