# General Mandolin Topics > General Mandolin Discussions >  Seagull S8 mandolin. I just got one.

## Dagger Gordon

I just bought a Seagull S8 mandolin. There was a thread here a wee while ago which got closed down where people didn't seem especially keen on it, but I think it is amazingly loud for its size, is well built and sounds and plays very well. 

It is an unusual shape.  It will fit comfortably in my carry-on backpack and leave plenty room for a change of clothes and a couple of books etc, which to me seems to make it an ideal travel instrument.
But it's BETTER than than!

Here is a very informative and clearly filmed review of one by Bob Thomas, who used to play guitar with Scottish folk band Silly Wizard. Bob knows his stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S8-Ma.../dp/B01BU71R7Q.

I'll try to post a clip of me playing it soon.

----------

bruce.b, 

David Rambo, 

John Lloyd

----------


## Erok

Congratulations, and happy NMD.

----------


## Ron McMillan

That looks and sounds like a worthwhile addition to the stable. I look forward to you posting a clip.

----------


## mandolinstew

I just bought one for a very good price at a pawn shop.Its in excellent condition and came with the gig bag.Im very happy with it and it has become my new travel mandolin.

----------


## Zach Wilson

How does the S8 compare with other mando's in the $300-$400 range? I've been looking at it and either a Eastman MD404 or a Breedlove Crossover OO.

----------


## Bertram Henze

Looking forward to that clip, too. The iguitarmag reviewer sounded quite good already (and did I hear a Scottish accent?) With it being loud, I wonder how that is balanced across the spectrum.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Yes Bob is from Edinburgh. 
Silly Wizard started off with a very young Johnny Cunningham (Phil's brother) plus guitarists Gordon Jones and Bob.
I always enjoyed their second album - Caledonia's Hardy Sons. Bob is a good guitarist.

The mandolin is indeed well balanced and easy to play as well as being loud.
To my mind it is at least as good as an Eastman or a Breedlove, but I'm not comparing them because what attracted me to the Seagull as much as anything else is its size and shape. I wanted something as small as that and was amazed at its volume, sound and playability.

----------


## Eric Platt

Played one of these this past weekend.  Will probably give it another spin this weekend if things work out.  Definitely has a good tone.  Probably would not work in my band, where they want a mandolin with more bass. Otherwise it should fit in about anywhere.

Also agree that it's loud.  Should fit in quite nicely at a jam session.

----------


## multidon

I don’t believe it’s fair to compare the Seagull with the Eastman, the Breedlove, or any other carved top instruments. The Seagull is a flat top. And like all flat top mandolins it will be midrange biased, while any carved top instrument will have more bass and treble with more of a midrange scoop. Apples and oranges. That midrange bias is part of the reason it sounds “loud”. That’s because we humans hear the midrange more easily than the extremes of the audio spectrum. So, is midrangy is what you’re looking for, this could be what you want. Pancake/Army Navy style flat tops have a similar sonic signature. I would put the tone of the S8 in that same group.

----------


## Zach Wilson

Good point multidon. Im intrigued by the S8's shape but cant get my hands on one locally.

----------


## Caleb

> I just bought a Seagull S8 mandolin. There was a thread here a wee while ago which got closed down where people didn't seem especially keen on it, but I think it is amazingly loud for its size, is well built and sounds and plays very well. 
> 
> It is an unusual shape.  It will fit comfortably in my carry-on backpack and leave plenty room for a change of clothes and a couple of books etc, which to me seems to make it an ideal travel instrument.
> But it's BETTER than than!
> 
> Here is a very informative and clearly filmed review of one by Bob Thomas, who used to play guitar with Scottish folk band Silly Wizard. Bob knows his stuff.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Seagull-S8-Ma.../dp/B01BU71R7Q.
> 
> I'll try to post a clip of me playing it soon.


I think these are really cool mandolins.  Great review as well: thanks for posting that.  I like the hollow tone a lot, lends itself well to older sounds.  Great seeing people think outside the box like Seagull has here.  Does the world really need another carved-top, F-hole, sunburst Gibson copy?

