Godin A12

this is a 12 string version of the A6 - it has a spruce top and mahogany back thinline body modelled on the telecaster shape. It has a maple neck. It is the L R Baggs undersaddle pickup.

The accoustic sound is limited and I have a problem with the pickup - according to my guitar tech the bridge is wrongly made with the heavy strings furtherest from the saddle which results in not all the strings sounding clearly when plugged in.

This was a second hand guitar which needed set up (it was bought in Paris - I doubt they have guitar techs there)... once set up with a low action it plays well - unfortunately because of the pickup problem it can't be heard...the neck dips slightly where it joins the body - again my guitar tech suggests this is a design flaw.

Because I bought it secondhand I am not sure what treatment it received beforehand - I had to spend some money fixing minor problems - I wouldn't use it without a backup.

Godin were quick to respond to web-enquiries but they were not helpful - instead they implied the fault was on my side. My guitar tech sees more than 20 guitars a day and has identified several problems which arise from doubtful design. They are not well supported by dealers outside of the continental US....

I doubt I would buy another Godin unless I had it thoroughly checked out by a qualified guitar tech. I also have a Gibson SJ200, Guild JF65-12, Larivee OM10 and other guitars. I even have a fun little Art and Lutherie parlor guitar from the same company but they seem to have missed the boat here.

Rock Maple neck
Rosewood Fingerboard
16" fingerboard radius
25 1/2" Scale
1 11/16" nut width
Two-Chamber Silver Leaf Maple body
Solid Cedar Top
Custom Godin under-saddle transducer and top-mounted preamp
Volume, Mid, Treble and Bass controls
Natural Semi-Gloss
Quality Gigbag included (w/allen key)

Can't really give it ten for features because it's not supposed to be feature-rich but very simple to look at and utilitarian.

Godin's own publicity states: "The best sounding, easiest playing, 12 string guitar on the market". Frankly, this is not marketing hype but absolutely true. In terms of 12 strings, I have played Guilds, Taylors and Rickenbackers. I owned a Taylor 12 string for some years. Although they were very good, none of them sounded or felt as good as this Godin A12. I am SO impressed. Believe me, I am a very exacting person who won't suffer anything less than the best. So I don't offer this praise lightly.

By the way, do change the strings as soon as you can. The ones which it comes with are not too great and they seemed to be discoloured. I use Elixir Nanoweb 10-47. (On all my guitars, I always use Elixirs which, imho, are the greatest sounding, nicest feeling and longest lasting guitar strings available today).

Let's start off with the sound unplugged. Okay, it's not a round-the-campfire type of guitar with a regular soundhole, so it will never sound like a Guild straight out of the box. However, the unplugged sound is impressive enough, thanks to the internal chambers and soundleak through the preamp slots. It's good enough to practise with.

Plugged in, the sound is amazing. I use an SR Technology Jam 400 acoustic amp (which are marketed in the USA by Godin) and the sound of the Godin A12 through this is so rich and powerful. It sounds just as if you've plugged in a big jumbo Guild 12 string, except there's no chance of any feedback no matter how high you go because of the mostly solid body. That is such a plus. It means you can really let go with this axe.

However, that isn't the whole sound-story. If I run it through my POD XT Live (with the right settings programmed) out into my Roland JC120 electric guitar amp, it sounds just like a Byrdy Rickenbacker. I recorded it in this mode (it was the big riff from "Turn, Turn, Turn" by the Byrds) and then sent it to some friends as an MP3 file and asked what it sounded like and they all said "Roger McGuinn on his Ricky"!!! Need I say more.

So that's what you've got here soundwise. Total versatility for a 12 string. You can go down the acoustic 12-string route plugged into an acoustic amp or you can go down the electric 12-string route plugged into an electric guitar amp via an effects box. And if you use one of those two-way floor switches (e.g. Boss FS-6) you can switch from one mode to the other in a concert at the flick of a foot latch!

I have no problem giving this guitar a 10 out of 10 for sound. Everyone I have played it to has been flabbergasted by it.

The action out of the box for a twelve string was great (which means low in my6 book!). However, as I was changing the strings (which I recommend as the ones it comes with are not very good) I took a few shaves off the bottom of the saddle to get that much lower action higher up the strings.

The intonation was perfect - thanks to the fully compensated saddle (lloks like Tusq to me).

The finish - as with all Godins - is very professional and neat. In your hands it feels very good. Often, 12 string guitars can be quite cumbersome and clunky in your hands. Not this one. Feels just like an electric. This must be partly due to the 16-inch radius of the fretboard, on which my fingers fitted nicely. The action is so good that you can even play lead on it!

