Seagull S6 Cedar Acoustic

Solid Cedar top, laminated Wild Cherry sides and back. Both the top and back are bound in a dark chocolate binding. Bolt on Mahogany neck,
rosewood fingerboard and bridge.Hand-rubbed lacquer finish. Otherwise all the standard S6 features are the same , I won't bother to list them all here.By serial # this guitar was made in 1991.

The sound is very open and full across the range, typical of the cedar. The highs are bright without sounding tinny and the low end is very warm. The guitar has nice volume as well.I enjoy a folk style of play , I don't do much finger picking but I do a fair amount of lead.
You can play this guitar for hours at a time and not get tired.

I bought this guitar at a pawn shop in Ottawa, Canada. When I first saw it the neck was loose so I really passed it up initially. I found out that Seagull uses a "dry" fit on the neck for sound and strength. No glue is used to attach the neck to the body it's bolted from the inside. The bolt on neck is not visible from the outside of the guitar and it was a simple matter to tighten it through the soundhole. The exchange rate for the US dollar brought my cost down to $110.00 US. The guitar was in great shape overall and as noted by others it had a fair amount of "pick scratches" in the area below and behind the pickguard from over strumming.This is an earlier S6 as evidenced by the top and back being bound as well as the Mahogany neck. The latest models have a maple neck. I'm sure those features were dropped in the current model as a cost cutting measure, so I feel fortunate to have found an early model.Two problems occurred right away, the saddle on the early models were not compensated so the intonation is a little off. I also have noticed that one corner of the bridge has lifted, most likely due to improper storage and humidity. I'll need to get that repaired and I plan to replace the saddle with a compensated model. The guitar is very well constructed and is fairly plain.

The guitar is very solid, well constucted with the minor drawback of a soft top that will most likely show more wear and need a little more TLC than usual.

I e-mailed the support staff at Seagull and got very fast and knowledgeable replies to all my questions. My advice is to find a good local dealer you trust as Seagull does not accept direct dealings for repairs, it has to go through an authorized dealer first.

I have some nice guitars so I'm not overwhelmed by the S6 but as many people have noted it's an incredible value in a semi-hand made guitar.
I say semi-hand made because Seagull uses a lot of mass produced parts and concentrates on the important things like a solid top and skilled construction techniques for the critical stuff. Before they started making their own guitars they made a lot of parts for major guitar manufacturers. Chances are if you've had a big name brand axe then it has their parts in it somewhere. It plays really nicely and sounds awesome. Since I paid so little for it I'm not worried about babying it , but you do need to be careful with a cedar top guitar and a lacquer finish.

Bought my dreadnought in 2001, solid cedar top (sounds very warm and full), satin finish, laminated back and sides. The tuners are very sensitive, and don't need a lot of fiddling. In fact, I don't have to tune it very often, because it stays pretty much on pitch a lot. It came with a hardshell case and the dealer threw in a humidifier and picks and it all came to about $385.

This is an incredible-sounding guitar for any price, I can't stress that enough. My boyfriend owns a $1400+ Taylor and couldn't believe it. If you like a lot of bass, look no further. Needs a little more hard plucking to get an effective tone on the higher notes, but otherwise, it has a full, rich, warm sound that can fill a large room. It's the kind of guitar that makes you sound better than you actually are!

My guitar is very, very plain-looking, which is kind of the way I like it. I was more after the sound than the way it looked, so it suits me just fine. The action is low EXCEPT on the fifth and sixth string of the first fret, but I'm looking to have that fixed pretty soon. I was pretty much a beginner when I first bought this guitar, and I was surprised at how easy it was to play even with my uncallused fingers. No flaws that I could see; the finish was excellent, and it smells sooooo good when you take it out of the case.