----------


## Cochiti Don

I was the one who started the earlier post. It did not suit my needs after a while but I haven’t sold it because it makes a great camping instrument. Good luck with yours, I put lighter weight strings on so it’s a little easier to play.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> I was the one who started the earlier post. It did not suit my needs after a while but I haven’t sold it because it makes a great camping instrument. Good luck with yours, I put lighter weight strings on so it’s a little easier to play.


Cochiti, did you find the tone changed at all when you moved to lighter strings?  I'm thinking of trying it myself.
Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error/experimentation to see what works best with a new mandolin.

I flew down to London last weekend.  I had the Seagull in my backpack with a few clothes and books as planned. Worked fine. I put an oven glove round the head for extra protection, but I may look for a slightly longer pack that is still ok for carry-on luggage.

While in London I went to a good session in Howl At The Moon in Hoxton on Sunday afternoon. The Seagull carried pretty well in what was quite a noisy situation.  It's a useful wee instrument. Not the best in the world, but a very long way from being the worst.
I think I'm going to find it quite useful.

----------


## Jim Garber

Funny, I played one about a week ago at a chain store near here that usually has decent guitars bit not much in the way of mandolins. I was pretty impressed by the little guy -- I played the same model as in Bob Thomas' review above. I don't know that I need one at all but if I found one for a much lowered price I might consider it. Very impressive for a small mandolin. Only think I thought that the bridge bass was not ebony but some sort of black Graphtech material.

----------


## KeithDW

I played one about 4 weeks ago at Musikhaus Beck in Dettingen Germany . Unusual shape but great sound for such a thin bodied mandolin . I decided for the Gretsch New Yorker with the mahogany body ,great for jigs and reels

----------


## Cochiti Don

> Cochiti, did you find the tone changed at all when you moved to lighter strings?  I'm thinking of trying it myself.
> Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error/experimentation to see what works best with a new mandolin.
> 
> I flew down to London last weekend.  I had the Seagull in my backpack with a few clothes and books as planned. Worked fine. I put an oven glove round the head for extra protection, but I may look for a slightly longer pack that is still ok for carry-on luggage.
> 
> While in London I went to a good session in Howl At The Moon in Hoxton on Sunday afternoon. The Seagull carried pretty well in what was quite a noisy situation.  It's a useful wee instrument. Not the best in the world, but a very long way from being the worst.
> I think I'm going to find it quite useful.


Actually, when I changed the strings it reduced the sound quality quite a bit. It’s kinda tinny now.  I’m so used to my Collings that I find the seagull difficult to play. No radius makes a big difference too. It has its place in the camping world I think.

----------


## Erok

I'm going to get the version with the pickup built-in for my next mandolin!

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Latest developments:

I felt the bridge was slightly high and so I got my instrument maintenance guy to shave a bit off it.

This has produced a big improvement in both tone and playability (which of course are not unconnected). I had been feeling a certain stiffness in my neck after playing it, which I thought probably meant I was having to work a bit too hard. I like the strings to be level with the neck all the way up and this was not the case until we took a bit off the bridge.

I have to say that it is surprising how much impact a fairly small adjustment like that seems to make. The action didn't look bad by any means, but I thought there was room for improvement. So I feel I should give a word of warning if you are thinking of doing the same thing, that you should not shave too much off the bridge, and ideally get someone who knows what they're doing to do it.

But now it is playing much better. I am very happy with the sound and how well made it is, particularly for the very modest price.

Incidentally Conchiti, I also have a Collings and so I do understand the comparison you make between the two. Of course, the Collings has an adjustable bridge (unlike the Seagull) so it is easier to get it exactly how you like it.

----------

Cochiti Don

----------


## drooartz

I just picked up one as well, and I quite like it. Makes a perfect mando to keep next to my desk at home, and will be nice for traveling, camping, and use as a spare. I like that it's not a standard Gibson-esqe shape too.

