Seagull 12 string?

[KennyLusk]

Has anyone here played the Seagull Coastline 12 string?
And if so, what are your impressions of it?
Thanks.

[mrc]

Yeah, I bought a used one a couple of years ago, it was about a year old. This one has the Cedar top. The first year I kept it at pitch all of the time, without any problems at all. Since then, I've dropped it a step, and capo'd it up so it's easier to bend strings.
I played in a few different acts with a friend who had a Martin 1960's D12-20, that one of us played on most every tune, we had from 2 to 4 guitar players, depending on the act, most often 3. Other than the 12 fret neck, the D12-20 was just a super guitar, though it did teach me to work around the 12 fret limitation. After playing it regularly for nearly a decade, I'm pretty picky about 12 strings, and it's my basis for comparison for all of them.
I gave $250 for the S-12 I bought used, it was free from any scratches or dings, though there is natural waver in the grain of the wood on the face in one spot that I suppose some people would not like, I think the appearance of the guitar is great. It stays in tune very well, even capoed up a step and bending a lot of strings, as in blues tunes. I use the sealed D'Adarrio light guage strings on it. Wiping them down after playing them with fret ease and a cloth, I get most of a year out of them before they begin to have trouble with staying in tune.
I think it's maybe just a bit brighter with new strings than I'd like to track with, but a ribbon with a bit of the highs rolled off will do the trick. After the strings are a few weeks old, it sounds pretty balanced. I don't think at this point in the guitars life, it has the bottom end of the D12-20, by itself, but that may not be a problem when doing a track with a lot of information in that frequency range, and may in fact be a plus. I think the fit and finnish of the guitar is great, and it appears it will easily outlast me, with just a bit of care. I'm sure as time goes on, it will mellow a bit in the tone, perhaps enhancing the bottom a bit. All in all, I really love this guitar, it's a joy to play, frets perfectly, and sounds really great to me. The finnish is really slick, so I've found I need to use a strap to play it sitting down, to keep it from moving around. I would have been happy with it if I had payed full price for it, new. I compared it to Martin's Plasticized 12 strings, and it spanked them, plus due to it's all wood construction, more than likely the tone will improve with time...hehe, a luthier friend of mine told me to lean it against a speaker playing loud Flatts and Srcuggs music at it for 24/7/365 and it should be perfect. My Six string is a 1959 00-18, and they sound very nice together.

[ott0bot]

well hows that for a recomendation!

[KennyLusk]

mrc, that's a fantastic recommend. Thanks for taking the time to be so detailed. I appreciate the description of it being balanced. no doubt I love the deep tones something like a Guild 12 string offers but I do want it to fit in with the rest of a mix without having to EQ much (if at all). This is the very reason my go-to AC is an OM16GT. Balanced tone is so easy to record with (for me).

This is one of the reasons I love and trust TOMB so much...recommendations like this that come from experience, not heresay.

Cheers!

[mrc]

Well, I hope you're as happy with yours as I am with mine. I did audition a D12-35 that I really liked, but it was just a bit more cash and had a bottom end that most likely would need to be dialed out in a track. I think for the price, the Seagull is hard to beat, and I would keep this one even if a D12-35 ever showed up in the herd

[Producer/Engineer]

I used to be a Seagull dealer and without a doubt Seagull offers some excellent acoustic guitars at very attractive price points.
Before you purchase the Coastline 12, I would recommend getting your hands on a Guild G212 and playing it. Personally, this is the 12 sting guitar of my choice in the $799. price range.
It's really a personal choice, but by playing a lot of them, one will "speak to you."
I'm not a fan of Taylor 12 strings even though I was a dealer as well.

[KennyLusk]

I used to be a Seagull dealer and without a doubt Seagull offers some excellent acoustic guitars at very attractive price points.
Before you purchase the Coastline 12, I would recommend getting your hands on a Guild G212 and playing it. Personally, this is the 12 sting guitar of my choice in the $799. price range.
It's really a personal choice, but by playing a lot of them, one will "speak to you."
I'm not a fan of Taylor 12 strings even though I was a dealer as well.

