Godin A-6 Acoustic/Electric

In my opinion this is the Cadillac of A/E guitars. Great L.R. Baggs pickup system with a preamp/eq in an extremely convient place, right above the strings! I got real tired of playing a/e guitars that put the EQ's on the side of the body, way too awkard to adjust while playing. Not a problem on this one. The guitar has a great selection of woods, Cedar, Mahogany, and ebony. I'm not sure if this is a standard feature since mine came secondhand, but mine came with straplock-ready strap pegs as well. I really liked the fact that the neck included a truss rod, one of the problems I have with most a/e's (and regular accoustics for that matter) is that if the neck ever warps you have to toss them. Overall this guitar is great.

I've heard alot of people complain about the midrange EQ, but that's really not so bad if you have a decent amp. I tested it out on the amp I will soon be buying (an SWR strawberry blonde accoustic amp) Which by the way is the best accoustic amp I have ever heard (even better than it's big brother the California blonde). I really like the way the pickup is sounding and you can't make this thing feedback to save your life! Another thing I really like about it is the deep cutaway . I never understood the point of putting frets on a guitar that you can't reach! not a prob with this one though. Sounds GREAT!

Not sure what it looked like when it came from the factory since I didn't buy it new, but I know it looks great now! The finish is excellent. The guitar doesn't have a pick guard so I did something that I would recommend anyone else that buys this guitar do. I bought a clear stick on pick guard for it and now I can play without worrying about scratching the finish. The great thing about that is the clear guards only cost about 5 bucks and if you get it scratched up you can just peel it off and get a new one! I like the fact that it looks like the Chet Atkins (I originally planned on getting one until I played this one. Saved 1100 bucks and got in my opinion a much better guitar)

Not sure about this one, I've only had it about a week now so only time will tell. If it stays anywhere near as good as it is now over time I will definately be pleased. I don't think I'll need a backup with this guitar, but I will be carrying some spare batteries (no battery indicator means no telling when it'll go out!)

Haven't dealt with them yet. Heard they're great though

Overall is definately a 10. I wish I had bought this before I bought my first guitar (an ovation) I know it probably seems that I'm being waaaay too leaniant on the scores but this guitar really does blow my mind! it's amazing

The Godin A6 has a ceder top, mahogany neck (I think) and an ebony fret board. The back is the part that really impresses me. It consists of two pieces of maple sandwiched together and then carved out, so it is very sturdy. The best part is that you almost have to get a magnifying glass out to see the seam. They did a very good job with this one. It also has a good L.R. Baggs preamp/eq pickup system which I have only one complaint about. (I'll explain that one below)

The set up I use it with now is kind of uncommon but it gets the job done. I actually run it through the analog input of a Yamaha MU-80, which is actually a MIDI tone generator for keyboards. However one of the secrets is that they put a good bit of EXCELLENT guitar effects on it. It also has a nice broad band of EQ which really really comes in handy when you have to turn down the midrange. See, as I mentioned before I only have one problem with the L.R. Baggs EQ which is that they did't make the midrange slide long enough so you could turn it down even FURTHER! This guitar has a terrible tendency to be overly midrange sounding. A few times I could have sworn it was a banjo. After putting the A6 through my Yamaha I then go through a Peavey KB-100A keyboard amp. (Acoustic amps are overated, you can get the same sound for a lot less with a keyboard amp figuring a piano has a bigger range than guitar so it is more than qualified to handle it, plus you can usually get more watts per dollar.) Anyways, I even have to turn down the midrange some on the amp. So lets review, turn down the midrange all the way on the guitar, all the way on the processor and almost all the way on the amp. This is of course due to its thin body (which is great to play on). Keep in mind that I play this thing in very loud situations. So I tend to pump the treble and bass up some to cut through because it will very easily get lost if you don't. Though after all of that tweaking, it sounds AMAZING, and never feeds back. I've had only a slight string buzz once. Beats the living daylights out of my old feedback prone acoustic. I've also played the A6 through various PA's and acoustic amps for comparison. It sound great, when properly EQ'd of course. This is a great guitar don't get me wrong, just be prepared to EQ. For the money, its still unbeatable.

