Art & Luthrie guitars

fritz_monroe · #1 09-10-2007, 11:10 AM

I went to a guitar store for the first time to try out some guitars. I tried out several Art & Luthrie guitars and a Seagull or 2. These feel far better than the cheap guitar I'm using right now. I know the Art & Luthrie guitars are made by the same company as Seagull. The web page says that they use some of the same processes and materials as the Seagulls. The guy at the store said that other than the solid sides and back, the biggest differences are cosmetic.

Anyone have some opinions on the Art & Luthrie guitars? How does the fit and finish compare to the Seagull model line?

My original plan was to play with the cheap one for a couple months to ensure that I'm going to stick to the guitar. Well, after playing these guitars, that will most likely change. Even the all laminate Art & Luthrie felt far better than the cheap one. Amazing.

Sickboy · #2 09-10-2007, 11:19 AM

I would consider them equal. Anything coming out of the Godin family of guitars.... Norman, Simon Patrick, A&L, Seagull has similar build quality. I've never heard of any complaints with these really as the standard is generally good.

Sammy_L_D · #3 09-10-2007, 11:43 AM

Seagull has a few design qualities which do offer some advantages construction wise (biggest one being the headstock--the strings run straighter than they do on most guitars, so less tension is built up there), but they're pretty close otherwise. Woods, etc. It's just individual models after that.

Higher end Seagulls *do* sound pretty decent, but nothing I'd go for personally.

The whole Godin line, as Sickboy says, is virtually equal in build quality. Between each of the names, I prefer the A&Ls and Normans for individual models.

nataliejwong · #4 09-10-2007, 12:14 PM

Canadian brands.

I have a couple of guitar friends who've just started learning the guitar, and I've suggested them to start with Art+Lutherie guitars. They're good guitars, and I played a few. Seagulls are wonderful too. I have a friend who owns 3 Seagulls (but they're all the same model!). Weird.. but I guess he just loves Seagulls a lot.

You can also check out Simon + Patrick. They're quite nice too, or if you want something more high-quality, you can check out Larrivee.

Seagull Lover · #5 09-10-2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fritz_monroe

I went to a guitar store for the first time to try out some guitars. I tried out several Art & Luthrie guitars and a Seagull or 2. These feel far better than the cheap guitar I'm using right now. I know the Art & Luthrie guitars are made by the same company as Seagull. The web page says that they use some of the same processes and materials as the Seagulls. The guy at the store said that other than the solid sides and back, the biggest differences are cosmetic.

Anyone have some opinions on the Art & Luthrie guitars? How does the fit and finish compare to the Seagull model line?

My original plan was to play with the cheap one for a couple months to ensure that I'm going to stick to the guitar. Well, after playing these guitars, that will most likely change. Even the all laminate Art & Luthrie felt far better than the cheap one. Amazing.

The A & L's seem to be lower priced than the Seagulls. A&L's have laminate sides and back. Some of them have laminate tops; some have solid tops. The Seagulls all have solid tops and laminate sides. The lower end Seagulls have laminate backs while the Artist Series have solid backs. I would expect similar quality of build though.

emmonsh · #6 09-10-2007, 12:21 PM

i have the seagull s6+cwgt/q2 that is equal to my larry d03. the quality is amazing on the seagulls

fritz_monroe · #7 09-10-2007, 02:22 PM

Thanks for the opinions. I expected them to be pretty close to the same quality. This is right in my price range, sub $400.

I only tried 1 that had a laminate top. Even that one was far superior to the cheap guitar I'm using right now. All the others were solid top and laminate sides and back. I liked the feel of the solid Spruce top, but I really don't like that bright color. I think that the cedar models were more attractive, but didn't feel quite as nice. I guess I will be able to get used to the color.

nataliejwong, I checked out the Larrivee web site and there's nothing in my price range. The look really nice, though. Maybe if I stick to the guitar I'll get one of them, after all, I've read here that if I stick to it, I'll be buying many guitars in the future.

emmonsh · #8 09-10-2007, 02:46 PM

double post sorry

SNaP2it · #9 09-10-2007, 02:58 PM

If your budget allows it, I'd suggest going with a solid wood guitar. If that is the main difference between the Seagulls vs. the A&L models, go with the Seagulls. They are quite good guitars for their price range.

Sickboy · #10 09-10-2007, 03:32 PM

!! Don't buy based on the look of the ceder top! Buy it based on sound! etc etc etc... BTW, mine is a ceder top. Also, I would suggest that you get a top with a finish on it. Mine came without a finish and is loud as heck ( which is great )but since there is no protection, its scratched like crazy. That is the only thing I regret about mine.

Seagull Lover · #11 09-10-2007, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sickboy

!! Don't buy based on the look of the ceder top! Buy it based on sound! etc etc etc... BTW, mine is a ceder top. Also, I would suggest that you get a top with a finish on it. Mine came without a finish and is loud as heck ( which is great )but since there is no protection, its scratched like crazy. That is the only thing I regret about mine.

There aren't any Seagulls without a finish. Some of the cedar tops have a very thin satin laquer finish that scratches and dents very easy. This supposed to help the wood to breath and not inhibit the vibration. If you care about how your guitar looks get either the spruce top or the cedar top with the gloss finish.

Mr. IJaK · #12 09-10-2007, 05:36 PM

I think the whole Godin brand makes some of the best budget guitars around, however I do see my Norman as something I'll eventually want to upgrade from. Oh, and I like the satin finish; once I've played my guitar for about a half hour or so it just sounds huge, and it's certainly come on over time. Most of the scratches on it were there when I bought it (second hand), and they aren't that major. In my experience, such knocks are inevitable, and in this price range it's best to focus on how it plays and sounds, not how it looks.

fritz_monroe · #13 09-10-2007, 06:45 PM

I won't be getting it because of the look, I know that looks are pretty minor. Only reason I bring it up is there was a noticible difference between the solid spruce and the solid cedar. I'm not sure if the solid spruce had the gloss finish or was only available in the satin finish.

Budget does not allow for all solid wood. The Seagull was laminate sides and back also. Much of the difference between the Seagull and A&L did seem cosmetic. The Seagull felt good, but there didn't seem to be much difference between them, at least in feel.

Seagull Lover · #14 09-10-2007, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fritz_monroe

Budget does not allow for all solid wood. The Seagull was laminate sides and back also. Much of the difference between the Seagull and A&L did seem cosmetic. The Seagull felt good, but there didn't seem to be much difference between them, at least in feel.

I would make sure you at least get a solid top; that is where the solid wood will benefit the sound the most. Bear in mind that the sound of the solid top will improve with playing time.

fritz_monroe · #15 09-11-2007, 11:51 AM

Rest assured, I'm looking at nothing but solid top.

Stopped by a couple more stores today. I played more Godin guitars, a couple Yamahas and Ibanez, and a Taylor. The Taylor was a bit above my price range, but it felt nice. I narrowed the field down to the Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo and the Yamaha FG730S. I'm leaning towards the Seagull, but the Art & Lutherie is close second. I wish I could find a store that has both models in stock.

I still have a couple stores in the area to try out. I have yet to try a Washburn or their other lines.

I'd prefer dealing with a small local store, but I got the best service in Guitar Center. They are the only ones that had the Entourage in stock for me to try. One of the small places seemed to want me to buy the Entourage without even trying it.