Seagull Pro Flame Maple Cutaway

I bought my Seagull used in 98 from a pawnshop. It was fairly new so I'm guessing it is a 97 or 98. It has a lacquered solid spruce top, laminated maple sides, and an absolutely gorgeous 3 piece flame maple back. The bolt-on neck is mahogany and is wide-1 13/16 inches. Tuners aren't marked but look to be similiar to what Gotoh builds. They have white, pearloid buttons. The guitar stays in tune while I'm playing, but requires tuning after a few days in the case. The saddle and nut are made from micarta. As with a lot of the guitars coming out of LaSiDo, a Canadian company that produces Godin, Art & Luthier, Simon & Patrick, this guitar doesn't have much for fret markers, just small dots on the top of the fretboard. I installed a LR Baggs Active Ibeam pickup in the guitar. The guitar came with a hardshell case.

This guitar had a very bright sound when I bought it and buzzed because the neck had humped where it joins the body. Humidifying the guitar helped considerably, but I did have to file very lightly the two frets where the neck joins the body. I have this set up so that it plays as easily as my electrics. I do get some light buzzing on the bass strings if I flatpick real hard. This guitar is a finger picker's delight. The wide neck combined with its full, balanced sound produces a beautiful tone. As the guitar has aged, it has developed a deeper, more resonant tone. I play it though a Peavey KB/A 50 acoustic amp in a gospel group and it sounds great. At home I play it through an Airline 9001B tube practice amp and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. (See my review of the Airline under the amp column.) After playing my Gibsons with their 1 11/16 slim necks, I have to fight this guitar but I'm willing to do so because of its tone. I play country, country-rock, and blues. This does all of them well.

This guitar looks to be very well made with great attention paid to glueing, fitting, and finish. The pickguard is a black stick-on. I should have ordered a clear one to put on it. I talked to the first owner (he traded this for a collector's edition Ovation because he didn't like the wide neck) and he told me that the finish crack and neck humping were not present when he bought the guitar new. My rating is for the guitar as I bought it. It does require a lot of water. I keep two different humidifiers in the case and have to dampen them weekly. I have a mahogany Gibson LGO that requires very little moisture.

I play out with this a couple of times a month. At every concert I've played, someone has come up to me to ask about this guitar. The lacquered top is very soft and dents easily and I've managed to put a few in it. The absence of a heavy, hard finish contributes to the fine sound of the guitar. I did add a strap button to the heel of the guitar. I expect to play this guitar for a very long time. Guitars come and go pretty regularly around here, but I think this one will be staying. If I take a backup with me, I take one of my electrics but have never needed to use it.

I emailed Seagull to see if they made a slimmer neck that I could bolt onto this guitar. They responded via email the very same day.
I have a Godin LG electric guitar that I emailed some questions about, and their response was prompt. No warranty since I'm not the original owner, but I don't anticipate every sending the guitar back anyway.

I have been playing on and off for 30 years. I'm still a beginner. I cut the end of my fretting hand ring finger off in a woodworking accident and took a long time off. I have been playing a lot again since 1997. I have a 61 Gibson LGO acoustic (nice couch, blues guitar but not even in the same league as the Seagull), 69 Gibson SG standard (awesome), 96 Godin LG (great blues, rock guitar), a Pan telecaster copy that I refinished and rebuilt, two lap steels, and a garage sale Hohner acoustic that I use as a campfire guitar. For sound the Seagull is the best I own. For ease of playing the SG is hard to beat, but I play the Seagull most. I play with people who own very expensive guitars and they all remark how nice my Seagull sounds. For the price I paid for it, I would buy it again. I wish it had a narrower neck but I'll live with it.

By the serial number, I would speculate that it's a 99 model. Solid spruce top, solid 3 piece flamed maple back, 3 ply laminated flamed maple sides. LR Baggs duet II pickup/mike, mahogony nect, gold/pearl hardware. No fancy inlays, subtle body binding. What type of features do you really want on an acoustic? Has everything you could possibly need.

As far as sound goes, when I picked it up, I was literally thrilled. The opening finger picking run to "Blackbird" had never sounded so incredibly full (to me). As it is a Maple, the highs shine, without a doubt, so I was very surprised to find that it has a bottom as well. We're not talking the warmth of Mahogony, but definately far warmer than your average maple (I have no idea why, or how). I played it for several weeks before I even plugged it in, and was floored when I discovered the "blend" control between the built in microphone and the bridge pickup, and then when I discovered it actually has a stereo output, and ran the pickup to a guitar amp, and the mic to a
sound system, ... whoa...

I've owned this for about 4 months now, and am still impressed every time I pick it up. It has a beautiful laquer finish, with the only flaws being the very few very small dings I put on the front, and the obligatory "Levi's rivit scratches" on the back. The action is set quite low, and surprisingly, even though I tune down a half step, not a buzz to be found anywhere. It plays like a dream.

