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!