Godin Montreal Premiere vs Carvin SH550 vs Comins GCS

[jzucker]

Anyone compare godin montreal premiere, carvin SH550, comins GCS?


And then since you can get a prs hollowbody used for $1800 and a used gibson 339 for $1600 i guess they should be thrown into the mix...

i'd like to hear patrick's take on this...

[JWLUCEY]

Anyone compare godin montreal premiere, carvin SH550, comins GCS?



And then since you can get a prs hollowbody used for $1800 and a used gibson 339 for $1600 i guess they should be thrown into the mix...

i'd like to hear patrick's take on this...

Hi there. I haven't played those but I've heard great things about the Godin. Also, Amazon has the Godin Uptown for $684 new. The guitar lists for $1,700 and other folks here have praised it. I posted the link on the "5th Avenue" chat on this forum. Let me know if you can't find it and I'll re-post.

John

[Tom Karol]

Never tried the Comins (wanted to though) or the Carvin, but I stumbled into a local source for a new Godin Montreal Premiere and bought it for $1250 (with gig bag; I've got a $99 HSC on order due to come in this month) a few months back. The only thing I don't like about it is it's too damn easy to play! I posted about it here:

Poor man's Sadowsky Semi-Hollow?

https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...honeymoon.html

[jzucker]

I haven't had much luck with godin but am willing to give them another try. I've had a couple b5s and several of their nylon string guitars. Every one had some major flaw that really made it hard to love. They were all neck heavy too which is something I've also seen in several carvins that I've owned.

Basically a guitar is balanced if you can set it to a 45 degree angle on a strap and have it balance on a broom stick handle. If it dives then it's not balanced. And the way I play and with my build, the guitar's neck will be dropping constantly when I am standing and it's just a dealbreaker...

[JSanta]

I haven't played the specific Carvin model you've mentioned, but for the past 12 years I have had a DC400 and it is a superb instrument. Built just as well as something costing twice as much. By far the best playing guitar I've ever had. The one critique about Carvin are their pickups. It's a love 'em or hate 'em thing from what I can tell from most players. I personally was always happy with mine. A couple that they currently have in stock on their website look great, though I would never need synth access.

[Tom Karol]

I've never particularly liked Godins either. I had an Acousticaster a while back that I never bonded with. This model has a 12" FB radius rather than the less-preferable (to me) 16" FB radius of many of their other models. To me, this guitar feels very light and well-balanced - it feels better when playing standing with a strap than any guitar I've ever owned. I really can't find any build flaws or design annoyances in mine either. But it sort of has it's own thing going sound-wise. I play it strung with roundwound 11's (plain 3rd) through a JazzAmp110 with a ceramic Weber Cali speaker (a speaker which I believe you don't like), and I really love the sonic quality and variety I get. So, you just have to try one for yourself!

[Jazz_175]

JazzAmp110 with a ceramic Weber Cali speaker (a speaker which I believe you don't like),

Hey Tom,
You eventually put in the Weber Cali you ordered.
Did you start a thread talking about this new acquisition, did I miss any important thread?

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Anyone try the reissued Fender Starcaster? $700 street.



I just have my doubts about the pups.

[Doctor Jeff]

Anyone try the reissued Fender Starcaster? $700 street.



I just have my doubts about the pups.

That headstock is just so wrong...

Re' the Godin Premiere--I second what was said--superb guitar for the money, generally $1250 on the street but a few have been on Ebay recently (floor models, demos, etc.) for under $1000. I always play sitting down; from that perspective it was well balanced and extremely light.

Re' the others: it is hard to find a Carvin or Comins in my neck of the woods to try. The Gibson is a nice versatile guitar, but I have had a hard time getting a good warm jazz sound out of it. The thing about the Godin is you plug it in, and with a few seconds of adjusting the tone knob you have (to my ears) a beautiful balanced jazz tone--mellow but with enough brightness to highlight the notes:

[newsense]

That's really got to be one of the better guitar demos on YT.

As an ex-Godin owner (a Flat Five), I do still find myself gassing for a Montreal Premiere, but then I remember how I will miss not having dedicated V & T controls for each pickup. It was certainly a surprise to me how much greater was the range of tones I can get from my Ibanez by being able to blend the neck and bridge pickups with different tone settings. To me, it is probably a deal breaker that one cannot do this with the Godin, especially as one of the selling points of a thin-line semi should be its flexibility.

[jzucker]

i found out the comins is basically a samick royale which you can get used in the neighborhood of $299ish so I'll probably pass on that.

I hated the godin b5. For me it was wrong on so many levels - neck heavy, neck pickup in the wrong place, string tension too high, etc. I've gone through a lot of their guitars and none of them struck me as being really great so I'm probably going to pass on the montreal until I've heard some good clips or play one myself.

The clip above sounds thin to me, which probably it has to be in order to scream on the bridge pickup like it does but the neck pickup clean tones sound a bit anemic. Maybe it'd be different with heavier strings.

I don't mind the single volume control. Personally, i think mixing the pickups live is overrated for me. I don't have the time in the middle of a song to be adjusting 2 knobs back and forth to get the exact mix I want. What I do is adjust the height to get the mix I want and for that the single knob is actually better for me.

[iim7V7IM7]

Jack,

You're incorrect about Bill's Korean built guitars being the same as a $299 Samick Royale.

It really is quite a good guitar at its price point. I was at Bill's just a few weeks ago and I was impressed. I think aftermarket pickups might sound more to my liking than the Asian Kent Armstrong's. I suggest you give Bill a call . Not only is he a great luthier, but he's a straight shooter and great player as well. Bill personally sets each instrument up.

