Seagull S6

It's a acoustic guitar, pretty basic but well put together.I've got the micro EQ electronics which sound nice but are limited with only treble bass and volume controls. That said it gets a good balanced tone plugged in. I have read how alot of people are put off by the matte finish, but I find it comfortable and real feeling. Not plastic like so many poly finishes.

I play rock, blues, folk, jazz, etc. with my band and solo. I've played it in a alotta situations and it shines. I've used it for recording, both miced and plugged in, and got great results. It's got a bright warm balanced tone. just enough bass not to much mids.

Again I must say great, no problems here. The guitar was set up properly nice fret work and finish.

I've had it about 8 months and played about 20 shows and a few recording dates and it has held up perfectly. It's my sole gig acoustic now.

I've heard nightmares about customer support before I perchased mine. So I decided to check before I bought it. I like dealing with friendly, down to earth companys. I called and emailed with diferent questions, and I was able to get a nice, helpful person on the phone in 3 rings. I also had my email answered in about 24 hours. Great experience so far.

I've been playing profesionally for about 15 years. I don't play guitars because there cute, I play guitars that sound and feel good to play. This guitar does. I tryed out about 30 other major brand guitars in prices ranging from $200-$4000 and this guitar played and sounded better to me. It does not have the features those other guitar have, but it has what I need. Try it out to see if it suits your own needs. I will add, that it has a large/wide neck. If your young or small and looking for a starter guitar, look elsewhere. It's probably not for you due to the large/wide neck being hard to play. But the price to performance ratio is great.

Probably made in 1999 in Canada. Solid cedar top, laminated cherry back and sides, maple neck. Strictly acoustic, no pickups. Plain-Jane really but nice looking if you don't need ornamentation. Let me say that this review will be more critical than most. To read HC reviews you would think every guitar is a perfect 10. I like this guitar in a lot of ways but I am going to be objective. Still it was under $300.00 so at that price point it gets good marks for the nice top.

Definitely getting better as I play it in. Warm, usually mellow, I use phosphor bronze strings from martin, usually lights although I have also used bluegrass strings which are mediums for the three lower frequency strings and light for the top three. Can be flatpicked hard and the sound is clean, doesnt break up.

Action is comfortable but the neck is too thick feeling. Every Seagull I have played has a pretty thick neck but the neck on mine has always been uncomfortably clublike which compromises playability.
Fit and finish are o.k. for the main body of the guitar (good considering low price point.) The headstock is poorly finished in that it appears to be slightly assymetrical which is not the design. I have adjusted the truss rod some and may see if a skilled repairman might be able to make some adjustments to the neck for me.

I have played it a lot for the last two years and believe it to be a very durable instrument. I am not likely to ever perform so I can't say if it would hold up to the kind of abuse guitars endure on the road but I suspect I'll have it for awhile without much problem. I take it on hikes with my kids in varying weather and it stays in tune.

Actually I have tried to call twice and emailed them twice to discuss my issues with the neck and have never had a response. On the other hand the store that sold it to me can't remember my purchasing it so...

Been playing for five years. Bluegrass mostly. This is my third guitar. Probably going to get something a little more expensive next time. This guitars strong suit is its sound quality. Weak link is its playability. Some Seagulls seem to be much more comfortable but I have seen some with obvious flaws in the workmanship so it is probably a crap shoot at this low of a price point.I get a lot of pleasure from it so it was a good thing I purchased it.

s-6 solid cedar top with laminated cherry sides, same description as above reviews. Made in Canada, and purchased 4 years ago. Most important feature, which some may think is a knock, is the Alcohol lacquer finish, which greatly improves sound ability in the top. (not honey dipped in plastic like most guitars in this range).

Great deep rich sound, that far surpassed any guitar anywhere near this price range. This suits quiet picking or strumming for rock or country tunes. If you like the rich deep sounds, this cedar top model is for you. For a brighter sound, you might want to choose the spruce top model. A 10 rating for sound is relative to the price, yes you can get better sound, but NOT at this price.

Great fit, but set up was higher than I wanted, but with the adjustable truss rod, it wasn't hard to set up as I liked. Great bookmatch top. No flaws at all, and the payability of it at the store sold me as much as the sound.

