Godin Flat Five X

* Silverleaf Maple Center Body with Poplar Wings
* Solid Carved AAA Grade Spruce Top
* Mahogany Neck with 24 Fret Rosewood Fingerboard
* 2 Godin "Flat Five" Humbucking Pickups
* LR Baggs "X-Bridge" Transducer Acoustic Pickup
* 5 Way Tone Selector
* Volume, Tone, and Blend Knobs
* Active 3-band EQ and Volume for Acoustic

Bought this one for a steal. Mine has some cosmetic flaws but are predominantly on the back so who cares. With the 5 way switch you can split the coils of each pickup. In conjunction with the LR Baggs system you can make this guitar sound completely different with the flick of a switch, or by rolling the blend knob. Only reason this gets a 9 is the previous owner adjusted how the 5 way is wired and there is no sound in the 1st position. Easy to fix, but it isn't high on my priority list. I have the 2 jack version (electric, and acoustic/electric)

This guitar does all of the styles I play well. I play an eclectic blend of music from metal, funk, ska, punk, blues, and I'm now delving into electronic music. So far I have played it through a Mesa 2:100, Rectifier Recording Pre, Peavey XXX, and a Rivera TBR5. It is essentially 3 guitars in one and sounds great both clean and distorted (except with the LR Baggs activated obviously). If I need a strat sound for blues or funk it's there and pretty convincing. As is the acoustic voicing. In a mix it sounds surprisingly similar to an acoustic. I dislike the fact that the LR Baggs system runs on a 9-volt, but as long as there's a new one in there for the gig you won't suffer any tonal loss.

Not sure who the previous owner was, but it was clearly amateur hour. One of the pickup screws was broken in half and the strings were wound backwards. The guitar still played and sounded great. I knew in just a few minutes of playing it that it was mine. The thing I like the most is the neck. 24 frets and it is both flat and fat. It plays more like an acoustic than an electric, but sounds like whatever you need. Mine is a naked wood grain finish. Points off for the condition in which I bought it.

It is a well built guitar. Time will tell as to how it will hold up. I bought it a little banged up and intend to play rough with it. No issues so far.

It's a good thing I knew more about the guitar than the salesperson or previous owner. I got it for a steal and it was worth easily double what I paid for it. My peers are instantly impressed when it comes out of the case. It simply exudes class and I would look for another if it were stolen or destroyed. It is my utility guitar and I would need 3 to replace it so hopefully it will hold up.

2004 Godin Flat Five X, with two outputs. This may have been the last year they were produced? 24 frets.

Electric pickups have 5-way selector: bridge, bridge split, both, neck split, neck. I think they are Godin pickups- I don't know whether they wind them or bought them from someone else but they sound GOOD. Acoustic pickup setup has an individual piezo element for each string, 3-band EQ with volume as well asanother separate master volume knob near the pickup switch (nice feature!!)

Mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard. Body is comprised of a mahogany center piece, poplar wings (I think), and a solid flamed flamed maple top. String-through bridge. Locking tuners. Came with gig bag.

My only wish is if it could split both pickups together, but that might not have sounded very good so there may be a reason for it. Other than that, I couldn't ask for more stuff in one guitar.

I play modern jangle-rock/power-pop.

Electric pickups: I plug this into a Boss ME-50 multi effect device into an Ampeg 1x12 Reverberocket. This thing rocks when I need it to, but can also mellow out on demand. I'm not going into uber-umlaut-distortion, so I cannot verify how it sounds in high-gain settings. Through the Boss distortion it sounds very nice and natural. The semi-hollow tone adds depth to the sound, but not too much. It is bright, yet full. No boxiness at all. Good sustain. It's a great counterpoint to my telecaster.

Acoustic pickups: I didn't like the way it sounded through an acoustic amp at the guitar shop, but liked the rest of the guitar so much I bought it anyway. No biggie, since I already had an excellent acoustic guitar with a pickup in it. When I got it home and plugged it into the PA just for kicks at a rehearsal, me and the band were blown away. It is bright and shimmery and cuts through the mix without being too shrill. When doing "High and Dry" live it produces the nice high strum that the original mix has. It is not as round as my acoustic but is great in a live setting when an acoustic guitar is not the solo instrument. It's not for folkies, but is perfect for songs that have electric and acoustic parts. I no longer use my acoustic with the band and use this instead for all the acoustic parts.

