Seagull S6 Cedar Slim

Satin laquer finish dreadnought, decent tuners that hold their tuning well, 24 3/4" scale, Canadian made, no electronics. Body sides and back are wild cherry laminate. Top is solid cedar. Neck is silver maple (bolt-on, not glued) with rosewood fretboard.

I have been playing a folk-size Washburn which I was never completely happy with. The nut-width feels narrow and the small body could only coax so much volume. It is also trebly. I tried some dreadnouts at the local shops and settled on two: The Takamine EAN 30 and the Seagull S6. I am married, so I have to be a value shopper. A guitar to my wife is like a competing mistress ... something to be loathed! There. Let that be a lesson. If you love guitars and having time to play them, STAY SINGLE! So the pricey Takamine, a guitar with beautiful build quality and tone, was going to be out of the picture. What saved me from this dilemma was the S6. To my ears, the tone is even and warm and it is not hard to coax bright sounds out of it when desired. The S6 also produces effortless volume without sounding "boomey"... a plus for fingerstyle playing. It covers folk, rock and country styles I play nicely. For the money, I just don't think I could find anything better out there ...

I found this S6 at the local G.C. virtually unmolested, as it had been just put out for display. I kept bouncing between an S6 Cedar Original and this S6 Cedar Slim. The Original has a 1.8" nut and the Slim has a 1.72" nut width. The narrower width won out. As is, the action is close to what I like, but eventually I'll my luthier dial it in. The contour of the neck is really sweet, hinting of the thinner profile of some electric guitars, and this, combined with the satin finish, makes for comfortable playing. There is a small taper on the sides of the fretboard as well. The frets are nicely dressed and set. The side markers are of slightly contrasting wood, nearly invisible in low light. The intonation is spot-on.

The guitar is minimally embellished. The dark brown binding on the body is understated, but pleasing, because the real visual cues are the wood itself. The grain of the wild cherry sides and back is different. The light color of the cedar top looks more like spruce from a distance. The silver maple neck contrasts nicely with the body, stained in a reddish-brown. As a visual whole, the guitar is pleasing to look at. The headstock shape I like. Some people seem to hate it. I like the straight string pull. It may be in my head, but I think it's a little easier to tune that way. One thing I'd change is the front of the headstock. I don't know why Seagull doesn't just finish the front of the headstock like the rest of the neck. Why hide the wood? It would look better than the dark brown (vinyl?)veneer that's there. It is not butt-ugly, it's just that you know that nice wood is under there... The outside revealed no extraordinary flaws in either the wood or finish. The braces were clean, no excess glue or gaps from bad clamping. The kerfing had somewhat sloppy notching to accommodate the bracing ends, in my opinion, but nothing that compromises the structural integrity of the build. Iv'e seen worse in more expensive guitars. Bear in mind that this just cost $399...

I play at home or with my friends. I like the tuners, though I don't know who made them. I like the gear ratio and they hold tuning very well. I don't gig professionally. That said, I think it is durable enough for sustained performing if you don't mind the rather fragile finish. The Seagull's satin finish is easily scratched.

I've had no issues with this guitar. I could only go on the responses from other reviewers on Harmony regarding customer service issues.

I've played off and on for forty years. I own two Strat clones, 1966 Fender Mustang, Hofner Colorama, Schecter Diamond Series, Washburn D10, Line 6 Spider III, Ampeg Jet, Peavey Classic 30 and an assortment of pedals. I find myself playing acoustic more and neglecting the electric gear. I really like the S6 and I find it is my go-to guitar. The TONE and playability of this guitar is such a pleasure. I don't know how Seagull does it for the price.

My son also plays my stuff. If he thrashes the finish with his pick (he's been good, so far), I'll have to get a pickguard for it. The S6 Original has a pickguard, the S6 Slim does not. Tarripin Guitars website has a nice selection of pickguards with 2 1/2" radius (the radius of the soundhole rosette). Hopefully, that won't happen.