Godin 5th Avenue - Acoustic, no pickup

[the duck]

Thanks again - I'm going to check this 5th Avenue out tomorrow. If I buy it, I'll try the recommended Martin strings first, and watch some of the bridge videos suggested to determine if I want to replace the factory bridge. It's surprising to me that Godin didn't make the change themselves...?

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by the duck

Thanks again - I'm going to check this 5th Avenue out tomorrow. If I buy it, I'll try the recommended Martin strings first, and watch some of the bridge videos suggested to determine if I want to replace the factory bridge. It's surprising to me that Godin didn't make the change themselves...?

Godin is all about making the process streamlined...those TUSQ bridges don't have any of the variation different chunks of wood would.

You might find it sounds just fine with the stock bridge. I did fit a rosewood bridge to mine (I have the single pickup Kingpin), and I noticed the unplugged tone improved a bit, so it might be worthwhile...I wonder though, if it sounded better because it was wood, or it sounded better because I actually took the time to fit it to the top...and we're not talking "leaps and bounds" better anyway.

Anyway, I hope you like it. They're cool guitars and the fact that they have a little more bass presence than the models they're modeled after makes them a bit more versatile.

[the duck]

Thanks - I'll try the strings first and see if I like the sound before any bridge decision. Interestingly, a lot of the Godin press kit stuff says the 5th Ave comes with a rosewood bridge.
I also have a 1960's Harmony flat top that I might try those retro strings on.
Thanks again - I'm excited to try it tomorrow!

[the duck]

I thought I was replying to a previous comment by Steve DeRosa here:

"If you're playing an electric instrument plugged-in and you want smooth tone, easy playing, and the lowest possible action (a hack all the '50s jazz and rockabilly palyers knew), flatwounds are the way to go - in fact, I use them almost exclusively on my electrics (including my Strat and Les Paul - and they're the only way to fly if you have a Gretsch)..."

What type of flatwounds do you like for electrics? I have a mid-80's MIJ Strat that I'd like to try some on. Thanks!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by the duck

...What type of flatwounds do you like for electrics? I have a mid-80's MIJ Strat that I'd like to try some on. Thanks!

Most of my electrics use D'Addario Chromes in a variety of gauges - they're readily available, relatively inexpensive (as flatwound strings go), fairly consistent, and have a decent lifespan. FYI I also have a mid-80's Strat - the ones that kept the Fender name alive in the marketplace while they reorganized after the CBS debacle - which I've had set up from the beginning the way Leo shipped them in 1954, i.e. decked tailpiece with five springs and wound-G flatwound 12's; among the fringe benefits are, in addition to the aforementioned ultra-low action, fatter tone (never felt the need to swap out the OEM pickups), improved intonation (plain-G strings always sounded kinda wonky to me), and the fact that nobody wants to borrow my guitar as soon as I tell them it's wearing 12's . I'll also say up front that unless you're a longtime acoustic or jazz player I wouldn't recommend this setup - I grew up playing a pre-trussrod Harmony Broadway archtop strung with the old bridge-cable Black Diamonds, and I used to run 14's on my Big Band-era Gibson and Epiphone archtops, so I can get around with no problem - but a set of wound-G 10's would be a good introduction to the genre, and 11's (which I use on my Gretsch instruments with their short 24.6" scale) would not be out of the question...

[the duck]

"a set of wound-G 10's would be a good introduction to the genre"

Thanks, I'll try a set on my Strat and see how they sound. Mine has the floating bridge/System 1? tremolo that can be locked into the fixed position, and the neck/fingerboard is solid maple. Still love it after all these years!