Need expert Godin/Seagull insight... possible fakery SOLVED
Apr 21, 2019 2:24:39 GMT -5
ancient1 likes this
Post by optofonik on Apr 21, 2019 2:24:39 GMT -5
It was suggested by someone at the AGF that I post this here.
I know this is a long post but a this point I'm utterly mystified. I need Sherlock Holmes.
The label inside my Seagull Excursion indicates it's an Isys+ model but the physical attributes don't jibe. This makes me wonder if it has been misrepresented by the previous owner who sold it to SA from whom I subsequently bought it. I sent Godin a comprehensive set of pictures. I also spoke to them on the phone when I gave them the serial number. Since then we've corresponded via email but so far they haven't been able to definitively identify the guitar as being a factory Isys+ guitar or not
I began to suspect something wasn't right after doing some research and noticing the placement of what I believed to be the original cutout for the Fishman battery compartment/output jack. The guitar was modded by the previous owner to separate the battery compartment and output jack. The cutout appeared to have been re-used for the stand-alone battery compartment while the input jack was moved to the strap button. A plastic plate was used to install the new standalone battery compartment which is a bit smaller than the Fishman combo.
What I've thought to be the original cutout until today is located above the strap button and I have never seen any Seagull or other Godin sub-brand acoustic with this orientation. Every one I have seen before this one has the cutout below the strap button. If not for the label indicating "Isys+" I would think this was a non-Isys+ model that someone added a preamp to.
Thing is, that would mean someone went to the trouble of swapping the original label with the one that's in there now; that seems a bit of a stretch.
I took a flashlight to the soundhole earlier today and took a good look at how the Isys+ preamp was installed; the interior mounting ring was not lined up and it initially appeared only one screw was actually attached to the ring. When the ring slipped off of the preamp's flange I realized it wasn't attached at all. The excess wiring "holder" is no longer attached to anything inside either, it's just hanging, and the adhesive left behind appears to be nothing more than "earthquake putty".
Since the piezo is an under-bridge installation I also checked the rear of the bridge for a gap and sure enough there is a 0.2mm gap. This leads me to believe that perhaps the piezo wasn't installed correctly or low quality adhesive was used when re-gluing the bridge after installation. Another thing I wondered about was the damaged battery compartment hinge. It dawned on me to check where the strap lays. Sure enough, since the battery compartment is above the end pin, the guitar strap lays right over the battery compartment and puts undue pressure on it.
This appears to be amateur hour stuff. Godin's Seagull line might be considered "lower to medium budget" but I played several S6s before buying one a few years ago and I can tell you this is not how they appeared to roll. The Seagulls I've played may have had some tonal differences but their fit and finish were not sloppy.
Why anyone would go to so much trouble to conjure up a new label for an inexpensive guitar is beyond me, though.
My other acoustic is a Seagull, the aforementioned S6, and I'm a total fan. So, this all started out as a seemingly great deal for a really well made laminate camping guitar, albeit a bit larger than I would have preferred, with the added bonus of being an electric-acoustic. If someone went to the trouble of replacing the original label with a counterfeit after a botched preamp install, though, I'm really troubled. If the label is indeed counterfeit there is no way to really know if it could be a stolen guitar even. All 'round there are a lot of things that point to potential bad juju.
As a stated at the start, I'm utterly mystified. Beyond the shoddy preamp installation though, and more importantly perhaps, I keep coming back to what seems to be a counterfeit label and that for sure would be bad juju. I just don't know what to think at this point. I'd like to be able to feel good about keeping it especially if the issues aren't as problematic as they appear to me.
If you got this far you're a trooper and I really appreciate it. Here's some pics...
I know this is a long post but a this point I'm utterly mystified. I need Sherlock Holmes.
The label inside my Seagull Excursion indicates it's an Isys+ model but the physical attributes don't jibe. This makes me wonder if it has been misrepresented by the previous owner who sold it to SA from whom I subsequently bought it. I sent Godin a comprehensive set of pictures. I also spoke to them on the phone when I gave them the serial number. Since then we've corresponded via email but so far they haven't been able to definitively identify the guitar as being a factory Isys+ guitar or not
I began to suspect something wasn't right after doing some research and noticing the placement of what I believed to be the original cutout for the Fishman battery compartment/output jack. The guitar was modded by the previous owner to separate the battery compartment and output jack. The cutout appeared to have been re-used for the stand-alone battery compartment while the input jack was moved to the strap button. A plastic plate was used to install the new standalone battery compartment which is a bit smaller than the Fishman combo.
What I've thought to be the original cutout until today is located above the strap button and I have never seen any Seagull or other Godin sub-brand acoustic with this orientation. Every one I have seen before this one has the cutout below the strap button. If not for the label indicating "Isys+" I would think this was a non-Isys+ model that someone added a preamp to.
Thing is, that would mean someone went to the trouble of swapping the original label with the one that's in there now; that seems a bit of a stretch.
I took a flashlight to the soundhole earlier today and took a good look at how the Isys+ preamp was installed; the interior mounting ring was not lined up and it initially appeared only one screw was actually attached to the ring. When the ring slipped off of the preamp's flange I realized it wasn't attached at all. The excess wiring "holder" is no longer attached to anything inside either, it's just hanging, and the adhesive left behind appears to be nothing more than "earthquake putty".
Since the piezo is an under-bridge installation I also checked the rear of the bridge for a gap and sure enough there is a 0.2mm gap. This leads me to believe that perhaps the piezo wasn't installed correctly or low quality adhesive was used when re-gluing the bridge after installation. Another thing I wondered about was the damaged battery compartment hinge. It dawned on me to check where the strap lays. Sure enough, since the battery compartment is above the end pin, the guitar strap lays right over the battery compartment and puts undue pressure on it.
This appears to be amateur hour stuff. Godin's Seagull line might be considered "lower to medium budget" but I played several S6s before buying one a few years ago and I can tell you this is not how they appeared to roll. The Seagulls I've played may have had some tonal differences but their fit and finish were not sloppy.
Why anyone would go to so much trouble to conjure up a new label for an inexpensive guitar is beyond me, though.
My other acoustic is a Seagull, the aforementioned S6, and I'm a total fan. So, this all started out as a seemingly great deal for a really well made laminate camping guitar, albeit a bit larger than I would have preferred, with the added bonus of being an electric-acoustic. If someone went to the trouble of replacing the original label with a counterfeit after a botched preamp install, though, I'm really troubled. If the label is indeed counterfeit there is no way to really know if it could be a stolen guitar even. All 'round there are a lot of things that point to potential bad juju.
As a stated at the start, I'm utterly mystified. Beyond the shoddy preamp installation though, and more importantly perhaps, I keep coming back to what seems to be a counterfeit label and that for sure would be bad juju. I just don't know what to think at this point. I'd like to be able to feel good about keeping it especially if the issues aren't as problematic as they appear to me.
If you got this far you're a trooper and I really appreciate it. Here's some pics...