Give me a little bit more time; for now, it looks and plays like a solid, dependable guitar. I play almost everyday, and for hours at a time on the weekends, and the finish has withstood my fingernails and picks, with no visible damage.

n/a

Ok. I haven't been playing very long, but this is definitely a guitar I'd recommend for beginners who don't have a lot of money to mess up. I had advice from people who'd been playing for 15 years or more, and they were all amazed at "how well I did," buying this guitar. I tried other guitars for the same price, and some more expensive. (Ibanez, Gibsons, Takamines and lower-end Martins, if you're interested) Some had lower action, and awful sound, some had great sound, but would tear up your fingers, some were prettier and played like absolute garbage, and others would have cost me a liver and a kidney. I was lucky to find a dealer who really liked these guitars (he'd been playing for 30 years) and didn't rip me off with a more expensive one. If it got lost or stolen, I'd cry and buy another one just like it. If there was ANYthing I could change about it, just b/c I'm a girl, I wish the higher notes sounded as awesome as the bass, which always blows guys away. (The spruce top S6 does have a brighter tone, by the way, and produces great treble notes) I wish I'd gotten a different finish, just b/c this natural one gets dirty more easily. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I would recommend this to any beginner on a budget, or anyone who's nuts about a lot of bass.

Nice sealed tuners. Great hand-rubbed finish. Inlaid rossete. Hand finished fret board. Plain but very nice. Micarta nut and bridge. Solid rosewood fretboard and bridge. Solid 800-year old cedar top. 3-ply wild cherry sides and back, which by the way is a GOOD feature, very hard and not so prone to spitting. A lot of reviews trash the laminated wood on the sides and back. This laminated wood on this guitar was done right. Very nice. Excellent book-matching. Solid maple neck and head stock. Heal-adjusted truss rod (very stabil).

This is the best sounding guitar I have ever played! I compaired this guitar to Gibson, Martin, Takamine, Ovation, Dean, Washburn, Alvarez, and every thing else I could get my hands on. This Seagull sounded as good or better than anything else I played. The crispness and brilliance of the cedar top with wild cherry sides and back is very noticable. Full rich bass, with great mid range and lovely highs. In my opinion, there is not a guitar made that sounds better than this guitar!

Setup was adequate. I like fairly low action without buzzing. It was a little on the high side, but I was able to get moderately low action with a simple bridge adjustment. The finish is supurb! It is a 4-day, hand-rubbed finish. On almost every other guitar, a poly-urethane finish is sprayed on in 30 seconds, permenantly sealing in all the natural sound of the guitar. The finish on the Seagull is genuine laquer, hand-rubbed on daily to soak in and seal from within, without sufficating the wood and the tone. Very high end. Martin doesn't even do this without moving up to their $3000.00 guitar!

I think this guitar will be played by my son and grandson when I am long gone. I play every day for at least 1 hour or more, and this guitar is very solid. It rarely needs tuning. You would have to harshly and unnessecarily abuse this guitar to ruin the finish or wood. Contrary to previous ratings, this is a very solid guitar, it will last longer than you will.

Haven't dealt with.

I've been playing for 25 years. This is the real deal without spending $2000.00. Martin/Gibson tone without the cost. If lost or stolen I would buy another right away without even looking at a different guitar maker.

Not sure of the year it was made! Serial # begins with 97 --- don't know it that has to do with the year it was made or not!?! Hand-made in La Patrie & Princeville, Quebec, Candada. It's a dreadnought with 21 frets. It's 24.84" in length. It has a solid cedar top and laminated cherry back and sides (hardwood not pressboard!), and a fat neck made of Silver Leaf Maple. The cherry sides and back have a Mahogany stain on them that really compliments the Cedar top! The fingerboard and bridge are made of Indian Rosewood. It has brown (chocolate) plastic binding and pickguard. It has no pick-ups (wouldn't have'em --- I love the natural acoustic sound). Locking, Grover-type (Seagull)15:1 ratio tunning machines. 16" fingerboad radius It has a soft satin finish. Some would complain, but I love the soft, natural look it offers --- not to mention the fact that it allows for "more" sound. I was lookin' for a second, $200 guitar to leave at my workplace to play during lunch and breaks. I found this lil' gem at a local Fleamarket and traded my Gibson Epiphone banjo for it. Yeah! I know that the old fella came away smelling a little better in the trade ( I figure that he made off with an extra $100 in the trade), but I'm totally satisfied with my successful treasure hunt! I've had my eyes on a Seagull for the last 3 years, even though my first purchase was an Alvarez PD90! This made the perfect second guitar, in my opinion! It had no case. The old fella that I traded with gave me the best case that he had there --- a little sponge application of black shoe polish really brougt it back to life! I understand that the S6 Cedar comes with only one strap button, however someone had put another one in the middle of the neck base --- a fine job they did too! A strap really comes in handy as the slick finish and rounded edges cause it to slide off of my jeans.

