godin guitars

[bohemian46]

Thank you...
No need to check the link, but I did in hopes that the information and specifications for the Grand Concert have changed from CEDAR, which I do not want to SPRUCE...and the bridge has changed from rosewood to ebony ; it did not.

The local dealer is and has been the GODIN rep for the Western US for many years. We have had endless discussions about this.

What I ,and many other potential buyers want:

Wide nut preferably 52 mm
12 frets
Ebony fingerboard
Ebony not rosewood bridge.
Spruce top, not cedar
No 13 pin connector.

Many many years ago this model existed.. it was discontinued.

Cedar is a softer wood that produces a different tone, dents easily, cracks easily. Spruce is harder, has a different tone, does not dent so easily and many of us think it looks better.

The rep has tried to get Godin to build this model for years.., we tried to order a custom one.. they said they would do it if I was "famous".


They went to a great deal of trouble and expense to build the oud

All they need to do is walk over to the spruce pile and the ebony pile and
put these on an existing model... not so tough as the oud... requires no designing, engineering or testing... or for that matter... marketing.

I like and own GODINS... I give GODIN guitars as gifts, I am a supporter of GODIN... this is a disappointment. Spruce ebony simple

[Elias Graves]

Originally Posted by Eddie Lang

I have an acoustic only 5th Avenue. I bought it for when I go on trips and I don't want to bring one of my nicer guitars.

Although it is a nice looking guitar that plays nicely, I must admit that I find the tone a bit harsh and bright. Tried different strings, D'Addario EJ-16, Newtone Archtop and Thomastik Plectrum. I am not a fan of the D'A, but I normally really like the TI Plectrums and Newtone Archtops, but not on that guitar. Not sure what I'll try next, but it is starting to get expensive to constantly change strings, looking for the right ones. Anybody else has a similar experience?

I ended up with a properly fitted ebony bridge with bone saddle along with Red brand 12s. Now it has this lovely mellow tone to it that has become my favorite. It sounds like a guitar met a double bass in that it has that somewhat muted, soft quality to the voice. 100% improvement from stock.

EG

[yorg]

hi guy's,
all this feedback reinforces my original point ,they aint made in china.
cheers yorg.

[fep]

Originally Posted by yorg

hi guy's,
all this feedback reinforces my original point ,they aint made in china.
cheers yorg.

That was your orginal point?! I think you should go back and read your orginal post.

China makes some great guitars. They have a history and tradition of exquisite woodwork that I believe predates any other culture. It should be no surprise that they can make fine instruments.

I really like my Godin guitars, but I was not reinforcing your China bashing.

[bohemian46]

Besides, we should thank the Chinese for inventing the "sheng", the forerunner of the accordion.

[jzucker]

I was an endorser for godin and tried for over a year to get them to make a 22 fret Flat 5. They do not seem to accept feedback very well.

Originally Posted by bohemian46

Thank you...
No need to check the link, but I did in hopes that the information and specifications for the Grand Concert have changed from CEDAR, which I do not want to SPRUCE...and the bridge has changed from rosewood to ebony ; it did not.

The local dealer is and has been the GODIN rep for the Western US for many years. We have had endless discussions about this.

What I ,and many other potential buyers want:

Wide nut preferably 52 mm
12 frets
Ebony fingerboard
Ebony not rosewood bridge.
Spruce top, not cedar
No 13 pin connector.

Many many years ago this model existed.. it was discontinued.

Cedar is a softer wood that produces a different tone, dents easily, cracks easily. Spruce is harder, has a different tone, does not dent so easily and many of us think it looks better.

The rep has tried to get Godin to build this model for years.., we tried to order a custom one.. they said they would do it if I was "famous".


They went to a great deal of trouble and expense to build the oud

All they need to do is walk over to the spruce pile and the ebony pile and
put these on an existing model... not so tough as the oud... requires no designing, engineering or testing... or for that matter... marketing.

I like and own GODINS... I give GODIN guitars as gifts, I am a supporter of GODIN... this is a disappointment. Spruce ebony simple

[jzucker]

who was bashing china? The chinese eastmans are fabulous. I think they are doing better than many of the american counterparts. They *do* listen to feedback.

[yorg]

NO I AM NOT CHINA BASHING!
I am and will continue to decry in a vociferate fashion the shoddy manufacturing practices of the MAJOR guitar factorys,they happen to be chinese in this case.
i would complain if the same thing was happening in america england australia or anyhere else for that matter.
to use the expression that you used implys and insinuates some sort of
racism.I believe it behoves badly upon you to do so.
The logical extension of this is that to complain about something will
by your criteria be bashing!
It is a poor way to have a discussion!
As well as the sheng,they invented gunpowder bohemian 46 look what that led to.
cheers yorg.

