Bought new guitar and i'm very unhappy

The Seagull S5 is a good guitar, but so are many other guitars.

If the guitar is making buzzing sounds when you play it, but didn't when the salesperson played it, the problem probably isn't with the guitar.  This guitar is probably set up differently from your old one and you may need to learn how to make the adjustment to how this one plays.  Be sure that your fingers are close to but not on the frets when you fret your chords.  Make sure your strumming hand or forearm aren't resting on the strings. 

If you've got those under control, it is possible that the setup is too high or too low. Too low will frequently cause buzzing problems.  Or you could have just one fret sticking up or something like that. 

I'd recommend being very careful about how you finger the chords to be sure that you're doing it the way THIS guitar needs you to rather than the way the OTHER guitar did.  If that doesn't work, then you need to talk to your parents.  I'll tell you as a parent, that I'd rather drive the hour again to get a guitar that you'll play and enjoy than stay put and have spent $300 for something you don't appreciate or like. 

Also, be sure that YOU play the guitar at the store.  Take along your chord charts or whatever you've got to do.  It could be a terrific guitar, but if it doesn't fit your hands and your style, then it might not be a terrific guitar FOR YOU. 

- Zurf

I would look for Alvarez guitar. Mine was in $300 price range (they go much higher) but was on sale for only $180. Just basic dreadnought, but it sounds phenomenal! Check them out. My guitar teacher, who works on guitars, too, recommended Alvarez and I could not be happier. I sound ten times better than I ever have, and much more expensive guitars don't sound as good to me.
Good luck!

it is deffo to do with the change in setup, when i changed guitar i was so used to the other 1 i got my finger placement all wrong, frets different distances apart, neck wider, strings thicker..... all these things contribute to an awkward change, keep playing it and you will get used to it, or it may just not be the guitar 4 u

I own a Seagull S6. I love it. I am fairly new myself and I was told it was one of the top guitars for beginners in the $300.00 or less price range. My guitar teacher says it is a great guitar and wouldn't mind having one himself and he has a ton of em. He loves the sound. I have since had a Fishman Eclipse VT pre-amp/pickup professionally installed and it sounds really good pluged in. The guy that installed the pick said it was very good quality guitar and that it had great sound. I have an Alvarez RD20S that is not bad. I use it as my campfire guitar.

When you say buzzing and muted strings I can't believe no one ponted out the fact that guitars have different nut widths. Sounds like you bought one with a narrower nut than you had before.  Sounds good when the guy in the store plays it because he probably has skiny little spider fingers like a lot of guitar players have( damn you all ).  I am graced with monster fat fingers and 1 11/16 nuts just do not work for me but a 1 7/8 nut works like a charm.  Want to test it out without a long drive put a capo on the second or third fret and see how it plays  ....if you don't have a capo  a smooth pen or pencill with a couple of rubber bands will do for the test.

If you have bronze strings on your Takamine as I suspect, take $15 and go back to GC and have them restring with Elixer Custom Light gage NANOWEB strings.  They'll be more supple and you'll like that their a little less "bright".  If you already have Elixer strings tell the staff at GC your problem.  They've always been real helpful.

One mistake that many beginners make is that they purchase CHEAP guitars with high action and then they struggle with learning to play on it.  This is setting yourself up for failure.  Fail to plan, plan to fail is the old saying. 

If you are committed to learning to play the guitar, save your money and buy a good guitar.  The odds of you sticking with it are immensely greater, as the lower action will give you a fighting chance to make it.  Better sounding instruments also will provide inspiration to continue practicing.

My recommendation is that you continue to suffer with your current guitar, while saving your money.  If you can save another $400 to $500, you can get a really fine guitar on eBay.  Recently, I was able to pick up a Takamine Supernatural series guitar that usually lists in the low to mid $2000 range. 

This instrument was factory refurbished, meanng that upon final inspection, something was found that needed to be repaired before it coulc be sold.  I did an extensive inspection, but couldn't find what they fixed.  Other than the stamp on the back of the head stock saying USED, it was like a brand new instrument.

Any way, I purchased the instrument for $700 with free shipping.  When it arrived, I was ecstatic, as this instrument sounds awesome.  It has low action and is extremely easy to finger.  Chords are very easy to change.  For an extra $400 over what you have already, the additional value that I received was immense.  I will never buy retail again.  You just don't get the same bang for your buck.

The additional quality level could make a HUGE difference in how progress as a student or as a guitarist.  Go to eBay and see for yourself that you CAN get a tremendous buy on a much better guitar.

Call the manager at Guitar Center and tell him that you are unhappy and want to return the guitar, then go to your parents and explain to them that you made a three hundred dollar mistake.  Explain to them that a one hour trip is much better than a $300 loss.  Be sure that you have your receipt and anything else needed to return the guitar, so that you don't have to make mulitple trips.  Also, put out of your head the imagined fascination with the Seagull. Three hundred dollars retail, isn't going to buy you much.  It is simply another cheap guitar.

However, I can assure you that if you are purchasing a quality instrument valued at $1500 to $2500, you will be happy with the value you receive.  You simply do not get much for $300.  Get you a part time job, save your money and buy an instrument that you can really enjoy and build on.  I know this for a fact.  I suffered thru lots of cheap guitars and I didn't improve until I got something that made it easy for me to learn and play.  It is tough enough to learn the guitar without having to fight your instrument tooth and nail every step of the way.

I don't necessarily subscribe to the idea that you can learn easier on an expensive guitar. However every guitar has its own characteristics and a cheap guitar that fits you is fine too. The problem is their are so many variables.

1. Check you are tuned to concert pitch
2. Look at the difference between putting your first finger and thumb around the neck of your old and new guitar - this tells you if you have bought a guitar with a radically different neck feel - and you have to get used to the new width.
3. Look at the set up at 12th fret, too low you buzz and its set up for fingerstyle, too high it's a problem to use at higher positions - although if you are a beginner you probably not got that far.
4. maybe the strings are heavier than you are used to.

Hope that helps!