This guitar really suits my style of playing, which is mostly fingerpicking with a little strumming here and there! It really projects the sound to be a low-end guitar. Seagull makes guite a product! The sound is fantastic from the basses to the highs! I have no complaints whatsoever about the sound! The only thing that would sound better would be a more expensive Seagull, Larivee, Martin, or my favorite --- the almighty Taylor! I love my Alvarez PD90 --- the two just sound different, not necessarily better --- the S6 Cedar is just so much fun to play (for hours)!

I found it at a local Fleamarket and the set-up and action were fine!
You couldn't ask for a better bookmatching or bridge! As you can imagine finding it second-hand --- it had a ding or two (remember that soft finish and wood [Cedar])! --- to be expected! The small marrings have no major impact on the cosmetics of the guitar --- most importantly they don't effect the "sound"!

I doubt that this guitar would stand up to "hard", "banging", rigorous, playing due to the soft wood [Cedar] and the soft finish. This is no problem for me, as the majority of what I play is soft, meditative fingerpicking. This guitar should last me until I'm not around to plunk on it anymore! The hardware seems to be sturdy and long-lasting. The strap buttons are very solid!

I've yet to deal with Seagull! I plan to ask for one of the new micarta saddles.

I've been playing for about 2 1/2 yr.s As I mentioned before, I own an Alvarez PD90. I have no complaints with it either ( the Seagull is just a little more "fun" to play --- it has a "different" sound, not a better sound)! I would definitely replace it if damaged or stolen, and if I had the mula, I would invest in a more expensive Seagull model! I love the color, finish, but most of all the sound --- some would say that I don't know what I'm talking about, but I feel that it almost compares to the low-end Martins and Taylors (I've played them and I'm stickin' to my opinion --- though I will own a Taylor someday!) I'm a little afraid that I may accidentally brake the top, though solid, it's so soft feeling! I wish that it had a little abalone here and there to "jazz" it up a bit, but I can live without it!

Full-sized acoustic, 21 frets. Solid cedar top, cherry back and sides, mahogony neck and rosewood fingerboard. Only one strap button.

Beautiful. I play rock and blues, lots of slide, and lots of leads. This guitar has a full sound, very rich and very mellow. Not too bright or punchy, but who wants that? This guitar makes friends who play low-end Martins and Taylors very envious. Bang fer yer buck--I give it a ten.

I love the way this guitar feels. People want to complain about the thin finish. I use heavy jazz picks, and play plenty of heavy ryhthm progressions at full strum. After four years of heavy use, the finish shows some wear, but nothing that would deter me from buying another if I lost this one. If the wood is falling of your guitar, you're abusing it (criminal!).

With normal use, I expect this guitar to last for decades. I put my hand through the top one night when I came home to a dark house. Two splits in the top (yeah, criminal). I got it repaired for fifty bucks. Looks, sounds, and plays like new.

Repair wasn't under warranty, as it was obviously my fault. The dealer fixed it--fast, cheap, and a good job.

I've been playing for ten years. I've owned acoustics from Yamaha, Ibenez, and Alverez, as well as a Taylor Big Baby (15/16 dreadnaught). I get more enjoyment out of this guitar than any of them.

Guitar was made in La Patrie, Quebec Canada. Handmade. Light finish, not heavy laminated. solid ceader top wild cherry back and sides. the neck is pretty fat and the frets are fairly small. three hundred and fifty dollares with hardshell case.
no opions on the features it is just a plain guitar.
my only complaint is that it only came with one strap button. i am not a big fan of tie shoestrings around my headstock.

i love the way it sounds. would not compare it to a 1500 dollar taylor but it sounds much better than anything else you'll find for 300-400 bucks.

the guitar was set up great straight from the factory. i have had no problems with it at all. the action was great. the g string dosent always stay in tune just perfect but no big-e. i have heard a few complaints about the finish not holding up well but i have had no problems. then again i dont beat the crap out of my guitar either.

the guitar seems well built. only been playing a few years no giging really but i havent seen any reason why it would not.
once again, all guitars talke wear and tear with a lot of playing but i would not blame the finish.

i have never had to deal with them, but they were supportive when bought the guitar.

i decided to write the review becuse i was reading the other s and read how everyone was puttng down the finish.i have had the guitar for over a year, and have not had a problem yet. i kinda wish i had gotten the LR BAGGS dual source (piezo and mic) pickup system. that was offered with the guitar for a hundred extra bucks. main reason i bought this guitar was how it felt, which was great, and for the money it is jsut a really solid guitar.

