Seagull Artist Portrait Cutaway

Solid mahogony sides and back, spruce top, gloss finish, cutaway, QII dual source electronics, mahogony neck, TRIC case. Purchased from friend 2 years ago when he lost his job. Guitar was about 6 months old at the time. Dual source electronics has saddle pickup and mic and nice electronics cover plate (not plastic). Battery access on lower bout. Seagull inlay at 12th fret and on headstock. Simply elegant in appearance. Finish, binding construction crisp and clean. TRIC case light and functional.

Unplugged: the bottom end is tight and full but not as loud as my Blueridge. Nice midrange and highs without being too bright and tinkly. Very good presence when fingerpicking and plenty loud when flatpicking. Bottom end wobbles ever so slightly when whacking low strings a bit too hard. Soundboard response very nice especially when adding some percussive finger tapping.
Plugged in: Great low end reproduction, no mid honk and clean and crisp highs with no apparent "splat" when picking moderately hard. Adding in a bit of mic (can be done in or out of phase with saddle pickup) adds some very good depth to the sound and percussive tapping is a pleasure. Simple but very functional electronics. Really shines through a PA. Mic can feed back a bit at higher volumes but, most are aware of those issues. At high volumes or playing with the band, usually leave mic off.

The guy I bought it from likes his action a bit higher than I do and left it the way it came from store. Didn't take much to change it to my personal liking. Top and back are very nicely bookmatched, bridge is clean and saddle fits just snugly enough. Straight string pull thru nut to tuners due to headstock shape. Stays in tune with minimal effort. Neck a bit wider than my Blueridge BR-180, but not too bothersome. Actually like it a bit wider for fingerpicking.No visible glue marks inside and bracing looks clean and properly fitted.

Been using it for two years now and never had an issue. Truss rod adjusted a little bit twice during changing seasons but that's pretty normal. I had to add a strap button on the heel of the neck.

Never needed any.

Been playing off/on for 40 years. I have a Blueridge with a K&K and para DI. I have a Larrivee L-03 with a Fishman matrix and a newer Tak A/E. Even without using the mic, this guitar sounds the best on stage out of all the others. If it were stolen or lost, I would definitely look to replace it with the same.

I just bought the acoustic electric modle of the Seagull Artist Portrait CW. I bought a factory second, after looking at the price. Saved about 10% off new. The finish is beautiful, high gloss, and I could only find three blemishes about the size of a grain of rice each. Heck, I'll do that my first month of playing. Full factory warranty/guaranty. Other than the anticipated blemishes, the finish is amazing. The fit is what you would expand in a hand-crafted instrument. No mistakes anywhere.

I play folk music, gospel, country. I've been playing in a small group for about six years. We get together about twice a week, play out once a week. Pretty simple stuff. The mahogany back and sides with the spruce top provide exactly the rich sound I was looking for. This guitar was so nice right out ot the box that I play it almost exclusivly now. More so than my Martin special 000-16 acoustic electric cutaway or my Taylor 810. Plugged in, the Seagull and Martin are about matched. Unplugged, the small dreadnought size of the Seagull has more power than the auditorium-sized Martin, of course. Don't get me wrong, the Taylor is great, with a tremendous bright sound, just not the depth of the Martin or Seagull. The Seagull fits our performance style better.

This has the best action straight from the factory I've seen. Nice and low, though I lowered it just a hair for my style. The fit beats anything Gibson/Guild/Fender has turned out for years at any price point. The top and back are beautiful, the fit at the joints is perfect, the bracing nicely scalloped, neck fit perfect, nut and frets are perfect; I'd say you can really see the hand-craftmanship here. Argue what you will about what is and isn't hand-made any more, but the Seagull Artist Series has obviously been gone over meticulously at the factory before being shipped.

I haven't owned this long enough to know if it will withstand playing out pretty often, but I'm counting on it. It will be my workhorse for now. I have heard some different things about the tuners, but I like 'em, and they do a great job of holding the guitar in tune. Even after playing some of our guitar beater kind of songs... Need to add a strap button, can't figure why guitars don't come with 'em sometimes. this is a beautiful guitar.

I called and emailed before buying the "factory second" version. Got a response next day. Seagull technicians explained what they looked for and how they stood behind the "seconds" same as the "firsts" for warranty/guaranty. I talked to a couple of Seagull dealers in town and they said Seagull was the best for factory seconds. Still made me nervous. I'm glad i did it this way, but will see when it comes time for resale someday. Price was an object when you're looking at a retail of about $1,350. Saved enough that is was worth a few blemishes out of the box. And heck, I could hardly find them anyway. Had to get a high density light.

Been playing about 15 years, have owned a lot of guitars. Some I wish I still had, but over the years have bought, sold and traded my way to few keepers. Taylor 810, Martin special auditorium acoustic-electric, and now this Seagull Artist Series. I researched this Seagull quite a bit before even playing one, and quickly fell in love with the feel and sound. Neck is just right for my not-too-large hands, electronics are out of this world (if you haven't researched 'em look 'em up online), fit and finish are exceptional (see: hand-crafted) and the tone (already great) should only get better.

