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  #1  
Old 04-17-2021, 11:14 AM
Long Road Home Long Road Home is offline
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Default N(u)GD: Godin Kingpin II

This was a good week for buying and selling. My Rainsong CH-OM and Eastman E6OM-LTD went off to happy new owners.

A mint condition Godin Kingpin II came in. It's really a beauty. After reading about how to change strings on an archtop with a floating bridge (pretty simple) I restrung it with Retros (based on advice from another thread) and am now enjoying the heck out of it.

Thank you to all (the enablers) who helped me learn enough about this guitar to make me comfortable buying one.

And the required photo as proof of life...

[IMG][/IMG]
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Old 04-17-2021, 05:09 PM
29er 29er is offline
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This guitar is on my short shopping list of fully hollow electrics. I'm debating the merits of a thin body (Casino) or something larger like this. I love the Godin company and their willingness to try different things but the 5th Avenue is based on a tried & true formula and that's OK too. I hope you enjoy it and let us know what you think.
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Old 04-17-2021, 05:13 PM
29er 29er is offline
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Also, it may just be the angle of this photo but it looks like the bridge is sitting too close the treble pickup? Guessing you know if that is the case since the intonation would be off. Either way, I'm jealous.
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Old 04-17-2021, 05:15 PM
Winkyplayer Winkyplayer is offline
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Nice. Very nice.
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Old 04-17-2021, 08:01 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 29er View Post
...it may just be the angle of this photo but it looks like the bridge is sitting too close the treble pickup? Guessing you know if that is the case since the intonation would be off...
Very easy to check - and correct - using a typical $15 clip-on tuner: just compare the 12th-fret harmonics on the low- and high-E to their respective fretted notes and slowly and gently move the entire bridge, as a unit, forward/backward until they match (just make sure the strings remain centered over the pickups/polepieces - use the D and G strings as your guide - and the bridge base feet are flush with the top) - shouldn't take any more than 10-15 minutes, and you'll reap major dividends in tone...

You've clearly got a newer model (the 15th/17th fret inlays are the giveaway - older versions ended at the 12th fret)- just curious whether those Grover-style tuners are now OEM, as they are on the Montreal Premiere...

As I stated in a prior thread the CW II is an old-school hollowbody in every respect and, as such, truly comes into its own only when played through a low-mid-powered tube or analog SS ('80s/90s Peavey, Roland JC, pre-1985 Randall "orange-stripe"/"grey-stripe", Fender " '65 blackface" Frontman, etc.) amp - for a variety of reasons prices are going up on both new and used gear compared to a year or two ago, so you might want to begin your search as soon as time/funds permit...

Glad to see you're enjoying it from the get-go; FYI my wife - who, in spite of the fact that we've been married over 30 years, detests archtops in any form (go figure...) - has on more than one occasion said "this song really needs an archtop" and happily reached for my blonde CW II, so as Robert Godin himself would say, there's unquestionably some je ne sais quoi attached to this model...