This is a SEAGULL S6+ cedar with cherry sides and back. LR BAGGS dual source (piezo and mic) pickup system.

Sound is excellent for a guitar in this category...very "martin-like"..more boomy than bright..but, pretty well balanced. I really like the overall sound of this guitar...in this price range, nothing comes close.

Action is mediocre....I went through about 20 Seagulls at different shops...all of them had to have higher action that normal to avoid lotsa buzz. Most of them had neck drop-off problems which cause the buzz (i.e., the neck drops off a little where it meets the body of guitar because it no longer has the body to support it). Frets were ok. I dont mind a little high action, so it was a serious problem.

FINISH SUCKS! About as bad as they come...I have had this guitar for about a year...I am a serious guitar player, everyday at least for an hour or two. I play everything from classical fingerstyle, to rock n roll heavy strumming...and my finish is completely DESTROYED..it looks as bad as Willy Nelsons guitar in about a YEARS TIME...it is absolutely horrible. The light finish may have some sound enhancing characteristics, but if it has HOLES IN IT..who cares??? My soundhole is no longer round..but jagged with wood falling off continuously..if it wasnt for pickguard, I'm sure it would be close to having holes in wood..as it is...all around pickguard is completely worn off and down...it looks horrible!!! I know this is NOT UNIQUE, I have seen three other seagulls owned by players....and they all have the same look...this is a serious flaw in the guitar...everyone hates it, regardless of any other good opinions of the guitar..this overshadows them all...Unless you only play your guitar a couple times a month, and just fool around a little...STAY AWAY from this guitar.

FINISH will not last...I have used it on gigs a lot...sound is great...dual source Baggs pickup system is ok...I recommend not getting dual source tho, internal mic is cheap, doesnt give a really good sound, and picks up every noise on the thin laminate soundboard...Piezo is good tho..sounds almost as good as my takimine pickup which I beleive is the best acoustic pickup system out there. Finish sucks, hardware is good, pickups are good. This guitar wont last me another year playing as much as I do tho.

Havent dealt with them

If you dont play guitar much...want a good sounding guitar...thats very easy to play...it has a very wide neck...I measured 2", which is perfect for fingerstyle..not so good for Telecaster style rock n roll tho. This may be your guitar. It has a good a sound of any guitar I've heard under 1000$. If you play guitar a lot...play up and down the neck, play percussively, or aggressively at all...stay away from this guitar..the finish just wont stand up..and the soft cedar wood will fall away under you eyes...If you like the guitar...DEFINETLY get a seagull with a GOOD GLOSS FINISH...I wished I'd got the Seagull maple now...beautiful sound and finish.

This is a solid cedar topped seagull S6 with unstained wild cherry sides. A rosewood fretboard, I guess. The neck isn't too thin, or real fat. I have big hands and this guitar feels very comfortable. Seagull's satin finish is almost like no finish at all. That is good for sound, but horrible for looks. The finish is soooo delicate, and I am a power strummer at times, a la Pete Townsend, who sometimes doesn't catch the pickguard. Got marks all over this thing, but I guess that's character. Did you ever see Willie Nelson's guitar?

This thing has the tenderest bass ever.It can just hummm with a light stroke, but stays fully balanced when you beat it hard. I think the bass is what sold me. It was calling my name. It is a great guitar to sit around the house with or jam with a friend, as long as he doesn't have a 12 string. The high end of the guitar leaves something to be desired. I just can't get enough out of it. But as I said earlier, I can strum this thing with all my might and speed and it still comes out very clean. It really surprises me the way the sound holds together.

I bought it used and I'm not sure of the year. The first two numbers in the serial number are 42, and I think they are on 56 or something now. But I don't know if that means anything year wise. The finish, I talked about earlier. Great sound, but very fragile. Too fragile. The action came to me just as I like it. Not low like a strat, but low for an acoustic. Very nice.

