Godin (guitar manufacturer)

Godin is a Canadian guitar manufacturer. It is owned by Robert Godin.

Contents

History

Godin started building Robert Godin's guitars in 1972 in La Patrie, Quebec.

Godin Guitars' head office is located in Montreal, and they build their instruments in six factories in four different locations, three in Quebec and one in New Hampshire.

Godin Guitars makes instruments under several different labels. Norman makes entry- to mid-level acoustic guitars. Art & Lutherie makes entry-level budget guitars. The Simon and Patrick brand make mid- to high-range steel-string acoustics. La Patrie manufactures classical guitars. Seagull is known for manufacturing solid wood entry- to mid-range acoustic guitars. Guitars under the Godin brand are primarily mid-range to top-of the-line electrics that are made of high quality wood from the northeastern part of North America. They have many models that feature synth pickups and some with piezo pickup-equipped bridges. Godin are notable for their use of synthesizer pickups as a standard feature in their high end models, and many of their electric models use piezo-acoustic pickups integrated with the bridge assembly. Aside from their technical innovations, Godin has a strong reputation among guitarists for their product quality. Most Godin guitars have the same distinctive, yet traditional, body shape, which has been described as a hybrid of the Gibson Les Paul and Fender Telecaster bodies.

Godin's guitars have won several awards, including Guitar Player Magazine's Editors Pick for the LG, Exit 22, and Freeway Classic.

Notable Godin players include Sylvain Luc, Leonard Cohen, John McLaughlin, Daryl Stuermer, Eric McFadden, Steve Stevens, Habib Koité, Andreu Zaragoza, Michael ATONAL VVVick, RG Hughson, Rumesh De Mel, Michael Holmes, Elliott Sharp, Tim Brady, Hugh Cornwell, Jandek, La Barranca, Curtis Merriman, Hiran and Vinnie Moore. They are also very common among session players and sidemen.

Current Products

Performance Series

Signature series

Multiac and A series

The Multiac and A series are acoustic/electric guitars with thinner bodies than traditional acoustic guitars (Godin's sister companies produce traditional Acoustic designs). They are offered with hexaphonic pickups as well as steel or nylon strings. There are various models of the Multiac. These are the Multiac Nylon SA, the Multiac Concert SA, the Multiac Spectrum SA, and the Multiac Nylon ACS-SA. The A series are similar, but offer basses and mandolins and no synth-access options.

Passion Series

Glissentar

The Glissentar is a unique Godin design. It is a fretless nylon 11-string acoustic/electric guitar with the five high strings doubled like a 12-string guitar, and a single low-E string. It is aimed at players who want to incorporate non-western sounds into their music, and is based on a combination of the tradition Western guitar and the North African oud.

5th Avenue

Full-sized archtop guitars including electric and acoustic models. They come in the following finishes: cognac burst, black, and natural. The lowest model, the acoustic with no pickups, has a street price of about $520 U.S. Dollars. Made from Canadian Wild Cherry, the body of the 5th Avenue features a molded arched top and back, as well as an adjustable bridge, classic f-holes, contoured high-gloss headstock, floating pickguard and cream binding.

Guitars No Longer In Production

Artisan ST1 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), birdseye maple top, maple neck, ebony fingerboard, 3 single-coil pickups, standard trem bridge.

Artisan ST1 Ultimate : same as above with birdseye maple neck.

Artisan ST2 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), limewood top, maple neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard, 3 single-coil pickups, standard trem bridge.

Artisan ST3 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), no top, maple neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard, 2 single-coil pickups+1 humbucker, standard trem bridge.

Artisan ST4 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), figured maple top, maple neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard, 2 single-coil pickups+1 humbucker, fixed bridge.

Artisan ST5 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), figured maple top, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, 1 single-coil pickup+1 humbucker, Floyd Rose bridge.

Artisan ST6 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), figured maple top, maple neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard, 1 single-coil pickup+2 humbuckers, Floyd Rose bridge.

ST Signature : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), figured maple top, birdseye maple neck, ebony fingerboard, 3 single-coil pickups, Wilkinson bridge. The 1999 and 2000 ST Signature has 3 Seymour Duncan Little 59's pickups.

Artisan TC1 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), flame maple top, birdseye maple neck, ebony fingerboard, 2 single-coil pickups, fixed bridge.

Artisan TC2 : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), limewood top, maple neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard, 2 single-coil pickups, fixed bridge.

Artisan TC3 : maple body, no top, maple neck, maple or rosewood fingerboard, 2 single-coil pickups, fixed bridge.

Artisan TC Signature : maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), maple top, birdseye maple neck, ebony fingerboard, 2 single-coil pickups, fixed bridge.

Some mid 90's TC1 and TC Signature guitars have 2 humbuckers.

All G Series models (except the G tour) have a maple or limewood body (depending on the production year), a maple neck a maple or rosewood fingerboard.

The G1000 has 2 singles and a humbucker and a standard trem bridge.

G2000 : has 2 singles and a humbucker and a trem bridge with a locking nut.

G3000 : has 2 singles and a humbucker and a fixed bridge

G4000 : has 2 singles and a humbucker and a Schaller trem bridge

G5000 : has 1 single+1 humbucker and a Floyd Rose bridge.

The G Tour has a semi acoustic laminated poplar body, a laminated cedar top, a maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard, an acoustic guitar bridge, and a single-coil pickup. It was only available in 1993 and 1994, and it is doubtful that more than several hundred were made.

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