Amazon.com Product Information is Unclear
The product title says "Seagull Entourage Rustic QI Guitar" which is a fine guitar and a great value.
Unfortunately Amazon.com's product information does not match the product title. The Godin Quantum I (QI) electronics uses only a saddle transducer but does not use a "microphone capsule...mounted at the end of a 6 inch flexible boom." The description is for the Quantum II system which does.
Also some models of the QI system incorporate an integral tuner (QIT) and some do not. Since Amazon.com's description is for the wrong unit who knows? It would be nice if Amazon.com would update this product description with the correct information.
Seagull site showing QIT and QIIT systems:
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Site with image of QI without tuner:
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Beautiful sound and looks!
I got this guitar as my beginner instrument to start getting into acoustic guitars and I think it turned out to be a really great choice. I was going to get a Seagull Original S6 but then I found one of these for basically the same price.
Just to get it out of the way wow this guitar looks fantastic! But how does it sound you say? Well since I'm just starting out I don't have a developed ear but from what I can tell it's very warm bright and layered. I noticed it sounds a tad muffled when I finger pick but that just may be how it usually is since I'm new to guitar. Also the guitar had a few oddities sound-wise when I first started playing but now those have gone away. It was probably just the change in temperature and humidity since it was cold outside when they delivered it.
The action seems really perfect; the strings are low enough to the frets to play but they don't buzz. The solid top gives the guitar a fantastic ring and I was surprised how long I could hear a note after strumming. It's got a glossy finish which looks pretty but is prone to getting fingerprints if you care about that kind of thing. I've read that this kind of finish will show scratch marks more easily than a semi-gloss or flat finish so be aware.
Anyway I'm 100% satisfied with this guitar and would definitely recommend this to others looking for a good band-for-the-buck guitar.
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Great Parlor Guitar Great Value!
I recently decided I wanted a smaller guitar and since I own a Seagull Original S6 and am very happy with it one of the brands I looked into was Seagull. The Coastline Grand has a solid cedar top and laminated cherry back and sides like the S6 but unlike the S6 it has a narrower neck - 1.72. It's also got 14 frets above the body which I think is a big plus so I decided to go for it.
My Coastline Grand is as well made as my S6 - no surprise since Seagull offers consistently high build quality. The semi gloss finish feels good and looks nice and everything was good. True it needs a setup but I like particularly low action so every guitar I get needs a setup. The only thing I'm not thrilled with is the nut width and the guitar is still very playable.
This guitar sounds especially good to me when strummed or fingerpicked softly. That's when you get the mellow cedar overtones. Played harder it's got a brighter midrangy sound that is surprisingly loud. If you don't care for that type of sound just throw a set of Silk and Steel strings on it. While some of the more expensive parlors do have more bottom end this one isn't a very bass-rich guitar but it does sound good.
The bottom line - if you're looking for a smaller guitar particularly a parlor this is a guitar you should definitely check out. Good sound build quality finish and tuners - plus customer service is good about answering emails. I'm very happy with my Seagull Coastline Grand and expect to be playing it for many years.
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