I read some complaints about its lack of a high end, but I completely disagree. I did a side-by-side comparison with my Ibanez Artcore, and the Flat Five had a great sparkling upper register in comparison to the boxy and dull sound of the Artcore. Might those people claiming the lack of upper frequences had a slightly different version, perhaps the three-output version?

I am not kidding that when I first picked up this guitar and wrapped my fingers around it, I felt that I had never played such a comfortable guitar. I don't mean that it has the comfort of a thin-neck low-action shred machine(i.e. Brian Moore, Jackson, etc.), but instead more of a natural feeling. Part of it is the natural finish neck, part of it is the more porous feel of mahogany (compared to most slick maple necks), part of it is the shaping of the neck that makes me feel I don't have to stretch as far to get those outside notes in a more complex chord.

Mine is blue, and the finish is fantastic. Elicits "oohs" when I bring it out. One of their online brochures said it's an A top, but the flames appear to be deeper than that.

There are a few glue splotches on the inside (a 1 point deduction), but other than that everything is airtight.

My main gripe is with the tuners- they are supposed to be locking tuners but I find myself having to retune quite a bit. Perhaps I didn't string it right- the strings are one turn around the peg and it could be that there shouldn't be any windings. Are locking tuners really that necessary? I had a Carvin with locking tuners and I don't think I found myself tuning any less with that than I did with my Telecaster with the standard Fender slot tuners.

Also, when I'm moving around and shuffling papers and all that the strap doesn't stay on as well as it has with other guitars. Perhaps it's the location of the strap button, but it makes me a little more cautious. I'd rather be thinking about my playing rather than if the guitar is going to fall off.

Other than those things this thing is solid and built to last. The bolt is airtight, and nothing wiggles. I envision this being the guitar to keep.

I haven't needed any repairs, so I will not offer an opinion.

HOWEVER, these guitars originally had a 1 year warranty, but the model I bought had been sitting on the dealer's racks for 4 years. I contacted Godin to ask them if this guitar was warranted and they said that they usually wouldn't offer a warranty on this old of a model but to contact them if I had any problems.

I've been playing about 25 years and have owned a few electric guitars: aside from my first few beginner models I've owned a Carvin, a Gibson Marauder, a Fender Aerodyne Telecaster, and an Ibanez Artcore. I still have my Fender but have sold all the others. This guitar blows them all away by a long shot but it's also a considerably more expensive guitar than all its predecessors.

I originally went in to buy a Reverend Manta Ray (semihollow). They didn't have that model in stock, but they had others that I tried. I only picked up the Godin on a lark because I have a friend that plays semi-professionally and swears by his Godin Montreal. When I picked it up and started playing I knew this was somethign special. This guitar blew away all the Reverends I played, but it's not a fair comparison because they weren't semi-hollows like the Manta Ray is.

When I bought this guitar, I didn't think I'd use the acoustic pickups at all. I bought it for the playability and electric guitar tones alone (the fact that it was on their wall for a while and therefore marked down by over $400 helped too). To have such a great acoustic guitar sound was just icing on the cake. I'm not quite sure why no one bought it before-- the only thing I can think is the lack of name recognition.

I only wish it had a pickup setting that included both pickups split, if only to see what that would sound like. But that is nitpicking- the settings it has are very useful.

transparent blue finish, single cutaway, string thu-body with piezo, medium neck (rosewood), case included, 24 frets, volume&tone&mix (for the piezo) with 5 way pickup selector, H/H (stainless steel plated)....

I thinks that's all I can remember, oh yeah! It is bolt-on neck!

I'm sorry I'm not a "tech nerdy", I just wanna play and it plays great!

I play mostly jazz. As a student, I practiced with my Flat Five X for the past year and a half. It suits jazz well but IT IS NOT A HOLLOW BODY!!! The body has 2 "f" holes but, outside of that, it is FULL LIKE A SOLID BODY! It resonates like a SOLID BODY with more sustain I'd say.

