Dear All,

I wish to ask for your opinion on this 2 brand and what are your opinion.

I have narrowed down to that two and for a big price difference of RM1K between both models.

Wonder which is a better buy.

Anyway, if i go with the Farida, any advise on knowing the type of wood used?? (i.e. Indian rosewood or Brazillian Rosewood)

Do hope to hear much comments from all of you ...


Cheers.

Seagull is a division of Godin guitars from Canada.. They have the same rankings on the likes of Maton or Takamine.. So basically, it's a very good guitar. On the other hand, Farida is a high end chinese guitar brand.. It's still a very good guitar but for sure it will be priced much cheaper than the Seagull.. If you want to invest in a Canadian made guitar that costs more then go for the Seagull.

Both guitar brands have their own websites and you can check out what their models and specs are.. The difference between Indian rosewood and Brazilian rosewood is that Brazilian rosewood is harder to find and more expensive and that it has better density and grain pattern.. But you won't really notice the difference in tone between the two. Rosewood is commonly used for fretboards and the sides/back of an acoustic..

I'd go for Farida. No point spending so much if the difference in tone quality is so little...but the price difference is big.

where can i got Farida guitar in selangor area . thx

Go to 'The Guitar Store'.

Try the Damansara outlet near Mutiara Damasara and ask for Steven. He is really helpful and I think only the Damansara and Cheras outlet has ample Farida guitars.

check out www.theguitarstore.com

or their blog tgscustomer.blogspot.com

If you plan to buy there, you may have a chance to appear on their blog :-)

---

Added on December 11, 2008, 9:37 pmThanks nkphnx and lefty for your advice.

Personally I am rather incline to Farida but price wise, for the D-62 is almost RM3k with fishman pickup (Classic 4 I think) since it comes with full solid. While the seagull with pickup is almost RM2k.

Anyway, any comment on Custum acoustic guitars by CK music. Was recommended too.

May get the Farida guitar, but would like to keep my options open until further price deduction. :-)






This post has been edited by jon_yong: Dec 11 2008, 09:37 PM

see how many ppl think farida is cheaper here
thats what u get for being a MIC guitar.

anyway, seagull has a 24.75" scale length, so it will sound mellower than the farida.
its like comparing the tone between a gibson and a fender, u cant.

and if u want slightly cheaper, of cos check out the other sister brands of godin like art&lutherie or norman guitars.
they all have solid tops also, but usually laminated sides and are around RM1k, but also slimmer necks than the seagull.

you can check out maestro guitars......... ( if they have it herelar). Made In Singapore guitars that r quite good

but if i had a choice of a guitar around RM2k, there is only 1 choice.

Don't play games with me!!!!! Trying to get that damn acoustic to KL.............. have to settle for something else instead

uh sir, i aint playing games with u sir, uhh i was just trying to, uhh u know, create a little conversation.
this fine uhh here guitar with muh name on it, well it sure is a fine uhh little thing aint it...

Any more advice ??

How about the brand Custom Acoustic? Do you think would have been a good option too?

This post has been edited by jon_yong: Dec 13 2008, 03:11 PM

lol....seagull is good....but is juz that they had wider fretboard than usual acoustic guitars which i don't really enjoy playing...*ya...i got small hands*
in fact farida is pretty good....tried a few of the high end model....not bad...but recently i get to know that SMX is selling Breedlove revival series,it's not very expensive and it's a awesome guitars....actually it sounds n plays better than a 5k martin....well juz my personal opinion

This post has been edited by ReeveX.com: Dec 14 2008, 12:34 AM

Here's my personal opinion
Seagull S6 - non pickup (available at Guitar Collection, Guitar Store)
1. wide finger board - didn't like it at first, but it really builds up your stretch on the frets. If you are into finger picking, you will not regret getting this.
2. good intonation - check your harmonics and chord at the higher register on the seagull and compare it with farida. seagull has better intonation.
3. high action - helps to build your finger strength for chords and accuracy. Don't be put-off by the factory string height, you can sand down the saddle height to suit your playing. Word of caution here: be sure to purchase a spare tusq compensated saddle before doing this.
4. Sound - S6 comes with 2 flavours - spruce and cedar. Spruce will offer better ring in the treble while cedar give a better allround projection in the mid range and bass strings. Your choice!
5. build quality good - no sloppy over-glue or badly cut struts, bracing in the construction, binging joints and purfling is good.
6. fret dressing - good
7. tuners - good
8. string gauge - recommends light gauge 12-53 for finger picking.

