diversity Rules
Godin’s range of electric guitars is anything but run-of-the-mill. These six standout instruments illustrate the company’s style
GODIN PROGRESSION PLUS TRANS CREAM HG MN £899
Available in Cherry Burst Flame and this classy Trans Cream, with rosewood or maple ’board, the Progression is aptly named, taking the Stratocaster platform and moving it forward. Like our Summits, it uses a Canadian Laurentian basswood body, plus a Godin Tru-Loc vibrato, two Godin GS-2 single coils, and a Seymour Duncan JB Jr at the bridge. Electronics include the Godin High Definition Revoicer (HDR). It comes with an excellent gigbag.
GODIN STADIUM ’59 £1,125
Like the Progression, the Stadium ’59 is a modern update of a Fender design, in this case the Telecaster. Along with a covered Seymour Duncan ’59 at the neck, we get a Godin Custom Cajun single coil within the bridge plate that features intonatable brass saddles. Again, we get the passive/active HDR circuit and a gigbag, a choice of three colours with either rosewood or maple fingerboard options (except Coral Blue finish, which is available in rosewood only).
GODIN 5TH AVENUE CW KINGPIN II COGNAC BURST £959
Godin’s nod to the jazz player (Robert Godin is a big jazz fan), the 5th Avenue is a no-nonsense hollowbody that’s equally at home with blues or any roots style. The CW Kingpin II is made from laminated Canadian wild cherry with a silver leaf maple neck in a low-gloss custom polished finish. We get dual Godin Custom covered ’buckers (or P-90s) and a simple control configuration. The price includes a Godin-made TRIC case.
GODIN MONTREAL PREMIERE SUNBURST HG £1,399
This downsized (378mm/14.9-inch wide) 5th Avenue, if you like, comes with a spruce ‘breaththrough’ centre block and appeared back in 2013 with dual P-90s and Bigsby. Today, there’s a choice of Seymour Duncan P-Rails (with Bigsby), TV Jones Classic and Classic Plus (optional Bigsby), or Seymour Duncan Custom Custom or ’59 (bridge) and Jazz (neck) covered ’buckers, with a stud or trapeze tailpiece. A cool package with TRIC case.
GODIN XTSA £1,049
Multi-voice guitars really put Godin on the map and the xtSA, available in three colours, offers three voices: electric, acoustic and synth access. The HSH trio of Godin pickups is augmented by the RMC transducers that produce the acoustic sound, with three-way graphic EQ, and will hook you up to Roland’s GR-Series synths and the like via a 13-pin connector. The Session Custom TriplePlay Lightburst HG MN (£1,149) is another expansive design set up to enter Fishman’s TriplePlay world.
GODIN SUMMIT CLASSIC LTD COGNAC BURST FLAME W/ BARE KNUCKLE MULES £2,359
This Ltd format comes with a choice of ‘boutique’ pickups and a hard case. It’s a thoroughly modern single-cut with master volume, tone, HDR switch, and uses Richlite in its ’board, of which Robert Godin is a big fan for its strength and stability. The standard Summit Classic (from £1,399) swaps the chambered mahogany back for Spanish cedar and has Seymour Duncan 59/Alnico II covered ’buckers.