I'd say it's good sounding for rock, blues, jazz and "cleaner" styles. The FIVE DIFFERENT PICKUP configuration gives a WIDE sound palette. (I sometimes think it sounds like a bluesy single coil strat)

The piezo ADD ALOT TO THE VARIETY OF SOUNDS! It doesn't sound exactly like an accoustic but I mainly MIX THE PIEZE AND ELECTRIC SOUNDS (there is a knob to adjust the mix) and I try to simulate a HOLLOW body and it is close! (with flatwound strings, of course!)

Nothing's perfect : 9

Good action and overal setup at first.

I had to ajust because I went for BIG STRINGS. (.013 - .052) I don't recommend it, I'd say (.011 - .049) gives the best results (actions and sound wise)

The back of the neck is not finished, more natural, I REALLY LIKE IT!

The scale length is small (like Gibson I guess)

Marvelous finish, good factory fretwork, high quality knobs and selector, still lasting after 1.5 year!

ONE NEGATIVE POINT : One of MY TUNING PEG BROKE after 6 months!!! The plastic cracked because of the good old Canadian WINTER! I recommend metal tuning pegs (such as high quality GROVER).

Tuning peg... : 8

I'm always carrying this guitar in a hardshell case. I SWEAT ALOT and my fingers have ACIDIC SWEAT (wich means I kill regular strings in less than 2 hours)

I defenitely use this guitar with NO BACKUP and I'm really confident! Never broke a string.

negative : see above for the tuning peg story...

...dunno...

I've been playing for 10+ years. I played mainly RG (ibanez) and hollow body guitars. I play through a roland JAzz chorus and I mainly play with no effects (I can sometime add overdrive, reverb, delay and chorus).

I fell In love with this guitar from the first moment. The way it sat on my lap and the way it felt under my right arm was like "HOME". It is so natural for me... I can just go deep within AND PLAY without thinking about the instrument or whatever. I never had a guitar like that!

it is a High quality guitar, I loved it, I still love it and I WILL love it for many years!

...enough said, I think I made my point!

2003 model. I won't go in details about it's features, we all know what they are by now. I can only think of one word ''complete''. If you need more features, well that's that. I love the finish and playability of the neck. Fit's and feel's just right.

The sound of this guitar is what you will make out of it. Because it is hugely customizable, with the 2 voices able to match & blend, it's up to your own creativity to find ''your'' sound. I sure have found MY tone. I have been playing professionaly for 23 years, and have owned countless guitars, both el cheapos and exotics, this is the absolute best I have encountered regarding tone possibilities. I have a Fender Accoustisonic amp and a Peavey Classic 30. I Use both at the same time for crazy experimenting. The accoustic sounds are also very nice, but don't throw away your Martin just yet.

My guitar came with the action too low, and it was Buzz City. This was a cinch to adjust at the dealer. My initial reaction was that this guitar was quite large and heavy, and it did bother me at first. Could be a problem if you are into lightweights. If you are, look elsewhere.
I had heard that this guitar ''played by itself''. I laughed at this comment when I heard it. Well, whadyaknow, its pretty well true. This thing plays freely and easily, and actually makes me a better player for it. The finish on this thing is awesome. How can they do it for this price with a North-American made built?

So far so good. Never let me down in 3 nights a week gigs. No pick guard, so don't knock this around too much. Also, I did have some concerns about the 9V battery letting me down unexpectedly, but all is ok, (but do have a spare one around).

This guit never let me down, so I cannot offer comments on customer support. And that's fine by me.

I would replace this in an instant. I have owned a total of 26 guitars in the past (you name 'em) and I currently use 5 onstage (Martin accoustic, G&L, Fender Jaguar, Rickenbaker, and my trusty Godin Flat Five X ). This is the most versatile, easy to play and fun guitar I have ever owned. I will not use the word ''best'' as it'a all a matter of taste, but it does apply to my experience. IF I had to be critical, I would say that I still wish this guitar would be somewhat lighter..but I am nit-picking really. Also, although the finish is exceptionnal, yes the shape takes some time to get used to. It is by no means unattractive, but is is a bit different. This Flat Fixe X is one seriously made sonic gem, and I am proud to own it. When all is all said and done, only your own experience and ears will tell if the Five is made for you...By the way, I have seen the new Montreal also by Godin...I am falling in love all over again to the point where I just may sell (reluctantly) my FFX to get it...!

see the godinguitars.com website

This guitar has rich warm tone. I have another standard lg godin that doesn't come close to the sound of the flat five x. I run it through a mesa boogie studio caliber and it sounds great. The acoustic tone is very bright and can cut through with a sharper sound in a mix. the higher register is very very clean and the notes ring out as if singing them!

excellent setup, low action, easy to play.