Outstanding solid head and neck, tuners are seagull brand closed and are extremely reliable on my guitar. No reason to think that the hardware won't last. The lacquer finish allows for great sound and allows the wood to breath, but there is a slight trade off as it is soft and as you know cedar is a soft wood. Therefore, the top dents easily and can show the wear if you aren't careful. I've only a few nicks in so far, but it doesn't take away from it. I'd much rather have the sound than the look.

I've emailed for catalogs and visited their sites lots as I was looking into (and then bought) a Godin SD electric. Support and commitment seem to be 100%

I've been playing 7 years and this was my first guitar bought new. I learned on an old student model Mann for 3. I looked for a long time, and played lots of guitars in the 300-600 CAN price range, and this guitar kicked butt on the asian/mexican fenders and gibsons, etc etc, that I played. If you want a big name and crappy sound then buy those, if you want a hand-crafted solid top N.American made instrument for this price, you only have one choice. I love this guitar and company, as mentioned i bought a Godin SD electric last year (same company pretty much, Lasido).
If this guitar was stolen I would be really P.Oed and would go out and buy another seagull without even looking at anything else, but would probably spring the extra cash and get one with the electronics (LR Braggs with built in EQ) I played an Artist series model with Spruce top and mahogany sides/back and that guitar was amazing, a $2000 sound for less than $1000. (its on the wish list now)

Standard 2001 model S-6 - solid cedar top with laminated cherry sides and back and maple neck; binding on the top only; short scale 24.8"; attractive soundhold rosette; chrome 15:1 ratio tuning machines; tortise shell pickguard; and satin finish. Seagull lists its neck as 1.8" at the nut, but the string spacing at the nut is exactly the same as Martin & Taylor's 1.75" nut width guitars. The S-6 is a no frills, good value guitar. The execution of the features is good, so the 6 rating is simply a reflection of the lack of eye candy and other features that would drive the cost of the guitar up.

I play mostly folk and christian music. The S-6 has reasonable sound quality, although it does not provide the clear note separation that a Martin OM style produces, it costs a fraction of the Martin's price. The S-6 is a dreadnaught and produces a large volume of sound.

I have had this guitar for about 7 months and it has seen daily action during that time. Stock action was a bit high for my taste. I like a low action similar to a Taylor and setting the S-6 up for this action was a breeze. My guitar was a factory second (indicated by the "F" suffix on the serial number). There were a few minor finish issues, but these were likely what made the guitar a second and saved me about $100. I have not noted any issues with the guitar's manufacture other than the minor finish issues.

The cherry sides and back are finished in a natural color and have really darkened up nicely since the guitar was new. I anticipate more darkening over the next 2-3 years. This darkening, which is a natural part of using cherry wood, will only improve the looks of an already nice looking guitar.

I do not gig but simply use my guitars at home. That having been said, I would not see any reason to believe that the S-6 will not have a very long life given reasonable care.

BAD STUFF - the saddle on my guitar literally crumbled in the first 3 months of use. We are not talking about the little grooves that appear under the strings, but pieces of the saddle actually falling off so that the action was significantly impacted. I use standard tuing, so additional tension was not an issue. I replaced the saddle with a TUSQ saddle and have not had any further problems with it. Because this is considered a wear item and easily replaced, I have not significantly impacted the rating in this category for this problem.

As noted above, the saddle on my guitar crumbled. The S-6 uses a compensated saddle and I attempted to have mine replaced under warranty and ended up paying for the replacement.

I contacted my local dealer where I purchased the guitar. Its personnel indicated that they did not have the Seagull saddle in stock and were not interested in getting one. They would; however, fashion a new saddle from materials that they did have. As the saddle is compensated, I wanted a new compensated saddle that was engineered for the S-6, the dealer would not/could not comply.

I contacted Seagull which sent me a list of other dealers in the area and also indicated that they were switching to a TUSQ saddle (potentially due to the volume of saddle issues with the old material). I contacted the other dealers in my area and none indicated that they would perform the warranty repair because I did not purchase the guitar from them.

I then purchaed the new TUSQ saddle from TUSQ and fit it to my guitar. In October 2001, I sent the old saddle to Seagull with a request for a new saddle (so I could have a spare). I did not request reimburesment, simply a replacement part. In December 2001, I e-mailed Seagull and as of 26 February 2002, I have not received a reply to the e-mail or my mailed request for a replacement saddle.

