Godin 5th Avenue

Wally · #1 08-05-2010, 12:39 PM

Godin has a pretty cool looking archtop called the 5th Avenue. Played one briefly the other evening and am interested to here if there are any owners here and impressions. Have a chance to pick one up fairly reasonable in price but need some additional info before pulling the trigger. Anybody?

Anand00028 · #2 08-05-2010, 03:12 PM

I tried one out last year.Loved the looks but found the tone a little 'raspy' for my taste.

breedloveplayer · #3 08-05-2010, 04:17 PM

I'm about to purchase the double pickup cutaway version of the Godin 5th Avenue. Having played the single-pickup version acoustically, I was unimpressed by the thin sound but thought it improved a lot plugged in. So I'd recommend one of the electric versions.

dynamohm · #4 08-05-2010, 05:22 PM

Maybe this will help I found it awhile back when I was interested in one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1AENDjlD2c

devellis · #5 08-05-2010, 06:09 PM

I did just what you're contemplating -- picked up a used 5th Avenue at a great price. It's not the guitar I reach for most often, but it's a very nice instrument for the price. I like the way fingerpicked blues sound on it and, as you'd expect from an archtop, chords up and down the neck sound very cool. I wouldn't choose it as my only guitar but as an added flavor, it's well worth the modest price I paid. The build quality is very good, also.

ChiliBeans · #6 08-05-2010, 07:23 PM

I bought a 5th Avenue Kingpin off Craigslist and had it for a few months before reselling it. For plugged in jazzy stuff, I thought it was a really nice guitar (it sounded great through my tiny tube amp). Acoustically, I was not crazy about the tone. It was not nearly as loud as the old solid topped Vega archtop I had years ago, though the Godin had way better playability. Also, the build quality on the 5th Ave was excellent.

cc132 · #7 08-05-2010, 07:27 PM

I played quite a few inexpensive acoustic archtops this morning while picking up some strings. If I was looking to buy, I wouldn't bother with the 5th Avenue: The Loar (can't remember the model name) that I played was miles ahead in tone and volume. Around the same price range, too.

mr. beaumont · #8 08-05-2010, 08:31 PM

Loar around the same price? Maybe heavily used--you can get into a single pickup kingpin for 500 bucks. I did. Loars are gonna run you a grand new, and I've heard about some QC issues (but not experienced, the loar's I've played were nice, but I don't like to fluff China's wallet)

The 5th ave. sounds like an archtop unplugged. But it's small, so it's not loud, and it's plywood, so it's not the punchiest or warmest acoustic sounding guitars--reminds me a lot of a older Gibson 125. Overall, It's an electric guitar, and the Kingpin's P90 style pickup produces all kinds of good old smoky jazz tones...I really enjoy mine, and think it's a lot cooler looking, sounding and playing than the Epiphones and Ibanez's that are it's price point competitors.

My two cents.

Hey, how about a picture of one?

actually one of the fewphotos of me i like. gotta be the guitar.

Antonio Salieri · #9 08-05-2010, 08:52 PM

There are several threads here about the Godin 5th Avenue. Soundwise, the 5th Ave is about what you should expect for a medium depth plywood archtop at the price point. Being made in Canada, not overseas, is a plus.

gerardo1000 · #10 08-05-2010, 11:00 PM

Mr. Beaumont, THIS Loar archtop costs new around the same price of the Godin:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=423809

Michael T · #11 08-06-2010, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerardo1000

Mr. Beaumont, THIS Loar archtop costs new around the same price of the Godin:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=423809

Sounds like a lot of guitar for those dollars

gerardo1000 · #12 08-06-2010, 09:04 AM

And it has a solid top.

backliner · #13 08-06-2010, 09:22 AM

I've had a 5th Ave., and a Kingpin II. I really like them for their thin responsive tops.
Yes they are laminated but flatwound strings de-trash the clanky midrange and they play great and feel friendly for body size (16").

They remind me of Gibson L-48/50 models with a touch of Harmony vibe.

The P-90's humbuck when combined on the Kingpin II, and sound like P-90's should for jazz and blues.

I put a tune-o-matic on mine, but went back to the original Tusc bridge (upper) on the Kingpin II (the 5th Ave bridge is wood) as it sounded better for what I like in a small laminated archtop.

I like the scale length (24.84").

mr. beaumont · #14 08-06-2010, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerardo1000

Mr. Beaumont, THIS Loar archtop costs new around the same price of the Godin:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=423809

That's a good price.

You sound like you have some experience with these--what's the difference between these and the all-acoustic models they offer that come in around 1K? Those were the only ones I had experience with, and they didn't even have the cutaway, which usually raises the price.

In any case, when you buy an archtop, you have to decide on it's primary function. If it's going to be an acoustic guitar, the solid woods are desirable. If it's going to be used as an electric guitar, a routed or top mounted pickup like a P90 and a laminate top can actually be pretty desirable...

As much as I like the plugged in sound of my kingpin (I've done several recordings with it) It certainly is lacking as an acoustic instrument--really more a product of it's size and depth than anything. I do string mine with flatwounds and it has a pleasant, quiet tone for unplugged practicing, but IMO, it's very much an electric guitar.

gerardo1000 · #15 08-12-2010, 07:45 PM

Mr. Beaumont, which brand and gauge of flatwound strings do you use ? Thanks