Mine has an annoying ring on one of the A strings however -- the part of the string from the nut to the tuning machine vibrates when you hit the open string, very noticeable. Not sure what I can do to fix it, but I've got to figure out something.

----------


## 40bpm

> Mine has an annoying ring on one of the A strings however -- the part of the string from the nut to the tuning machine vibrates when you hit the open string, very noticeable. Not sure what I can do to fix it, but I've got to figure out something.


Possibly a nut slot issue? I had a similar noise that turned out to be a poorly cut nut slot. First, I'd just change the string(s) and see if that auto-corrects it.

Cool looking mando - I'd like to have one for travel someday.

----------


## Bill Cameron

I have owned an S8 for 18 months now. It's still my backup, but it is a very well-thought out and unique instrument. For example, Seagull didnt get the memo that mandos dont have fixed bridges, so they glued it down and you can take off all the strings at once without repositioning the bridge.  
I am surprised at the comparisons with Eastman volume; my #1 is a 505 and is _tons_ louder. Which is in accordance with the dictates of physics; it still has a rather small sound chamber. But large enough to be a real instrument, not a "travel mando", altough that was what I bought it for. 
I bought the S8 because I figured it would fly more handily than the Eastman, but that isnt a factor for me any more, Westjet doesnt care which mando I bring. 
Nowadays I bring it as backup to every gig, because switching to it (even including slapping the Dyn-M on it) is a lot quicker than changing a broken string on the Eastman. 
It is substantially cheaper than anything in the Eastman line, even the 300 series, let alone the 404 or 505, so really apples and oranges on that front. Since LaSiDo mostly makes guitars, who knows how long this model might be around, but I can see it being one which us oldtimers reminisce fondly about a couple of decades from now.

----------


## drooartz

> Possibly a nut slot issue? I had a similar noise that turned out to be a poorly cut nut slot. First, I'd just change the string(s) and see if that auto-corrects it.


After a bit of reading on the issue, my guess too is that it's a bad nut slot. String change didn't help, so I'll deal with the nut one of these days.

Another plus for me is that it's such a nice match for my other Seagull. The first decent guitar I ever owned is a Seagull I bought new in 1995, on payments from a local music store as I didn't have much money. Still have that guitar, it's my spare now and lives next to my desk at home always ready to go.

----------

40bpm, 

kookaburra

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Here is a clip from my Facebook page of me playing the Seagull S8

https://www.facebook.com/daggergordo...7459270712795/

----------

Bertram Henze, 

bruce.b, 

George R. Lane, 

MissingString, 

Ron McMillan, 

Tim N, 

vetus scotia

----------


## Tim N

> Here is a clip from my Facebook page of me playing the Seagull S8
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/daggergordo...7459270712795/


I love that style of playing! I'm learning to play Irish tunes on Mandolin in a normal picking way, but you seem to pe pretty well strumming out that melody, getting a really full sound. I haven't seen much Irish Mandolin playing - is that a recognised technique, or something you've invented? I'm probably displaying my ignorance here....

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> I love that style of playing! I'm learning to play Irish tunes on Mandolin in a normal picking way, but you seem to pe pretty well strumming out that melody, getting a really full sound. I haven't seen much Irish Mandolin playing - is that a recognised technique, or something you've invented? I'm probably displaying my ignorance here....


Hi there, Thanks a lot for your kind comments.

I'm actually trying to work out how best to answer.  
First off, I am Scottish rather than Irish, although it is certainly an Irish tune, and I do not think I have an Irish technique.

I do think about chords when I play, and if I play a melody where a part of the tune has notes which are mostly in the chord for G for example, then I may well basically play the G chord as I pick the melody out of it, as it were.  It's kind of difficult to explain in print like this. I always use open strings wherever I can, again bearing in mind what melody notes/chord possibilities are in the tune.  This greatly adds to the volume and fullness of the sound.

At its simplest, I would say that if you play a note on the fifth fret of a string, it will always be an octave higher than the open string below it (ie the note of the fifth fret on the top string is A, which is an octave higher than the open A second string etc). So it is fairly easy to strum both of the strings as you play the melody.  I would hardly ever only play the fifth fret without also playing the 'supporting' open string below.

