How Montreal’s Godin Guitars strummed its way to the top

I disagree a bit with Robert Godin on one point - he says we buy guitars 1)looks 2) feel 3) sound. I think yes, looks get me to try it, but no matter how good-looking a guitar is, I won't buy it if the feel and sound aren't right. And feel and sound are pretty much equal to me. If it sounds great but feels like crap, I won't buy it because I won't play it. And if it feels great but sounds like crap, I won't buy it because I won't play it. Now I am also not a "bling" person, a workman-like guitar is just fine with me, I don't need "pretty." That's what I learned from my Taylor, I liked the sound and looks but it just didn't fit me with its feel-I thought I could adjust but I couldn't. So the education was a good thing.

I have a few of those!!  My YamaGull is ugly but sounds great.  I need to take the neck off and tweak the neck angle to lower the action a little.  And the YamaBass will be just as ugly!!

Sound first, playability second, looks third.

Unfortunately, Simon and Patrick have been moving away from the features that made them what they are.  Wide necks, cedar tops, etc.

I'm largely in agreement with feel and sound being co-equal first necessities for whether or not I'm going to fall in love with a guitar. The looks are in last place for me—which is why I don't mind buying used, as I think of a few minor dings and blemishes as being "love marks" as long as they don't affect the sound.

But...Robert Godin might have it right for lots of people. The son of a friend of mine several years back was looking for an acoustic guitar and was on a limited budget. I recommended the Seagulls to him as having the best (at the time) bang for the buck. He even went to a local store to check them out, but he hated the headstock and wouldn't buy one just because he thought it was really ugly, and ended up buying a low something or other with a more 'classic' headstock that (in my opinion) wasn't as good a guitar as a Seagull. So for him, at least, it was looks first with sound and feel being secondary.

Too bad none of the local stores carried A&L, S&P, or Godins.

I just feel that white pickguard is a little 'glaring' against the dark wood. But hey, if I loved the sound and feel of the guitar, I could live with that! 

I haven't posted much since being in therapy for my recent "syndrome", but the Seagull headstock may be one of the greatest selling points for the brand, in my admittedly limited experience. I've never had a guitar stay in tune for so long as the Seagull.

As for looks, Someone saw my Seagull and said it was a "strange-looking electric guitar." It does on first glance appear reminiscent of an electric's headstock. As for the rest of the "looks" matter, the Seagulls seem awfully "plain" looking. maybe it's the non-high gloss finish that's part of why the looks aren't so eye-catching.

Wouldn't have bought a Seagull if it wasn't for the wider width of the nut. That was my own key requirement. Had a Yamaha FG 310 back in the day and liked it, but struggled with forming chords due to the narrower string spacing, other wise would have bought a Yamaha FG 800 and called it quits on buying steel stringed guitars.

Accidentally found a sweet deal on a Coastline solid top Spruce/Cherry laminate back and sides. bought it as my first acoustic. Like the sound -- it's "good enough" for a dreadnought.


So if Mr. Godin is for real about looks being number one in the sales process, Seagull needs to start doing something about that.

I'm one of those people that likes the Seagull headstock and would actually call the artist studio headstock pretty. Most folks that have seen mine don't care for it. Looks are what draw me to a guitar in the first place but sound is what keeps me there. The way it feels is of equal importance too.

In the looks department... I walked into the acoustic room of my local store (L & M for fellow Canadians) and saw a guitar that brought on a first reaction of OMG! Had a closer look and discovered it was a Martin. It was all painted, very colourfully, to commemorate the legalizing of marijuana in California. I don't care how good it might sound, that thing is never coming into my house.