Yeah, this post is the exact opposite of my experience, I own two Seagulls at pretty different price points and both are excellent for their price.
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Music & Instruments
Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar
Best Canadian-Made Acoustic Guitar Under $600
The Seagull S6 is made in Lasalle, Quebec — solid cedar top, wild cherry back and sides, custom polished nut, and a compensated saddle for better intonation than most guitars at twice the price. The best intermediate acoustic guitar from a Canadian builder.
9 mentions · 7 threadslast mention May 20269.3/ 10
ClearPick Score
Outstanding
Score informed by 9 owner mentions across 7 Reddit threads · see every quote ↓
8 positive0 mixed1 negative
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Best Canadian-Made Acoustic Guitar Under $600
Seagull S6 Original Acoustic Guitar
~$599 CAD est. on Amazon.ca
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Every mention, sourced
Real comments from Reddit, linked to the original thread. Nothing paraphrased.
I'd take the yamaha LL. Beautiful instruments that are impeccably made. Plus I really don't like the seagull headstock.
Comparison
In 1996, these went for ~$350CAD new (I bought one new in 1996, and it still my main acoustic).
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Been playing seagulls for years. My experience with at least five seagulls, is excellent workmanship and a beautiful sounding guitar. For what it's worth I do think the cedar tops really come into their own after about 20 years.
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Godin makes quality instruments. There build quality is amazing. I love everything about Seagulls except the headstock design but that purely on me and the ascetics I like. ... If it speaks to you and feels good to you and encourages to play it's a no brainer.
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Lovely! This was my first guitar, a gift from my mom. I still love playing it twenty five years later. Never even understood the hate the headstock gets.
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Hey! I got the S6 slim and really like it. The sound is great and the guitar itself feels unique :D Nut width might take some time to get used to, since it is kind of big. Therefore, it's good for fingerstyle, but strumming might be harder. Also, it scratches easily, but in my opinion, it gives more character to the guitar (it's not that bad...). Overall, a really nice guitar, would recommend.
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Excellent guitar. Bought mine in 2017. Shopped around, and for the money it's definitely the best in it's price range.
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I went through a rough patch with my cedar top Seagull but it wound up just being the strings. A different style of string was all it took to bring out the sound and get me loving it again.
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✅ What Works
- Solid cedar top is warmer and more responsive than spruce at this price — cedar is a softer tonewood that opens up faster than spruce, producing a warm, rich tone immediately rather than requiring years of break-in. It's particularly suited to fingerpicking, folk, and classical guitar styles.
- Compensated bone saddle improves intonation at every fret — the compensated saddle offsets the B string and G string to correct for inherent pitch discrepancies in standard saddle design. The result is a guitar that plays in tune up the neck, which is uncommon at this price.
- Made in Quebec, Canada — all Seagull guitars are built in Lasalle, Quebec, by Godin Guitars. Canadian manufacturing means humidity-acclimated construction for Canadian climates and straightforward warranty and service access.
- 44mm nut width is more comfortable for fingerpicking — the slightly wider nut spacing gives fingerstyle players more room to place fingers between strings without accidentally muting adjacent notes. Flatpickers prefer 43mm; fingerstyle players often prefer 44mm.
⚠️ Worth Knowing
- Seagull headstock design is polarizing — the distinctive asymmetric Seagull headstock is an intentional design choice to reduce neck-dive by balancing the weight. Some players love the Canadian uniqueness; others prefer traditional symmetrical headstocks.
- Cedar top scratches more easily than spruce — cedar is a softer tonewood, which is why it opens up tonally faster, but also means it's slightly more susceptible to surface scratches and dings. The gloss finish provides some protection.
- Wider 44mm nut slightly more challenging for smaller hands — players with smaller hands may find the 44mm nut width stretching first-position chord shapes slightly more than standard 43mm guitars.
- Rosewood fingerboard availability note — all current Seagull S6 production uses legally certified rosewood sources compliant with CITES regulations. The tonewood is genuine rosewood, not a substitute.
ClearPick Verdict
The Seagull S6 is the best acoustic guitar at $599 for players who value tone, intonation, and Canadian quality. The solid cedar top, compensated saddle, and Tusq nut represent upgrades that most competing guitars at this price don't include. If you're buying a Canadian-made acoustic guitar that will last 20 years and sound better every year, the S6 is the right choice.