Farida D-62 (available at Guitar Store)
1. narrower finger board width - great to play at higher frets with claw-hammer style gripping.
2. intonation - good (seagull better)
3. action - better than seagull off the rack. Saddle compensated - material unknown
4. Sound - good (but not better than seagull)
5. build quality - surprising good for MIC
6. fret dressing - good
7. tuners - good
8. price - much more expansive than S6

Custom acoustic (high end model)- CKMusic
1. narrow finger board width
2. intonation - good (seagull better)
3. action - acceptable (saddle compensated - material unknown)
4. Sound - treble and mid range ok. Bass projection poor
5. built quality - good (farida and seagull better)
6. fret dress - good
7. tuners - above average
8. price - good deal especially during CKMusic sales promo - cheaper than S6 or farida D-62

Maestro (high end model) available at a shop tuck on the 2nd floor Summit Square subang jaya
1. narrow finger board width
2. intonation - good
3. action - good (saddle compensated - material unknown)
4. Sound - good
5. built quality - good
6. fret dressing - good
7. tuners - good
8. price - much more expansive than S6 and Custom

Summary - bang for your bucks below 2k - Seagull (yes. I bought the S6 after auditioning the above except Breedlove. Taylor Big Baby is below par but the more expensive model is truly impressive.... if only I can afford it!)

Wow.

Thanx for the comprehensive analysis by hmc. Truly comprehensive analysis from your experience with all the models of guitar.

Really appreciate your good comments and feedback. Will keep in mind when I drop by CK music, The guitar store or SMX to check out their guitar.

tried a seagull before
very nice sound...and has a unique headstock
lol...but trust me u wont regret buying a seagull

Just pm-ed you jon.
I've actually tried the Breedloves...weirdly not that great to me lol.

Seagull S6 Coastline spruce rules man!!! Guitar Collection said they don't carry the Coastline spruce anymore, but worth re-checking...

Tried the Farida D62...expensive cos all solid woods...can't remember what it sounds like now...cos i played a Maton right after...hehe

If I saw your post earlier, would tell you to go Yamaha Kelana Jaya clearance sales and pick up an LL16 all solid spruce and rosewood for a very very very good price...looks far better than the Seagull...sale ended 14 Dec

This post has been edited by A.B.D.: Dec 16 2008, 12:15 AM

Aww ... wat a miss of the Yamaha sale.

Ya, did consider a Yamaha, but never have an opportunity to try it yet ...

Must try .. Must try ... next round ...

sometimes being all-solid does not mean the guitar is good, it all comes down to how its constructed.

its already been proven long time ago that even a guitar with sides and back made from papier-mache can sound ok.

if u ask around, there is someone selling a all-solid guitar made in vietnam that costs around RM600+ or so...and it sux.

also edward freeman guitars brings in some MIC all-solid guitar thats around RM1-1.5k or so, now that sounds pretty decent.

For Seagull, I would presume made in Canada guitars would need more care and maintenance as Malaysian weather might not be too kind to it.

one thing to note about Seagulls, those with satin finish for the top has a super duper thin/soft finish...even slight knocking with your own fingernails can dent the top surface...i think if knock into corner of table really gone case...but then again it is the top that makes it sound good...

I agree with you everdying that all-solid guitar with good construction must at least have good workmanship and good built-up.

That's why so far I am eye-ing a solid guitar on Farida only. (other recommendation has been Timothy or Breedlove)

Though, was recommended Yamaha LL series or LX series with pick-up and I may have narrowed down to either Farida or Yamaha, as long as either one can offer me good built-up, tone, action & etc... minus the expensive price...

---

Added on December 19, 2008, 11:43 pmAny other recommendation?

How about Custom Acoustic or maybe Yamaha LX series??

---

Added on December 25, 2008, 10:02 pmAny further good advice??

This post has been edited by jon_yong: Dec 25 2008, 10:02 PM

I played the timothys before, Really great stuff.

I bought a Norman B20 , I felt it was good and it is.

The Seagulls are pretty good, Faridas as well. It's up to you really, not all guitars are built equal, it depends on which you prefer and which sound you like best.

I think you should give the Timothy a try before you buy anything. What you probably shouldn't get in this price range is the Taylor Big baby or the Yamahas, because I tried them and didn't like them.

It also depends on which shop is offering the best price, sometimes a little bit of bargaining gets you a lot of discount which makes some guitars more worthwhile.

Bottomline, Seagull, Norman, Farida, Simon & Patrick, Timothy (some other brands I never tried) are all fine.

Dear All,
Haha ... I too am surprised that I ended up buying not any of the above guitars, but bought a Custom Acoustic brand guitar from CK music/City music.

Why I bought it can only be the reason that budget it fits very comfortably (and I mean VERY) and also they have given a full solid body guitar. However, to my most disatisfaction is the service by CK music staffs and the set up of the guitar. Overall, workmanship is not very good but have to be very selective. Materials in the guitar would say ok and with all the assessories I need. (i.e. pickup, tuner, gig bag, full solid, etc.)

Lastly, tone wise is ok ... nothing to sing about.. (hope can keep me singing with the guitar and also start playing more consistently.) but good enough for what I looked for.

Lastly, if anyone is considering, get it while on sale, however, be careful with the workmanship and built-up. It can be quite challenging.

This post has been edited by jon_yong: Dec 30 2008, 11:38 PM