[jzucker]

Originally Posted by yorg

NO I AM NOT CHINA BASHING!

have you compared eastman quality vs godin?

[yorg]

hi jzucker,
no i haven't,but i will this coming week,when i am in Sydney.i will make sure i report back
cheers yorg.

[cutnstuf]

Originally Posted by yorg

NO I AM NOT CHINA BASHING!
I am and will continue to decry in a vociferate fashion the shoddy manufacturing practices of the MAJOR guitar factorys,they happen to be chinese in this case.
i would complain if the same thing was happening in america england australia or anyhere else for that matter.
to use the expression that you used implys and insinuates some sort of
racism.I believe it behoves badly upon you to do so.
The logical extension of this is that to complain about something will
by your criteria be bashing!
It is a poor way to have a discussion!
As well as the sheng,they invented gunpowder bohemian 46 look what that led to.
cheers yorg.

And let's not forget movable type...

[Markyboy]

when chinese guitars are cheap and bad, it's because western manufacturers order them like that

[Elias Graves]

Originally Posted by cutnstuf

And let's not forget movable type...

And pasta! Yum.




My godin.


EG

[jzucker]

Originally Posted by Markyboy

when chinese guitars are cheap and bad, it's because western manufacturers order them like that

DING, DING - We have a winner!

[mr. beaumont]

Is it that they order the guitars that way, or that you still get what you pay for, even when going after cheaper labor?

Folks like to blanket the term "Chinese made guitar" but there's a BIG difference in what you get in an Eastman, versus a Saga made Gitane, versus an Epiphone versus a Squier Start versus a 3/4 size First Act Acoustic.

Putting politics aside, there's obviously some folks in China who know how to make a pretty damn good guitar.

Then again, you can see why it makes some "money sense" for an Epiphone not to be too good.

[cutnstuf]

Follow the money boys and girls...follow the money.

[troika]

I have a question for people with 5th Ave experience, maybe some of you endorsers have played enough of them. I was fortunate yesterday to play 3 models, a no-cutaway/no pickup model (used) and 2 new kingpins one with neck-only pickup and one with neck and bridge pickups (new). All in the same small music store under the same conditions.

The used one without the cutaway or pickups had a noticably better acoustic presence than the other two. If there was an acoustic difference between the 2 kingpin models, it was too subtle for a a guy like me to worry about.

I noticed, though that the acoustic model had some type of bronze string on it where the ones with the P-90s looked like some type of nickel strings (as would make sense).

I'm wondering how much of the acoustic difference was the strings and how much was the guitar. Any opinions or experiences to draw on?

Of course I want it all, I could add a floating pickup to the acoustic model and even get one of the Kent Armstrong models that can hear acoustic strings better, but love the new ones as they are. The acoustic-i-tude of the a guitar is important to me, though. I want to be able to play it that way and most of the time at home will not have it plugged in. If I could move the pickup models in that direction with a string change and still use the pickups, then that would be my preference, if not, I could get a nice deal on the used guitar and consider adding a floating pickup.

Would love your expertise on the subject. Thanks in advance,

[mr. beaumont]

Strings make a big difference.

I went with a one pickup Kingpin because I was looking for some ES-125 vibe on the cheap--to me, it's an electric guitar that happens to be hollow.

I didn't think that even bronze strings would do much for the non-pickup model, as it's such a small box, but folks have reported otherwise. So yes, strings make a big difference.

The guitars are essentially the same. The P90 pickup is attached to the top, not fully routed in, like on say, an L5 Wes...So it probably has a minimal impact on the acoustic sound. But I don't think the P90 would sound good with acoustic strings.

As for adding a floater to the non-pickup model, it really comes down to whether or not you like that sound.

Setup matters too-- Higher action will give you more acoustic presence, but at the cost of playability. You might consider heavy gauge roundwounds and higher action on the P90 model to get more acoustic sound, but it's never going to sound like bronze strings...

[lpdeluxe]

The local music store carries Godin (and the associated brands). I don't recall seeing a Godin guitar, but there's an A5 fretless bass that has caught my eye. Godin does clever things like inlaying short lines on the top edge of the fingerboard to help your intonation. A friend has had one for several years, and I think it's the only bass he plays now. Quality looks to be very good. The only downside is the lack of a hard case, but I can get used to that. In fact, I'm about ready to trade my Martin B-1 in on it.