Admittedly, the saddle is a relateively minor part and the total cost of the repair/claim submission was about $15. I am not disappointed that the original saddle was defective; however, I am MOST DISSATISFIED with Seagull's (Lasido) response, or lack thereof to the issue.

The S-6 is a good value guitar. It does not have the sound or features of a high-end guitar, but then it does not have the price tag of a high-end guitar either. For 10% to 20% the cost of a Taylor/Martin/Collins/Raingsong/ etc. the S-6 delivers 95% of the sound and playability. To achieve this, you give up on features. When you are recording do you hear the gold/abalone/inlays/etc.? Eye candy is nice to have, but it does have a price.

I would prefer that the S-6 had a longer scale 25.5". Additionally, the sound would probably be positively impacted by solid sides and back, but the pricing would go up significantly to cover the cost of materials and manufacturing and the guitar would not be the value that it is.

Overall, I am impressed with the value presented by the S-6; however, my rating includes a significant mark down for pathetic warranty service by both Seagull and its dealer network.

This has pretty much all been covered...plain jane dreadnaught with a cedar top...binding on the top...nothing fancy at all. I'll give it a 9 because it has everything it needs. After all, I wasn't paying money to get a triple bound with a fishman

Sounds great! That's why I bought this guitar, because it sounded better than anything else in its price class. There were some guitars for twice as much that I liked better, but that wasn't my budget that day...if I was buying a guitar today I'd probably get a Seagull Artist model instead of the same priced Martins and Johnsons...in this price range, however, the other companies simply offer no competition. Not as bright as a spruce top, but that wasn't what I was looking for.

Needed a minor setup, but was pretty good from the factory. IF you don't like the soft natural finish top, then you boughht the wrong damned guitar. I personally like it.

Absolutely wonderful neck. The neck is what sold me.

Unlike some folks in this list, I play my guitar rather than beat the hell out of it. This guitar is very reliable and tough. It goes placse with me, it gigs, it's picked up a few scratches. I don't gouge big holes in the tops of my guitars.

Seagull and it's sister, Godin, will respond to emails and take care of you. I also own two Godins and love them.

I've been playing for several years...besides the Seagull and two Godins, I've got four Guilds and a Ric...I would get another Seagull in a heartbeat, probably an Artist non-cutaway spruce with the elctronics. My budget has gone up, so can afford a better guitar. The S6 is a fabulous guitar for the money. If you can afford better, there is better out there for sure. However, this is by far the best acoustic guitar I played that sells for under $500.

This is a 2001 Seagull S6 14-fret acoustic guitar, made in Canada. It has a solid cedar top, laminated wild cherry back and sides, silverleaf maple neck. Rosewood fingerboard with 16-inch radius. Semi-gloss lacquer finish. It's just a hair smaller than a dreadnought. It came without a pickguard, but I ordered one from Stew-Mac and put it on.

This is a no-frills guitar. It's very well built from quality materials, but you don't get a lot of abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays. Which is ok by me.

The sound is why I bought the guitar. Loud, and the cedar top gives it a nice low end. I added a bone nut and saddle and ebony bridge pins, which added to the loudness and made it even a little fuller. I play mostly bluegrass, usually at home with my kids but with an occasional jam thrown in. This guitar is suited for that style because it has a good, strong bass. It doesn't have the throaty resonance of a rosewood guitar, but it carries well and sounds good with a fiddle and mandolin.

The action was a bit high when I bought it, but I dropped it when I added the bone nut and saddle. It has a 1.8-inch nut, which is just about right for me. I thought the fit and finish was good. When you look at the guitar, it gives you the impression of being well-built. About the best comparision I can think of is the old Ford Falcon car. When you looked at a Ford Falcon, you saw a car that was built for function and dependability, not flash. That's the way the Seagull is.

I tend to baby my instruments, so I expect this one to last a long time. The only concern would be the finish on top. The cedar is pretty soft, I think, and would be easy to scratch and ding. My father-in-law is a pretty heavy-handed player, so when he visits, I may suggest he play the Epiphone...

So far, so good. The music store didn't have a warranty registration card, so I emailed Seagull. They said to send me their address and they'd get a card in the mail to me.