Everything I've seen appears to be as solid as you would expect. I would think that I'll eventually wear the finish off in the vicinity of the sound hole, but hey, a little extra charachter doesn't hurt. Buttons, controls, tuning keys all without the slightest wobble. The only drawback I see (which I haven't run into yet) is that it "appears" as though you'll have to remove the strings to change the battery, which would be the ONLY reason I would bring a spare on a gig. Other than that, I have complete faith in it.

I did email them to try to get some information about the specific guitar, but did not receive a reply. Other than that, I have had no need for any type of support.

I've been playing for 25 years (damn I feel old), have a PRS Custom, Carvin DC135, Aria Pro II something or other, Gibson Victory Bass, an ancient Japanese Telestar Hollowbodied electric (some interesting sounds from that thing), and an Alvarez Jumbo A/E. I would without question replace the Seagull with similar. I've played 'em all at one time or another, and this thing just sounds awesome.

Flame maple sides, 3-piece flame maple back, solid spruce top, mahogany neck, high gloss laquer finish and gold hardware. This is one fine looking guitar. Finish is flawless, woods are perfect. Great setup job by Cotton Music in Nashville, as well as a good price. Fret markers are kinda small and take a little getting used to. Neck is wider than normal but I prefer them that way. Gibson players will like it, Fender players probably won't.

Almost overlly bright and cutting when new, really aged nicely blooming out and getting a fuller, slightly mellower tone (3 years old).

Flawless is all I can say

In 3 years I have managed to put one ding in it by banging it really hard against a radiator. Normal use has had no adverse affect on it at all.

Takes a while to get one, Seagull always seems to be behind in their orders.

This is my second Seagull and I would reccommend them to anyone. Great guitars for great prices. I would put this up against anything in its price range and most custom made guitars costing 3 times as much.

The Seagull Pro Flame Maple CW is a Canadian made cutaway dreadnought with solid spruce top, Honduras mahogany neck, compensated micarta saddle & micarta nut, solid 3 piece flame maple back, high gloss lacquer finish, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, 3 ply flame maple sides, gold plate tuners with white pearl looking knobs (don't know who makes them), bound headstock with inline tuning to minimize neck stress. Nice touch, the pickguard comes unattached so you can decide whether your playing style and personal taste requires its addition. The guitar is available with LR Braggs Duet II electronics but I decided to go straight acoustic with my guitar. My logic (if you care) is that the quality and performance of acoustic guitar pickups is advancing and changing almost daily and I didn't want to lock myself into a specific technology or manufacturer. Today LR Braggs is certainly one of the best available but I plan to have this guitar for a lifetime and want the option to change. Common sense says that digital technology for acoustic is right around the corner and I am a great believer in what will be accomplished in a tiny, inoffensive, doesn't need a gapping hole in the side of your very fine instrument, pickup as this technology unfolds. In the meantime, I am using a Shadow 3 way sound-hole pickup with the ability to blend humbucker, peizo and condenser mike. The only hole in my guitar will be in the tail-block to get me hooked up. The 8 for features is because unlike the products of other high end luthiers Seagull guitars come with minimal decorative appointments which is a strategy to keep the price reasonable. As example there is no inlay on this guitar other than the rosette. Even the fret markers and logo are silk screened onto the unit. In addition I am not totally satisfied with the machine heads used and am considering replacing them with a higher-grade product. Frankly the EF349C Tak which I had prior to this instrument had a smoother tuning action and I hope to replace that level of quality. If anyone had a recommendation for tuner replacements that would align with the existing screw holes, please let me know. This guitar is very plain in appearance until you look closely at the effort that has been made to deliver the goods where it counts. Quality tone-woods, quality workmanship and quality sound. The Seagull is very similar to other product produced by Lasido under the brand names of Norman and Simon & Patrick. The most significant differences are the shoulder is rounder on the Seagull and it uses a tapered headstock to maintain the inline tuning.

Fabulous sound. The balance of highs and lows is outstanding with sustain that is measurably better than many guitars costing considerably more. The Seagull line is well known for its great value at the entry level models with solid tops on everything they make. The Seagull PFM demonstrates that this company can successfully produce product competitive with the best when moving into their top line models. Sound is not something that is easy described and my base of reference was a laminated ef349c Takamine that is superb electronically and good acoustically. The Seagull certainly shone over the Tak but was also superb when compared to other more acknowledged acoustic manufacturers. In making my decision I spent a considerable amount of time playing high end Larrivees, Gibsons, Martins and Taylors. I also compared at great lengths to the other high end Seagull models and had no difficulty selecting this one. A suggestion.....when evaluating acoustic guitars, play them while facing a glass wall such as a sliding glass patio door. The sound reflects directly back to you and you can hear exactly what your audience will hear. Believe me it does make a big difference and makes the process of acoustic evaluation much easier. I play both a flat-picking and finger styles and this guitar delivers on both fronts.

