Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce Top?

[gemini8026]

What are the chief differences, and is one better then the other, or what thigns should I consider? I just heard spruce may be a bit brighter.. Id like some opinions, as I will be ordering this week!

PS - It's a Seagull S6 CW (cutaway)

[DTP]

Re: Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce Top?

I bought a S6 + Cedar several years ago and if I remember correctly they told me that cedar would have a warmer tone. I love mine, except it doesn't have a cutaway.

Jason

[thurston]

Re: Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce T

I had an S12+ Cedar.
It was well loved and well used when I got it. It sounded amazing.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce T

FYI, I have a simon and patrick luthier 12 string - same builder as the seagulls, but a more traditional headstock. It's a GREAT guitar, as nice or nicer than my USA Guild. The Seagulls I played at music stores were better sounding and built than every other guitar at the same price level or even a few hundred dollars more. Fantastic value for the money.

Pete

[gemini8026]

Re: Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce T

Pete,

are u sayign the Seagull and Simon and Patrick are of equal value, or the seagull is above and beyond?!?

They DONT make a Spruce top with the cutaway, so it limits me now. BUT, I may be interested in an S&P with the spruce top. It just sounds to me that spruce is what im really looking for. A brighter sound with more attack!

[thurston]

Re: Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce T

Seagull and Simon and Patrick are both under the same parent company (Godin).
Spruce or Cedar, your going to get the best bang for your buck. Take care of it, humidify when necessary, and play the shit out of it. It will last a long time and only improve with age.

I think they do make a Spruce top with a cutaway, but it is in the Artist models.

[Riscchip]

Re: Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce T

Assuming we're talking about tops that have been run in pretty well, I think cedar tends to sound a bit louder and warmer with nice detailed high end when fingerpicked or strummed gently. For more agressive picking, it can sound sort of boomy and the highs get crunched or "distort" a bit. Spruce is more open sounding with more apparent high end and sounds good with heavy picking / strumming. It's a less delicate sound.

That's how my crazy ears hear it, anyway. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Ordering a Seagill acoustic, Cedar or Spruce T

Cedar is generally a fingerstyle soundboard wood. When the guitar is pushed hard, you can overdrive the top. Strangely enough, my cedar-topped Taylor cannot be overdriven, and stays clean even with my heavy strumming.

You have two types of spruce (engelmann and sitka). Sitka handles hard strumming well and is the brightest/tightest sounding of the three typical topwoods. Engelmann is a beautiful blondish wood that is slightly mellower than sitka.

And then there are mahogany tops which I have no experience with. They're more typically found on acoustics that also have mahogany backs/sides as well.