Seagull S12+

I bought this guitar new 6 years ago. 21 frets, solid cedar top, laminate cherry back and sides, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard. Schaller turning machines stamped West Germany. Typical dreadnought size, shape, and bridge. Satin finish. Medium jumbo frets. No goodies came with it. It has all the "features" there are in a lower price range acoustic. The premium Schaller tuners are the only exceptional point here. Better tuners are a major factor on a 12 string and in my opinion this raises this guitar's rating above average for this price range. Another big plus is the small headstock, it isn't top heavy what-so-ever, can lean against anything a 6 string can without wanting to fall over, and will fit in any generic acoustic case out there.

12 strings are a breed unto themselves. The usual genres are folk, pop, and country. This guitar sounds better than any cheaper 12 I've ever played. It doesn't have much low end but the treble chime is what playing a 12 is really about. With a pick it has reasonable volume for an acoustic and the cedar top has a beautiful blooming effect. A very "rich" sounding guitar. I keep an old Schaller soundhole pickup in it and with or without my Boss compressor pedal it sounds outstanding through an acoustic amp. I also run it through a EH Electric Mistress flanger on occasion. Really interesting! Think John Lennon's "Across the Universe" while smoking a bong. Terrific sounding axe.

All 12s play like a truck. This one is no exception. I've played better, but I've also played many that were worse. Takes some heavy duty hands to Barre chord on it easily. But overall it's very playable for a 12 string well under a grand. Factory setup was fine. Body woodgrain and finish is still very lovely. Plain, but very beautiful. The neck, on the other hand, isn't. Like most cheaper 12s it's a bit chunky. The finish is very rough compared to the body. Plays good, just looks rough compared to the rest of the guitar. This takes alot off the overall rating in this catagory for me.

All right. 6 years. I play every night. I play my 12s just as much as my 6s. This guitar has had the hell played outta it. It goes to picnics, parties, bus charters, and is played on the front and back porches. It's rode around it trucks, cars, buses, and has went out on a bass boat a couple times. It's been rained on (slightly) and as went from airconditioned bliss to muggy river bottom swampland misery. The sweat from the inside of my arm has just started to discolor the finish on the rear top bout. The rosewood fretboard has developed the finger "spots" around the frets that I play the most. Other than these minor things, things that any vintage guitar carries as badges of honor, this axe is durable. And those tuners! It stays in tune. Rare under the conditions it has endured, and very rare for 12 stringers under even ideal conditions. I don't gig. If I did, I wouldn't do so without a backup, but if this was the only axe I had to gig with, I really worry about it to much.

Don't know. I think it had a one year warranty, Been so long ago I can't remember. I bought it from a local Ovation dealer who was carring the line at the time. He said bring it back if there were any problems. There's never been any.

Been playing nearly 30 years. Love 12 bangers! Gear so far; 660 12 string and 360 6 string Rickenbackers, American Series Fender Deluxe Strat, Gibson SG Special. Acoustics; This Seagull, Fender NGD SCE 200 elec/acoustic, Fender Gemini III. Yamaha 300 BB P-bass. Amps; Laney GC50A elec/acoustic, Fender Frontman 25, Roland Cube 15. Several Crate and no name amps. Bass amps; Ampeg R50 and Crate B10. Pedals; Boss Wah, EH Electric Mistress, Boss comp/sus, Ibanez Echo/delay. Dunlop and Kyser Capos,(a must for 12 string players) and a Schaller soundhole pickup. The Seagull came with a Schaller strap button and I added another at the heel. I use Schaller locks on everthing. The best things about this guitar? The sound and the price. I was looking for a long time for an acoustic 12. I was really sold on a Guild when I came across this Canadian made beauty. The Guild had better sound and played a little better, and the neck was just as flawless as the body but...the Seagull was less than half the price. If I had the money I'd have every Martin, Gibson, Guild and Rickenbacker my eye or ear ever caught. High end acoustics are EXPENSIVE. For now I have to go with bang for the buck when it comes to dreadnoughts. The Seagull is a hands down winner here. If I'd bought the Guild I know I wouldn't have taken it out like I have this guitar over the years. You don't sit on a pickup tailgate with a $2000.00 acoustic guitar on a humid Southern Illinois day. You sure as hell don't drag it out across a lake in the backseat of a bass boat! Everybody who loves to play needs at least one guitar that; 1. sounds good, 2. plays good, 3. is highly mobile, 4. is no real financial lost if stolen, broken, worn out, or used as a boat oar in an emergency. The Seagull covers all that ground. It's the best "Feature" of all.

