Favorite Seagull model...

[bdw8]

What is your favorite Seagull model?

 

I've seen these guitars around but I've been seeing some nice prices on ebay. What model(s) is/are your favorite of the Seagull line? If you say like an S6, please state what top/side/back it is.

 

I'm a strummer, and distinction between low notes is important to me. Electronics aren't THAT important to me, but it's definately plus. I play acoustic-rock. Sometimes fast and hard, but also some slow and soft.

 

Thanks.

[EvilTwin]

I love my Seagull S6+Folk (solid spruce top, laminated wild cherry back and sides). I bought it because it projects so darn well, and it's wonderful for playing fingerstyle (plus it can stand up to being used with a flatpick without squawking...a common problem among smaller bodied guitars). It's a versatile guitar.

 

I really like the S6 dreadnought with a gloss top (same woods as the Folk) and the M6 dreadnought (solid cedar top, laminated mahogany back and sides). The S6 has a bit more clarity, while the M6 is a little warmer. Both great, just in different ways.

[catdaddy]

I've got a Seagull S6 cedar top with laminated cherry back and sides. I use this guitar primarily for blues finger picking and I love it. It has great projection which is important for me since I don't use finger or thumb picks. Its tone is not overly complex but has great clarity and separation of bass and treble strings. I've heard others say that a cedar top gives a very warm tone but I don't think I'd describe my S6 that way. When I bought it I looked at guitars costing up to $700. I bought the S6 because I liked it better than anything else I tried. The fact that it was $295 was just a great bonus.

[bdw8]

Awesome, thanks for the responses. I saw the prices on ebay and I'm very intrigued by them. There isn't a store around me that sells Seagulls, so if I go to purchase one, it will have to be off of other people's thoughts; I have no way to test one out.

 

Has anyone tried the other models? Like the Artist series or the other ones?

[catdaddy]

I did check out an Artist Series Seagull at one of the local music shops here. It was a cutaway model with a spruce top and flame maple back and sides. A beautiful instrument. It came equpped with built in electronics which unfortunately I didn't check out. Was a terrific sounding guitar when I played it unamplified though. It was list priced at $1100 but the shop was selling it for $895 new. I'd have been tempted to buy it if I didn't already own a Simon and Patrick(also a LaSiDo company) cutaway sprucetop with rosewood back and sides and Baggs Duet electronics. I've had that guitar for 10 years and up until '98 was gigging with it on a regular basis. A very reliable versatile instrument. The Artist Series Seagull was alot like my S&P in feel and tone. From the description you've given of the style of music that you are playing I'd highly recommend checking out the Seagull Artist series. I will add however that I'm a person who wouldn't buy a guitar that I've never played. Over the years I've encountered enough variation within guitar brands and even of the same model to come to the conclusion that there are "good" and "bad" examples of just about any guitar made. A great for instance was when I bought my S6 cedar(about 2 months ago). The same shop that I bought it from had an S6 spruce top. Whereas the cedartop was the guitar I bought and thought was a great guitar, the sprucetop was poorly set up and the sound was best described as muffled. The same shop also had a S&P S6 spruce top for the same price as the Seagull S6 sprucetop and it was a great playing and great sounding guitar. Same company!! If you can't try it out I'd be sure I could at least return it without penalty if you're not satisfied.

[bdw8]

Originally posted by catdaddy I did check out an Artist Series Seagull at one of the local music shops here. It was a cutaway model with a spruce top and flame maple back and sides. A beautiful instrument. It came equpped with built in electronics which unfortunately I didn't check out. Was a terrific sounding guitar when I played it unamplified though. It was list priced at $1100 but the shop was selling it for $895 new. I'd have been tempted to buy it if I didn't already own a Simon and Patrick(also a LaSiDo company) cutaway sprucetop with rosewood back and sides and Baggs Duet electronics. I've had that guitar for 10 years and up until '98 was gigging with it on a regular basis. A very reliable versatile instrument. The Artist Series Seagull was alot like my S&P in feel and tone. From the description you've given of the style of music that you are playing I'd highly recommend checking out the Seagull Artist series. I will add however that I'm a person who wouldn't buy a guitar that I've never played. Over the years I've encountered enough variation within guitar brands and even of the same model to come to the conclusion that there are "good" and "bad" examples of just about any guitar made. A great for instance was when I bought my S6 cedar(about 2 months ago). The same shop that I bought it from had an S6 spruce top. Whereas the cedartop was the guitar I bought and thought was a great guitar, the sprucetop was poorly set up and the sound was best described as muffled. The same shop also had a S&P S6 spruce top for the same price as the Seagull S6 sprucetop and it was a great playing and great sounding guitar. Same company!! If you can't try it out I'd be sure I could at least return it without penalty if you're not satisfied.

 

Great, thanks for this info. I have been looking at Normans and the other companies, but like the Seagulls, they aren't offered locally. If I did purchase one of these, it would be the first guitar I have purchased without extensive testing. I've just been hearing nothing but good things about these guitars and they sell for like $200 with HSC on ebay. I figured even if I get a 'lemon', at $200 it would be the perfect beater.

 

I'm not looking for a replacement for my Takamine, just something to add to the quiver.

 

Thanks a lot for the information. I found one more semi-local shop that I'm going to call to see if they offer any Normans, Seagulls, S&Ps.