Simon and Patrick Woodland Spruce 12-string Guitar Review

Hiya!

Today we are looking at my latest 12-string, a Simon & Patrick Woodland Spruce 12 string acoustic guitar.

Simon & Patrick guitars are one of my favorite brands, and the best acoustic value out there. They are part of the Godin family of guitars and are made in LaPatrie, Quebec. Canada has more luthiers than can fit on the head of a pin. I am pleased with the sound, quality and price of this guitar and it gives comparable entry-level Martin and Taylor guitars a run for their money.

It is a traditional-looking guitar, with a pressure-tested solid spruce top. It has compound curves in it above the sound hole to give it more volume, and to make it more structurally sound. I have heard that this reduces the amount of fingerboard pressure on the top. It is flatter on the bridge end, to allow the necessary vibrations to take place.

The back and sides are laminated with a pretty red wild cherry layer on the outside. It has a simple binding around the top and back, and it has been sprayed with a very thin finish that does not muzzle its tone.

The Woodland’s neck is made of flamed Silver Leaf Maple, which is a wood I had to do a little research about. This species is native to northeastern Quebec, and has the same density as mahogany, but it is less porous so it can have a smoother finish. These necks are sanded and buffed by hand, and are indeed really smooth.

The nut is 1.9-inches wide and there are 21 well-finished medium frets. There is a dual-action trussrod in the neck, but I have not needed to touch it as this guitar had a great set-up right out of the box.

The hardware is certainly good enough. The sealed tuners hold well and the bean-counters at Godin let the designers spring for a very nice Tusq (synthetic bone) compensated nut and bridge saddle that are made by Graphtech.

From all of this you can gather that this is well-made guitar. But the proof is in the pudding, and it is a sweet player, too. It has a bright tone that is balanced nicely with a good low end, and of course it produces volume when played hard. I have found that it has a more traditional 12-string tone than the cedar-topped version of this guitar that I had before, which was a little too dark.

I wrote earlier that the Simon & Patrick Woodland Spruce 12-string is reasonably priced, and that the truth. They have a list price of $679.99, and a street price of $549.99. I have seen them a bit cheaper than MAP online, so make sure you shop around.

Check one out if you get the chance!

Mahalo!

Simon and Patrick Vintage Burst 12-string Acoustic Guitar

Hi there!

Today we are looking at a very nice Simon & Patrick Vintage Burst 12 string acoustic guitar.

Simon & Patrick guitars are an incredible value. They are an offshoot of the Godin family of guitars and are made in LaPatrie Quebec. My understanding is that they are subsidized by the government, like a make-work program for luthiers. Canada seems to have as many luthiers as the 909 has meth labs.

Anyway, I am impressed by the sound and the build quality of this guitar, and even more by the price, which is less than half of a comparable Martin or Taylor guitar.

It is a pleasant-looking guitar, with a solid cedar top, and red wild cherry back and sides. The neck is made of maple with an Indian rosewood fretboard. The finish is a glossy burst, and the body has a simple binding around the top and back.

The sealed tuners are nice quality and hold well. It has first-rate Tusq (synthetic bone) compensated nut and bridge saddles that are made by Graphtech.

The neck is made of a single piece of maple, with added sections for the headstock and heel. It has the same satin finish as the body. There is a dual-action trussrod in the neck. The nut is 1.9-inches wide. There are 21 medium frets. This one had a great set-up right out of the box, and the frets ends are finished well, with nice edges.

As I said, the top is solid cedar, which has some compound curves in it above the soundhole to make it a bit louder, and to make it more structurally sound. Supposedly, it reduces the amount of fingerboard pressure on the top. It is flat on the bridge end, to allow the necessary vibrations to take place.

So, overall it is a nicely-made guitar, with solid materials. But, it sounds good and plays well too! It has a sweet, balanced tone. It is has of impressive volume when picked hard, and has a nice low-end tone. It is pleasant to play, and would be great to gig with.

It is nice and light, weighing in at around 5 pounds, 7 ounces according to my scale.

MSRP on these is a mere $725, with a street price of about $589. You will not find a better guitar for the money!

Simon and Patrick Songsmith Acoustic Guitar

If you are looking for the best bargain in the acoustic guitar world, I have found it for you. The Simon & Patrick Songsmith guitars are an incredible value.

Oh. You have not heard of these, have you? Simon & Patrick guitars are an offshoot of the Godin family of guitars. They are handmade in a 3rd world country (Canada) in LaPatrie Quebec. My understanding is that they are subsidized by the government. Sort of a make-work program for luthiers, I guess.

I found out about them when I asked my repair guy about bargain acoustics, and his shop just happened to carry them. I was impressed by the sound and the build quality, and even more by the price, which is less than half of a comparable Martin or Taylor guitar.

Today we are looking at a Songsmith model, which is also available as a Folk model. The only difference is the smaller body on the Folk, which gives a little thinner tone.

It is a pleasant-looking guitar, with a solid spruce top, and red wild cherry back and sides. The neck is made of maple with an Indian rosewood fretboard. The finish is sort of a semi-matte burst, and the body has a simple binding around the top.

The sealed tuners seem to be of acceptable quality, although time will only tell if they hold up. It has first-rate Tusq (synthetic bone) compensated nut and bridge saddles that are made by Graphtech.

The neck is made of a single piece of maple, with added sections for the headstock and heel. It has the same satin finish as the body. There is a dual-action trussrod in the neck. The nut is 1.72-inches wide, so it is a little narrow if you do a lot of finger picking. There are 21 medium frets, and they are finished well. This one had a great set-up right out of the box, and the frets are finished well, with nice edges.

As I said, the top is solid spruce, which has some compound curves in it above the soundhole to make it a bit louder, and to make it more structurally sound. Supposedly, it reduces the amount of fingerboard pressure on the top. It is flat on the bridge end, to allow the necessary vibrations to take place.

So, overall it is a nicely-made guitar, with solid materials. But, it sounds good and plays well too! It has a sweet, balanced tone. It has impressive volume when picked hard, and has a nice low-end tone. It is pleasant to play, and would be great to gig with.

If you need to plug in, S & P can hook you up with a model that has a B-Band A3T preamp and piezo transducer. The control panel is unobtrusive and has controls for volume, treble, middle, bass and presence. There is a battery compartment near the endpin jack socket. The B-Band system does an impressive job of amplifying the acoustic sound. I have not been a fan of the tone of piezos, but it works as well as other ones I have seen on much higher-priced acoustics.

The only downsides I can see are if you play left-handed (you’re out of luck), or if you are looking for something with a flashier appearance.

I have saved the best part for last: the price. MSRP on these is a mere $429 (without electronics), with a street price of about $320. You will not find a better guitar for the money.