Of course you can make
truss rod adjustments, but I'm talking about actually re-setting the neck, which all 12-strings will need eventually.
I have a lot of recent experience with the issue of resetting the neck on a Seagull and this is what I have found out through talking both with guitar techs who work on them and the Godin/Seagull customer service reps. I've also watched Seagull guitars being made and seen how the necks are attached. Here's a Youtube of the Seagull Factory Tour that shows the process in detail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXGV31hOYhsSeagulls, for the past 4-5 years have used a process by which the neck is permanently set in epoxy. It's a very precise process, but it precludes being able to do a traditional neck re-set down the road. The bolts on a Seagull neck are only used to hold the neck in place while the epoxy is setting up, then although they are still in there, they become superfluous. While you can achieve the same results as a neck re-set, you have to shave down the bridge on a Seagull if it needs a neck re-set.
I fully agree that the Taylor is definitely not three times as good a 12-string as the Seagull is ... but IMO it's better by a fair measure and the supreiority is reflected in the price.
And I'm a guy who thinks so highly of Seagull guitars that I run a chat forum with 200 members devoted specifically to Seagull/Godin owners and fans.
I love Seagulls and over the past few years I've owned 4 of them. Seagulls are great guitars ... especially for the money.
I had no desire to own a 12-string for all the reasons mentioned ... that is, until I happened to play a Taylor GA3-12 at GC one day and it dispelled all my prejudices instantly!!
Still, I wasn't convinced that I wanted to spend that much on a 12-string, so I tried several lower priced makes and models.
In the end it came down to Taylor or the Seagull. The Seagull Coastline Cedar 12 is a very, very nice instrument, especially for the money. I am a huge fan of Seagull guitars, but, the Taylor was just in a league by itself.
And the fact that it has the NT neck while the Gull has a set neck, making neck adjustments easy on the the Taylor and all but impossible on the Seagull made me more confident that for the very long haul, the Taylor would serve better.
I respectfully disagree that neck adjustments are impossible on guitars with a set neck. Even set neck guitars have truss rods and the truss rod set up on the Seagull is one of the strongest around. Nor is it fair to say that a set neck may never be reset. That was going on for a time before bolt on necks came along. By the way, doesn't Seagull use a bolt on neck?
It seems to me that the legitimate point is that most twelve strings will require neck adjustments sooner than six strings do and that neck adjustments, particularly heel angle adjustments, will be easier on Taylors than on other guitars, particularly those with set necks.
I think we also disagree on Taylor 12s being in a league of their own. I actually thought that the tone of the entry level Taylor 12 was pretty comparable to the Seagull. Fit and finish were better on the Taylor and as you say the the NT neck makes the guitar maintenance easier. I agree that the Taylor is better but I am not sure that it is two and a half to three times better, using price as a measuring stick.
