Any Godin players?

Very disappointed to learn that the multiac steel duet ambiance is discontinued. Went to go purchase one yesterday and no go.
 
I have a La Patrie Etude classical and a xtSA (an electric guitar with H S H, saddle piezos, 3-band graphic, and GK 13-pin out).

The xtSA is an incredibly versatile guitar on its own. Originally, I used it with a Boss GP-10-- which has modeled instruments including different electric guitars (and their respective pickup selections), acoustic guitars, bass, synths, even a electric sitar model and a reasonably good dobro & banjo. I upgraded the processor to an SY-1000 which does everything the GP-10 does and much more-- including a bass mode which is a whole 'nother topic!!

I recently swapped out the single coil middle pickup with a DiMarzio Area 58 noise cancelling pickup. It's a similar tone but much quieter. I decked the bridge because I don't really use that whammy bar, and the tuning was just too much of a pain-in-the-arse. With the xtSA being quite a heavy guitar, I customized and installed a Neck-Up device for on-lap playing. The nature of a divided piezo pickup is that it is less dynamic than the mag pickups. Fortunately, both the GP-10 and SY-1000 make it really easy and elegant to mix and match modeled instruments with mags.

I loved my american standard strat, but with the nature of the gigs I was getting (long story), and with the tones I can get on the Godin, it made no sense to keep it. So I sold it to a friend. All good.
 
stub said:
I have a La Patrie Etude classical and a xtSA (an electric guitar with H S H, saddle piezos, 3-band graphic, and GK 13-pin out).

The xtSA is an incredibly versatile guitar on its own.
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I looked at the xtSA and the current LGX(T) offerings, but one thing that turns me off to Godin's current line is their insistence on using Richlite fingerboards. I know it doesn't matter to some people, but I want an actual wood fingerboard, so I sought out a used LGX SA. Also, I really wanted that blue AAA flamed maple top and they're not offering that now. They are definitely versatile.
 
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fcs101 said:
So I bought a Godin LGX SA recently (Trans Blue AAA Flame Maple) and absolutely love it. I have to eat some crow because I previously posted in @la noise 's thread "Any 335's Up In Here??" that I'd never found a solid body I liked. Just can't put this thing down though. It's got a Seymour Duncan Jazz pick up in the neck and a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom in the bridge (with coil splits). It also has piezo and synth access.

I'm just curious if anyone else here plays Godins. I searched and there are no threads devoted to them.

Here's a pic.

View attachment 95421
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I had one just like yours, too. I also have owned a couple of their nylon strings with synth access. All were good guitars, used mostly for the VG-99 (and VG-8 and VG-88, GR-*, etc) I had, plus other 13-pin gear from Roland an Axon. I let them go and use a Studio MIDI Guitar, the synth tracking is great, but it’s not nearly as good as the Godins as an instrument.
 
secondwindow said:
I had one just like yours, too. I also have owned a couple of their nylon strings with synth access. All were good guitars, used mostly for the VG-99 (and VG-8 and VG-88, GR-*, etc) I had, plus other 13-pin gear from Roland an Axon. I let them go and use a Studio MIDI Guitar, the synth tracking is great, but it’s not nearly as good as the Godins as an instrument.
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Funny story, I tried to find one of these two years ago and couldn't (it seems Godin was phasing them out). I was wanting something with synth access, so I ordered a custom Kiesel SH-575 (which is awesome!). Anyway, fast forward and this came available and I was able to get it. I've had two other solid bodies and this is the only one I've ever enjoyed; that thought is really what spurred this thread because I've tried a few times to branch out from semihollow and hollow bodies without success.

BTW-Of the other solid bodies I've owned, one has been sold (only guitar I've ever sold) and the other is in limbo (might hold it for my son).
 
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skolacki said:
What are the necks like on these? Have never played one.
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I'm horrible at describing necks, but I'll try (I also play classical which of course are very thick, so I've always just rolled with it). I think most would describe them on the thin side, C-shaped, 1 11/16" at the nut, and less than 1" from fingerboard to back of neck on the lower frets.

I find it's very comfortable and fast playing.
 
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fcs101 said:
Funny story, I tried to find one of these two years ago and couldn't (it seems Godin was phasing them out). I was wanting something with synth access, so I ordered a custom Kiesel SH-575 (which is awesome!). Anyway, fast forward one year, this came available and I was able to get it. I've had two other solid bodies and this is the only one I've ever enjoyed; that thought is really what spurred this thread because I've tried a few times to branch out from semihollow and hollow bodies without success.

BTW-Of the other solid bodies I've owned, one has been sold (only guitar I've ever sold) and the other is in limbo (might hold it for my son).
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I ordered a Carvin SH65 a few years ago - it was a great guitar. That's one I let go of that maybe should have held on to.
 
skolacki said:
What are the necks like on these?
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The neck is thicker and chunkier than a strat. To me, it feels almost like an acoustic neck. The 1st & 6th strings are fairly close to the edge -- but not so much that they strings "go off". You can see it in the image someone posted above. The hardware feels quite good. I like the tuners- not super sturdy feeling, per se, but I've had no problems.
 
I've often wondered about what I could do with a dual acoustic/electric output ran into the AxeIII into separate inputs. Like this Godin Montreal Premiere-

godinmontreal-premiere-a-e-indigo-blue.jpg
 
Piezo saddle pickups almost always have a kind of "ovation" tone, which is ... well, it is what it is. With EQ and DSP, you can get a pretty nice "hybrid" acoustic sound. The reason I'm being a little hesitant in my enthusiasm, is that the difference between the "acoustic" sound direct from my xtSA, and the acoustic simulation I get from the GP-10 and SY-1000 is night and day. Those models really do disguise that "quack" from the saddle pickups.

