Seagull SM-12 12 String Acoustic

The SM12 is really a plain vanila 12-stringer, nothing to shout about on its looks- pretty ordinary, nothing exceptional.

Solid spruce top, laminated mahongony back and sides. The finish looks thin, but if you treat it will care, it will hold.

Having said this, the SM12 is great value for money. Not that the best looker in town but will certaintly beat the rest in the same price category on sound. I believe in paying for the sound, looks comes next.

The SM12 is great for strumming and limited finger picking. Did I tell you the fretboard is pretty wide? The sound is pretty decent, beating most 12-stringers in its price category for sure.

Unplugged, this guitar sounds good with a nice mid-rangy/trebly tone. Overall the sound is reasonable decent but I have to fault it for its iability to project its voice(to my satisfaction that is). This may be due to the laminated back and sides. I've had a solid wood german 6 stringer and it can drown out the SM12's voice when played side by side. I wished the SM12 had more bass and warmth. This again may be due to the laminated back and sides. I'm sure if you pay alot $$ more for a solid wood body, by default, the warmth comes with it.

Changing it higher gauge strings to force out more bass? Wouldnt dare to do it with standard tuning. One must recognise that 12 stringers carry alot of stress on the neck and the bridge. Wouldnt want to see the bridge flying off one day. This drawback is part and parcel of 12 string guitars.

I had this guitar detuned one semitone to avoid the stress on the neck and the bridge. This increases the playability but at the expense of having to live with a "loose" sound. Wished I could have the "tighter" sounds under standard tuning without having to worry about neck problems.

Heard that Guild 12 stringers are fitted with reinforced necks. This may help extend the longevity of the necks. Don't think this seagull is. The neck looks thick and chunky though, but under prolonged stress, I'm sure that too will bend.

This guitar has got a LRbaggs ribbon transducer with EQ. As said previously in another review, when plugged into an acoustic amp, it sounds overly bright and raw. Not sure but may be a problem of a bad fit between transducers and 12 stringers. You will need something like a LRBaggs para D1 to smoothen out the sound, otherwise, the sound is quite unfit for hearing. The eqs on the D1 will do wonders appears able to modify any sound to liking. If you are buying this guitar, make sure you try out at the store with and without the amp. Some may not be able live with the bright sounds when played through an amp.

Action is great, no complains about this. Fit, finish and everything else is flawless. This is good workmanship.

No problems so far despite using it for more than a year. The finish is intact. It will last for a long time, if you treat it well.

Never dealt with them. No problems with the guitar as yet.

Overall the SM12 is a great guitar. For its price, I would ranked it a 9. If you cannot do without a 12 stringer and do not want to spend a bomb on the taylors and guild, do go for this. Watching the necks bend on expensive guitars can be pretty heart wrenching for the owner.

If I loose it, dont think i will buy another 12 stringer- too much TLC(tender loving care)is required. If you have the money to spare, always go for a solid wood body, you wont regret it.

21-fret (14 accessible), solid Spruce top. This guitar was purchased used and shows wear and tear (not excessive but normal) but I don't know much else about the specifics such as neck material, back/side material, etc.

Have installed a K&K Pure Western pickup.

I am amazed with how this guitar stays in tune (a la Seagull's headstock design). Tune it once and play all week. I live in an area with WILD temperature and humidity changes and I rarely have to spend more than a few seconds tuning this guitar every three or four days . . . and this guitar gets played alot.

This guitar has aged beautifully. Sounds great. Bass is full, rich, and booming. Mids are mellow and the highs are crisp without being twangy.

Sound is perfect for personal use (practice/pleasure) while unplugged or for performance unplugged/plugged.

Couldn't be happier with the sound as long as I'm using Earthwood strings - this guitar doesn't like any other strings.

Very easy to play with a wide fretboard, which I prefer.

Stands up to the punishment I put it through. Play 30 to 40 hours per week at home. Throw it in the back of my pickup (in a hardshell, of course) and take it to friends' houses and play some more. It has wear and tear but it still looks good.

Haven't needed it.

This is a great guitar regardless of the price I paid for it. It's tone is wonderful and it playability is well beyond my skill. This was my first twelve-string and based upon my experiences with it, it won't be my last twelve-string or my last Seagull.