Thanks for chiming in. Even though the G212 is manufactured in China you feel it will age well?

[Producer/Engineer]

I used to be a Seagull dealer and without a doubt Seagull offers some excellent acoustic guitars at very attractive price points.
Before you purchase the Coastline 12, I would recommend getting your hands on a Guild G212 and playing it. Personally, this is the 12 sting guitar of my choice in the $799. price range.
It's really a personal choice, but by playing a lot of them, one will "speak to you."
I'm not a fan of Taylor 12 strings even though I was a dealer as well.

Thanks for chiming in. Even though the G212 is manufactured in China you feel it will age well?

Yes, I do. With CNC machines and the quality of the wood provided by Guild, I believe it will endure the test of time.
Ideally, you could play it against other 12 strings but that's not always possible. Even just getting your hands on one and playing it is a very revealing experience!

[KennyLusk]

I'll make it a point to do that then. The last guitar I bought (Martin OM16GT) taught me it's important to buy something you've held in your hands and auditioned, and if the "wow" factor isn't there, don't waste the money.

Again, much obliged for your valuable insight...everyone who's posted in the thread so far, thanks.

[Producer/Engineer]

http://www.guildguitars.com/index.php/where/

[kayagum]

I've owned several 12 strings ( and played many more), and any Seagull 12 string would be my hands down choice for under $1K.

One note: if you live in a damp climate, I'd go for a spruce top over the cedar. I owned the cedar top Seagull for several years, and the tone would just go flabby if the dewpoint got above 60 degrees outside. Awesome when it was dry (e.g. a typical MN winter).

[kayagum]

(duplicate post)

[KennyLusk]

I've owned several 12 strings ( and played many more), and any Seagull 12 string would be my hands down choice for under $1K.

One note: if you live in a damp climate, I'd go for a spruce top over the cedar. I owned the cedar top Seagull for several years, and the tone would just go flabby if the dewpoint got above 60 degrees outside. Awesome when it was dry (e.g. a typical MN winter).

I live in AZ and one thing we don't have is "damp", LOL. I have to use a humidifier in my house just to get the air to feel somewhat normal.

[ott0bot]

I've owned several 12 strings ( and played many more), and any Seagull 12 string would be my hands down choice for under $1K.

One note: if you live in a damp climate, I'd go for a spruce top over the cedar. I owned the cedar top Seagull for several years, and the tone would just go flabby if the dewpoint got above 60 degrees outside. Awesome when it was dry (e.g. a typical MN winter).

I live in AZ and one thing we don't have is "damp", LOL. I have to use a humidifier in my house just to get the air to feel somewhat normal.

i feel that man. My wife has to sleep with a humidifier in winter....even with all the rain we've been having. When I finally get my garage/studio set up...I'll probably have to get a decent humidifier.

[KennyLusk]

Sorry to revive an old thread but I just want to thank everyone who posted in this one. I finally did buy a Seagull S12 this week and must say I'm impressed and happy with it. The quality everyone speaks of regarding Seagull is definitely there and the S12 has been a lot of fun to play. No fret buzzing, even in the upper registers, outstanding tone, and the neck has an excellent feel. The tone is very sweet, and the action is not too low - not too high. The stock strings are fantastic and I'm sure I'll continue to use Godin strings as replacements. Construction is solid and I'm impressed with the back being made of a solid piece of cherry; a very cool feature indeed. The cedar top keeps tonality nice and warm IMO and is one of the reasons I've always been a cedar top fan. Oh yeah, one more plus, the dang thing stays in tune. Anything I'd ever owned before my Martin OM never quite stayed in tune [overnight], so this makes me happy as well.

In the end, simply put, it's a mother beautiful guitar that plays well and sounds fantastic. Thanks again guys. -Ken