See the features at the reviews below ...
Give a 9, because it has every important feature a 12-string should have: solid top, very good tuners, compensatet bridge, no plastics.
It has no extraodinary optic like abalone inlays and gold hardware

This guitar has the tone!
Great sustain (very long)
A lot of power, can be strummed very hard.
Rich sound with nice overtones.
Good vibrations.

The action is perfect, i did not have to change anything!
No flaws, perfect neck, perfect intonation.
Stringsetting nou to deep, not to high.
Keeps perfect in tune.

I compared it very intensive with Cort, Yamaha, Epiphone, Takamine and a Martin DM-12.
The Martin and the Seagull had the best sound, but the Martin costs about 1300 Euro and the Seagull 350 Euro. I found nothing better on the Martin.

12 string Dreadnaught with cedar top and wild cherry back and sides. Very nice looking headstock that fits with the overall essence of this guitar. The Fort EPP case is so great it just may become a new standard in guitar cases. I gave this a 10 because it has the same features as any other 12 string. Simply an incredible value.

I'll try some common adjectives used in these forums: Organic and woody seem to be the most accurate along with chimey; very warm and very even across the strings. This S12+ just blooms as you strum it. The harder you strum it the louder and more comlicated the sound. I wanted desperately to compare this with the M12 Gloss (spruce top), but of course my dealer only had two S12+'s. I love the sound of a ringing 12 string and would probably have liked the spuce top better, but it was more money and more waiting time. I am very satisfied with the sound of the cedar top though. It is complex and beautiful sounding.

Amidst my anxiety I chose the one with higher action only because the bass response was slightly better on this one,(but not by much). In fact I had to come back a second time before buying it because the two guitars were so close I couldn't tell the difference which suprised me. The action on it right now is great. No complaints at all, in fact many would say perfect.

I'm think this S12+ is plenty reliable. I'm sure it would last a very long time. I only plan to play this sucker for a few years until I can afford the expensive Taylor or Guild 12 string of my dreams. For now, I'm totally pleased.

From the looks of this instrument I doubt I will need customer support. This companys objectives, attitude, and ideas are cool. Their products are an incredible value.

I've been at this for 20 years or so, and own an incredible sounding 77'Guild D25M. I've always wanted a 12 string and realize now that I waited way too long to buy one. The S12 just shimmers. The guitar even looks like it sounds; woody and beautiful. A twelve string makes you focus more on your pick attack with satisfying rewards. The Fort EPP case just rounds out the whole experience as it is the most ingenous case I have ever seen; the whole package is just perfect.

I spent more time researching this guitar than I care to admit. If you are considering the S12+, you can't go wrong. It sounds fantastic and plays better than any other 12 string on the market under $1400. Besides, you need a jumbo for the serious boom effect, so for now this dread will do just fine. In retrospect, I'm glad I bought the cedar top S12+.

Made in 2003 in LaPatrie, Quebec, Canada. The catalog says solid top cedar with wild cherry sides and back, the neck is mahogany and the fretboard is rosewood. Dreadnought style with non-locking tuners, don't know what brand tuners, but they have a seagull engraved on the back of the tuner cover on the back. Wider neck of course to handle the 12 strings. Nice Rosette design and pickguard.

AWESOME! I do mainly Contemporary Praise and Worship music and some folk music and really projects. No noise to it, very rich, full sound. Nothing to dislike in this category, this thing sounds great.

Action was pretty good from factory. The wood is matched very well. I like the tapered headstock, it gives the strings a straighter line to tune up. Only flaw I saw was a miniscule nick behing the neck where it meets the body. The handmade quality shines through.

I think it would hold up well to live play. It is cedar top, so it is soft, I'll have to watch it a little more carefully. Hardware seems very good. Finish is thin lacquer, which is part of the reason it sounds so good, but may allow for more damage than a thicker finish. I would absolutely use it without any reservations in live play. I only give it an 8 because of the cedar wood top.

This guitar is the second one I have that is from the Godin family of guitars. I was so impressed with the other one that I intentionally went looking for another one. I've never heard anything but good about this company.

Been playing for about a year. I own an Art& Lutherie dreadnought 6 string. If it was lost or stolen I would definitely get another one. I love the sound more than anything. But, also, the quality for the money you get from the Godin products. There were other much flashier looking 12 string guitars that I played ie. Takamine, Ibanez & Dean but none of them sounded close to this one. I do wish it had a pickup, but I plan on adding one later. As I get a little better I plan on buying an electric guitar, the first one I plan on looking at are the Godins. I like this company a lot!

