Simon & Patrick S&P MJ

Hand made in Canada, this guitar is part of the S&P "Woodland" range. It features a solid cedar top, wild cherry back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Nut and saddle is Tusq. The model I chose is the plain old Mini Jumbo shape; no electronics or cutaway. For more features goto the website.

This was my first "real" solid top acoustic. I bought it to try and get myself back into acoustic playing and I absolutely LOVE this guitar. The cedar top gives a beautifully rich, warm sound which started to get better almost as soon as I got it home. The more I played it, the better it sounded. The jumbo shape also gives it plenty of volume and projection. Everyone who has tried it or heard me play it has commented on the awesome tone. I have friends with Fenders, Matons, and even Martins which IMHO don't sound as good. From fingerpicking, to strumming, I totally love it.

The action was fine right from the start. It was a shop demo model when I bought it so don't know if it had been properly set up but to me it feels great. I fitted lighter strings 11s as opposed to the standard 12s and occassionally I get a bit of fret buzz but nothing annoying enough to bother getting it fixed.
After nearly 15 years of playing nothing but electric (Fender Strat), I felt right at home on the very thin, comfortable neck. I have quite small hands with stubby fingers and have no problem getting around it and even playing the odd barre chord on this. The frets are perfect and the tuners precise enough; it stays in tune forever. The finish is a very thin satin finish which really shows off the grain of the cedar.

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to gig with this guitar (apart from the fact mine doesn't have a pickup!). It seems quite solidly built. The only foreseeable issue could be the thin satin finish on the top. I have had this guitar for 3 years now and the finish is already quite "polished" where my right arm rests, and as it has no pickguard, my fingertips have left slight scratches under the soundhole. This doesn't bother me as it just "adds character" but if you want to preserve the looks, then fit a pickguard!

N/A.

Awesome value for money. At this price you usually just get Chinese made stuff but to get a Canadian made solid top which sounds THIS good for under a thousand bucks is great! I'd definately replace it if lost or stolen. Like I said earlier I have friends with guitars costing more than double what I paid for this and I don't think they sound as good or feel as nice to play.

Made in Canada in 2005. Solid Cedar top with 3 ply Cherry back and sides and Mahogony neck. Sealed tuners.
Mini Jumbo body with Semi Gloss finish.

Basic Guitar

This guitar has incredible sound especially for finger picking. Great bottom end and clear highs. The Mini Jumbo/Cedar combination makes for a slightly softer edge to the overall sound with a stong bottom end. When I was searching for a guitar, it was between this, a Larrivee or a Taylor. This has such a distictive sound I really had to get it. I have taken it to a few jams and people are always suprised at the sound that guitar makes.

Looks very well made. No noticable flaws. The action was okay when I bought it but had my Luthier set it up and add a clear pick guard to protect the beautiful rich cedar top and strap button on the neck. It now plays/sounds and looks great!

I have only had the guitar for a couple of months but so far so good. I imagine that the softer cedar top may wear a bit quicker than spruce but so far so good.

Playing 20 years or so, Have mainly Electric Guitars, Gibson 335, Ibanez and Fender strat. I just love playing this simply beaut.
I would try to source this guitar out again if it was lost.
This guitar is an incredible value!

Handmade in la patrie Canada. just got it this month features a lovely western red cedar top and wild cherry back and sides, neck is mahogany, bridge and frets and rosewood, saddle and nut are both tusq (synthetic bone). nice strong tuners. it didnt come with any case or accessories but there was a scratchplate that hadnt been mentioned in the product listing, for me this was helpful as i would have got one put on anyway but others may have prefered the guitar without one.

the particular shape of this guitar makes for quite a unique sound, the guitar itself is quite small but the lower bout is a full 16 inches so theres plenty of volume. the tone is the warm mellow sound associated with softer wood tops.sounds great for fingerstyle playing but also very nice when strumming. I would give it a nine overall, obviously it doesnt sound like a martin but thats not the point, this guitar demolishes anything else in its price range as far as sound is concerned so therefore earns its high score.

a common complain with guitars from the godin stable is that prior to any outside setup the action is a bit too high. i would in this case agree however it is a problem that is simply fixed by your local luthier, the finish of the top is the usual semi pourous gloss used in most simon & patrick guitars however i noticed that it seems to protect the top from scratches and dents alot better than my SP12 which is a bonus. give it a 5 for a nice finish but a poor action

the guitar itself is a quality piece of craftsmanship and it is built to last. however this does require a reasonable amount of care from the owner but i dont know anyone who doesnt treat there handmade acoustic with serious care.the hardware is of a similar quailty and i would be happy to use this to gig regularly.

havent dealt with the company firsthand although the guitar came with a tag containing the initial off all the people who had worked on it which was a seriously nice touch and seems to reflect their ethcis as a company. so ill give the a 10 for that

i bought this guitar after a very good experience with my 12 string and i am completely satisfied i made the right choice. as ive said its far better than anything in its price bracket. i personaly think that it is a very attractive guitar to look at aswell which people maybe dont usually associate with simon & patrick. i hope it doesnt happen but if it were to be stolen i would surely replace it. overall a fantastic acoustic guitar at a fantasic price which i would reccomend to anyone wishing to purchase an acoustic guitar for under 400 pounds

Brand new 2005 Simon&Patrick Mini jumbo Solid Cedar Top and 3ply laminated sides and back. First year introduction model for the Mini Jumbo shape. Really, but really thin finish let the wood vibrate the most it can. Great sealed tuners. Tusq (synthetic ivory) bridge and nut. Specially sculpted bridge for every strings has it own lenght for better intonation I guess. No Case, no accessories included. Basic stuff, but that was what I was looking for. But I wish there was a strap button at the neck/body junction.

Nice, warm sound. Perfectly balanced from string to string volume. Amazing sound for fingerstyle and mild flatpicking. Not really suited for heavy strumming. I actually changed my guitar style playing for fingerstyle because of the unbelievable sound I get. I give a ten considering the really cheap price I paid for. I've had it for about two months and I already noticed some improvment in the tone (this cedar top begins to love me ;)

Everything was near perfect at purchase time. There was absolutely no flaws in the construction. The action could be a little lower. I intend to ask the luthier for that when the baby get to its first visit.
The rosewood fingerboard have a little discoloration around the fifth and sixth fret, which is kinda nice. It was even in tune when I bought it and I have rarely had to tune it.

The guitar itself will stay in great shape for a good while. I bought it a nice hard guitar case. But with the very light finish, I guess the cedar top will show some signs of aging because it's really soft. I saw Monte Montgomery's axe and I'm sure I can't beat the damage he has done to his cedar topped Alvarez ! :P

I haven't dealt with the company (Godin-Lasido guitar company) and I hope I won't have to do. I've seen mr. Godin a couple of time on TV : he seems like a really nice guy who loves what he does. I'm really happy that all the guitars are made in Quebec, Canada being a Quebecker myself. I gave them a seven for their poor website which was never updated I think. My guitar isn't even in the product list. Also, I would like them to tell me what's the difference between Norman, Simon&Patrick and Seagull guitars (some say it's the neck thickness, the woods, etc)

I've been playing for about 10 years. I began on a crappy Sear classic acoustic. I own a Abilene acoustic, a Fender Stratocaster, Fender bullet, Marshall cascading gain, a Digitech Rp200, a NYC XXL stompbox.

If it was stolen I'd buy another guitar from Lasido (norman, s&p) or a Martin, Taylor, Gibson if I can fool the insurance ;)

I chose this axe cause I wanted a solid top acoustic who'd improve with the years