I've been playing about 10 years - started as a 40-year-old. I have a Tacoma M2 mandolin, a Washburn D-24 Limited Edition guitar and an Epipohone PR350 rosewood guitar.

I'm really happy with the guitar and would buy another one if this one were lost or stolen. For the money, it's an incredible buy. You're never going to confuse one of these Seagulls with a Collings or a high-end Martin, but I'm more than happy to play the Seagull and pocket the difference in price. It's a good player, it sounds good and there's some appealing about it's no-frills look. Far and away, it's the most guitar you can get for the money.

As all Seagulls, hand-crafted in Canada. Solid spruce top; the rest of the construction is the same as all the others listed... convenient strap button located behind where the fretboard connects to the body. The guy who sold it to me threw in a shoddy chipboard case with red lining.

I haven't been playing for too long, but I play mostly classic rock and a bit of folk. All in all, it sounds great. It's very loud--I'm quite surprised I haven't yet been written for a noise ordinace since I often play at 2am in my dorm room. I have played some friends' guitars that were comparitively priced and then came back and played mine, and the Seagull is always better.

The action is perfect for a beginner... very low at the top of the fretboard, gets a bit high at the bottom, but nothing that shouldn't be expected.

My only complaint is that the non-laminated top is very susceptible to scratches... but then again, having scratches show people that you've actually been playing the guitar, and gives it character. =) Other than that, this is a very, very high quality guitar--hand-built and hand-inspected. I play for at least an hour or two every day and have never had any problems.

Never had any problems, so I really don't know

I looked at many, many guitars, including low-end Gibsons, Ovations, Yamahas, etc. The problem is that all of their guitars in my price range (<$200) are made in some factory somewhere in Asia by people who don't care about the guitar that they're building and where the concern is churning out as many guitars as possible, rather than quality. I have faith in my hand-crafted Seagull, and am not worried about it falling apart or anything like that. Furthermore, it was one of the very few guitars in its price range with a solid top, which greatly improves its sound quality. I've only been playing for a few months, but I am extremely happy with this guitar. I think that it was a great guitar to get started with, and have a feeling that it will last me a long time as I continue to improve.

2000 model made in Canada. (As one reviewer put it, sounds a lot better than made in Korea) Other reviewers have done a good job of describing the guitar - solid cedar top, laminated wild cherry sides and back, silver leaf maple neck, totally acoustic, satin finish. Nice seagull tuners. The neck is 1.8" wide, but feels real good to me. One thing many people leave out is that this guitar has a nice little herringbone rosette. Simple, yet elegant.

I play whatever comes to mind from rock to folk to hillbilly to just messing around. Suits me fine. Has a real good balance to it. Enough bass without being too boomy and enough treble without being tinny. Plus it is louder than I thought it would be.

Setup was great off of the rack. Don't know if this was factory setup or done in the shop. Bookmatching is exceptional. Only real complaint is that the joint where the sides come together is just a touch rough.

Everybody seems to really be down on the cedar top because of it's fraility. Most people compare acoustics to electrics in durability which is like comparing apples and cannonballs. Any moron knows that when you are dealing with relatively thin pieces of wood, you have to take a little more care with it. Since almost all of my playing is around the house, and if I can keep my 6 year old daughter away from it, I don't see any problem with durability. Oh, yeah, comes with only one strap pin.

Never dealt with company.

