The greatest guitar you’ve probably never heard of
If there was ever a major guitar manufacturer that consistently produces absolutely amazing instruments that nobody cares about or even knows about, it has to be Godin, a Canadian company based in Quebec. In all my many years of playing, I have never known of anyone else who has owned or even played a Godin guitar.
Yet, I have been told that Godin is the most prolific guitar maker in the western hemisphere annually producing more instruments than either Fender or Gibson, and still they remain an unknown entity.
I’m assuming this phenomenon is due to Fender and Gibson’s absolute dominance of the market reducing all others to “also ran” status. And in that unenviable category, I would be surprised if Godin even rated a listing.
Too bad for Godin, but great for guitar shoppers on a budget because they can be had for a fraction of their original price and even less when you consider their true value as finely crafted musical instruments – and I don’t use that term as a euphemism for “made in.” No, I mean crafted, which use to mean made with exceptional skill and knowhow.
Now, before I go any further, I must reveal that this guitar, my SD24, is the only Godin I’ve ever owned or played, but it’s the very bottom of their product line – their entry level guitar! So one would expect that all their other models would be equally spectacular, and I’ve never heard any reviewer suggest that they were anything less than that.
And here’s what makes them so special. The three piece, 1.5 inch thick bodies are made of a 4.5 inch wide center block of silver-leaf maple with poplar wings for weight reduction. There’s a very comfortable belly cut on the back, and much time and expertise is expended on the very precise fitting of the neck/body joint. And then there’s that neck.
The neck is like no other I’ve ever played before. The width at the nut is a common 43mm and the fretboard radius is 12 inches, also quite common. What sets it apart is the shape of the back of the neck – it’s a D shape. It’s shallower than the standard Fender C shape and that makes it infinitely more comfortable to play with my aging hands than the more pronounced Fender profile. I guess you might say it’s somewhat therapeutic.
The frets are of the taller variety, which I’m not generally a fan of, but these don’t bother me at all. The hardware is most notably a good cut above the usual budget guitar fare, and very serviceable as are the standard issue Godin pickups, and all coated in a flawless finish.
I could find nothing at all to complain about, though some have claimed the body shape is unbecoming. Yes, it might be a little odd, but I can live with odd. I will live with odd. Of all the amazing guitars I have here, this is my favorite player. This is the one I pick up every day.
The Super Specs
Body = three piece with silver leaf maple center block and poplar wings
Neck = Canadian hard rock maple
Neck Thickness = 20.18mm at 3rd fret and 21.85mm at 12th fret
Fretboard = Canadian hard rock maple
Scale Length = 24 ¾ or 24.75
Fretboard Radius = 12 inches
Frets # 24
Nut Width = 41.85mm (GraphTech)
E to e string spacing = 35.03mm
Weight = 7 pounds 13 ounces
Pickups = Godin GS-1 in HSS pattern (in stock configuration)
Note: On this particular instrument, the original owner replaced the Godin bridge humbucker with a fender Texas Special and added a push-pull coil tap.
Pickup Resistance = Neck 5.77K – Middle 6.32K – Bridge 10.29K (bridge pickup not stock)
Tuners = Godin branded sealed high ratio tuners
Bridge = Godin brand Strat styled bridge/vibrato system with Graph Tech saddles
The Bonus Tracks
Here’s a user review of the Godin SD24 and a visit to the Godin factory in Quebec Canada,