The tone-woods on this guitar are outstanding. I continue to frequent guitar shops throughout my area and have yet to see a guitar from any manufacturer, at any price that has the tight even grain in the spruce top-wood that my PFM has. There is very little pigmentation in the top-wood of this guitar resulting in a very blonde very consistent finish with little colour variation. The Flame Maple back is beautiful and has a three-dimensional effect when the guitar is viewed in bright light. If evaluating this guitar at the shop be aware that the Honduran mahogany neck feels almost unfinished upon purchase but quickly polishes with use resulting in an incredibly smooth, comfortable feel. The 8 is because the fret markers are tiny dots which are silk screened on to the neck. Although I accept that silk screened fret markers are a reasonable trade off to keep the cost of production and ultimately the resale price down, the quality of the silk screening could have been better which is noticeable with very close inspection. The neck is wide (I think 1 ? at the nut) when compared to my 78 Telecaster but as I am blessed with large hands and fat fingers, the additional width is welcome when nut cording and playing finger style. Upon purchase and after a neck replacement, which I will detail, every fret was perfect with only minor personal taste relief adjustment. This is a very comfortable guitar to play. It even smells good.

Durability: A well-made solid acoustic guitar is not durable. They need to be treated with TLC that my Seagull will get continuously. The spruce top will mark and dent easily as it has a lacquer and not a poly finish. This is a necessary trade off to get a guitar that will allow its tone-woods to perform at their potential. The maple back on the other hand is very hard and will take a reasonable amount of abuse that I hope I never subject it to. Reliability: The guitar is new so I can't comment but have not heard any bad things about Seagull longevity. Undoubtedly the guitar will occasionally require setup, which I can get from "The Guitar Shop" in Toronto the first time for free as part of the purchase price. The upside of the Seagull, like other bolt-on neck manufacturers, is the setup can be generated by neck adjustment in stead of bridge adjustment ensuring correct balance, alignment and tonal quality in the other parts of the guitar.

When I purchased the guitar I borrowed it and a solid back Mahogany Seagull overnight to make a final decision. In closely examining the Maple guitar I discovered a hairline crack in the headstock between two machine heads. As I had decided on the maple, the obvious direction would be to replace the guitar with another unit which of course the dealer offered to do but as I described in the finish section, this guitar is quite exceptional in the quality of spruce top it has and the figuring in the flame maple back. Bottom line is I wanted to keep this particular unit and therefore asked the dealer to return it to Lasido for a neck replacement. I included a note to the repair luthier, both in English and French, asking that he have a close look at the quality of this particular instrument and select a top quality neck to compliment the body. The Seagull uses a bolt-on neck much like the Taylor and as a result the replacement of a neck is a relatively straightforward procedure. As it turned out it took a month to get my guitar back due to a communication breakdown at the factory. The service department forwarded the guitar to the factory for the neck replacement knowing they could work from a larger selection of necks and had the best jigs etc. to perform the surgery. The factory people authorized a total unit replacement and put my unit back into production as they assumed I would be pleased with a new guitar. Upon understanding my concern the people at Seagull searched for and located my guitar and arranged to have it back to me two days later. I'm pleased to say that it is in my hands now and is superb. The new neck is flawless and has been remounted onto the body with absolute accuracy. I made a slight adjustment in the relief of the neck as I like to use volume dynamics in my style of playing and sacrificed a little action comfort for greater dynamic range. In spite of the lengthy wait for the necessary repairs and confusion, which I'm assured has motivated a procedural change at the factory, the people at Seagull were very helpful in locating and returning my guitar to me as quickly as possible. My thanks as well to the folks at The Guitar Shop as they were very helpful in getting things done with the Lasido group.

This is a very fine product and deserves the attention of anyone looking for a high quality instrument no matter his or her price range. One might question the decision to provide a 10 rating overall when many of the other ratings were not as high but I bought this guitar for how it sounds and how it felt in my hands. The quality of my playing improved significantly as a result of the beautiful match of my physical needs to what this guitar delivers. I recommend it highly and would replace it if lost or damaged. For those reading this that are planning to give the Seagull PFM a test drive, let me recommend the following. Don't purchase any high grade acoustic instrument by mail order. Even if it is the same model from the same manufacturer the guitars will vary from unit to unit. Acoustic guitars are made of wood and no two pieces of wood are the same. Tone-wood is a variable in an acoustic and so are the cosmetics such as the degree of figuring on the back of the instrument. I have seen models from all guitar builders with a variety of inconsistencies in the top and variance in the degree of figuring in the back and sides tone-woods. I could have paid less for this model of guitar but paid a few dollars more and waited for the neck to be replaced because this particular guitar is the one I wanted. Take your time selecting the guitar of your choice and make sure you're totally comfortable with it. Unlike most things in life, a good acoustic guitar will improve with age and as you play it you're investing your time and therefore your life in it. The longer you own it the less likely it is you'll want to part with it so make the right choice, it's worth it.
PS My thanks to MYates whose review of the Seagull PFM can also be seen at Harmony Central, for writing the review that made me take a hard look at this instrument.