2001 Dreadnought style with solid cedar top and cherry laminate sides and back. It has a satin finish, with a very attractive wood herringbone rosette inlay. LR Baggs micro-equalizer which is simple, but very functional. The neck is mahogany, with a rosewood fretboard and bridge. Grover style tuners with the seagull logo etched on the back. This is a simple, functional, well made instrument. The only deficiency is the lack of a custom case. An instrument this good deserves its own home.

When I tried this thing, I had no intention of buy a 12-string. I'm a strummer, and the sound was phenomenal. It projects more than any acoustic I've played. I had it hung on the wall next to my bed, and noticed that various sounds in the room would set the thing resonating. Made for some Strange and interesting acoustic adventures! I have a Taylor 355, and the Seagull sounds and projects much better.

I got a new one right out of the factory. The dealer never opened the box. The instrument was perfectly set-up. I thought the action on the first one (see below) was good, but the replacement plays as easily as most good 6 strings.

I'm very careful with my instruments. Cedar is very soft, and susceptible to nicks and cracks, but so far, so good.

The first one I got had a small nick on the top. I got a discount from the dealer because of this. Unfortunately, within a few weeks, it developed a crack on the top along one of the grain-lines. I took it back to the dealer, but was concerned about sending it back to the manufacturer because it still sounded so good. It started buzzing some, and I decided to have him send it back. He called me within 10 days to tell me that my new guitar was in from the factory. Amazingly, he then informed me that FedEx had still not picked up the damaged one from his shop. The Seagull folks replaced the gutar based on the dealer's phone call. That's service! I'd give them an 11 for this if I could.

I have several guitars, to include a Taylor 355 12-string. The Taylor looks better, but this Seagull sounds better and plays much easier. If both were stolen, I'd collect the insurance money, buy two Seagulls with a good acoustic amp, and still have plenty of change left over. This is the best 12-string I've played in any price range.

BOUGHT this wonderful 12 string guitar from Montys music in phoenix az

first tiem I played the guitar I knew I wanted to own it.

wonderful sweet mello sound well worth the money

it was set up ok,, I did restring it I did replace the plastic string pegs with WOOD...

This is a guitar you buy and keep for life.. it will only sound better its no martin.. but Its a guitar I played after a gibson and Martin...

this is a great company to work with...

been playing guitar for 35 yrs. I would replace this guitar with same
would love to have it with a pick up

This is a Seagull S12+, hand made in the LaSiDo plant in La Patrie, Quebec. Received as a Christmas gift from my wife, (including a beautiful TKL Premier case - I love dat woman!!) LaSiDo owns their own woodlots (cherry and cedar), and being a small Canadian industry, they are subsidised to an extent by the Canadian government. Add to that the the fact that they advertise only modestly, handle ALL their own distribuition, and know *exactly* where to "do it RIGHT" with a guitar, as well as where to cut a corner or two, and you have a company that is now world-famous for "Buick Park Avenue" guitars at "Kia" prices.
The instrument is made with laminated cherry sides and back. Seagulls have a 3-piece side and back made from three layers of *cherry* (most companies that do this use a much softer wood for the middle layer), and - their trademark - a *solid* cedar top. They cut only "natural death" cedars that average 850 - 900 years old (the logs are 5 feet in diameter). The wood of this guitar's top was growing 200 years before Columbus discovered America. My top goes from sapwood to heartwood at the (bookmatched) center line, and hence, has a darker brown strip down the center of the top. Many people would consider the guitar "cosmetically flawed" for that reason, but it looks fine, and IMO, makes for a stronger section of wood to glue the bridge to than would be the norm. Serendipity, as it were. 21 fret mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard, and the only 12-string neck whose profile I like as well as Taylors. Very comfy. Like the lion's share of Seagulls, it is finished with a thin, alcohol-base lacquer. Seagull calls it a "low-gloss" finish, but that is stretching it - it is a matte finish, period. Gives the instrument a wonderful, "earthy" feel - real wood against your hands - and it's philosophy is: curtail the resonance as little as possible. It works! This type of finish is not amenable to the slings and arrows of fate, though - if you own a guitar with a modern polyester lacquer gloss finish, you would find the Seagull's finish much more delicate. Body style is classic Dreadnaught - a bit wider in the hips, maybe. More slope shouldered than Martin, less slope shouldered than Gibson. The bridge and nut are Micarta, and just about the time this guitar was made, Seagull went to a compensated bridge saddle - good! The tuners are Seagull branded, but are nonetheless straight up-and-down Gotohs in nickle plate - nice job. Comes without case, but as I said, my wife got me the beautiful TKL case for it.

