Seagull Performer Cutaway Flame Maple High Gloss QI Acoustic-Electric Guitar  

The Seagull Performer QI acoustic-electric guitar features a 3-layer hardwood laminated body and a solid spruce top for a superb blend of rich tones. The guitar also has an integrated set neck joint and, Indian rosewood fretboard and bridge, and a Quantum I pickup for a great plugged-in experience.

Compound Curve Top Design

The guitar top is the part of the instrument that most affects the sound. It is also the most delicate part of any high quality acoustic guitar. The grade and thickness of the wood used (solid spruce), as well as the bracing structure, have a huge impact on the instrument's sound. The idea of applying an arch or a curve to the top is appealing because the added strength of an arched top should allow for the use of a thinner and more lightly braced top. While this is true, there remains a trade-off in applying a curve to the entire top. The most active part of the top is the area centered on the bridge. Applying a curve to this part of the top restricts movement resulting in a loss of dynamic range. On the other hand, the area of the top above the sound hole moves minimally but is problematic because it tends to sink if the guitar dries out even slightly. This tendency is also encouraged by downward pressure from the fingerboard resting on top of it. The solution is a top that has a compound curve.

In the Seagull Performer's design the top is arched slightly in the area above the sound hole and levels out in the area around the bridge. The compound curve top produces excellent stability in the upper part of the guitar top and the power and projection made possible by leaving the top flat below the sound hole flat. With the weak area above the sound hole stabilized, it is possible to make the rest of the top even more active with a new bracing design that allows unprecedented control over the top vibration. The bracing for the Seagull Performer Cutaway Flame Maple High-Gloss QI Guitar is quarter-sawn spruce, scalloped and carved to conform exactly to the curvature of the tops.