Simon & Patrick SP6 Cedar - advice

blacknblack · June 2020

I bought one of these about 30 years ago when I was a student. I haven’t played it for many years, preferring my electric guitars. Been thinking I want a half decent acoustic around the house, so wondering if the S&P fits the bill. I can’t say I love it but with some new strings, and lowering the action, could it be an ok guitar? Is it a good guitar I wonder? Not even sure what gauge strings to put on it. I’ve got GAS for an acoustic but for once I’m trying to make myself do the right thing and make do with what I’ve got! I realise I haven’t really asked a specific question here! But if anyone has any opinions or advice? Thanks.

munckee · June 2020

They sound quite decent I had one for years. Not Terribly well built allegedly but fine. I sold mine and bought an all solid guitar which is certainly on another level but you are looking £400 plus used against a guitar you already own.

Nitefly · June 2020

At 30 years old it will likely have been built at the Godin factory in La Patrie, Canada, alongside Seagull, Art & Lutherie, and Godin guitars. Simon and Patrick are Robert Godin's sons.

Perfectly adequate workmanlike instruments, usually with solid tops - some spruce, some cedar - and cherrywood back and sides as far as I recall.

How light are your strings on your electric guitars? If you're used to 9's, I'd try a 10 - 48 set on the S&P, just to get used to playing it again; then maybe later go up to 11's or 12's.

It's like a 30-years-on NGD!

Revolting1 · June 2020

I love them!

I normally use 12 - 52 or 12 - 53

80 /20 Martins sound well with the Cedar tops.

I've had a few though my hands they usually dont need any fret work for a low set up-factory neck build's been good.

Dont think I've strung any as light as 10 -48 but if Nitefly's had good experience 10s should be interesting.

Cedars tend to improve with age so you might be very pleasantly suprised with a low set up fret polish and new 80/20s.

blacknblack · June 2020

Thanks everyone. I like the sound of a +30 years NGD! Going to put some light strings on it and have a go at lowering the action. Be interesting to see how it turns out.

sev112 · June 2020

Good luck. I have a 1985 Fender F3 acoustic. Cheap end of the range no doubt. It was my first steel string guitar. It was great for years, then my brother borrowed it back, got it set up and it turned from a nice functional guitar into a lovely guitar. It’s been living in my teenage daughter’s room for the past year or so. I was given some 10 gauge strings by a friend, and I put them on my main jumbo guitar, but hated them straightaway. So I put them on the fender , and once again it has had a complete rebirth again, and it’s now a beautiful low action finger picking or light strumming guitar.
so i’d say give it a good go, experiment with strings to suit your style of playing, and you might get a great guitar from it, as well as a load of memories from when you started out

ToneControl · June 2020

I'd recommended you polish the frets and clean the fingerboard
You can get kits
e.g. lemon oil and a duster and a little micromesh abrasive cloth for the frets

blacknblack · June 2020

Well I can declare at least a modest success. Some 10-48s, about an hour shaving the saddle and a bit of truss rod action (this is all quite adventurous stuff for me) and it sounds good and seems quite playable . Will have a go at the frets next. I realise I can barely play it - fingers just not used to it. Is it a NGD? Well in a way, yes it is. I certainly don't 'need' to spend money on a new acoustic (which is unfortunate - er no, I mean good - you know what I mean!). Thanks all.

Modulus_Amps · June 2020

I have one of these, bought is 20 years ago when I first came to the UK. I use 10's on mine, sounds good, but not the best sounding acoustic I have ever played... but I will probably never sell it

duotone · June 2020

Remember playing some of these in Sound Control in Tottenham Court Road 15+ years ago. There was one for £250 that was very good. Tried some £1000+ Martins & ignoring brand name bias the Simon & Patrick guitars held their own. Would have bought one if I needed an acoustic but I had a Tanglewood Indiana TW 28 S acoustic at the time (& still do!)

birtner · July 2020

I’ve had a songsmith for 10 years. Decent but I preferred the Taylor big baby I got rid of for it. There’s magic in those things. If I was looking for a casual acoustic these days I’d probably just go Yamaha (or get another big baby)

Moleman · July 2020

I also have one of these. Surprisingly good sound, in fact I’d be surprised if even my higher end Yamaha LL-400 sounded any better.

ICBM · July 2020

If you don't thrash it or throw it about it should be fine. They're very lightly built and finished which helps them sound good, but they aren't very robust in the longer term - you see a lot with both severe top wear, and also badly bellied tops are fairly common. They also seem to have the highest rate of headstock breaks of any brand other than Gibson - I'm not exactly sure why and it's not a very big sample size, but I have seen quite a lot...

The cedar ones have a 'soft' old-guitar type of tone to them - I don't normally like cedar as much as spruce, but with these it seems to work better, the spruce ones sound a bit flat by comparison. The cedar ones work better for fairly gentle playing styles than loud chord bashing in my experience.

I would clean it up, string it with probably 10s or 11s, get the action down if it needs it, and it should be a pretty nice home guitar.

menamestom · December 2020

My father-in-law has an SP6 Cedar, really nice guitar. But as mentioned the top marks very easily.
Cedar is warm with nice mid range. Better to keep decent strings on them to keep some brightness.

I have the 'Pro Mahogany' which has survived quite a lot of use and abuse over 20 years. It's definitely a step up in tone and I've struggled to replace it to be honest.

Strings though, I think, well certainly the pro version sounds best with 12's or 13's, I don't think 10's would be really be getting that big dread body moving enough. The Cedar is a little more sensitive I suppose.

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Simon & Patrick SP6 Cedar - advice

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