The one undisputable fact is that it looks GREAT. Godin really knows how to make a looker. I got the natural version with a semi-gloss finish. I love it. The only complaint is that they should have made the top solid. The two piece top on my guitar could have been matched a little better. Just that simple thing makes the guitar look cheaper than it really is. The other complaint is how it looks a little too much like the Gibson Chet Atkins SST (the guitar Dave Matthews plays). Though the overall body shape is different, for some reason they decided to write Godin in exactly the same spot Chet Atkins put his name on his guitar. This confuses me since Godin has always made it known that they like tomake their guitars stick out from the crowd.

I use this guitar mainly in a live setting since that is what it was designed for. In know way do I baby my guitars. I am a hard, percussive strummer. So far the A6 has held up to my brutality with no problem. I don't even consider a back up when I'm playing. In fact I even use distortion with it so I don't have to switch back and forth (keep in mind that you have to do some MAJOR tweaking to make an acoustic sound good with distortion.) The only thing I suggest is to keep a spare battery around since there is no warning light so who knows when it will die.

Sorry, never tried customer suppport, don't think I'll ever need to either. The warranty seems a little limited in options and length for the quality of this guitar.

Even though I beat it up prettly badly about the EQ, it is still an amazing guitar. I recommend it for anyone who has to play acoustic in a high-volume, live situation. Just remember to get yourself some kind of effects processor with some good EQ. I'm going to start looking at some acoustic stomp boxes and see what they can do. Other than that its a great great great guitar for the money.

This is super-thin "acoustic/electric" guitar - basically a really thin acoustic with a piezo and bolt on neck. Beautifully made for what it is, with quality hardware all around. It's hard to criticize Godin's guitars in the features or finish department - they're unique, well-thought-out instruments...

... but the sound of this thing! This is where I really have a problem with these ultra-thin electric-like "acoustic" guitars. I owned my A-6 for a couple of weeks, but three band practices later I dumped it as fast as I could. The guitar doesn't sound bad through a good acoustic amp in the music store, but in a band setting I found it to be very thin, percussive, tinny - just awful, no more like an acoustic than one of the LGXs with a piezo bridge, or a strat fitted with one of those Fishman Powerbridge thingies... Basically, the thing sounded like a detuned banjo and was totally lost in the mix. I was pushing it through a Trace Elliot TA35CR btw - a very good acoustic amp. Granted, I didn't go out an invest in a rack's-worth of processors to try and turn the sound into something richer, deeper, fuller - and if I had, I've no doubt that I could have come up with something pleasing - but why bother. As long as I stick to a full body acoustic I get the sound I want without lugging any more gear. I'm partial to Godin instruments, but I really did not like this sound. My advice to anyone thinking of purchasing one of these guitars is to try it out in a real band environment first.

Impecable on all counts. Godin could teach Gibson a thing or two about quality control.

Didn't keep it long enough to really know. Seemed well built, tho a sharp blow to the sound board would probably do more than "ding" the finish...

I've emailed them a couple of times and their response was always fast and friendly.

Needless to say, this wasn't the guitar for me - which is largely the reason I sat down to submit this review. I was quite impressed with the A-6's tone in the music store, and I was terribly disappointed with it's performance in a band setting. I hope I can help someone else avoid that kind of disappointment.

The guitar has volume, bass, mid and treble controls which control active electronics made by LR Baggs. It has a solid cedar top with a satin finish. I purchased it from Mandolin Bros in NY for $570.

I play guitar in a modern/alternative cover band and I run the A6 through a Line6 POD set on it's tube preamp simulator with a touch of compression and reverb. It sounds fantastic and avoids feedback admirably in fairly loud settings. My previous gig acoustic was a Taylor 712c with an EMG active pickup installed. It sounded really good but was prone to feedback which forced me to use one of those 'butt-ugly' rubber soundhole plugs to prevent feedback. When using one of these you loose much of the tonal advantage of using a 'real acoustic' for gigs. The sound becomes muted and dank. This made me begin to investigate more modern solutions to the problem. With the Godin I get a really great acoustic sound without any feedback problems. An added plus is that the guitar is designed to use 10-46 regular electric strings rather than more expensive and finger busting bronze wound 12-? acoustic strings. Since I'm essentially an electric player, (ie, acoustic wuss) it's easier for me to play with the lighter strings and it still has a full bodied tone, whereas my Taylor had to have 12's to get that big full tone.