I basically worked it out myself how to play this way.

Thanks again,

Dagger

----------

kookaburra, 

Tim N

----------


## Bertram Henze

> I do think about chords when I play, and if I play a melody where a part of the tune has notes which are mostly in the chord for G for example, then I may well basically play the G chord as I pick the melody out of it, as it were.  It's kind of difficult to explain in print like this. I always use open strings wherever I can, again bearing in mind what melody notes/chord possibilities are in the tune.  This greatly adds to the volume and fullness of the sound.
> 
> At its simplest, I would say that if you play a note on the fifth fret of a string, it will always be an octave higher than the open string below it (ie the note of the fifth fret on the top string is A, which is an octave higher than the open A second string etc). So it is fairly easy to strum both of the strings as you play the melody.  I would hardly ever only play the fifth fret without also playing the 'supporting' open string below.
> 
> I basically worked it out myself how to play this way.


That pretty much describes how I arrived at my own technique. The instrument is constantly suggesting what to do.

----------


## Tim N

> That pretty much describes how I arrived at my own technique. The instrument is constantly suggesting what to do.


I get the idea of the chord leading the melody, more from guitar playing, and that of letting the octaves ring out. Although I know the open chords (from Irish bouzouki) I find I have too little room to finger more than a couple on my narrow mandolin neck. I guess I could try with a capo on bouzouki or tenor guitar...
Anyway, thanks for taking the trouble to try and explain! Do you often play your mandolin outside in the snow...?   :Wink:

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> Anyway, thanks for taking the trouble to try and explain! Do you often play your mandolin outside in the snow...?


I play outside as long as it's not actually raining or snowing!  I have a big firebowl thing I love to sit by at night and play.

----------


## Cliff Seruntine

> I just bought a Seagull S8 mandolin. There was a thread here a wee while ago which got closed down where people didn't seem especially keen on it, but I think it is amazingly loud for its size, is well built and sounds and plays very well.


Congratulations on your mandolin.  I am pretty new at the mandolin, too--less than 6 months.  But I've been playing the violin a long time, over 20 years, and I am finding the mandolin is a natural shift for a new sound.

My first mandolin was also a Seagull S8, but I did not like it.  It was very well made though it needed an adjustment.  The bridge had to be lowered.  I believe the frets are too high too and could be lowered, as well.  Even after I lowered the bridge, I still found the action harder than some of the higher end mandolins I had tried.

In the end, I sold the S8.  I was looking for a sound that may be different from what many North American players are seeking.  To me, the S8 sounded tinny and over bright. It might be well suited for blue grass or country.  But I live in Nova Scotia and we play a lot of Irish and Scots music here, where warmth and sustain are much valued,  and I was fascinated with the mellow, sweet sound of the German mandolins, too.  I couldn't afford $5000 Canadian for a German made bowl-back mandolin but I found a superb alternative--the Kentucky 272.  It had the warm, sweet sound and great sustain I was looking for out of the box.  I changed the strings to GHS Silk & Steel and replaced the tailpiece with an Allen AR-2 and found that Inexpensive Dava Grip Tip picks with delrin tips give the almost string noise-free sound of expensive German Wolle picks, and now I have a setup I am very happy with.

But the S8 can probably be modified in all kinds of ways, too.  I really liked it's flat bridge. I think that's one of the reasons it has so much volume. And you can probably get all kinds of tonal character changes by changing the bridge material.  I'm sure you'll have fun exploring its potential.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

I hear you Cliff.

I got the bridge lowered a bit on my Seagull as well, and it is easy to play now. 

I'm not going to pretend that it has the tone of my more expensive mandolins (Sobell and Collings), but I don't think it's too bad, as I hope my Facebook clip shows.  You could perhaps say it is a bit tinny and bright, but as I get to know it I feel I am getting a better tone out of it.

Anyway, it is not an expensive instrument and I do think it's pretty good value for money, as well as being really easy to travel with and very effective in situations like pub sessions.