This guitar must have a bad scratchy volume pot for the main pickups. it's ok if you don't move it that much but it will cut out when you're playing. Also what can be frustrating is the fact of having to replace the 9 volt battery for the active pickups, when that goes out you're SOL. I just replaced the battery and the acoustic sounds much fuller and the guitar seems to work ok, but I need to get the volume pot replaced.

I have yet to deal with them, but will soon.

overall this guitar is a good buy, it's the best guitar I've ever had, the tone alone is worth the price.

All has been stated before. But it's a 2004 model. 2 Humbuckers and LR Baggs Bridge. 5 way selector with coil splits at 2 & 4. 3 output jacks. Magnetic vol & tone pots. Blend pot. 3 way selector for mag/piezo mix. Piezo vol & eq's. String through body. Gibson scale neck with 24 frets.

It's a great blues box. I sold a 335 when I bought this. I normally run through 2 amps (DeVille 410 & Acoustic) or through the DeVille and the piezo into a PA. The mix/blend of sounds is brilliant. You can pick away on magnetic and switch to acoustic finger style easily. The pickups themselves are Godin. But they are obviously S.D. in makeup. Sound dperfect for what I want, do and like. A huge variety of sound.

I have 4 other Godin guitars. I bought this one because of the action. The LG string through type action is increadable. Low, but no buzz. Easy to play without being rediculously low. The finish on the guitar is massive. Lite burst. Looks great and feels great. Everything fits and plays well.

This guitar takes heaps. It's not delicate but can be. I play hard but treat well. Never let me down yet. None of my Godin's have. It comes with schaller type strap locking pins and that's what I use.

I have emailed Godin on a number of topics and enquiries and have always received a reply. I also complained about a distributor in this Country and received a very courteous response. I have never needed warranty yet.

I've been playing for 34 years. I own a total of 18 guitars of Fender, Gibson, Godin, Maton (Australian), De Armond, Cole Clark (Aust), Charvel, Sakai brands. I'm not biased. They come from Aus, Canada, USA, Japan, Mexico, Korea, and 1 home made. I've got plenty to compare it with. I would rate it right up there with any other guitar from any country, and better than a lot of stuff that is suppose to be good just because of it's name & country of manufacture. I don't dislike anything. It is the largest guitar physically, that I own, apart from an acoustic jumbo, and sometimes limits my playing a little because of that. I nearly bought a second one 2 days ago that I found on special, but was shopping for an XT-SA with synth access, and stuck to my guns and bought that. I can't believe that they are not more popular and well known in this country. If I have any complaint at all it is with the Australia importer for not marketing this fine guitar better.

2004 model. Features have been mentioned elsewhere. I'll just mention that with 24 frets and, a 24&3/4in. scale (gibson scale), 2 humbuckers, no pickguard, plus pretty close-to-the-body string height (typical of Godins) this is not a guitar for an aggressive player who likes to whack away. but I love the layout, and despite the 24 fret neck and the necessary movement of the rhythm pickup, that pickup sounds just fine. 3 pickups, a standard ES-335 style arrangement but with a 5-way switch that has some coil tapping for wider tonal variation, plus an EXCELLENT "acoustic" piezo pickup under the bridge complete with 3-band eq. Mahogany neck. silverleaf maple center section, poplar wings, beautiful AA or AAA flame maple SOLID top, rosewood fingerboard. Godin has their own "single cutaway" style that is a little bit like a PRS single-cut or some of the newer US masters styles. But you can go to www.godinguitars.com to see.

