Seagull 25th Anniversary

Bought this guitar new from a local store, canadian hand built guitar from the Godin family like the Simon & Patrick and Norman. Came with a gig bag and certificat of autentification.
Brigth gloss finish, not shure if it's laquer or what but it shines like crazy, redish pick guard, the head as laminated flame maple that gives a nice anniversary look combined with the golden keys and the little crest 25th limited edition. Got it before christmax as a gift from me to me.

Top is solid Spruce, neck is silver leaf maple, back and sides are from 3 layers of flame maple, and mine is abslolutly magnificient, the grain of the wood is perfect,fingerborad is rosewood. Mine came came with quantum electronics but some come with another one that i am nut shure about the brand, I chose mine for the sound and the look of the wood that was incredible.

It's a cutaway.
I rate it 9 here for the general look, the choice of head and keys, the color choice for the pick guard, this guitar is a beauty and brings me lots of comments. Lost one point for not putting more then one nut for the strap.

The first reason for me to get this guitar was the sound it delivers, i love high bright sound, the resonance of the 2 first strings in open chords, i play mostly easy song for guitar parties with friends on the deck or around a fire, the guitar is loud and projects the sound very weel.

Mixte with Elixir strings it gives it a warmer more full and bodied sound, the mix of the strings sound is excellent for me, a good balance between high and low. I tryed so many guitar befor taking this one, tryed all the normans and Simon & Patrick in the store, tryed 2 Guild, a few Takamine and nothing came close to that particular sound that suits me, the only one that gave me the same feeling is the Lariv??e of my brother.

I plugged it the 3 amps, on the little Kustom the sound was very good and suprised me. On the 60 Watts tube Hartke it was even better, but on the Marshall it was juste incredible, i tought about buying a real acoustic amp but no need for that it all good enough for me.

Nothing I don't like about that sound, Maple, Maple, Maple, love the sound.

Everything on the guitare was perfect about the finish, the action set at factory is a little high, i may go to the shop and make it lower a bit but it doesn't bother me really, the neck is a little wide, not from the fretboard but on the thick part, a little too round and gave me a lot of problem to do the barre chords since i was used to play my old 32 years Norman B-30 witch the neck is so narrow more like and electric guitar, this is where it loses 1 point but other then that, nothing I can say, this guiatr is juste to beautifull and the attention on the final look from the compagny is more then obvious.

8 months that I have it, one little tiny scratch on the back corner side that i have no idea how it got there and my son told me he doesn't know either how it got there hummmm if i juge on the "millions" of scratchs that he made on is Mahagony Spruce S&P I guess he as to be responsable for it... ;-)

I bring this guitar with me anywhere I go, I play on my lunch break outside, bring it to the woods, to friends parties anywhere and I always know I can relie on it, it is well buit by hand and very solide, banged it a few times and it never scratched, don't know where that one came from.

Build by the same who built my Norman B-30 tank, can't figure how it will not last 30 years.

Can't give an opinion on what I don't know, me and my son have 5 Godin family guitars 2 electrics and 3 acoustics, never had to contact them, so no opinion.

I played guitar about the last 20 years, started when my older brother gave me is Norman B-30, play for the fun of it, mostly to parties with friends and the most important, spend good time with my son jammin together, I have a Godin LGT, Norman B-30, my son as Simon & Patrick Mahagony Spruce and Godin exit-22.

The 25th anniversary is the only guitar that I tryed that made me "wowww" It is all that I wanted in a guitar except the wide neck like I said, but I got used to it now, wish it had a buton for the stape but it's ok I live with it and on the overall part i won't substract points for that.

If it got lost stolen or anything, yeah I would love to get another one, but I think they are all sold (limited edition) now so I would cry like a baby, and try all the guitars again and try to find one that would suit me. Tryed Takamine( expensive like hell for nothing), Norman, Guild ( very good but expensive and still liked better the sound of the 25th anniversary), tanglewood?? Not sure how it's write, fender( desapointing), Ovation (not for me), Taylor ( way to expensive and not better, the model i tryed anyway)

Anywhere I go i get comments on how beautifull it is and about the sound, they all tell me they love that nice bright sound.