I purchased this guitar new in October of 1999 for $450 which included a great TKL hardshell case. These Canadian made instruments are a very impressive value.
This model includes a solid spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and 21 frets (14 clear of body). The solid spruce top is finished in a high gloss lacquer finish which Seagull claims takes 8 days to finish. These guitars have a micarta nut and saddle. I'm not sure what make the tuners are but they keep the guitar in tune well and have a cool seagull design. The headstock has a noticeable shape (almost triangular) that is exclusive to seagull. This shape allows the strings to pass over the nut almost perfectly straight. This helps in tuning. One thing that stood out about this guitar was the width of the fingerboard. Most of the other 12 strings I played had necks that were too thin, making finger picking very hard beacause of the limited space between the sets of strings. The Seagull had a wider fingerboard which felt more comfortable to me (even though I do have small hands).
This guitar did not include a compensated saddle, as this feature was added later. The appearance is simple but by no means boring. I personally love the look of wood.

I played many 12 strings in this price range, and I must say I am quite happy with how much this guitar has opened up since purchasing it two years ago. The solid top and thin lacquer finish combine to give this guitar a very warm and balanced sound. As a solid top vibrates from regular playing it will open up and actually improve with age. Now I doubt that this guitar will compete with a Taylor or Guild 12 string, but then again you're also talking nearly a grand more for such. For the money I've yet to play a 12 string that sounded this good.

I bought this guitar at a shop that had adjusted the action because it was hanging around for so long. I did do a little more work on the nut to improve the action. Now this guitar plays quite comfortably. Tuning it down a whole step will greatly improve the playability as well as release a great deal of pressure on the neck and top. The lacquer finish looks great. This model has what Seagull calls a "high gloss lacquer finish", which in my opinion looks great. The neck has a satin finish which feels smooth.

People must understand that 12 strings must endure a great amount of stress. If you use 12-56 guage strings and tune it to standard and leave it like that forever you will end up with an extremely bowed top and possible a bridge that starts to separate, not to mention this is extremely hard on the neck. I use 10-47 guage strings and tune the guitar down a full step for normal use. If I feel that standard tuning is necessary and a capo won't due, then the guitar will withstand this for limited periods but should not be left this way. I forsee no problems other than that mentioned. I have noticed that the top is coming up a little but this is to be expected, especially for a 12 string. Just make sure you keep an eye on it.

I've only talked to a Seagull rep and he seemed very friendly. Haven't had to make any warrenty claims or the like. The warranty is for a two year period.

I've been playing for 5 years now and own over 10 guitars. I love the sound of a 12 string. Nothing can beat it. I would much prefer an instrument made in Canada than Korea, Japan, or the like. Within the price range I was looking, it was rare to find a solid top guitar, let alone one made in North America. These guitars age beautifully. They must be played though! A guitar will not sound better with age unless it is played. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would definitely replace it. I love this guitar for it's sound not it's looks, which aren't bad by the way. But come on now don't we musicians desire something for the way it sounds not the way it looks?

1988, Canada/ 14 fret/ Solid spruce top and mohogany sides and back/rosewood neck/ gloss neck/ satin back/ average neck, but fairly thin for a twelve string

When I got it I played for a lot of praise music and wanted the full sound of a twelve string. Rich bright sound. Not a Martin or Taylor or even Tacoma sound, but very good for price.

Very good set-up from factory. Bookmatched well. No significant flaws

I just traded off this guitar for a Taylor Big Baby (on order). I bought it for the good action, but have had to turn the truss rod two times, and was getting tired of tuning a 12-string. It may have been my fault, because I had it tuned up to regular pitch for a few years, but was tired or tuning down two steps and using a capo a lot. I warned the dealer and the guy who bought it that I had turned the truss rod and they were not concerned, and felt it was in remarkably good shape and played well. So my problems may be with 12 stings in general more than this guitar.

Fine if you can speak French. I called 5 years ago to ask how to adjust rod. I got a very nice French speaking receptionist, but no answers. I got help from the guitar shop. I have not tried lately, but their website is not in the class of Taylor's.

I have been playing 35 years. We own a Taylor 414, a Martin 000XM, an old Yamaha concert size, two classicals and a Yamaha JR.
Question before buying? Is there really any 12 string that will stand up to standard tuning? I would not buy it again, or another 12 string. If I get the itch for another 12 string, it will have an ebony neck, and a lot of testimonials that it can handle standard tuning. I originally chose it for action and sound. If it were a Seagull 6 string I would probable still love it and keep it. I think that Seagull is a good product and I am just not a 12 string guy.

I purchased this Seagull 12 string new in 1993, Solid spruce top, laminate mahogony back and sides. Great Shaller tuners, and a neck that is a gem to play, thin, smooth and comfortable. Fresh from the store it played great. Smaller than most 12 strings, the scale is a little shorter, This allows it to stay in a standard tuning.