Regards,

Bob

i found out the comins is basically a samick royale which you can get used in the neighborhood of $299ish so I'll probably pass on that.

I hated the godin b5. For me it was wrong on so many levels - neck heavy, neck pickup in the wrong place, string tension too high, etc. I've gone through a lot of their guitars and none of them struck me as being really great so I'm probably going to pass on the montreal until I've heard some good clips or play one myself.

The clip above sounds thin to me, which probably it has to be in order to scream on the bridge pickup like it does but the neck pickup clean tones sound a bit anemic. Maybe it'd be different with heavier strings.

I don't mind the single volume control. Personally, i think mixing the pickups live is overrated for me. I don't have the time in the middle of a song to be adjusting 2 knobs back and forth to get the exact mix I want. What I do is adjust the height to get the mix I want and for that the single knob is actually better for me.

[jzucker]

Jack,

You're incorrect about Bill's Korean built guitars being the same as a $299 Samick Royale.

It really is quite a good guitar at its price point. I was at Bill's just a few weeks ago and I was impressed. I think aftermarket pickups might sound more to my liking than the Asian Kent Armstrong's. I suggest you give Bill a call . Not only is he a great luthier, but he's a straight shooter and great player as well. Bill personally sets each instrument up.

Regards,

Bob

OK, maybe i'm wrong but the guy who told me this has looked at them both in detail (inside and out) . I'm sure it has better pickups and components but I believe it shares the basic design and construction of their other guitar, the royale.

[Tom Karol]

... I'm probably going to pass on the montreal until I've heard some good clips or play one myself.

The clip above sounds thin to me, which probably it has to be in order to scream on the bridge pickup like it does but the neck pickup clean tones sound a bit anemic. Maybe it'd be different with heavier strings.

I don't mind the single volume control. Personally, i think mixing the pickups live is overrated for me. I don't have the time in the middle of a song to be adjusting 2 knobs back and forth to get the exact mix I want. What I do is adjust the height to get the mix I want and for that the single knob is actually better for me.

That clip doesn't sound like mine when I play it. (I have 11's on mine - much better sounding than the 10's that came on it.) But, yes, you should try one; I'm curious to see what you think having read your Semi-Hollow Roundup on Sheets of Sound many times.

And the single tone and volume controls were actually a plus for me as well.

[iim7V7IM7]

OK, maybe i'm wrong but the guy who told me this has looked at them both in detail (inside and out) . I'm sure it has better pickups and components but I believe it shares the basic design and construction of their other guitar, the royale.

Jack,

Take a look (below) he is incorrect. I also included a picture of Roger's Japanese made guitar as a visual reference.


Give Bill a call.

:-)

Bob

[arnie65]

Whether Jazz, Rock, or Fusion, the Carvin SH 575 is a nice contender. Plus it has a 13 pin built-in jack for midi...

Cheers,
Arnie...

[jzucker]

i don't know if they're based on the same design as he speculated or not but those pictures don't mean anything. And if you look at the angles of the headstock and the neck body joint it shares more than a few similarities. Additionally, the neck geometry, scarf joint and the cnc routed inner block with the top and back glued on are similar too. Maybe it's all coincidence and I probably shouldn't have mentioned anything...I'm sure the comins instrument has a lot of advances and is certainly subjected to much more rigorous quality control. Anyway, the bottom line is the tone and if the comins sounds great than it's worth the money. The clips I've heard sound very good.

I'm sorry I speculated without knowing for sure...

Jack,

Take a look (below) he is incorrect. I also included a picture of Roger's Japanese made guitar as a visual reference.


Give Bill a call.

:-)

Bob

[Moonray]

Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III ?

I have had 3 of these over the years.

Just love my current '07 vintage burst...sounds huge with 13 flats,
and nice and lively with 10's or 11's.

I used to have two HR's [at the same time]...one had 15-56 La Bella flats [yeah my "Martino" phase]
....and before they, LB flats that is...turned to shit.
...and the other with 10's or 11's...I just loved the neck feel and sound that much.
But hey, I'm biased.....

I know you did a review of semis sometime ago and I saw that your view was
that the Fusion III's were great for jazz but not so good for... erm...fusion...
Something like that.

Doesn't Dan Wilson [?] play a black HR III?

Maybe worth a reappraisal.

[fritz jones]

make one yourself Jack, or else you will never be satisfied.

[IbanezAS100]

Are Seventy Seven guitars no longer on the wish list? The Albatross clips sound great and the newer version of the Stork Jazz (with f-holes) is very tempting...

[jzucker]

Are Seventy Seven guitars no longer on the wish list? The Albatross clips sound great and the newer version of the Stork Jazz (with f-holes) is very tempting...

They one they sent me for a free demo. It got cracked in shipping and I had to make literally 10 trips to the post office (for them) to get an insurance claim which was denied. Then they never thanked me and even blamed me for not getting the insurance claim paid out. They did pay for shipping back but that's it.

I got nothing out of the deal.

[IbanezAS100]

That's a shame....I asked because I can see that your Albatross clips are still on their website.

Would you say that the guitars are a good deal otherwise? I remember that your review of the Albatross was very positive and I'd like to try one (or a Stork Jazz) some time.

[jzucker]

I can't remember which one was better but they were neck heavy so that was a deal breaker for me. If you like that vibe, the hamer newport is great and used they are around $1200 but they are also neck heavy

[IbanezAS100]

Thanks, that's good to know.