I fell in love with this guitar at first sight, so I was relieved when I plugged it into a pair of amps (one electric and one acoustic) and it sounded unbelievable. Others have complained about the sound. I think it probably just wasn't for them. This is NOT an archtop jazz guitar! It doesn't sound like that. I play through a Pod 2.0 using the Vox model and the electric part sounds amazing. I play the acoustic through a yamaha AG Stomp, which makes it sound very much like a mic-ed Acoustic Guitar!

For the most part, this is a superlatively made guitar. The top is matched beautifully, the finish is very nice, the wood is gorgeous, the neck joint is rock-solid. The setup is perfect off the rack. However, one of the strap buttons got loose and I had to use some Wood filler (Tite'n actually) to get it back in to stay. Now that is fine. Also, the volume pot is very scratchy, I'll have to replace it I think. The balance of all of Godin's instruments is extraodinary. It just feels right.

Only had it two months, so I don't know. But I liked it enough to buy another Godin, so there. It feels very solid, though, and I've had other experience with Godins, so I expect great things. See above for my minor strap button and volume pot issues.

All my questions (and i've had a few) have been answered via email pretty quickly

I've been playing for about 25 years. I have a beautiful US Masters Strat, an old Dano U2, a Wechter Acoustic, and another Godin (an ACS-SA Nylon String, which I also love) and I've had Gibsons, Fenders, Heritages, Yamahas, Ovations, Ibanezes and everything else in between over the years. This is my favorite guitar I've ever owned. It plays and sounds great, and the ability to play acoustic and electric sounds at the same time is HUGE for me. I LOVE it.

Canadian Made guitar. Absolutely beautiful. Hollow Body. Two humbuckers with 5 way switch for tapping. Acoustic pickup as and a blender for both sounds...or feed an electric and an acoustic signal at the same time to the sound board! AAA Flamed Maple Top. Northern Canadian wood for a shorter growing season to make the wood more dense. 16" radius nech that is the most comfortable every made. Free hard shell case.

what can'y I play? Total coverage. Worth more than I paid.

is this a dream or is it real? Somebody pinch me.

I have never used a back up since owning this guitar. I play blues to rock and then flick a switch and play acoustic.

2 year warranty. I had one volume pot fail. I called Godin and they shipped me a replacement right away...no hassels.

My price is lower than most because somebody put a surface scratch on the backside of the guitar...easily polished out.

I bought a 2003 model with AAA maple - all in (case straps etc etc) $1500. Never had a better guitar and I've had a lot.

Sound ... you name it it will do it ... and more. No gimmicks. Pickups - zero noise - fabulous mixes possible for all styles.

Perfect setup (for me anyway) from the shop. This guitar has the best (BEST) action I have used ... it plays itself. No flaws of any kind found.

Hollow (ish) body - fragile no. This thing is built. Finish is still as new after hard use.

Never needed to contact them so ......

Been playing for 35 years .. had most every guitar. The Godin is the only one I'd replace if it were lost/stolen. Last comment - don't read Godin - play one - especially the flat 5-x and buy it. You'll never regret it. Worth more than the cost price.

I have a 2003 year model of the Flat Five X with the optional spruce top. Front panel controls are available for volume and eq. The guitar is 2 guitars in one Elecric and Acoustic or both together. I purchased this guitar used on eBay for a great price of $750 US.

With its L.R. Baggs transducers in the bridge and a Custom Preamp/EQ along with the Humbuckers this guitar provides 3 outputs for either Electric Guitar output only, Acoustic Guitar output only or both blended. You can adjust the amount of blending.

The 24 Fret neck provides a very easy to play feel -- the guitar practically plays itself. The action is incredible.

I have had no problems since owning the guitar. It appears very solid and well constructed. The finish is very durable!.

I have had no problems so I cannot provide any input on Godin;s responsiveness.

I would replace this guitar the next day if anything ever happened to it. This is my most versatile and my favorite guitar. It stays in tune. The intonation is great. I own a few other Godin guitars a Rickenbacker 330, Fender Precision Bass, Rickenbacker Bass, Taylor Baby, Yamaha APX5. I triend to think of ways to improve upon the Godin Flat 5x and could not think of a single improvement.