Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar Review
Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar Feature
- Made in North America
- Select Pressure Tested Top
- Double Action Truss Rod
- Tapered Headstock for precise and stable tuning and great for open tunings
- Tusq nut and compensated saddle for better intonation
Winner of several awards, the S6 is the instrument that best represents the Seagull philosophy. The S6 is affordable and gives entry-level players the opportunity to experience the great feel and superb sound provided by a hand-finished neck, solid cedar top and genuine lacquer finish. Gorgeous domestic wild cherry back and sides provide a unique tone between the warmth of mahogany with the crisp definition of maple. The silver leaf maple neck on a shorter 24.84" scale with a rosewood fretboard is easy on the fingers, while specially aligned machine heads make for quick, stable tuning.
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Warm Appearance and Sound
The S6 has a solid cedar top with beautiful wild cherry sides and back, finished in a semi-gloss lacquer. The saddle and bridge are both made of rosewood. With a sound that lands somewhere between the mellow tone of mahogany and the bright ring of maple, wild cherry has gives an excellent tone to guitars. Because of the mix of cedar and cherry wood, both the sound and appearance is warm, dark, and full.
 Solid cedar top is joined with wild cherry sides and back for a warm sound and appearance. |
Reverse Headstock
Each Seagull neck starts out as a single piece of mahogany or Silver Leaf maple. The wood is cut at a 45 degree angle after which the top piece--the Headstock--is glued back on with the grain reversed. This is an essential step in the Seagull process for creating incredibly stable necks.
Tuning Made Easy
You may have wondered why it is that even after you have carefully tuned each string, it is often necessary to go back and make further adjustments on a few of the strings. This is because the neck moves slightly as you change the tension of the strings. Therefore you don't just tune the strings, you "balance" the neck at the same time. The tapered headstock on Seagull guitars provides straight string pull, which minimizes the neck twisting effect. This ensures that it will be easier to get your guitar in tune and keep it that way. This is particularly advantageous for the growing ranks of players who use open tunings.
The Seagull Neck
Neck crafting is an art and the luthiers who sand each Seagull neck to our exacting specifications take their art very seriously. Comfort, sound, and stability are the three key ingredients that Seagull aims for in a guitar neck. Comfort is especially important these days because acoustic players are playing all over the neck--not just open chords below the third fret. A slim, comfortable neck not only accommodates playing all over the neck but also reduces fatigue. On the other hand, the vibration of the neck is an important contributor to the sound of the guitar and if the neck is too slim the guitar will suffer in the sound department.
 Features a tapered headstock, which minimizes neck twisting and makes it easier to keep your guitar in tune. |
Double Action Truss System
Most guitars employ an adjustable metal rod inside the neck called a truss rod. The truss rod is typically used to straighten the neck when it becomes slightly bowed from string tension and changes in humidity. In the event of a neck becoming back-bowed, the traditional fix is to loosen the truss rod and allow the string tension to pull the neck back to its ideal form. Unfortunately this doesn't always work which is why we adapted a new double-action truss rod in Seagull necks. The new rod bends in both directions, which provides unprecedented control over the neck whether it is under-bowed or over-bowed.
The Heel
Did you ever notice that a guitar that sounds perfectly in tune needs to be re-tuned slightly when passed from one player to another? This has to do with the fact that different players place varying amounts of weight and pressure on the neck and this affects tuning. Years ago we discovered that this problem could be alleviated by inserting maple dowels through the heel of the neck. This reinforcement makes the neck several times stronger.
Neck Pitch
In order to enjoy all of the advantages of a well-crafted neck, a great deal of care must be given when joining it to the guitar body. The angle of a guitar's neck attachment--often called "neck pitch"--plays a crucial role in the instrument's tone. Simply put; if the neck is too far back, the guitar will lose its bass and sound tinny. On the other hand, if the neck angle is too far forward, the guitar will lose its high frequency response and sound muddy. The Seagull neck attachment system insures consistent neck pitch. It also produces the added advantage of a superior neck/body energy transfer because the neck is attached to the body with a clean wood-to-wood connection. There is no glue to impede the vibration between the heel of the neck and the guitars body.
Compensated Seagull Saddle
Seagull guitars feature Tusq nuts and saddles. The fully compensated saddle helps Seagull guitars to play beautifully in-tune all over the neck.