I've been playing off and on for about 17 years. I'm still not that great, but I use it more as stress relief than anything else. This guitar replaces a Fender Gemini III which I still have. My first recommendation to anyone upgrading guitars is to keep the old one around, at least for a while so that you can remember the difference!! I looked at a lot of guitars before settling on the Seagull. Most of them were pretty, but none had the tone that this one has. It is excellent for a solid top guitar under $300.00. This guitar suits my needs and is about 20 times better at being a guitar than I am at being a guitar player. Unlike some folks, I am not going to say that this guitar kicks butt on $1200 Martins or Taylors or Guilds. That is a different league altogether. However, I test drove Alvarez, Deans, Fenders, Epiphones, Ovations, Takemines and most everything else I could find in the under $600.00 range and thought this was the best by far. The two that also impressed me were an Epiphone AJ-45 and an Alvarez AJ-60. However, we were talking $595 for the AJ-45 (used) and about $450 for the AJ-60. I took the 'extra' money, put it in a hardshell case and still had money left over. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely get another one. If I ever get the urge to upgrade again, Seagulls will be the first ones I look at. One last thing - I bought this in a music store which I feel is the best way. I could compare it to many other guitars and most of all get a good feel for the instrument. What pisses me off is to go into a music store and to have a salesman try to prove to me how great of a player he is by playing the guitar for me. I admit that I am not a great player, but I have worked out a series of things I do with a guitar to evaluate it. I do it the same on every one that I try. I prefer the folks that say "play anything you want" and then leave you alone. The guy at the Music Store was great in this respect. Also at the top of my list was Guitar Store of Tulsa where all they said was to make sure my belt buckle was covered up so that I wouldn't damage the guitars. The bottom line here is I know I am not that great, but if you try to prove it you will not be selling me anything.

made 1995, read other s6 reviwa for construction notes

I do mostly blues and folk. This one was salvaged from the pawn shop for $90 bucks. It has been rode hard and hung up wet. The neck was warped and still is somewhat, but with a humidifier it is getting better. However, despite this the guitar sounds wounderful, you can't tell it has a problem by listening to it. I like the bright tone better than any I have heard.

I do my own set up. This one needed some work, but nothing related to factory flaws. The finish is well scratched and it has three cigarette burns. I'm not playing for a fashion show and to me the condition speaks about how much this instrument was played. It was someones favorite working guitar for sure. The rating here relates to factory condition

has taken a lick'n and is still tick'n. I always use this instrument without a back-up and don't even think twice about it!

These guys are top notch. Say hi to Mario for me.

Been playing for 20 plus years. Own Yahmaha classical, '57 Martin, Sigma 12 string and a Strat.

I love this instrument! It literally jumped into my hands and took two strums to make my descision, even with a warped neck. I would buy all I could before everyone eles discovers how good these really are and the price starts climbing

Handmade, Canadian acoustic dreadnaught, solid cedar top (what a wonderful smell and sound!), lam. cherry b/s. 1 3/4" width neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Alcohol lacquer satin finish. Great Grover style tuners and hardshell case. I gave it a 8 because it doesn't have all the pretties.

I play a good variety of music, blues/country/bluegrass/folk and this guitar fits the bill very nicely. The cedar top gives it a really nice warm sound, warmer than a spruce/mahogony combo. Nice bottom end, though not equal to a Martin for bluegrass, but a wonderful tone for blues that easily equals a Martin. Very well balanced from low to high. When I purchased the guitar, it already had a pro setup, so I don't know how it is from the factory, but as well made as it is, I cannot believe it wasn't very well set up.

At this price range, the fit and finish are far above any other guitar. The guitar easily competes with other brands that cost twice as much and more. My favorite part is the satin finished neck. It is a dream to play.

I originally bought this guitar to play at home and out at festivals. Since then, I have installed a Baggs RT ribbon pick up and end pin jack in it. I now use it for all band rehersals and about half of the shows we do. My other guitar is a Taylor 612ce Custom with the same pick up system. I find myself picking up the Seagull over the Taylor about half the time. It definately handles the road well, at least for me, and sounds great in a band setting. I play it without a back up when we play out, and do the same when out with the Taylor. I think it will definately last, it is a very solid guitar. The only thing to watch is the cedar top, which is softer than the usual used spruce, so it scratches a little easier.

The times I have dealt with Seagull, I have gotten very quick responses with the info I needed. Haven't had to have any warranty work, and don't think I ever will.

I've been playing 26 years, and have several guitars, this one and the Taylor, a La Patrie (Seagull with another name) classical, a Yamaha 12 string, two Fender electrics and a mandolin. This and the Taylor are my main two guitars, and I use them pretty equally. I've had this guitar for almost 2 years. If it were stolen, I would not hesitate to get another one the same day. I am also thinking of getting one of their S6+ Folk models as well. Seagull definately is one the best deals out there. I don't think I'll get another high end guitar, since I have the Taylor, and Seagull makes them so good for the price that I can't imagine paying more when Seagull already has it all at a great price. They are definately one the the best guitars on the market.