'Hand' made in Quebec. I know, I know, that makes it French. But give it a chance.

Before I get into this, understand that I bought it site unseen from an online retailer. I don't normally recommend this, but after playing Taks, Ovations, Martins, Yamahas, Parkwoods, and a few others, I remembered how much I enjoyed playing a friend's Seagull(different model) and took a chance here.

22 Frets, Spruce top, mahogany back and neck. Sides are a layering of mahagony/cherry/mahagony. It has a beautiful glossy-type finish(not too thick). The neck has a satin finish, although the headstock has a glossy top. Pretty thin neck for an acoustic. Very comfortable. Gold tuners. Tusc nut and bridge. Mine has the QII electronics installed (pewter plate, volume, treble, bass, and mic volume/phase). The fret inlay dots are on the top edge of the fret board and the 12th fret has a neat little seagull inlay. Came with a case(most of these are sold with the case, I think). I thought I'd be disappointed with the case from the looks of it online, but its actually not bad. I wouldn?t put it on a plane, but for most everyday travel and storage, this is probably the best case out there, in my opinion. Its lightweight, weather resistant, impact resistant, and comes with a shoulder strap. It also, to my surprise and satisfaction, came with an optional pick guard in the case. I'm a bit of a heavy picker. When researching this product I noticed that it never had a pick guard installed, but nope, they give you one with a super sticky back that you can put on there if you want to. It has no neck strap peg, but that is easy enough to install, although I just tie my strap to the head. A very big plus is that this guitar is insanely light weight. Very comfortable to hold for long periods of time.

Also, for anyone who is researching this guitar, it DOES have a battery box that is accessible from the outside, on the bottom next to the strap peg(Until I got it, I figured I'd have to change the battery when I changed the strings). For whatever reason, It's not shown in any pictures online. If there?s a Seagull dealer nearby then go a see it for yourself. (I didn't have that option. I bought this sight unseen).

I subtracted a point out of a single, simple personal dislike: I?d have liked to have a more typical style preamp with sliders. They do make one with the LR Baggs Dual Source, but its more expensive and harder to find. I bought this guitar knowing full well, however, what the QII looked like and how it worked, and I am happy with my purchase.

As an extra added bonus, this thing smells great. Opening the case is a joy simply for the smell.

I play praise and worship.

Acoustically, sounds great. I play with Martin SP's (12s). Has a nice sound. Boomy bottom and tight top end. Sweet midrange jangle. It is loud, but not overly so. Probably the mahagony. Playing up the neck is a joy. Every string sounds bright and full. It should age well(I've had it for about a month and a half, so I'll tell you in 10 years.).

If I have to plug it in to something, I use my Maudio Blackbox with a tube preamp setting, into whatever PA is around for me to use. Amplified, this dude sounds wonderful. Very responsive. Adding in the mic gives very life like sounds a expressions. The phase feature on the mic control is a great idea, and works great to reduce(not eliminate) feedback. Is it noisy? No, but the mic seems a bit hot and will pic up pick noise, singing, and feedback if you turn it up too high in live situations. But you already knew that.

If there is any bad point to make about the sound, its that amplified there seems to be a lot of highs. This may just account for personal tase. No problem though, just roll down on the Treble knob.

Action was perfect right out of the box. No complaints.

The spruce top of this is guitar looks great under the glossy finish. The finish looks wonderful, although there is the slightest hint of a scratch around the battery box, like the screw that attaches it there was scraped along the top.

Also, the neck joint in the cutaway has a bit of glue seepage. If I ever remember, I'll take a razor blade to it and remove it.

Also, as a negative, and again this may be a personal thing, but why does the neck have a satin finish when the headstock and body have a gloss finish? Seems weird, but OK.

Not perfect, but still pretty good.

Only time will tell.

To me it seems solid. The finish looks like it'll do a good job of protecting the wood.

No Idea.
Hope I never have to know, but, it does come with a warrenty.

I've been playing for 9 years. I own a couple of electrics and far, far cheaper acoustics. This is my first real, professional acoustic, and I am very happy with my decision. I wish I would have been able to play on this guitar before I bought it, but this turned out to be the best thing for me. Definitly the best guitar I've played on in my price range (after about 4 months of research and testing). If it were stolen I'd not be able to afford another one, so I'd look at some of the cheaper Seagull models.

Soundwise, it compares to just about every Taylor model I've ever played, and I've played a lot(I used to live -not literally- in a music store). Its got that same jangly type sound thats made Taylor famous. It compares to many high end Martins as well, only without thAT classic 'Martin' projection. For the money you aren't going to find a better guitar. Period.