I think the mojo of a divided pickup through a GK-13-pin connector into a Boss modeler (GP-10, SY-1000) is among the most underrated of technologies. For people who want ONE specific sound, they may not find it, but for people who's bread & butter is versatility (like music theater gigs, cover bands, etc.) divided pickups into Boss modelers like the above mentioned is crazy cool.
 
stub said:
Piezo saddle pickups almost always have a kind of "ovation" tone, which is ... well, it is what it is. With EQ and DSP, you can get a pretty nice "hybrid" acoustic sound. The reason I'm being a little hesitant in my enthusiasm, is that the difference between the "acoustic" sound direct from my xtSA, and the acoustic simulation I get from the GP-10 and SY-1000 is night and day. Those models really do disguise that "quack" from the saddle pickups.

I think the mojo of a divided pickup through a GK-13-pin connector into a Boss modeler (GP-10, SY-1000) is among the most underrated of technologies. For people who want ONE specific sound, they may not find it, but for people who's bread & butter is versatility (like music theater gigs, cover bands, etc.) divided pickups into Boss modelers like the above mentioned is crazy cool.
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I agree with that assessment. The piezo is a good option, but using my GR-55 I get a much better acoustic sound. And yes, the GK connection is definitely underrated; I think mostly because the majority of players have never experienced it. It is amazing what you can do with such a versatile guitar and then throw in a synth unit and looper.

chumbucket said:
I've often wondered about what I could do with a dual acoustic/electric output ran into the AxeIII into separate inputs. Like this Godin Montreal Premiere-
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Try three separate outputs! Electric, piezo, and synth.

BTW-I was tempted by that Montreal Premiere before getting interested in synth.

One thing that's really appreciated on the Godin is a three-way selector to choose Electric/Acoustic, All Three, or Synth only.
 
stub said:
The neck is thicker and chunkier than a strat. To me, it feels almost like an acoustic neck. The 1st & 6th strings are fairly close to the edge -- but not so much that they strings "go off". You can see it in the image someone posted above. The hardware feels quite good. I like the tuners- not super sturdy feeling, per se, but I've had no problems.
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Chunky is good. The recent thread regarding acoustic IRs to work with piezos is has me intrigued. Don’t think the local GC has any of these to try. I was looking at the PRS SE Hollowbody with piezo but they’re made in China. Being able to get a good acoustic tone along with electric is something I would like to have.
 
To append to my previous rave about Boss/GK, one of the reasons why the modeling works so well is that there is different processing for each string. I suspect it is convolution related, but that is never overtly stated. Also, with the modeling, the response is immediate (I can't say there's no latency, but it is not noticeable, and I'm fussy A.F. about such matters). The pitch shifting (for alt tunings is surprisingly good, but not flawless- especially when going up more than say a P4).

I think an acoustic IR can probably help "convert" a piezo saddle sound to something more pleasant. But with convolution there is a stage to "add" the quality of the "destination" impulse, but often left out is some kind of corrective EQ to neutralize the source (negate the saddle piezo thing). I'm totally guessing, but it seems that Boss has, through it's GK profiles, enabled some neutralizing EQ for different types of divided pickups.
 
skolacki said:
Chunky is good. The recent thread regarding acoustic IRs to work with piezos is has me intrigued. Don’t think the local GC has any of these to try. I was looking at the PRS SE Hollowbody with piezo but they’re made in China. Being able to get a good acoustic tone along with electric is something I would like to have.
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As stated, I agree with Stub's assessment of piezo vs synth (close your eyes with synth and it sounds just like a recorded acoustic, which for the GR units it actually is).

That said, the Godin piezo is excellent. I really like the built-in three band EQ. With the EQ alone you can do so much to shape the tone, add in IRs, and some other techniques (refer to Cooper Carter's vids) and you can refine it that much more. I do also like the fact that Godin is a Canadian company building in-country (actually I think they have a factory in New Hampshire as well).
 
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fcs101 said:
As stated, I agree with Stub's assessment of piezo vs synth (close your eyes with synth and it sounds just like a recorded acoustic, which for the GR units it actually is).
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If I understand correctly, the GR units are converting the GK input to MIDI and using it to trigger samples.

I'm not talking about that. I'm talking specifically about the modeling in the GP-10 and SY-1000. Totally different tech.
 
I love Godin guitars! Over the years I've had a number of them, including an Icon II Convertible, which I loved in terms of playability, but found a bit noisy and ended up not playing it as much, especially live because of that...

I currently have an xtSA that I loved, but I did swap the stock pickups, which didn't really have a lot of character, for a set of Suhr SSH/SSV+ with a Martin Landau SC in the middle - definitely a new guitar with those! I also hard-tailed it as was mentioned above.

I also have nylon Grand Concert SA that is incredible, as well as their A12 Mando - just for fun! ;-)

Did own the La Patrie Nylon mentioned above as well, but never really gelled with it for some reason...

In terms of Roland 13-pin gear, I went through a GR33, GR55, GP-10 and now I'm using the SY-1000, mostly for the GR300 sounds as well as occasional need for weird alt. tunings (e.g. Joni Mitchell...).

Thx for sharing,
Cheers,
Joce
 
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