----------


## Zach Wilson

The more I see them the more I want one.... I feel a case of MAS coming on.

----------


## Mike Scott

Sorry......none at A Sharp or Dusty.  You’ll have to wait. Ha ha!

----------


## Zach Wilson

Those are my places. Are you in the PNW too? Go to those places?


Update: just read your profile. Bend, OR. Right on!

----------


## MissingString

Me too...how did this start?

----------


## Cliff Seruntine

> Anyway, it is not an expensive instrument and I do think it's pretty good value for money, as well as being really easy to travel with and very effective in situations like pub sessions.


Definitely a good value for the money, especially if that's the tone you're going for.  No one can fault their construction--the S8's are solid and they look great.  I do wish they'd shave the frets down a little and do a better adjustment of the bridge action, but all in all a great instrument.

I am going to stick with my Kentucky 272 til I can (hopefully) one day find a classical German bowl or deep back at a price I can afford.  Given the terrible exchange rate between CAN and the Euro, that may be a while.

----------


## Jim Garber

I played one recently in a big box store near my house and surprisingly enough it was set up perfectly. It might have to do with how meticulous the store is. However, they usually don’t have their mandolins set up very well. And mostly they have Fenders or Epiphones. They have lots of Seagull guitars but this one was the only Mandolin.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> I played one recently in a big box store near my house and surprisingly enough it was set up perfectly. It might have to do with how meticulous the store is.


Hi Jim,

Just to be clear, the Seagull was set up ok when I bought it, but I got my instrument maintainance guy to 'fine-tune it' if you like. I don't think that's unusual. I think the frets are absolutely fine and I like the feel of the neck.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> I was looking for a sound that may be different from what many North American players are seeking.  To me, the S8 sounded tinny and over bright. It might be well suited for blue grass or country.  But I live in Nova Scotia and we play a lot of Irish and Scots music here, where warmth and sustain are much valued.


Hi again Cliff.

I should maybe make it clear that I am not North American at all. I am Scottish, and like you Nova Scotians (where I have visited and performed) I play mostly Scottish and Irish music.

I take your point about warmth and sustain, but I must admit that I was a bit surprised when you said that you are looking for a German bowl-back for playing Irish/Scots/ Cape Breton etc. That is very rare, in my experience.
Is it perhaps more common in Nova Scotia?

----------


## Cliff Seruntine

> Hi again Cliff.
> 
> I should maybe make it clear that I am not North American at all. I am Scottish, and like you Nova Scotians (where I have visited and performed) I play mostly Scottish and Irish music.
> 
> I take your point about warmth and sustain, but I must admit that I was a bit surprised when you said that you are looking for a German bowl-back for playing Irish/Scots/ Cape Breton etc. That is very rare, in my experience.
> Is it perhaps more common in Nova Scotia?


No, it's not common. In fact, I'd probably be the only person playing one for a hundred miles.  But I fell in love with their tone upon hearing the classical playing of Caterina Lichtenberg.  When I heard Lichtenberg play her wonderful mandolin, I thought: That kind of voice would go beautifully with some of the music we play around here.  Can you imagine Lonesome Eyes or Farewell to Nova Scotia on a mandolin with that clarity and sustain?

Happily, the way I have my Kentucky 272 setup, I think it sounds close, probably even warmer.  In my very limited experience, well made, solid wood flat backs generally seem to be warmer than bowl backs.  But you know how hard it is to make a good comparison from a recording.  And I've only ever gotten to try fairly cheap inexpensive antique bowl backs.  I'd love to get my hands on a good bowl back or deep back well made German mandolin to compare.  One of these days . . .

----------


## vetus scotia

I was playing one of these in my local shop today. In addition to the other interesting design features already discussed (neck through body, canted top) I noticed that the S8 has an elevated fingerboard. That is, the fingerboard is not attached to the top and is ‘elevated’ about, oh, I dunno, less than a millimetre above the top. You can see daylight, but not much. Anyway, seems like a nice touch. Way better than just gluing it to the top. They really are nice little instruments. This one was set up perfectly and sounded pretty darn good (though I always have trouble really hearing instruments in a shop).