As for the construction, yeah, there are a few flaws. But it is hand made. And it was hand made in North America. I guess if you can't have an american made guitar, Canada is a close second.

bought new in 2005.
21 frets
spruce top w/ mahogany back and sides
The Godin EPM Quantum II pickup system
-features a piezo pickup in the bridge along with a blendable microphone
-i can best describe the body as extremely comfortable...not to big not to small...amazing projection
-stays in tune great no matter what i throw at it...i do alot of lead work
-the neck is extremely playable great for any kind of typical acoustic stuff, awesome for finger style, great for lead (tapping even comes out amazingly on it)

i play pretty much everything. i use it for leading worship, playing with my band (jazz, rock, blues, etc.) its also amazing for my solo acoustic stuff.
unplugged it's got a great warm sound to it. really good mid-range and wut not. awesome lows and highs. harmonics jump out like its nothing.
the pickup system sounds great (i get the comment alot that it sounds as good as some of the higher priced taylors if that does anything for ya!!!)
its extremely versatile!

the action came great right from the get go. i use elixer polywebs-12 gauge.
i have had to do no adjustments to it. could be a little higher for my slide playing but slide still works great on it.

no problems so far. great construction

i have been playing for four years. electric more so than acoustic. i lead worship for my church, i play in my schools jazz band, i play in my own band, i also teach lessons

this guitar has a very balanced sound the bass while not over powereing is very rich with good sustain. The highs are articulant and punchy the mids while not scooped like a rosewood guitar still blend well without overpowering. I would say this is excatable in the volume area it is not thunering like a jumbo or a larger dread but it carrys enough volume for playing around a campfire or with other accoustic pickers in any setting. Gig? you beeter get it a mic or have a P/U installed. I play rock (classic) and some country with some occasional blues and this guitar covers that well. I think overall this guitar is going to please most any player

It is a stunning instrument to look at and it is fit well with nice material and craftsmanship very high end quality. The wood is very well bookended and the spruce top is colored well and fit well. the tuners are not name brand but work and hold up well and the gold trim sets the artist model apart from the rest of the seagull line. It has a gull inlay on the 12th frett as well as small pearl inlays on the frettboard that are offset toward the low E side. Very Very pleasing guitar to look at

I am going to stay on the safe side here.while I have had no problems myself I havent had it long enough to speak on long term durability of this guitar

I been playing for about 1 1/2 yrs long enough to make some music but not enough to be considered a vet player. I own an s6 seagull and a Gibson j100 xtr. If it was lost I would hunt the thief down and beat them into submission with a cheap chinese cardboard guitar (not ruining a good axe on piece of crap like that) but if I could not find them I would buy another and try to get it setup as good as this one.I compared to some taylor models and a tacoma or 2 and I played a larivee before settling on an artist seagull. The sound was equal to any and better than most but the playability of the 1.8 inch frettboard was the over the top fact here. I hate these epp cases I would change that if I could

Hand made in La Patrie, Quebec, Canada, 2004.
22 frets
Solid Cedar top
Built in stereo electronics: volume, bass, mid, treble (these functions actually have a discernable affect on sound)
Body: solid cedar top, solid mahogany back, three-way mahogany/maple/mahogany sides, mohogany neck, rosewood fingerboard.
Acoustic cutaway.
Bridge = compensated Tusq (compensated means that it each string is saddled differently to compensate for the difference in string size, Tusq is a form of synthetic ivory)

I play general rock, everything from Simon & Garfunkel to Slayer; blues, and classical. This guitar has a great sound for any type of acoustic playing. I tried out several Martins, Gibsons, and Taylors before being introduced to the Seagull line of guitars. Thank God I found out about Seagull before wasting my money on one of those other ones. Gibson can't hold a candle to this guitar in the sound department, sorry, it's true! And for Martin and Taylor, they make great guitars, but they are way overpriced. They make nothing that comes close to this Seagull in the sound department for the price I paid ($940 U.S. dollars).
It has a fairly bright sound, probably attributed to the solid cedar top, but the sound is BIG and full. I don't think this is considered a "jumbo" body, but it is bigger than a regular dreadnought.

The setup is nearly perfect. I would give it a ten, but there is a little buzzin in the A and D strings. It's only a few days old, and probably just needs some breaking in and tweaking.
The back is two beautiful pieces of book matched solid mahogany. I've looked down the middle several times trying to find a misalignment, but I can't find anything. It appears perfectly symmetrical.
The action is great and the neck has a very smooth feel to it.

I'm sure this guitar would do well in a live setting. The hardware appears very solid and durable. I've only had it a few days, but I'm sure I could depend on it.

Haven't had to deal with the company.
I bought it at Monty's Music in Phoenix, Arizona. Monty is dedicated to his customers. He told me that if it ever needs anything, just bring it in. I don't think it could get much better than that. Thanks, Monty.

I've been playing for nine years. I also own a Gretsch solid body electromatic, a Jackson Dinky EX, a Peavy bass, a Fender Performer 1000 amp, a Fender bass amp, a Yamaha classical guitar and an old Harmony classical guitar.
I did a LOT of research about acoustic guitars before buying this. I played Martins, Gibsons, and Taylors to name a few. Put it this way, for $940, those other brands make very mediocre instruments. This Seagull is a truly high-end, professional grade acoustic guitar. It is simply beautiful, both visually and aurally. It is completely handmade, and the level of detail is incredible. I'm glad that I found out about Seagull before making the mistake of pouring a ton of money into a lesser instrument with a more well-known name.