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(More customer reviews)I recently purchased this guitar after an exhaustive search for a new acoustic to replace an old friend who just plain got wore out.
After playing a ton of instruments, I narrowed my criteria. Haunted by that "Clapton Unplugged" tone, I decided that I wanted a guitar with a spruce top and rosewood back and sides, but I couldn't afford the high-end Martins. So after weeks of trying a ton of instruments, I found myself sitting in a guitar store torn between a very nice Taylor 214 and a wonderful Parkwood. While trying to select between them, I grabbed on of these off the wall just to give my hand something to do while I made up my mind.
The next thing I knew, I forgot all bout spruce and rosewood. I forgot about the comfort of the Taylor's auditorium body or the volume of the Parkwood dread.
I'd played other Seagulls before, and somehow the combination of a cedar top and cherry backs and sides didn't speak to me- but all those Seagulls had been dreadnoughts.
Yet those same woods in this shape give a unique tone which has an earthy, mid-rangy soul voice not too different than the spruce/rosewood combo while still providing a clear and compelling bottom end. When strummed hard, it delivers crisp, clear chords that speak with all the authority you'd expect from a well equipped dread. And yet the combination of the generous string spacing the warmth of the cedar top make finger-style playing a comfortable and beautiful experience. This thing is so versatile and would be at home at a bluegrass jam, a folk fest, or any unplugged blue/rock affair. (And you church-going guys would love this for some praise and worship too.)
The neck on the Seagull was every bit as playable as the Taylor, and as a big fella, I found the mini-jumbo to be a perfect fit.
As an added bonus, the rustic sunburst is truly stunning and stands apart from the sea of natural spruce finishes with their yellow hue.
I'm giving it a 4 because the light, satin finish makes it very easy to put dings on the soft cedar top and because they didn't install a strap pin on the neck heel, meaning that I've got to tie my strap on the headstock- which isn't that big of a deal. Tone-wise, this thing is simply flawless. You can find guitars with more bells and whistles to be sure, but you wont find a better sound at any price. And I got it for under $340.
Oh, and one more thing about that price. This guitar is made in Canada- where they have high labor costs and many of the same issues facing American manufacturers. If Godin (the parent company of Seagull) can build excellent guitars in Canada at this price point, why can't American companies do it too?
Bottom line- this guitar is a steal. It easily blows away every other guitar in its price point as well as most instruments costing three to four times as much. I know because I played them all. I would have gladly spent much more to get killer tone and superb playability like this, but thanks to our friends in the Great White North, I didn't have to.
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