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Ie dreadnought, jumbo, parlor, etc...

I'm on the market for a new acoustic and am very interested in Seagulls. I plan on playing acoustic rhythm music (flat picking) and finger picked lead. What shape/features should I look for?

I've got an M6 dreadnought and love it... I'd say go play a few and see what you're comfortable with....

I've always been a huge fan of Martin Guitar Co. dreadnoughts and if you flatpick (bluegrass style) you will love them too. They are the ultimate bluegrass guitars or for any kind of genre. People who want big fancy quot;prettyquot; guitars buy Gibsons, but those who trully want a good feeling and good sounding guitar gets a Martin.

Martins are out of my price range, I'm looking at Seagulls mostly, but also Ibanez, Yamaha, and Cort.

Be sure to check out some Aria acoustics. They're offering some fantastic acoustics these days.

Sprinter

Tried Maton guitars?

Seagull's are a great choice, as for shape, IMHO it generally goes like this:

Dreadnought - strumming, flat picking, will handle more aggresive strums.(only beat by a jumbo in loudness.) - also can be finger picked and is by many.

Jumbo - great for strumming, loud voice. Can be used for other things but strumming is its strength.

Parlor - can be strummed but not to aggresivelly, great for blues leads, good finger picker, great portability.

OM - ochestral model - finger picking speciality, quiter than a dreadnought, can be strummed, but not really hard, it will lose its focus and get muddled.

In your case I would consider a dreadnought, maybe with a cutaway to help with upper fret access, but the cutaway may cause some small loss in bass response.

But as stated by someone else, try one and see what feels and sounds good to you.

Hope it helps

To add a couple of points to what Rstlessone and others have said above, first, probably your best choice to cover flatpicked rhythm and fingerpicked lead would be a dreadnought or jumbo which will give you the projection needed for rhythm playing. Although most people recommend OM's or 000's for fingerpicking, dreadnoughts have been used to good effect by people like Skip James, Brownie McGhee, Lightnin' Hopkins and Jorma Kaukonen.

A dreadnought sized Seagull would be a good choice because its wider 1.8quot; nut and 24.84quot; scale length are well suited for fingerpicking. I would suggest one of their spruce topped models because they break up later than cedar tops when strummed hard.

Thanks a ton Rstlessone, sounds like a dreadnought is what I'm looking for, either w/ or w/o a cutaway.

I plan on strumming, fingerpicked ben harper style leads, and some slide. I know a solid top is a must, but what woods/other features should I check for?

The rest will depend on the sound you like to hear. The main choices in backs and sides are mahogany and rosewood. IMO mahgaony is smoother sounding, rosewood is a little darker but produces great articulation and overtunes compared to mahogany. I like both, it is a matter of taste. With the seagull, I believe the sides are a laminate but the backs are solid.

I agree with sgstrat the spruce top is probablely better. Later you can look at nut materials, pegs etc. for tone. Your other choice will involve strings, this again is a matter of taste, you can experiment. The stock Seagull is pretty good and will do you well.

Work in a good setup on the guitar with the deal if possible. Thsi makes a world of difference in the playing. Let the tech know how you will play it, slide, strumming finger picking and he should be able to give the right action on the strings.

Remeber to play the one you wish to buy, acoustics are even more individual than electrics. Two guitars, from the same maker, the same model, in the same enviroment may sound different. Be sure to check each string in all fret positions for good sound.

Remeber the fun is in the chase. Good luck.

i prefer a dreadnaught, no cutaway's on acoustic for me as well