Seagull S6

[raf]

Anyone play a seagull s6? I had a chance to play one last month. it was the accous/elec model...very nice. I am thinking of buying one - does anyone know if the quality is consistent with them...Any comments good or bad?

[greytop]

Parent company is Godin. Nice quality affordable North American instruments

[colchar]

I own a Seagull S6 Slim (just a slightly slimmer neck than a normal S6) and I absolutely love it. Great build quality (every one I have ever tried has been excellent and being Canadian, just as they are, I get to see a lot of them), excellent sound, and an all around awesome value for the price. You simply cannot go wrong with a Seagull.

[Mike Eskimo]

Get a warranty.

That's all I'm gonna say.















Alright - I'll say more.

I check a certain vintage store's "incoming used instruments" section daily.

50% of the used Seagull's that come through there are sold "as-is" w/ needed repairs/issues.

50%.

These are at most 5 or 6 yr old instruments.

Some 2 or 3.

Besides all that - I've played them and liked them.

Especially the 12 strings.

Would I buy one ?

Oh - I'm outta time...

[colchar]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Get a warranty.

That's all I'm gonna say.



Alright - I'll say more.

I check a certain vintage store's "incoming used instruments" section daily.

50% of the used Seagull's that come through there are sold "as-is" w/ needed repairs/issues.

50%.

These are at most 5 or 6 yr old instruments.

Some 2 or 3.

Besides all that - I've played them and liked them.

Especially the 12 strings.

Would I buy one ?

Oh - I'm outta time...

I've never heard of any issues with them. I am betting that the majority of the ones you see come from people who bought them as a first acoustic and didn't really take care of them properly (ie. how many newish guitarists really put a humidifier in with their acoustic?). The 'as is' thing does not necessarily reflect build quality. if you take care of them, as you should any guitar, they will last you for ages.

[raf]

Originally Posted by colchar

I own a Seagull S6 Slim (just a slightly slimmer neck than a normal S6) and I absolutely love it. Great build quality (every one I have ever tried has been excellent and being Canadian, just as they are, I get to see a lot of them), excellent sound, and an all around awesome value for the price. You simply cannot go wrong with a Seagull.

Tell me more about the slim...also, do you have the cutaway model or the standard shape?

[Mike Eskimo]

http://www.elderly.com/brand/20U_seagull.html

[JayFreddy]

I like 'em. Most of the ones I've played sound far nicer than they have a right to, especially considering their low prices.

I haven't seen any evidence of fail-rates higher than any other brand in the same price range. In fact, probably lower failure rates overall... but that's just my experience.

I own a La Patrie Etude Classical and a Coastline S6 Folk Cedar. The Coastline S6 reminds me of a '65 LGO that I fixed up years ago and then stupidly sold... I'm not selling the Coastline.

The finishes can be somewhat temperamental, similar to the Highway One or Gibson Faded finishes. They are super thin, and don't tolerate abuse very well.

I recommend Seagull guitars. There's no such thing as perfection, but the La Patrie family of guitars are very nice.



EDIT: I was typing while Mike was posting. If you look at Elderly's complete list of "As Is" acoustic guitars, I think you'll find that Seagull is evenly represented with Gibson and Takemine, while Ovation is the brand with the most "As Is" offerings:

http://www.elderly.com/vintage/cats/ASIS20U.html

[Mike Eskimo]

If you're going to include Ovations in a group of guitars to compare to one you like, you're not shooting very high are you ?

I just conveyed what I've seen many times.

5 and 6 yr old guitars that need neck sets.

The age of the guitars is the big thing. Doesn't compare to much older guitars that need work.

You guys love 'em, I don't trust them long-term.

2 different opinions.

[JayFreddy]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

I just conveyed what I've seen many times.

5 and 6 yr old guitars that need neck sets.

The age of the guitars is the big thing. Doesn't compare to much older guitars that need work.

You guys love 'em, I don't trust them long-term.

2 different opinions.

Just to be clear, I'm not disagreeing with your experience. I value your experience and input here and elsewhere here on TDPRI.

My experience is just different from yours.