I haven't taken it gigging, it's so plain looking, and I like a little pizzazz. But I'm sure it would sound fine. Just the one strap button, so the other side is a tie on.Don't know how long decent looks will hold up with me beating on it as I do, but for the price I paid, I figure I don't have to baby it.

As I said, bought it used, so no warranty. But I did email the company to get an answer about the date. Not a word from them. Too busy I guess.

I've been playing pretty much all my life, on and off. I'm still looking for that holy grail of guitars, that I can afford. I have an Epiphone Zenith Archtop '51, Johnson resonator, crap 12 string, and a variety of oddities. I really love this guitar, but all it did was salivate me for a real quality acoustic. I wouldn't get rid of this thing for anything, just for the fact that I DON'T CARE about the looks. I can be totally into the moment and just go nuts. Its priceless to me. But it will cost me more money to get a Gibson or Martin.

Read below for identical feature descriptions

O.K., after reading the glowing reviews below, I have to add my impression. The sound of my S6 was better than a Hohner, but about right for a $350 guitar with plywood sides and back. For ringing, crystalline highs and booming lows, look elsewhere and prepare to spend more money. My S6 had a lack of volume which resulted in a generally mellow tone. So, it sounded fine, but not inspiring. If you can't tell a difference between the S6 and a $1500 Taylor, good for you, you'll be happy.

These guitars are affordable probably because the factory doesn't pay much, so their workforce is probably full of underacheivers who smoke a lot of pot. Why else would my left-handed guitar show up strung left-handed, with a left-handed bridge and nut, BUT with right handed pick guard, truss supports, and neck dots? It wasn't so funny when I had to return it. However, Tall-Toad Music in Petaluma CA had no problem getting me a correctly built replacement.
The resulting replacement was competently built and finished in all areas. Action was on the high side (so adjust it, already!).

Well built, no problems in 3 years of ownership. Only morons gig without backups (unless you can't always afford multiple guitars, like me, in which case we are excused.)

Something was wrong, and the music store took care of it.

Seagull makes a lot of their guitars left-handed, so hooray for them. At the time it was the best I could get for the money.
I've almost stopped reading guitar/amp reviews here because most people go on and on about how wonderful their Hondo Strat, or transistor Crate amp is so awesome. If it's your first guitar or amp, do us a favor and wait a few years before you fill us in on your critical review. I've owned some of the cheaper guitars/amps reviewed on the site, and too often people compare them to much more expensive products claiming they're just as wonderful, a pretty rare occurrence IMHO.
Sold the guitar back to Tall-Toad ($180 with case) and bought a Larrivee L03 ($650); undoubtedly a better sounding guitar.

Hand-made in Quebec, Canada, this fine acoustic features 21-frets and a cedar body. I'm not sure what the neck is made out of, but it looks like mahogany. It has a wood top (the finished ones are more expensive). I believe it has a rosewood fret-board. Very simple design, which I like. Its the kind of guitar you could play on your front porch. Mine includes a little ring around the hole and a pickguard. Of course, its an acoustic, so its useless to give it a rating on features.

Very rich, full sound. kind of mellow. It suits my style perfectly, which is mostly sitting around and strumming tunes. It has an incredibly nice sound for its price, easily competes with more expensive acoustics. I guess I was spoiled with this guitar, because when I play other people's guitars that don't live up to mine, I shudder at the awful sound, and want to go back home and play it. This has the kind of sound you hear from acoustics on the radio, if I were playing for a gig, I wouldn't think twice about using it. Good for folk music and strumming.

Again, this is an acoustic. The only thing wrong with it as far as I can see is that the plastic on the pickguard is peeling at the edges a little.

The high-e and b strings go out of tune easily, and like I said, the pick-guard is peeling. I'd trust it in a gig.

Didn't buy it under warranty, never tried to contact them.

I'm fairly new to the guitar, but I have a good ear and I recognize good sound from bad sound. I know when I'm hearing something good, and this sounds great. Even my dad, who's been playing a lot longer, says it has great sound. I love pulling it out and dinking around and strumming while I sing. If it were stolen, I'd definately buy another one if I were financially able. I compared it with other Seagulls and Hohners at the shop, and I liked this the best for its price. The hohners sounded pretty cheap. Definately a great value for your money and a great guitar.