For those not familiar with Seagulls, they are made in LaPatri Quebec Canada (population 475), eh. Features include: Solid Spruce Top; High-Gloss Lacquer Finish; Solid Maple Back with Laminated Sides; Honduras Mahogany Neck; Rosewood Fingerboard; Rosewood Bridge; Micarta Nut & Saddle. Mine is actually from 95, I think, and differs from the one on http://www.lasido.com/seagullmaster.html as it does not have a pickguard, the electronics, and I think my fretboard is ebony. It may well be rosewood, but it's the nicest, darkest, rosewood, I have ever seen. (I'm guessing on the model, as I never had a warranty card or anything to designate which one it was. I has the same features, headstock, and materials as the one pictured on the above website though.) These don't have traditional markers, they are very small, and not centered (they are off to the left), dot markers. The tuning keys are unusual. Mine are an orange pearl sort of material. Which looks very classy.

It's a cutaway, that doesn't sound like a cutaway. If that makes any sense. Just fantastic. I tried every guitar I could get my hands on for years and was never happy. Every guitar with the exception of this one had a downfall in one of the ranges of sound (e.g. no lows, too many lows, no highs, all mids, etc.). I just rings, full, crisp, strumming, fingerstyle, whatever - I can't say enough about it. The bass is rich and tight - never 'boomy', the mids are warm and not overbearing, and the highs don't have that tinny quality that you find all the time - it just shimmers. Talk about sustain!
Every single time (and this is no joke) I have played with this guitar live, someone has come up to me after the show to ask about it.

This guitar is without a doubt the best made acoustic I could ever dream of owning (without speding $3500 or more). The action is right on, the wood is a joy to look at, fretwork is outstanding. The back of the Mahogany neck is unfinished (maybe just an oil finsh, come to think of it) which feels unbelievable. The flamed maple is just outstanding - from the country with a maple leaf on their flag! This is the measure of quality that all the big guys should take notice of.
You know how you play someone else's guitar for the first time and you have to futz around a bit to get comfy with it? This one, and other's I have played fit you like that nasty baseball cap you have.
If you match this guitar against any of the mass produced and even some of the smaller builders, it cannot be touched in it's price range or even $1,000 to $2,000 more. Folks that have bought their more introductory models (which are absolute bargains), can attest to the guitar for the money scenario.

I used this guitar live for many a gig, and it relished the duty. It never goes out of tune, the frets hold up well, and the finsh takes it well even without the pickguard. The neck is solid (not beefy, just a great dependable feel), and the guitar as a whole is well balanced.

Never had to deal, but I hear good things. I might have to use my limited French skills!

At the time I knew I wanted one, but was holding out for one with the LR Baggs system. Then I had to move fast as I found this one barely used and had a gig on the following Sunday. I pulled the trigger on it and had a Martin Gold Plus transducer put in it. I have never looked back. I was willing to spend up to $1,700 at the time, and nothing fit the bill. All the major makers turn out junk in my opinion until you break the $2,500 mark to where they start to offer a quality item. I have had terrible luck with Taylors, and had a buddy that has sent his back to the factory 4 times! Larrive's sound great, but the cutaways lose a bit of the tone to me. Cowlings, are the same story great, great guitars though. I still have no idea why anyone owns Ovations, but that's another question. Some, high-end Takamine's are nice, but vary from guitar to guitar (and you'll look like every other boob on CMT - does the country music genre have a contract with them?). Martins, Gibsons, are a bit dissapointing unless you plan to shell out serious dollars for a premium model, and then Lord help you if it takes a licking live. The only guitar built today I would replace this one with would be a Breedlove. Mandinga, those are sweet. Quality, playability, and craftsmanship. If you get a chance to play one of their mandolins, don't do it. You will lose sleep until you can own one for yourself. They built a better mousetrap! Anyhow, for maximum bang for the buck, beatiful tone, quality, finish, build, etc. these deserve a serious look if you're in the market.
Other glowing accolades can be found from the guitarmags on their home-made web site: http://www.lasido.com/seagullpressquotes.htm