It's early days yet, but it feels solid enough. It certainly seems dependable. Nothing flimsy about it. The two provided strap buttons are excellent and well-placed.

I couldn't comment on this as I haven't used customer support and I hope and pray that I'll never have to!

I've been playing guitar for more than 40 years. I own a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Standard EC acoustic guitar, a Cole Clark FL3 acoustic guitar, a Taylor T5 Custom electric guitar, an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra 2 electric guitar, a T.C. Electronic G-Natural acoustic guitar processor, a Line 6 POD XT Live electric guitar digital processor, an SR Technology Jam 400 acoustic amp and a Roland Jazz Chorus JC 120. To add the Godin to that line-up is a privilege.

I'm very fussy when it comes to 12 string guitars. Sometimes you can pay much and it can still feel cheap and badly tuned (especially on the B strings). So I've been searching for a long time to find one which can not only feel and sound good acoustically but the fact that it can become an electric 12-string at the flick of a switch is a tremendous boon. Very versatile.

I can honestly say that I have never owned or played a better 12 string than this one. I would be very upset if it was lost or stolen and I would definitely buy another one immediately.

There is nothing which it lacks and nothing which I would add to it.

You can get a list of all features from the Godin website, I'm not going to list them here. The 3-band equalizer functions quite well.

It sounds great. Every friend that has played it has been blown away. You can play it unplugged and it sounds pretty good but this is an electric guitar (hence no sound hole) and it sounds awesome played through either the clean channel or the acoustic setting on my Roland Cube 30. The neck is fantastic, it's wide at the nut and the thin D-shaped cross-section makes this a very easy to play 12 string.

It's a beautiful guitar. Very nice finish. I thought the action was high and I had it lowered to make it more playable. Cost me $60 to have the neck shimmed. For some reason it takes a lot of force to get the plug into the output jack. Like all new guitars it needed new strings. These are minor issues, generally fit and finish was very good.

I've had it for about a month so I can't attest to the reliability. It feels very sturdy and well made so I don't anticipate any problems.

I haven't had any need for customer support. They state right on their website that if you send them an email they probably won't answer it because they are too busy making guitars. That tells me that their support sucks, they don't care if it sucks, and they don't care if you know that it sucks. But again I have no first hand experience.

Overall I'm very happy with this guitar. It sounds great, it's a very easy to play 12 string, it looks fantastic, and at the price I paid I feel like it was a steal. I looked around for a 12 string for several months and I found no better sounding electric 12 string at any price (and yes I played several Rickenbackers).

Cheap plastic tuning knobs broke after limited playing. Godin was unresponsive, as were their dealers, in getting replacement knobs. I had to replace all the tuners on a six-string Seagull that had the exact same problem. Cheap parts equals cheap guitar. Do not buy.

This is a poor choice of guitar at any price because it will eventually become unplayable.

I am posting this quesiton here (my apologies) as I desperately need help to repair my Godin A-12. Two of the plastic tuner buttons cracked recently and I am trying to find replacement buttons. Unfortunately, Godin has repeatedly ignored my requests for this information (even though the guitar is still under warranty).

Does anyone know exactly which tuner buttons I should purchase and from where? They mention "Grover like" tuners but they don't state what the shaft size is. Thanks to anyone who might be able to help.

Sounds great live.

Other than the 2 buttons cracking a few months after purchase, it's worth the money.

The jury is still out.

Horrible, among the worst I've ever encountered. I sent 4-6 emails (in French and English) and still have not heard from one of their techs. Highly disappointing given other positive opinions.

Purchased new in 2001. Made in Canada.
If you regularly play electric guitar and looking for an authentic acoustic sound you'll be stroked by the A12. The neck is shaped with a radius and feel similar to Fender Strat/Tele. It's hard not to draw a few similarities.

The A12 is a bigger brother to the A6 which has a Tele shaped body and very comfortable weight and balance. On stage you could wear this all night if necessary. This is one well constructed guitar with solid cedar top and maple neck. Godin provides a narrow but well chosen range of colors in gloss or semi-gloss. My choice was the sunburst color, which has a semi-gloss finish; more like satin than gloss. However this hasn't affected the life or beauty in any way.

For features, it has the LR Baggs pickup system with onboard EQ discretely and conveniently mounted on the front face of the guitar rather than the side of the body as many other competing models.

Godin distributes this guitar with a quality gig bag, however, I paid a few dollars extra and ordered my guitar with a rectangular hardshell case (Fender style).