I bought mine second hand and immediately sent it to my local guitar tech for a setup to lower the action, recut the nut and adjust the truss rod. It plays great. I find myself noodling on it at night where I once picked up my electrics for this purpose.

I have played it a few times live and it does a great job. I don't carry a backup for my acoustic but still carry two electrics to the gig. (I guess my electrics are the backups, since I only play about 15% of a gig on acoustic). The hardware seems sturdy enough to last although the lack of a pickguard will probably mean that I'll eventually dig a hole in the top like Willy Nelson.

Never dealt with them as I bought it second hand.

I've been playing for 20 years, much of it professionally. I have owned pretty much all of the top gear both vintage and modern over this period. If it were stolen or lost I would immediately find and purchase another. The fact that I can throw this in a gig bag and go to the gig is great (I hate cases!). I think this is a great instrument if you are primarily an electric player and need an acoustic sound at gigs for some songs. I have had takamines, taylors and martins and while these sound better than the Godin acoustically, none of them sound more convincing through a PA system, and none of them fight feedback like the Godin. A great working axe for a great price!

1998 model Godin A-6 acoustic/electric (Canada/US) with a hollowed-out venetian cutaway maple body (2" thick), solid cedar top, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, rosewood pin-type bridge, compensated saddle. Finished in a satin transparent blue with creme top binding. Pickup is an L.R.Baggs ribbon transducer with onboard active preamp/EQ (volume, treble, mid, bass). The adjustable neck is somewhat flat (16" fingerboard radius) and has sealed high-quality tuners (unknown make). Instrument came with Godin hardshell case.

In buying this guitar, I was trying to fill a need for amplified acoustic for use in a rock/blues band, as well as accompanying vocals in church, without modifying my beloved OOOC-16 Martin. Since the body is only 2" thick, and has no soundhole, the straight acoustic sound is almost like a low-volume resophonic guitar; rather tight and mid-rangey. It kinda grows on you though, and I find myself playing it more and more just to noodle around without plugging in. Running it through an amp or PA really makes it sing. If I were to classify the sound, I'd have to describe it as having characteristics of a standard acoustic, solid body electric, and (for lack of a better term) an "Ovation-like" sound. It has wonderful balance across the entire range of the fingerboard, with no wolf notes or tonal surprises. Finger-picked, it seems to have these beautiful ringing harmonics & overtones which lend a reverb-like quality. I played it straight through a '71 Fender Champ last Sunday, and had people from the congregation commenting on how nice my guitar sounded. The control sliders are not as convenient as knobs, but I'm getting used to the location & "feel" of using them on-the-fly. With the controls at flat response, the guitar sounds rather bland, but with the treble at about 75%, mid at 25%, and bass at 100%, it brings out a very reasonable acoustic sound.

I've had my eye on this guitar for a couple of months, and had played it at the dealer's several weeks ago. There are a couple of very minor finish dings, but the factory finish & setup were pretty much flawless. It's one of the few instruments I've simply picked up and played without any need for adjustment.

This guitar was made to play live and in the studio. In looking it over carefully, I'd say it ought to last as long as any other acoustic/electric guitar I've seen or owned. All of the parts are high quality, and it was obviously made to exacting standards. Although I can't envision needing a backup, I'd like to have another in an altered tuning!

Haven't had the need for customer support, but the manufacturer's reputation appears quite good. I was a little surprised that the warranty is only 1 year. I would have expected at least 5 years or more, based simply on the quality. I'm giving a mediocre rating based on the short warranty.

I've been "playing at" guitar since 1963. I've owned over 150 guitars, as well as sundry other instruments. I've played solo and in groups of various sizes. Rock, Pop, Blues, Country, Cowboy, Folk, Celtic, French, Baroque, etc. Prior to buying the Godin, I used Ovations for amplified acoustic gigs. I've yet to find an amplified acoustic which truly sounds like a good ol' wooden guitar, but the Godin comes as close as any acoustic/electric I've heard, and certainly does the job well. One of the really neat things about the Godin is that it "wears" and plays very much like an electric, but sounds like an acoustic. Considering the fact that it was made to be run through an amplifier, I don't think I could really classify the unplugged sound of the guitar as a negative, but it's the only aspect which doesn't excite me. I'd like to see/hear one of these with an oval or lute-style rosette sound hole. After using the A-6, I'd NEED a replacement if it was lost/damaged/stolen. I REALLY like this guitar!