[keith]

I don't recall the strings on the models of Kingpins that I tried at the time I bought one but I did notice a significant degree of variability between the same models with regards to overall sound in the acoustic sense. I've found this with other guitars of varying price ranges not only Godins and I think speaks to the fact guitars really are individuals when it comes to sound and playability. I think we all can speak to the occasion of finding a guitar that just speaks to you where another of the same model isn't quite as appealing. As far as the pickup, my Kingpin projects quite well in an acoustic sense ( loud, punchy, rapid decline in tone ) so I wouldn't think it played a huge role in the acoustic sound. The fact that it is a laminate I think does play a role and as mentioned the string are very important.

[pingu]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Strings make a big difference.

I went with a one pickup Kingpin because I was looking for some ES-125 vibe on the cheap--to me, it's an electric guitar that happens to be hollow.

I didn't think that even bronze strings would do much for the non-pickup model, as it's such a small box, but folks have reported otherwise. So yes, strings make a big difference.

The guitars are essentially the same. The P90 pickup is attached to the top, not fully routed in, like on say, an L5 Wes...So it probably has a minimal impact on the acoustic sound. But I don't think the P90 would sound good with acoustic strings.

As for adding a floater to the non-pickup model, it really comes down to whether or not you like that sound.

Setup matters too-- Higher action will give you more acoustic presence, but at the cost of playability. You might consider heavy gauge roundwounds and higher action on the P90 model to get more acoustic sound, but it's never going to sound like bronze strings...

Oooh I'm after a pickup like that for my old Hofner President
Really a P90 that is top mounted but doesn't need routing in ?

[troika]

Follow up on my post from earlier this week. I stopped into a different local music store again today and was surprised to see Godin 5th Aves in the same 3 configurations.

Used - no cutaway, no pickup
New - neck pickup only
New - 2 pickups

They also had several Ibanez Artcores and various Gretch's and a few Eastmans.

First the Godins, same impressions, the all acoustic model is MUCH better acoustically than the newer models with the pickups. I'm sure the strings are a factor, but I don't think that's all. They're all very nice guitars. The Kingpins are sexier, beautiful actually, but don't hold up as well acoustically. If I were going to buy a new kingpin, I'd probably get the 2 pup model as I don't see any disadvantage to that 2nd pickup being on there. But the difference between the guitars with 0 and the guitars with > 0 is not subtle. I read somewhere else that the tops on the kingpins were thicker. I don't know if that's true, but it would explain the difference I'm noticing.

The Kingpins do, however hold up as well acoustically as the Artcores and Gretches. Not quite fair to compare them as they are priced higher, but I preferred them over all of those (didn't plug anything in, to be fair), but none of them really made it as acoustic instruments. Of these instruments, the acoustic 5th Ave is peerless unplugged.

The Eastmans were in a different class and at a different price. Very nice instruments, I'd played them before. Their neckpickup model is as good, but richer acoustically as the acoustic Godin. No surprise.

I'm try to sell a few guitars locally and bring home something that's fairly versital and that I can really connect with. It's important to me that it functions as an acoustic instrument and so far the "dumped back on the market" acoustic 5th aves are the easy choice. I'd likely mount a floating neck pickup. I like P90s, but I value acoustic sound over them.

If anyone has any other ideas for me, I'm all ears. I'm seeing these used 5th Aves for about $300-400. I don't need to limit my price-range there, but I don't see spending $1,500 or more either. I'm a working bassist, guitar is a second and mostly non-performing instrument to me, but I'd like a nice instrument that I can connect with.

[FrankLearns]

I have several Godin guitars and generally really like them.

It started with an Exit 22, which is a really nice, short scale, all mahagony version of a HSS Strat that sounds just really warm and full on a Fender amp but still has that twang.

The Multiac Nylon is also a nice guitar and absolutely does what it is supposed to do.

I also have a 5th avenue Kingpin II. It took me a long time to like this guitar, but now that i play it over a Henricksen Jazz Amp 112, i started to really like the tone (accoustically, it is basically dead). It is light, airy and warm, yet a bit woody and the two pickups really allow for a wide range of sounds. The craftsmanship on the guitar is beautiful, playability is ok. It took some experimentation with the strings. Thomastik Flatwounds really didn't do it for me. Now i am using D'addario Chromes, 11th but possibly change to 12th. One thing that sets this guitar aside too is that it is so very light. Other archtops are big and massive and kind of have a "dignity" through the sheer mass of the body. The Kingpin doesn't have that.