Regarding sound, it should be noted that this is really an electric guitar but it can be comfortably used for practice acoustically. But, I would put this guitar against any ac/el 12-string in the under-$1500 price range. I use a Fender Deville 410 and occasionally and old Park(Marshall)which gives the guitar a natural voice that can be as bright or rich as I want by adjusting the onboard EQ. If you want to experiment a little, it's a kick to run this guitar with distortion or effects. I've added a Korg AX1000 and there's no end to range of sound that can be drawn from this axe. Bar none, this is one of the most versitile 12-strings I've ever owned.

Well designed and well built. No issues. My baby left the shop ready for the road. After a little over 2 years of regular play, it still looks, sounds and plays like new. - what more can I say and what more would you need to know.

Godin guitars are not just good looking but they can take the rigors of travel, live play and the usual bumps and bangs. There doesn't appear to be any cut corners. Quality components used from select tonewoods to quality hardware. This is built as a professional quality instrument as good as any Fender or Gibson. I regularly depend it without need for a backup - it's never been a DOA.

Godin's business started as predominantly a repair shop. It seems this company learned from the accidents of others.

Quality and design is so high that I'm getting ready to purchase an electric Godin model.

Honestly, I've never required support from the manufacturer. Although there was a new warranty, I've never has any issues. However the dealer has been terrific for assistance whenever I've had questions, so my rating is based on my dealer who in effect is a stellar reflection on Godin the manufacturer.

Started playing about 35 years ago and so I've accumulated a range of gear. My first quality quitar (Gibson)was purchased about 5 years later, which I still own. Additionally there's a few other Gibsons(335, Les Paul Std; Explorer; J-50; Gospel); G&L Legacy; Fender Strat ('62 and Am Std); Ovation Celebrity and Heritage H150. If something happened to my A12, I'd definitely replace it quickly.

My favorite feature is their installation of all slider controls for volume and EQ instead of rotary controls. If there was anything that I could wish to add to the A12, I'd like Godin to make a gloss finish available for the sunburst - but that's just my preference.

My first 12-string was a mid-range Ovation model. Although I liked the sound and the look of this guitar, I should have spent a little more time comparing before making this selection. I didn't know about the A12 at that stage. Comfort became a major issue for me and the wider neck and round back didn't suit the body that God gave me. The A12 DEFINITELY was designed for my average hand size.

12-string prototype (pre-serial number) semi-solid. Built in Canada.
Color: jet black. Baggs active piezo pickup. Original Fender-style hardshell case.

How come nobody's ever reviewed an A12 before? What a bargain. I picked this sweetie up from a guy at the Arlington Tx guitar show 3 years ago, and have had a blast with it.

The A12 is not a true acoustic. Rather, it is a semi-solid guitar, with internal sound chambers so that it produces just enough resonance that you can practice unplugged. In reality, it is an electric guitar with an acoustic sound. The excellent Baggs peizo system gives a vibrant, natural sound.
But does it sound acoustic or electric? Well, it depends. Plugged through a PA system or Trace Acoustic amp, it sounds reasonably acoustic, albeit not quite up to a Guild jumbo. But plug it into a Fender DeVille, close your eyes, and you'll imagine you're hearing a Rickenbacker.

Appearance-wise, this is clearly a no-nonsense guitar. Shaped like a one-off Tele, well, it has an appearance only a mother could love. But Godins are definitely tools, not works of art. I actually like the gloss-black better than Godin's typical blonde or cheesy-satin-sunburst look. Since this this guitar was well used (probably a member of the million-mile club) before I bought it, finish is a collection of scratches and dings from many a prior gig. That said, it is a typical Godin. That is to say, it is well-designed and well-assembled.
Action was extremely high for a modern 12-string. I had a luthier pull the truss rod, and it is now reasonably comfortable to play in natural key. Still, definitely not a light-touch guitar.

After 3 years, several gigs, and getting kicked off a stand and falling on its face, no complaints. This is one tough guitar. You could play raquetball with it in the afternoon, tune it up, and take it onstage Saturday night.

Over several years of owning 3 Godins, I've never had a problem, never a reason to contact them.

I've been playing since 1965 and have probably owned 50 or 60 guitars over the years. This is the only 12-string I've ever owned. Honestly, I bought it because it was cheap and I needed a 12-string for an upcoming gig. If I had to replace it, I'd probably buy a Seagull next time (same parent company, by the way) or, if I wanted to spend the bucks, a Taylor 455.
You can buy much better guitars. And if you play unplugged, this is the wrong guitar. But if you need something you can plug in and play, and you place function before form, check this out. In the realm of acoustic-electrics, Godins are a great value. Canadian-built guitars are one of the best-kept secrets in the world.
Other gear I own: Godins (Multiac Nylon, A6), Taylors (614CE, 514CE, Baby, NS32CE), Fenders (Big Apple Strat, Jazz Bass), Guild Starfire III, Ovation 1763 classical.