Deciding which acoustic guitar to buy can be challenging. There are so many different types of acoustic guitars out there, each with different features that affect the sound and playability of the instrument.
If you’re here, it means you’ve been looking at picking up a new or used Seagull Artist Mosaic acoustic guitar. I wrote this Seagull Artist Mosaic review based on years of experience as a gigging and touring musician. I am providing you with what I’ve learned playing dozens of similar acoustic guitars.
The main idea of this review isn’t to make a choice for you, it’s to give you the information you need to decide if the Artist Mosaic is the right guitar for you.
- Includes a deluxe padded gig bag
- Canadian-made
- Built-in pickup for amplified play
The Seagull Artist Mosaic
The Seagull Artist Mosaic is one of the most solid acoustic guitars under $1000 that a rhythm guitarist, folk player, or singer-songwriter can find.
The Canadian-made acoustic is designed with the professional guitarist in mind. It’s made entirely of solid wood, which puts it in a class above entry-level instruments. It’s got the right blend of affordability and boutique-quality craftsmanship that makes it stick out among its competitors like Taylor or Martin.
Pros:
- Includes a deluxe padded gig bag.
- Canadian-made.
- Built-in pickup for amplified play.
- Solid wood body.
- Physically attractive guitar – great look, and the seagull inlay is a nice touch.
Cons:
- No cutaway – less room to shred solos.
- Not the best acoustic for tapping-style play.
Seagull Artist Mosaic Specs:
|
Body Wood:
|
Mahogany w/ Cedar top |
|
Neck Wood:
|
Mahogany |
|
Fretboard:
|
Rosewood |
|
Pickup:
|
LR Briggs Anthem Pickups |
|
Inlay:
|
Seagulls |
Construction and Sound
The body of the Seagull Artist Mosaic has a cedar top, meaning it’s great for anyone who’s trying to achieve a rich, warm tone with lush resonance.
This is especially useful for rhythm players and singer-songwriters. The neck and sides are made from mahogany and the fretboard is made from rosewood, which compliments the cedar body’s warm tone.
I’m a big fan of mahogany necks with rosewood fingerboards, and the neck of one of my main basses uses this exact same construction.
Solid Wood Body
A feature that really sets the Seagull Artist Mosaic apart from lower-quality acoustics is its solid wood body. Solid wood, as opposed to laminate (a type of plywood common in acoustic guitar construction), allows the guitar’s entire body to resonate fully at the same frequencies, giving it a fuller tone.
Laminate-made guitars, on the other hand, don’t have the same resonant properties and generally have a thinner, twangy tone.
Body Shape
The Seagull Artist Mosaic is designed using the classic “Dreadnought” shape, one of the most common body types for acoustic guitars. The shape was invented by acoustic guitar industry titan Martin & Co. in 1916, and took its name from the heavy British battleships of the era that ruled the high sea.
The dreadnought body shape gives the Artist Mosaic its tone, perfectly suited for rhythm guitarists and singer-songwriters. But it comes at a cost: it’s harder to access notes that are higher up on the neck, meaning that it’s not a great guitar a player who’s used to shredding solos.
Electronics
The Artist Mosaic features an LR Briggs Anthem pickup mounted to the inside of the sound hole, which allows the instrument to plug into an amp. The LR Briggs Anthem is essentially a condenser mic built into a pickup that runs into a preamp, giving the player tone-shaping control when played through an amp.
This is great for anyone who’s going to be playing gigs with their Artist Mosaic – from empty bars to packed amphitheaters, you’re going to need to use some sort of amplifier if you’re performing in front of a crowd.
I’ve owned several acoustic guitars, and I’ve never purchased one without a pickup like the LR Briggs Anthem.
Made in Canada
It’s common knowledge throughout the music industry that guitars made in the U.S. are usually better quality than foreign-made instruments.
But Seagull is an interesting exception to the rule. Seagull was founded in Quebec in 1982 and they’re still made there today, in the village of La Patrie. According to Seagull’s website, about half of La Patrie’s population of 475 are guitar makers.
I’ve never heard of any other luthier that’s so integrated into the life of a town, and it shows in the high-caliber craftsmanship of the Artist Mosaic.
What People Say
Consumer feedback on the Seagull Artist Mosaic is overwhelmingly positive, with many players citing the guitar’s ease of playability and warm tone as its standout features. Reviewers also praised the guitar’s tone when finger picking, thanks to its wide string spacing.
And more than one Artist Mosaic owner said that if they ever needed to replace their guitar, they’d buy another Seagull – as a gigging musician, that’s the kind of feedback I look for when buying an instrument.
Not all consumer feedback was positive, though. Critical consumers noted that while the guitar’s tone may be warm when strummed, it’s light and tinny when played with a tapping technique. If tapping is your main play style, you might be better off looking elsewhere.
Final Verdict
The Seagull Artist Mosaic acoustic guitar is a high-caliber instrument well suited to anyone who plays rhythm guitar or folk music, or is a singer-songwriter. It’s warm, full tone compliments vocalists, as well as other guitarists or mandolinists playing lead lines.
Fingerpicking players will appreciate the widely-spaced strings, which allows the fingers better access for plucking.
There are some guitarists who may not find the Artist Mosaic is for them. Players who rely on tapping a lot may not find the Seagull Artist Mosaic to be the guitar for them. In that case, there’s plenty of choices for you – the Martin GPC comes to mind. In addition, the dreadnought-style body type isn’t for everyone.
If you want something that will give you easy access to high notes for solos and arpeggios, I would check out the Breedlove Solo Concert. Both of these are great guitars in their own right.
Check out the following video to hear how this guitar sounds like and see if you like it:
