Godin 5th Avenue, Finally My Review!

[photomat]

Originally Posted by huladude456

Hey Photomat, does your 5th Avenue have an adjustable truss rod? I took off the cover plate on the headstock and found a deep hole!

Yep, I took a look and I too have a deep hole, but at the bottom of the hole is a hex head and I used the hex key wrench shipped with the guitar to straighten up the neck. I also lowered the action a bit and it plays very well.

I am really having fun with the guitar. I just ran a recorder when I was noodling around and I will need to take a section of it and post a sound sample next week.

[sirflyguy2000]

My dealer friend in OK loves this guitar. He thinks they are the berries.

[huladude456]

Well, what do you know? There is a truss rod down in that hole! I've been playing mine a bit today, and it's growing on me. Great for jazz chords!

[photomat]

Originally Posted by photomat

I just ran a recorder when I was noodling around and I will need to take a section of it and post a sound sample next week.

Ok, so here is a link to about 8 minutes of me just playing the guitar some different ways to explore the sound. The mike preamp was set too high and is a bit hissy, but this is just a plain old mike into a clean boss micro BR.

I think it sounds just like the guitar does when I sit across from someone playing it.

http://web.mac.com/wm7n/Matts_Guitar...e_Archtop.html

[KPV]

photomat...

Thanks for posting the sound sample. I think the lighter playing in the last 25 seconds really highlights the tone this thing is capable of. Archtops have a niche, and I think you hit on it right there at the end. You've got yourself a very respectable jazz box by the looks and sounds of it.

I'd like to get one...not sure whether I'd go with natural or cognac burst. I've got a nice ebony bridge built by William Gagnon that I'd put on it, and set it up with a Kent Armstrong Johnny Smith pickup.

Thanks again for the sound sample and great pics...it's appreciated.

[robkreole]

Hi all, I played a Godin 5th Ave. this past weekend while at Acoustic Music Revival in Denver. That was the first time I'd seen one of these and had a chance to play one. My impression of the guitar I played (one finished in solid black) was that it was the best "new guitar" surprise in recent years at any music shop. For the asking price of about $600, including a heavy-duty case, you can't go wrong. I played a number of songs on it and had one of my band-mates stand about 15 feet away from me. He said that the projection of the guitar was impressive. I liked the overall tone, the simple-is-better finish and the guitar was comfortable to play. The next time I have a GAS attack, I just might pick-up one of these 5th Avenues. A tip of the hat to Godin for coming up with another terrific guitar for a what seems to be an absolute bargain price.

Rob K.
Urbana, IL

[Rob DiStefano]

M123 has 15% off most everything (with free shipping) so I ordered out the cognac flavor and got an email stating that color is back ordered, so I went back the site and saw a cognac blem for $383/delivered, so .... done deal.

[Rob DiStefano]

Got the "blem" cognac 2 dayze ago - geez, it's a steal for the $519 street price and for the $383 I paid it's beyond stolen. What a great little box that's extremely well crafted, as is all of monsieur Godin's instrument offerings. The tone with pb acoustic strings is as expected - a more treble-oriented bass tone with crisp singing highs, the action and intonation was easy to adjust to perfection, and the "blem" appears to be a very slight hair-like scratch on the side of the headstock which is a snap to correct.

Mods in progress ... just awaiting a strap jack for the tail hole I drilled/reamed. I ran the output leads to a clip-on test jack that I keep in the shop, and plugged into a 35w Super Rosco 6L6 tube head that runs to a Jen Neo 15" cab I built - killer tone even with the supplied pb acoustic strings. I'm diggin' this li'l bluez-jazz box big time!

[Shadowraptor]

I was over at Long & McQuade today to make a payment on my 5th Avenue. They told me it is almost impossible to get these now.

I love this archtop - I wish I had the nerve to do a mod like above

[Rob DiStefano]

Completed ... just need to find the right strings ...

[Shadowraptor]

Very nice Rob - the knobs are not intrusive at all. Nice work!