----------


## James Miller

This mandolin has a lot of volume and growl. Got a gig bag to go with it. Ordered from Canada, and the exchange rate for both mandolin, bag, and shipping was cheaper than I could of gotten the mandolin locally.

However did have a tuner knob break. Seeking a replacement. Unsure what tuners Seagull uses on the S8.

----------


## Jim Garber

I would think the dealer in Canada would order you a replacement set for no charge. Unless this is a used S8.

----------


## Seter

I wonder if they would ever make a cedar-topped variant, their cedar topped guitars are nice and might offer a less bright tonal option. I have cedar-topped 12 string that sounds great.

----------

zedmando

----------


## Jim Garber

Easy to wonder... Why not contact the company and ask? You never know.

----------


## Jim Garber

The S8 I tried was the burnt umber model whose look I do like. What I am trying to figure out is why there is a price difference in the two unelectrified models. They seem to be made of the same woods and hardware and the only difference I can figure is the finish and a different-colored pick guard. In the US the general difference in retail prices is $50 more for the burnt umber. Anyone have a clue?

----------


## James Miller

Godin released at of their new guitar line-up in the burnt umber color at NAMM (?). An guessing it's some anniversary color.
Probably takes more time getting it done right, or could be a native ochre.

Got mine from Canada. With the exchange rate you can get one for less, even with shipping.

Was undecided for a time, locally the difference was $100 between the umber & natural.
If was going electrified would get the burnt umber for sure. The knobs seen to not stand out as much.

----------


## zedmando

> I wonder if they would ever make a cedar-topped variant, their cedar topped guitars are nice and might offer a less bright tonal option. I have cedar-topped 12 string that sounds great.


I have a Simon & Patrick 12 string with a cedar top--I love the sound...
S&P--for those who are not aware--is a sister brand of Seagull.

----------


## Seter

> I have a Simon & Patrick 12 string with a cedar top--I love the sound...
> S&P--for those who are not aware--is a sister brand of Seagull.


Mine is an Art & Lutherie, another sister brand. I think all of the Godin brands are great value for the money.

----------


## zedmando

> Mine is an Art & Lutherie, another sister brand. I think all of the Godin brands are great value for the money.


I would agree--even though some models do get up a bit in price--compared to similar guitars they still come in cheaper...

I haven't played one I didn't like.

----------


## Seter

I emailed Seagull about the cedar tops for mandolin and no response yet. They make the M4 dulcimer-esque instrument with both a cedar and mahogany top, I supposed that could be another option (or make an M4 with a cedar top).

----------


## Jim Garber

> I emailed Seagull about the cedar tops for mandolin and no response yet. They make the M4 dulcimer-esque instrument with both a cedar and mahogany top, I supposed that could be another option (or make an M4 with a cedar top).


I recently email Seagull to explain the difference between the two acoustic S8 mandolins, one with blond top and one with burnt umber. It seems that they are identical with the exceptional of the finish and the pickguards. I like the way the burnt umber looks better than the blond. The one I played was a burnt umber model but the price is $50 higher than the blond.

I wonder if their customer service is a little lacking, though James Miller had no problem contacting them for replacement tuners.

----------


## James Miller

> I recently email Seagull to explain the difference between the two acoustic S8 mandolins, one with blond top and one with burnt umber. It seems that they are identical with the exceptional of the finish and the pickguards. I like the way the burnt umber looks better than the blond. The one I played was a burnt umber model but the price is $50 higher than the blond.
> 
> I wonder if their customer service is a little lacking, though James Miller had no problem contacting them for replacement tuners.


Had contacted The Acoustic Room, from whom I bought the Seagull S8 from. Mark Pongetti did the magic!   :Grin:

----------


## Jim Garber

I guess they don't want to speak with consumers but only through dealers. Strange. We are the ones who buy these in the final rounds.

----------

