Seagull (Guitars)
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
company and sub-brand of Godin Guitars
Godin (Guitar Manufacturer)
- History :Godin started building Robert Godin's guitars in 1972 in La Patrie, Quebec.Godin Guitars' head office is located in Montreal, and they build their instruments in six factories in four different locations, three in Quebec and one in New Hampshire....
that produces acoustic guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s. Born out of La Patrie
La Patrie, Quebec
La Patrie is a village of 800 people in Le Haut-Saint-François Regional County Municipality, in Quebec, Canada. It is located at the base of Mont Megantic.Some industries specializing in the field of forestry have settled in La Patrie.-Light Pollution:...
, a small village in the Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, this company hand crafts acoustic guitars targeted towards working musicians. Established in 1982 by Robert Godin and a few of his friends, this company specializes in making acoustic guitars
Steel-string acoustic guitar
A steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
with solid tops as opposed to laminated tops. The brand is hailed by guitarists worldwide as the most reputable brand of guitar manufacturing.
Seagull guitars use a distinctive and recognizable headstock which places the tuning machines roughly in line with the nut to improve tuning stability. Most models are available with either the Godin Quantum I electronics (featuring an under saddle transducer) or the Godin Quantum II electronics (with both a transducer and small microphone which can be blended together).
Seagull's new design type:
Seagull Guitars have also just recently released the new “compound-curve” top design on all of their lines. The idea behind this is to add an arch to the top of the guitar to allow the company to use a thinner and a more lightly braced top. This is opposed to the typical flat top of an acoustic guitar which has problems with the sound hole sinking in. As part of the new design, the top has a slight (30' radius) curve to it which is slightly above the sound hole and then levels out around the bridge of the guitar. This provides stability while maintaining the same sound as a normal acoustic. They have been working on this new shape over the last twenty years. The company is still keeping a lot of the same attributes that they had in their previous guitars such as a wild cherry color on the back and sides of the guitar, a solid top, and the same distinctive headstock.
As Robert Godin, owner of Godin guitars a Canadian guitar manufacturer, put it “Our motivation for this project was to create a new acoustic design that would simultaneously improve sound and structural integrity. As a general rule better sound comes with more delicate construction. Conversely, stronger construction, such as thicker tops and heavier bracing, stifles the sound.”