The classic Seagull sound - full and mellow, but with appreciable brightness. It's kind of a "trademark" with Seagulls - especially their 12's - that they are not the worlds *loudest* acoustic :>) The instrument is by no means wimpy, but a Martin 12 is a cannon next to it. It does not have a "Wow! - Listen to *THAT*" sound, it has an "Ahhh! . . . Nice!" sound. Seagull even advertises the instrument on their website by saying: "An excellent instrument for recording". Translation: "It's not terribly loud and boomy for a 12-string".

I am told that Seagulls come from the factory beautifuly set up, but my instrument came through Elderly in Lansing, MI, who always does their own setup on every instrument they sell. Setup was almost *too* good - calculated to make you love it on first playing - and I am debating on loosening the truss rod about an eighth of a turn - it is almost too low for good resonance with no buzzes, but as it is - you can't believe an acoustic 12 can play this well. Top and back are flawlessly bookmatched. Incidentally, the "+" in the model designation signifies that the sides and back are stained a rich brown - and very nicely. The natural color of the cherry (visible inside the instrument) is more of a butter-pecan ice cream color. Inspection inside the guitar with a flashlight and mirror shows silky hand-sanded braces, nicely done linings, *NOT A DROP* of glue slop, a large MAPLE bridge plate, and FINISHED neck and end blocks! The people who make these things really care about them! Fretwork is immaculate. The truss rod adjustment is easily accesible inside the soundhole right under the top.

With due respect to the fact that the finish is far from bulletproof, this is a guitar for the years to come. With normal good care, it should last a lifetime. Seagull strings it with D'Addario Lights, and recommmends them, but will guarantee it tuned to concert pitch with any light strings (.010 - .046). I always tune my acoustics a half-tone flat anyhow, because is suits my vocal range, so more's the better. Single (bottom) strap button is large and secure. Since few of us have the wherewithall to own *two* acoustic 12's, yes, I would trust it without backup - I have no choice! :>)

I'm told repeatedly that their customer support is great, but my only experience with it is trying to contact them through their website - I'm not impressed. My instrument came without anything like an owner's manual or "care and feeding" book, and I'd like one if it's available, but I haven't heard from them yet. Still, I repeat, those who have had to get in touch with them for critical things give them high marks.

I've been playing 35 years - acoustic and electric, 6 and 12, flatpick and fingerstyle. Instruments like the Seagull, 30 years ago, would have been more than fantastic deals - they would have been miracles. If any young (under 25) readers are looking at this review, you can take this to the bank: RIGHT NOW is the "Golden Age of Guitars", you lucky stiffs. I have five instruments, acoustic and electric, play almost anything you can name, and my 6 string acoustic is a Martin HD-28, so I know a damned good acoustic when I get my hands on one - hence my enthusiasm for the Seagull 12. If this guitar were lost or stolen, and the insurance compensated me at fair market value, my only choices would be this guitar or a 12-string Takimine with a LAMINATED top - guess which one I'd choose!

I bought this used from a friend so I have no idead how old it is. It has a ceader top and mahogany sides. It has nonlocking tuners, 21 frets(about 14 usable ones), rosewood fingerboard, and 12 strings. I'll give the features a nine because I think the whole thing should be mahogany.

THis is a beautiful sounding guitar, but it could stand to be much louder. I've been using Martin strings, and that helps the volume a little, but it should be much louder. I don't have a pickup for it yet, but I plan to get one. My favorite part of this guitar is the neck. It isn't overly wide even for a twelve string, and it isn't too fat or slim. Just perfect, I wish my start had a neck like this. The sound is awesome, but again it should be louder.

This guitar was set up for me by the friend that sold it, and he has been into guitars for 30+ years, so it was set up impeccably. I'm not sure how it came from the factory

THis guitar is very light weight, so I wouldn't get too crazy with it. In it's soft case, it has withstood a few drops, but none too hard. THe strap buttons work fine. The hardware and tuners are very sensitive, but they stay intune, and that is what is important.

Never dealt with them, they don't even have a website as far as I know.

Overall, I'd give this guitar a 10 because of the quality of sound and the perfect feel, but not the quanity of sound.