This guitar gets better with age, As with most solid tops, this sounds a little thin when first purchased. But after a few weeks the top started to open up. After six years of playing it has become a rich full bodied sounding 12 string, not boomy like a full dreadnought, but well balanced.

The Guitar was purchased at a small store in Denver that deals, almost exclusivly acoustic guitars. The People that work there are are seasoned players and set up the guitars ready for playing. The finish is flawless, a well matched top, glass like finish,(which ages to a golden vintage look). The neck is smooth and the action is quite easy for a 12 string.

I have played this guitar on a daily basis for over six years. The hardware is still tight and I have only needed one fret dress in 6 years. It came with a hard shell case which has held up well. I have used this at many gigs without any back up.

My first 12 string I picked up had a flaw in the neck. It developed a hairline crack after a couple of weeks. The guitar was exchanged, no questions asked. I was given a free humidifier from the store I purchased it at to avoid any cracking in the next guita. I politly educated about the need to humidify a guitar. It was returned to the factory for a new neck and came back as a factory second. I was so happy with the customer service I purchased a S-6 cedar top also.

I have been playing for twenty years, I played a lot of guitars and for the money this is a steal,My other Guitars include a Seagull S-6, a Martin D-35,and a twenty five year old Rickenbacker 4001, This was a great additon to my guitar needs.

The SM-12 is a solid-spruce topped dreadnought twelve-string with laminated Mahogany back and sides. Built in Seagull's Quebec factory it has an excellent Alcohol lacquer finish that the brochure says is "high gloss" but looks more satiny to me. It's equipped with an LR Baggs saddle pickup but doesn't have a pre-amp. The headstock is shaped in the signature Seagull triangle that allows the strings to pass through the Micarta nut almost straight. Tuners are nice, solid Grovers. The neck is pretty slim for an acoustic (almost as thin as an Ovation) and allows for excellent playability. It's joined to the body using a special bolt neck joint. The saddle is also Micarta (which is preferred over bone when using an undersaddle pickup) but is uncompensated (Seagull now has a fully compensated saddle on all models and available through Seagull retailers). Overall, very impressive for a $200 dollar instrument.

Guitars tend to sound different when played acoustically and when plugged in. This guitar is no different.
Acoustically this guitar is excellent. The solid spruce top adds so much warmth to the sound that you won't find in a laminated top instrument (which most guitars in this price range have). There is a nice midrange and upper end plus just the right amount of bass. You can feel this guitar sing through your hands. Projection isn't as great as I would like but that's what you get with a laminated back. Those who play acoustic rock (unplugged) will be banging for more volume but those who play soft ballads will have no trouble. The tone is VERY nice for just about any style you put it to (once again, unplugged).
Now when you plug it in, it does sound different. All piezo saddle pickups tend to have a harsh, bright sound to them and the LR Baggs is no different, though it is smoother than other pickups I've played through (lower end Ovations). The brightness and high end "sheen" allow it to cut through a mix (think Jars of Clay). There is little bass but this could be compensated for by an equalizer or pre-amp. I would recommend the optional LR Baggs preamp on this guitar because it'll allow you to adjust to the sound you like.

The SM-12 was a real suprise on the playability scale. I've played acoustic twelve strings that costed a few hundred more that made playing very difficult. I had no such problem on the Seagull. Chording, fretting, even lead playing was easy. The action is set low (comparable to Ovation)and fast. The only noticable buzzing was when I put a capo on the first fret. Capoing other frets was fine, though.
The Alcohol Lacquer finish is outstanding. This is different than other kinds of finishes because it allows more freedom of movement in the woods and allows the wood to "breathe." It's very light and you can feel the wood when you rub it. Though Seagull calls the Alcohol Lacquer "high-gloss" it looks satin and feels satin (smoooooth). Other players liked the finish as well, preferring it over more glossy stuff.

Because of the Alcohol Lacquer finish, this guitar is a little more prone to damage than other guitars. Being so light, the finish doesn't really help to protect against dings but it will last. Cracking is also a big problem with solid top instruments so keep it humidified during the winter. The Seagull is very dependable and stays in tune very well, just keep it humidified and protected and you should be very happy with it.

Seagull has a dedicated e-mail address for tech support and I wrote to Andrew Slaney who was very informative. A response can be kind of slow, though, since they receive mail constantly. Still, they know their instruments.

Overall, this is one of the best deals for the price. I would recommend that you get three other things with it: 1. Preamp 2. Hardshell case 3. Humidifier. All Seagulls that I have played are very nice and beat just about any other guitar for the price. These are its strong points and good things to consider for any guitar: 1. Action 2. Tone 3. Finish. If you're looking for a twelve string I would definately recommend the SM-12 to you.