Probably my favorite among my Godin guitars is the Montreal. It is so extremely versatile with two splittable humbuckers and the piezo voice. All of these soudns are really useable. It also has the short Gibson scale and a solid mahagony top. It sounds full and warm, it can scream but it also can sound really jazzy. The piezo itself is a bit thin and harsh in my ears but when you put a little bit in addition with the neck humbucker it sounds great. Or together with a single coil setting it gives some "twang" (of course, it will never sound like a strat). The craftsmanship of this guitar is incredible and all of the parts are high quality. The guitar is built like a tank and pretty heavy. Over time i have tried many different kinds of strings, roundwounds, flatwounds and half rounds. The guitar takes all of them well. With flatwounds it is obviously more jazzy, with roundwounds more rock like. i find myself changing strings with the style of music i am playing and i can't make up my mind. I guess the solution is to have a second one :-)

I was seriously thinking about the Icon convertible as a great rock axe. But probably even more so about the Multiac Jazz. I am curious about this guitar as one does not find too much. Obviously it comes with either a carved maple or a carved spruce top. I guess i would be leaning towards the spruce but i am very curious about other people's experiences and opinions. I would also be interested to have some opinions on the jazz tone compared to full sized archtops with spruce top. Is that a comparably big tone? I guess there are not too many archtops with solid spruce tops in this price segment. I guess some peerless and the Robert Conti guitar (i guess also Peerless).

I would be really interested in peoples experience and opinions on this guitar. I am slightly worried about the long scale, that i don't like as much - but e.g. a Gibson L5 also has the 25-1/2 scale. And the headstock is strange - the multiac jazz still is a dominantly electric guitar, right? Why put a classical headstock on it? Does that change the sound?

Just let me know what you think about these Godin's!
All the best,
Frank

[FrankLearns]

I have several Godin guitars and generally really like them.

It started with an Exit 22, which is a really nice, short scale, all mahagony version of a HSS Strat that sounds just really warm and full on a Fender amp but still has that twang.

The Multiac Nylon is also a nice guitar and absolutely does what it is supposed to do.

I also have a 5th avenue Kingpin II. It took me a long time to like this guitar, but now that i play it over a Henricksen Jazz Amp 112, i started to really like the tone (accoustically, it is basically dead). It is light, airy and warm, yet a bit woody and the two pickups really allow for a wide range of sounds. The craftsmanship on the guitar is beautiful, playability is ok. It took some experimentation with the strings. Thomastik Flatwounds really didn't do it for me. Now i am using D'addario Chromes, 11th but possibly change to 12th. One thing that sets this guitar aside too is that it is so very light. Other archtops are big and massive and kind of have a "dignity" through the sheer mass of the body. The Kingpin doesn't have that.

Probably my favorite among my Godin guitars is the Montreal. It is so extremely versatile with two splittable humbuckers and the piezo voice. All of these soudns are really useable. It also has the short Gibson scale and a solid mahagony top. It sounds full and warm, it can scream but it also can sound really jazzy. The piezo itself is a bit thin and harsh in my ears but when you put a little bit in addition with the neck humbucker it sounds great. Or together with a single coil setting it gives some "twang" (of course, it will never sound like a strat). The craftsmanship of this guitar is incredible and all of the parts are high quality. The guitar is built like a tank and pretty heavy. Over time i have tried many different kinds of strings, roundwounds, flatwounds and half rounds. The guitar takes all of them well. With flatwounds it is obviously more jazzy, with roundwounds more rock like. i find myself changing strings with the style of music i am playing and i can't make up my mind. I guess the solution is to have a second one :-)

I was seriously thinking about the Icon convertible as a great rock axe. But probably even more so about the Multiac Jazz. I am curious about this guitar as one does not find too much. Obviously it comes with either a carved maple or a carved spruce top. I guess i would be leaning towards the spruce but i am very curious about other people's experiences and opinions. I would also be interested to have some opinions on the jazz tone compared to full sized archtops with spruce top. Is that a comparably big tone? I guess there are not too many archtops with solid spruce tops in this price segment. I guess some peerless and the Robert Conti guitar (i guess also Peerless).

I would be really interested in peoples experience and opinions on this guitar. I am slightly worried about the long scale, that i don't like as much - but e.g. a Gibson L5 also has the 25-1/2 scale. And the headstock is strange - the multiac jazz still is a dominantly electric guitar, right? Why put a classical headstock on it? Does that change the sound?

Just let me know what you think about these Godin's!
All the best,
Frank