My S6 is from 1999 and the neck is straight and the action is low. My Etude is from 2003, it also has a straight neck with low action. Unfortunately the finish on my Etude is pretty scuffed up, but that's my fault... Played it with a pick too many times, then I tried to treat the body with lemon oil, which only highlighted the scuff marks. It reminds me that I do stupid things sometimes... But at least she still sounds good!



PS. I hope I don't sound like a shill for Godin. I purchased one of their electric guitars a few years ago, and while it played well, there was a strange intermittent crackle in the electronics. When I posted about my experience on the Godin website in search of a solution, I got shouted down by a bunch of Godin sycophants who told me I was either lying or an idiot, probably both.

I also noticed that 90% of the posts on that forum were complaints, and that Godin staff didn't really seem to have any presence there. They don't seem to have the best customer service, at least in my experience...

[OaklandA]

Tremendous value. A very fine playing, fine sounding guitar for the money. Till this thread I've never heard any issues with long-term reliability. Sounds more like an observation and opinion to me. So be it.

I've known several people that have had them for years including my son...no problems.

[Boubou]

Had mine for 5-6 years, neck is straight, would buy another one no hesitation, hard to beat the value for the price

[Boubou]

Originally Posted by OaklandA

Till this thread I've never heard any issues with long-term reliability.

+1
just do a search for seagull at the tdpri

[colchar]

Originally Posted by raf

Tell me more about the slim...also, do you have the cutaway model or the standard shape?

I have the standard shape.

I haven't played it much since buying my Les Paul (understandable) but I put new strings on it Friday to give myself a reason to put the LP down a bit and get back to the Seagull.

What, specifically, do you want to know about her?

[raf]

well, I played one of the accoust/elec S6 (cedar) two or three times in the beginning of May...it felt great, sounded great, and although I don't play a lot of acoustic, it really was the best playing guitar I have played for some time, especially in that price range...just curious what the general feeling was since I have limited experience with them.

[Mike Bruce]

I see lots of Godin/Seagull/S&P products at the lesson studio. They're not only nice to play, they're nice to listen to. The only things I've done to them is restring and one or two saddles over the years, no manufacturer faults, just routine maintenance. Coincidentally, I almost picked up a Seagull yesterday but the shop and I couldn't work out the trade before closing time.

Highly recommended.

Peace, Mike.

[Colo Springs E]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Get a warranty.

That's all I'm gonna say.

Alright - I'll say more.

I check a certain vintage store's "incoming used instruments" section daily.

50% of the used Seagull's that come through there are sold "as-is" w/ needed repairs/issues.

50%.

These are at most 5 or 6 yr old instruments. Some 2 or 3.

Besides all that - I've played them and liked them.

Especially the 12 strings.

Would I buy one ?

Oh - I'm outta time...

Interesting, as I've owned probably 10+ used LaSiDo acoustics (Seagull, Simon & Patrick, and Art & Lutherie) over the past 2 decades and never had a single issue with any of them. Not one single issue.

Not arguing with you, only stating my experience has been completely opposite of the music store you're referring to.

[raf]

All of you have been very helpful, as always. Thanks so much!

[Tommy Biggs]

I have a 1996 Seagull S-6 C.W.
It plays well although has never intonated very well - I've always had to make a minor tuning compromise on the low E. I've had it worked on by some very good pros. The Seagulls now come with compensated saddles, so are likely better.

After about 12 years the Bridge did begin to separate. On researching this, here, and on TGP, it seems to be a pretty common problem.

I can tell you i don't beat on guitars, but do admit I don't baby them either. This was an 'always out' guitar and wintertime gets dry around here. I do use a house humidifier, but it's very difficult to maintain 45% humidity. The fix was relatively cheap ($140).

You'll hear people say it sounds as good as some really great guitars - IMO it does not, but it sounds good for a lower priced guitar. It needed some maintenance, but nothing drastic. I like the neck a lot. It's made in Canada, which is a nice plus for me.
A good low/mid priced Acoustic.

[FMA]

Surprised to hear horror stories about Seagulls. My only experience is with my 12-string, which I've had for about a dozen years and is rock solid. Sounds great. Stays in tune. Plays very nicely.