#1
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Godin 5th Ave P90's vs HB's (TV...)
I'm looking to get an archtop. I want acoustic type strumming rhythm abilities, nice clean tones for fingerstyle & also the ability to have some distortion/overdrive tones. I'm not looking for burn your face off metal, just to overdrive it a bit at times for leads and also some natural breakup in some rhythm parts
I started this thread titled Am I looking at the wrong guitar?? I mostly heard about Godin 5th Ave. I really wish I could try one. The specs are nice, slightly wider neck, different ratio tuners for treble side vs bass side. It also comes with a case and the total price is LESS than the Epi & Gretsch I was looking at. I find the Godin gets more praise for workmanship. Can you please describe what the differences are between Godin P90's and Godin HB's on these 5th Ave?? Also, can the HB's have a coil splitter added?? This would really open up the tonal palette I think. Anyone hear the "TV Jones Classic" PU's in the more expensive Uptown line?? What do ya figure?? THANKS! |
#2
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I'd be all over the 2 pickup P-90 model. P-90's sound great with a little grit, but they also maintain clarity nicely...using the bridge or middle pickup selection should give a nice jangle for strumming.
Actually, you might even be able to get away with the single pickup model, as the neck pickup alone can still sound great strummed, as long as you're playing clean...if you go dirty, it will muddy up a bit. |
#3
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5th Ave Kingpin II
I recently purchased the Godin 5th Ave Kingpin II with P-90's. Its my first archtop so I have nothing to compare it to. Still, I like the mellow sound using the neck and middle pickups. Playing through my Gensler Acoustic Array it sounds awesome. My only complaint with the Gensler is that the reverb is not enough for my taste. Will probably add an Holy Grail reverb soon. Bottom line is that the 5th Ave is a **** nice archtop for an entry level.
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Taylor Grand Pacific Builders Edition 717e Breedlove Oregon Spruce/Myrtle wood |
#4
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Quote:
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) Last edited by Steve DeRosa; 11-05-2018 at 09:54 PM. |
#5
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Quote:
Humor me, I'm going to talk this out. Add your input where you want to (everyone else also welcome). In a way, if I like the Gretsch tone... I should buy a Gretcsh. Sounds overly simple, but makes perfect sense. However I do find the neck a little tight and I don't like the tuners ratio. But that's it! The tuners would probably be an easy fix if it kept bugging me. Godin puts 26:1 tuners on the treble side of the 5th Ave (18:1 on bass). Also, their neck is wider. Wait a second... I just went and ran the math. People shouldn't round the Gretsch Electromatic nut width off in error like they do. 1.6875 does not round to 1.68, if anything you round up to 1.69. Anyhow, 1.6875 is exactly 1 11/16. Godin's neck is just 1/32 wider at 1 23/32. I'd be hard pressed to feel that difference I think. I just found out this morning that the 5th Ave HB's have 4 wires and can be split! The info came right from Godin. That opens up some interesting tonal options! The slightly higher gain HB options while still getting some single coil sounds when I want them. I had a Schecter Solo Custom semi-hollow with HB's once and actually used the neck split more than the HB's. On that particular guitar I didn't like the HB's clean. It had a Duncan "Custom Custom" in the Bridge and a 59 in the neck. For mid gain and beyond they were great, but I'm not looking for that much gain now. I bought it for the Piezo bridge and the ability to mix tones, but the acoustic piezo tone was quite bad. I agree that the 5th Ave TV Jones seems over priced. Part of that is the high gloss finish. I see that the regular 5th ave in high gloss adds 40% to the price! However another 40% is added just due to the pu's and the silver/gold paint for the TV. Maybe there's something that I'm missing like it's a limited run or something. I have no ability to try any Godin 5th Ave without buying. I liked the tone of the Gretsch Filter'Tron PU's. Clear without being sharp. I think that's why I'm leaning to P90's. I listened to Tom Jones of TV Jones say that their pickups have natural compression on the high end. I thought that is what I heard with the Filter'Trons on the Gretsch too. I also liked the Bigsby, but didn't like how I couldn't bring the bar over the strings to hold while strumming (like other wahmmy bars). I assume some people simply file down the stop section at the Bigsby bridge so it has more range?? |
#6
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Heads up, Sweetwater has a great deal on the P90 version right now. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...i-cognac-burst
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#7
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That Sweetwater price is good AND...I got a coupon from MF today that takes another 20% off that price. Now...I wonder if I can talk my wife into me buying another guitar?
Richard |
#8
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Just commit to washing all dishes, vacuuming and so forth for the next month... and it will be yours! LOL
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#9
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It would be well worth it...might throw in some roses too.
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#10
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FYI...She said "Yes, and Merry Christmas!" Ordered it but it is back-ordered and won't be shipped until just before Christmas. Might even make it better.
(Sure hope I like it!) Richard |
#11
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Wow, pretty cool! I think Godin is cooking up a nice fresh batch. There's very low stock here in Canada, which is odd considering they make them here. Anyway, should be a Merry Christmas.
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#12
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Cool...keep us posted. I predict you'll really dig it.
I was playing mine last night, actually, as the kids fell asleep early and playing plugged in or jamming on my gypsy jazz guitar would have been too loud. But the Kingpin gave me just enough volume unplugged that I could practice and enjoy the sound but not disturb anybody. Winning. |
#13
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Thanks, Jeff. I listened to some of your youtube postings last night. Wish I could emulate that. Hope this Godin helps these old hands reach a new level and add to my modest abilities and stash of guitars. My other two are a Taylor 414ce-R and the one I learned on...my dad's 1950 Martin D18. (Believe me...it is much better than I am.) I'm looking forward to some new and different sounds.
Richard |