One other thing that infuenced my choice, build in Canada, Quebec.
I would buy built in Canada/USA but not from oversea, make the people at home work!!!

Quality/price, can't go wrong! Juste love it!!

A great guitar from Canada. Quality materials, excellent finish, love the wide nut / fingerboard. Nice gig bag, 25th Anniversary documentation, and the electronics are excellent as is the built in tuner. Great for gigging and busking.

I'm a spruce / maple guy. May be a bit bright for some folks, pickup system does a great job. This is my second maple 'Gull and my 4th in total (the others are Gibsons).

Action a bit high, frets nicely dressed. Set it up myself and it works great either flatpicking or fingerstyle.

Never been an issue. I have found Seagulls (and all Godin products for that matter) very well made and an EXCELLENT value.

Responsive to emails but it would be nice to have a human to talk to.

Been playing folk, rock and bluegrass for +45 years. This is my second Spruce / Maple Seagull. I have never had any problem with my 'Gulls, and always recommend them to folks.

OH CANADA!!!

Nicely done high gloss finish. Results in appearance of quality. Don't be fooled! Under that glossy surface is a piece of junk!

Flame Maple
Godin I Pickup (put together in Canada with little thought to quality control)

Acoustic balance - fall off in the treble - 1st and 2nd string. Amplified it is horrible. Booming Bass & Mid Range and NO TREBLE even after the transducer was replaced and a complete setup was accomplished to include shimming under the 1st and 2nd String.
Conclusion: Miss Shaped Bridge which require additional funds to re-route and ensure it is level. More cost than what it is worth.

Besides it is under warranty! For what that is worth with Seagull - $ 0

Action from the factory is extremely poor. Seagull head of repairs states that all Seagulls are shipped with the Nut cut high. It is high indeed and needs to be corrected in a proper setup procedure. You can't just adjust the truss rod and play with the bridge.

Electronics are totally unreliable! It was in the shop for five weeks and they did not fix it and it is now going back to Seagull, which will be another five weeks or longer. It is great to have an instrument that you can't play because it isn't around and if it was around you would be ready to drop kick it out the door! What's worse?

Seagull does not respond to written correspondence via fax. They are also reluctant to take phone calls. Just try and find a Customer Service phone number for them on their web site. It isn't there! Their "Customer Service" people are nice and only contactable via email unless you come up with the number - Thanks Michel and Jimmy - but they are gate keepers and have little control over the outcome or resolution of a problem. They just state "We want to make you happy." Well, I want a guitar that functions properly.

Seagull does not represent the value for the dollar that you would hope for. Given the current economy and I am sure a slow down in sales of all musical instruments it would not surprise me to see Seagull / Godin begin to feel the pinch from those people who will not buy their instruments and elect to go with more reliable and quality products such as Taylor, Gibson, Takamine, Yahmaha and Martin or some other high end luthier. In all categories Seagull falls far short of their competition.

The music shop where I purchased it has some great sales people who are knowledgeable and want to do the right thing. It is unfortunate that they are hindered by one of their owners. I told him that if I had bought a $4000.00 guitar that I would probably experience a totally different Customer Service experience.

A local repair shop of 20 years who handles warranty work for Taylor, Gibson, Fender, Martin, etc. will not do warranty work on Seagull because Seagull has failed to pay for the warranty work they did in the past. What does that say about Seagull? I think it speaks volumes about the level of integrity in their business practices!

Caveat Emptor!

I have been playing for a number of years - classical and now steel string. Having spent $210 above and beyond the price of the 25th Anniversary model to get it setup and to try and correct the faulty pickup system / bridge and/or saddle on my own I am convinced that the guitar is just made poorly. Talking to their Sales Manager is a waste of time. Their head of repairs is a nice guy, but send it to him from the US, which is happening now, and you can expect a five week turnaround. Waste of time and money. At first they expected me to spring for shipping costs to them. Great!

