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Pros:
- Excellent build quality
- Well-defined tone
- Reasonable price
Cons:
- Might not be loud enough for outdoor playing
The worst thing a guitarist can experience is the frustration that derives from the realization that one can’t afford something. You look at the guitar that you really love, then check out the price and the cloud of disappointment starts to crawl over your head. As a musician, you have certain requirements – the most basic one is solid wood construction. But as you search the market, sometimes you might feel like there’s no help and you won’t be able to find something that fits your taste and budget equally well. Those are the anxieties we all get before purchasing a new guitar. After all, who doesn’t want a perfect thing at an amazing price?
If you’ve experienced such frustration before, then you are in the right place. Today I’m going to introduce a model that is the sole answer to all of our requirements. Seagull Maritime will show you that sometimes the greatest things are awaiting at the end of the road. It will tell you that you should never give up on your desires and dreams. It’s a reminder that a beautiful guitar is an inspiration and a push that you need to move forward. Let’s discuss this acoustic guitar under 1000.
Build Quality
Seagull has been famous for its affordable guitars. They have been really successful at catering to different audiences without excluding anyone along the way. Though it’s true that their cheaper guitars usually have laminate bodies, it’s also true that they designed Solid Wood Series (SWS) for those who are specifically looking for solid wood construction in their guitars. Even then, they managed to maintain a relatively low price point, which is something we can all welcome with open hearts and hands. Maritime, particularly, is a beautiful piece that has certain virtues that the majority of you will appreciate and enjoy in practice.
This puppy has a solid spruce top, which has been pressure tested to guarantee maximum durability. The back and sides are made from solid mahogany, which can easily stand the test of time. By combining these woods, Seagull delivered a simple instrument that we can always rely on. Its sound has been heard many times before, yet there are still certain sonic qualities that you’ll find interesting and appealing. In addition, Maritime features a mahogany neck with a Richlite fretboard.
These two are crafted perfectly, which means they are smooth to the touch and don’t stand in the way of frequent and dramatic movements. The design is rather simple as well, yet simply does mean beautiful in this case. The front has a natural finish, while the back and sides have exquisite faded burst color. Semi-gloss finish, pretty rosette, and burst headstock complete the design. It goes without saying that Maritime is worth your attention. After all, it has already proven that it’s virtues are useful in so many ways. And don’t forget that we have a second half of the article ahead!
Hardware
As mentioned, Seagull did an amazing job while designing and constructing Maritime. SWS is pretty darn good in general, but this particular model cranks it up a notch. Not only does it provide us with a solid construction, but it also offers high-quality details that make it a whole. There’s nothing better than a guitar in which everything works as a single body and all the hardware marches one another. That’s probably when the best pieces are born, don’t you think so? Enough appraisal, let’s get down to business.
Maritime features an ebony bridge, which supports the strings perfectly and does an amazing job at transferring those vibrations to the soundboard. The nut is wider here – it measures 1.8 inches, which means that the individual strings are easier to access. If you use the fingerpicking technique, you’ll definitely enjoy this feature. The scale length is typical – 25.5 inches – making it even easier to match with various players. Lastly, the tuning pegs look quite durable. They seem to hold the tuning pretty well and maintain the chosen position easily. I’m telling you, Maritime is a serious deal, my friend.
Seagull Maritime SWS Sound
I’m sure you’re interested in its sound more than anything. It’s easy to define the guitar’s worth by various features, yet the real evaluation begins once we reach the sonic section and start breaking it down. Some models perform better than others, but that doesn’t make the rest total crap. We can’t forget that everything is subjective in the end and we can’t think of something as an ultimate truth. Okay, I’m done, for some reason I felt like sharing that with you because it’s easy to forget that.
Seagull Maritime Solid Wood Series Semi-Gloss has the sound you would expect from the woods it’s built with. Mahogany and spruce define its character quite a bit – its cleans are sparkling pristine and the individual notes have expressive nature. It yields wonderful results with fingerpicking or strumming, and maybe even some other techniques: you’re the one who should experiment with it! The only thing you should keep in mind here is that this puppy isn’t as powerful as you might expect from its body. It’s loud enough for indoor performances, yet it gets a bit lost outdoors. But that’s something that can easily be fixed. I’m sure you’d handle those gigs with some assistance from an amp and a mic anyway, right?
Conclusion
As much as I’d love to be the one who tells you what’s right and what’s wrong, I don’t have the power, nor the right to do so. I merely provide you with facts and information, you’re the one who decides the worth of the guitar. The simple reason behind this is that Seagull Maritime might be a perfect match for me, but you might have a completely different experience. I always tell you this and I’m not afraid to repeat myself – contemplate carefully before making a decision and choose the instruments according to YOU! As for Maritime, it’s a wonderful guitar and you’ve already seen that. Good luck!