Good luck - use it well and often...
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Old 04-18-2021, 11:34 AM
Long Road Home Long Road Home is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 29er View Post
This guitar is on my short shopping list of fully hollow electrics. I'm debating the merits of a thin body (Casino) or something larger like this. I love the Godin company and their willingness to try different things but the 5th Avenue is based on a tried & true formula and that's OK too. I hope you enjoy it and let us know what you think.
I've been looking at these for quite a while and had opted for an Eastman T184MX-LS (Lil Smokey) Thinline instead (mainly due to the Eastman neck and 1-3/4" nut, which no longer work for my fretting hand... but that's another story). I wish I had gone for the Kingpin II back then... I wouldn't need to sell the Eastman now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 29er View Post
Also, it may just be the angle of this photo but it looks like the bridge is sitting too close the treble pickup? Guessing you know if that is the case since the intonation would be off. Either way, I'm jealous.
I was a little concerned about that, but I measured the distance from 12th fret to the bridge and to the nut and it seems to be OK.
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Last edited by Long Road Home; 04-18-2021 at 11:54 AM.
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Old 04-18-2021, 11:37 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Ah, the Enablers . That's a beautiful Kingpin, wow! Congrats and Enjoy.
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  #8  
Old 04-18-2021, 11:42 AM
Long Road Home Long Road Home is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
Very easy to check - and correct - using a typical $15 clip-on tuner: just compare the 12th-fret harmonics on the low- and high-E to their respective fretted notes and slowly and gently move the entire bridge, as a unit, forward/backward until they match (just make sure the strings remain centered over the pickups/polepieces - use the D and G strings as your guide - and the bridge base feet are flush with the top) - shouldn't take any more than 10-15 minutes, and you'll reap major dividends in tone...
Just to confirm, if the fretted note is sharp compared to the harmonic, move the bridge away from the neck. If the fretted note is flat compared to the harmonic, move the bridge toward the neck. Is that correct?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
You've clearly got a newer model (the 15th/17th fret inlays are the giveaway - older versions ended at the 12th fret)- just curious whether those Grover-style tuners are now OEM, as they are on the Montreal Premiere...
According to the previous owner, everything is OEM on it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
As I stated in a prior thread the CW II is an old-school hollowbody in every respect and, as such, truly comes into its own only when played through a low-mid-powered tube or analog SS ('80s/90s Peavey, Roland JC, pre-1985 Randall "orange-stripe"/"grey-stripe", Fender " '65 blackface" Frontman, etc.) amp - for a variety of reasons prices are going up on both new and used gear compared to a year or two ago, so you might want to begin your search as soon as time/funds permit...
I'm downsizing right now, but will start to look after a couple of things sell.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
Glad to see you're enjoying it from the get-go; FYI my wife - who, in spite of the fact that we've been married over 30 years, detests archtops in any form (go figure...) - has on more than one occasion said "this song really needs an archtop" and happily reached for my blonde CW II, so as Robert Godin himself would say, there's unquestionably some je ne sais quoi attached to this model...

Good luck - use it well and often...
Sounds like it add a little spice to things Chez DeRosa... and thanks again for your help.
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Last edited by Long Road Home; 04-19-2021 at 08:51 AM.
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  #9  
Old 04-18-2021, 11:45 AM
Long Road Home Long Road Home is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Ah, the Enablers . That's a beautiful Kingpin, wow! Congrats and Enjoy.
Thanks. Maybe we should sell leather motorcycle jackets with The Enablers on them.
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  #10  
Old 04-18-2021, 11:46 AM
Long Road Home Long Road Home is offline
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Originally Posted by Winkyplayer View Post
Nice. Very nice.
Thank you. It's a looker...
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  #11  
Old 04-18-2021, 11:54 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pax238 View Post
Thanks. Maybe we should sell leather motorcycle jackets with The Enablers on them.
lol, or at the very least a patch "AGF Enables" with our logo of fast hands on fast guitars.
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  #12  
Old 04-18-2021, 02:20 PM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Great guitars. My guess is you'll be reaching for that one a lot.
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  #13  
Old 04-19-2021, 08:39 AM
Dadzmad Dadzmad is offline
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very nice - you will be pleasantly surprised at what a versatile guitar this is. And by the way if the tort guard gets to you - Godin will sell you a plain black plain one with a black TR cover for under 20 bucks - let them know you do not need the hardware. I also put the knobs from my Excelsior amp on my Kingpin when I got tired of looking at the numbers. I think on the whole it results in a cleaner look.
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  #14  
Old 04-19-2021, 08:52 AM
Long Road Home Long Road Home is offline
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
Great guitars. My guess is you'll be reaching for that one a lot.
Thanks Jeff. I think you're right.
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  #15  
Old 04-19-2021, 08:54 AM
Long Road Home Long Road Home is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dadzmad View Post
very nice - you will be pleasantly surprised at what a versatile guitar this is. And by the way if the tort guard gets to you - Godin will sell you a plain black plain one with a black TR cover for under 20 bucks - let them know you do not need the hardware. I also put the knobs from my Excelsior amp on my Kingpin when I got tired of looking at the numbers. I think on the whole it results in a cleaner look.
Thanks. At this point, I kind of like the look of the stock pickguard with the guitar's finish, but it's good to know that there are options.
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