Here is a response from a post I made on a forum that just about says it all (I have edited it to hide the identification of the person)

Seagull (et al) is a pretty strange company. They have access to and use some very nice materials and yet from guitar to guitar I never know what the quality is going to be. Our local dealer has carried them off and on for years. Out of a dozen guitars he gets, 5 or 6 will have some strange anomaly, poor intonation, bad neck angle, dead sound, etc. The other 6 or 7 will be outstanding guitars. .........."

I'll say it again: Buyer Beware If you are buying a Seagull insist on a proper setup prior to paying for it and then evaluate the quality of that particular instrument. As the gentlemen stated above and from what I have seen and experienced not one of their guitars in the same line or level is even remotely the same. They are really quirky! 50% of their instruments have issues! Do you want an infuriating experience. If so - Buy Seagull and it comes at no extra charge. Otherwise I advice against it!

The tone on the floor model was good and on the one I purchased a change of strings mellowed the bright sound to a more well balanced blend. It did not possess anywhere close to the tone of a Breedlove (much more expensive), but did hold its own against Taylor's lower end models.

There was a significant difference between the wood on the floor model versus the new one I purchased fresh out of the box. The store lost the documentation on the floor or I would have taken it as the action was far, far better. The fit and finish are very good to excellent.

Once I got it home and plugged it into a Shen ProLT I discovered it had zero sound coming into the amp from the 1st E string. Back to the store and what was found was a miss-formed bridge that did not touch the tranducer at the 1st string. Seagull thinks it might be the Saddle Transducer. Result - new bridge and I have been waiting for a week now for the bridge to be replaced and only hope that the action is as good as it was or better. At minimum, as good as their floor model.

Additionally, the action out of the box was very poor. So a new bridge and a setup are required. Solving two problems at once.

Found Customer Service to be friendly, but only available via email. They were somewhat defensive on behalf of their brand, which maybe I can appreciate. My intention is that they understand that "Quality Control" and "Consistency" in delivering quality instruments should be more than just a buzz word. A comment in a return email was: "It is indeed impossible to compare a $10 000 guitar with a $700 guitar! Just like a '59 Strat is not the same as a 2009 Strat!" I agree, but there are ample manufacturers with models that are more expensive that the Seagull 25th Anniversary Edition CW EQ holds it's own very, very well.

Seagull has a number of guitars in their Performance and Artist Series that I believe would have been a better value to me even at twice the price or more.

I own a Alvarez Classical that is absolutely superb, which I purchased in 1990 and a Seagull S6+ purchased last year. My introduction to steel string acoustics. If the guitar 25th Anniversary Edition were stolen I may replace it with the same model, but would be far more inclined to step up to their Performer or Artist Series. Seagull's quality in those to categories holds its' own extremely well in my opinion against instruments costing twice the price (everyone I play with owns Taylors').

If you are in the market for an exceptional value for the dollar, I believe that the 25th Anniversary Edition CW EQ should be able to fit the bill. However, go to a shop or multiple shops and try out every one that you can get your hands on. You will find slight differences in wood grain and thus something more appealing to your eye and you may find that one will have that magic touch. Additionally, you want to avoid running into the problem that I have experienced so play it through an amp. Shop with a critical eye to quality in workmanship, sound, action, etc. and try and avoid the subjective impulse purchase. You will be much happier in the long run!

Solid maple top
Three-ply back and sides
Godin QIT electronics w/tuner
Cutaway
Great big neck
1.8" nut width
Gig bag included

I bought this guitar from GC and loved how it played. I like the nut width - great for finger picking. However, the sound is WAY to BRIGHT - probably because of the Maple. In fact, the sound was so bright that the various chords didn't sound sound so various. Tinny sound, very little bass. I returned it and got the Seagull Maritime Cedar/Mahogany and the sound is awesome (think Breedlove).

All of the Segull guitars I tried are very well-made.

The guitar was set up nicely but it just wasn't for me. Again, it was built really well, looked pristine, but the sound just didn't cut it.

Also, in comparison to other Seagulls with the 1.8 nut width, the neck on this guitar feels like a baseball bat. I have no idea why this neck is so big. Great for wacking an intruder!

The best things about this guitar are the electronics and the included gig bag.

I didn't have it long enough to judge the durability. However, it looked durable and the gig bag that came with it was top notch.

I have dealt with Seagull customer service regarding selection of a new guitar and they were wonderful.

Seagull guitars are well-made (and not made oversees). You just have to play them to see which one is right for you.

I have been playing for several years. The Seagulls fit my budget, they're very well-built, and they make several different wood combinations. Again, good Canadian hand-built quality. This particular guitar wasn't for me but the Seagull Maritime Cedar/Mohagany plays and sounds awesome.

2008 model, High Gloss finish, smallish dreadnought style guitar, all Solid wood Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides. Nicely finished frets, excellent tuners. Very nicely done mid price guitar.

Rich, full sounds come out of this guitar, especially when finger picked. Using 11ga strings.

Came from factory with action way high. Some small natural blems.
High gloss finish is well done.

With all solid woods, i would think it will last a long time.

Haven't had to use them.

Excellent value in mid priced guitar. Buy it!

This is the 25th Anniversary Mahogany Spruce Guitar. Solid spruce top, solid Honduras mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard. Tuners are gold colored with creme colored tuning knobs. Small dreadnought body type. Hard Case was included, all for under $600. This is a quality instrument, at a bargain price.

Rich, full and balanced sound, pretty projective really for a small bodied dreadnought type guitar. I had my local guitar shop put on a set of ernie ball Earthwood medium 13-56's and they sound fantastic.
I don't like the fact that the nut was not glued into position, but that was a quick fix too. Another thing it should come with is a strap button on the neck heel, but that's subjective.

From the factory you could have driven your Mini Cooper under the strings cause the action was soooo high. But, again that was a quick fix at the guitar shop, it's great now after saddle sanded, and neck truss rod tightened up, which was very loose. Mahogany wood on the guitar was flawless, the spruce top had a few natural imperfections but i don't think that's gonna affect the tone at all. Overall i think this is a handsome piece, not as beautiful as my Gibson songwriter, but then nothing is....

This 25th Anniversary model is built to last, i'm pretty sure it'll still be making beautiful sounds 25 years from now. At least i hope so. Frets trimmed well, and the thing plays very easily, NOW !

Haven't had to use them, but the guitar comes with limited lifetime warranty...

Been hobbyist player for 5 years. I own various other guitars, both acoustic and electric 7 in all. If lost or stolen, i'd definately replace it, wish i could afford to get the S6 original too, it's the number one rated beginner guitar. My favorite feature of this guitar are the SOLID woods throughout and the PRICE! I think this guitar represents REAL VALUE in a mid priced guitar!

Finish: Gloss.

Body Style: Drednaught. Actually, Seagull's dred body's are a bit smaller. For me that's a good thing.

Tuners: Seagull.

Neck: 1.8", Hog neck, rosewood fingerboard.

Year: 2008. Canada.

Frets: 14

Wood: Solid Spruce top, solid Hog back & sides.

Not as loud as a Martin dred. However, I've owned it a week, and it's already opening up.

Great action, much better than the Martin DM I owned. Finish is wonderful. This is a wonderfully made instrument, and I don't have a single complaint.

I haven't owned it long enough to comment on how durable it is.

N/A

There are no reviews on this guitar that I have been able to find. I am completely happy with the guitar, and I am sure anyone else would be too. Yes, the price was for a NIB 25th Anniversary, and included shipping.