Godin Freeway Classic

The main features have already been stated. My version is a 2004 model, approx. 3 months old, amber flame with rosewood kneck. The only feature that I feel is lacking is the fact that they use only a single tone control. Overall it is only a minor inconvenience. The shape of this guitar make it a very comfortable instrument to play either standing on stage or just loafing on the couch. The trem is very good, nice to not have to worry about a little spring falling out when you remove the whammy bar. The gig bag is great, I would have never even considered using anything other than a robust hardshell case until I started using this bag.

This is a very versitile instrument, I play mostly guitar driven rock and roll from the 60's, 70's and 90's, as well as some originals. The span ranges from Hendrix, Allman Bros., Floyd, to 54-40 and the Headstones. For live gigs and band practice I usually play through an 80 watt Traynor tube amp (2x12), or a 100 watt MesaBoogie. Occasionally I use a Boss GT-3 digital effects unit, but more often than not I just plug straigtht in and go. At home I usually use a Fender 25 Watt Frontman, or I just play through a Zoom PS04 with headphones. The stock pick-ups work well enough, but don't think for a minute that it will sustain like a Les Paul, or rip like a Strat, but it does many things well enough to be a compromise between the Les Paul/Strat camps. I wounder if the sustain quality could be improved if a larger piece of silver maple and smaller poplar wings were used in the body, as the overall weight is relatively light. The pick-up configuration is what gives this instrument the versatility, as a variety of sounds from smooth (kneck pickup) to bright (middle)and edgy (middle - bridge) can be achieved.
One major complaint (see below) is that this guitar, as currently set up, buzzes for any chords strummed below the 7th fret. Hopefully this will be resolved after a trip to the Luthier.

This is one area that I would like to see Godin address. This is actually the second model of this guitar that I have used. When I went to the store I really liked the guitar, but there was a chip in the finish right below the middle pick-up that went down into the wood. The salesman told me to take the guitar with me, and that they would order me a replacement. After playing this guitar for a few days I almost called the store to say that I was happy enough with the guitar that I had, and not to bother with the replacement. The action on the kneck was absolutely perfect for my style, and I loved the way it played. I am really glad that I didn't because, up until that time I hadn't used the bridge pick-up very much. When I finally started using it I noticed that the sound balance seemed off, very boomy at the low end and weak and hollow up top. When I looked closer I noticed that the pickup poles were not even close to being aligned with the strings. I am not sure if this is what caused the problem, but lets just say that the bridge pickup sat at least 5 mm higher in the body than the other two pickups (lowest pole sat under the B string - Could it be that the guy who machined the cut-outs in the body had too many Labatt 50's at lunch that day???). In addition, the guitar had a few rough patches in the finish on the back of the kneck (o.k. I'm being a bit picky).
When the replacement arrived the first thing that I checked was the location of the pick-ups, which was fine. The action and everything else seemed good. However, what I didn't check, and wish that I had was the kneck. The new guitar kneck appears to have a slightly convex shape at the top, and a slight concave shape at the bottom (twisted?). Also, one of the fret wires has not been fully seated (it can easily be seen sticking out when you look down the kneck), which is causing a significant amount of buzzing when the instrument is played below the 7th fret. I will be taking this instrument to my Luthier to hopefully address at least the fret issue, but I am dissapointed that I have to with a new guitar. On the plus side, the finish on the back of the kneck is nice and smooth. The guitar will stay in tune reasonably well, unless you really start honking on the whammy bar - but that is true for all trem guitars that I have ever tried. This model is a great looking guitar - this is not just my opinion, but comments from everyone who has seen it! The bookmatching on the original and replacement isn't perfect, but it is good. Overall, the first one was the better looking of the two.

The finish on this guitar is not very durable. The instrument is only a few month old, and has only been used for one gig, yet it already has some scratches and gouges in the finish. Small, but numerous pick scratches are also starting to appear. I should state that I tend to baby my guitars - a friend of mine, who also happens to be one of the best players that I know, has suggested that I must never play my guitars because they are in such pristine shape. My main guitar is an Strat (American Std), and after several years of playing does not have a single scratch or ding in it.
Otherwise, everything else seems to be good. The quality of the components is really amazing when you consider the price. The bridge in particular looks as good, or even better than that found on guitars three times the price.

Have not yet dealt with Godin, I tried to e-mail them, but it bounce back. This may be an issue from my end, as I have the same problem with other e-mail addresses as well.

I have been playing for a while, but I have only been serious for the past 9 years. As stated, I own a Strat (Am Std), some acoustics (Fender DG 20 and Yamaha FG-411). Over the years I have played several Les Pauls (recorded my first original using a custom), and a few others types (Ibanez, Jacksons etc.)
Just wish that I had checked the kneck before taking the replacement home.
Would I buy it again - definite maybe, but only after spending some serious time checking over every detail, and not rushing out of the store like I did when I picked up the replacement.
The initial objective that I had when I went into the store was to get myself a cheap 'practice mule' that I could beat on, leave in the office etc.. and not worry too much about. One criteria that I had was that it had to be similar to my Strat, but also different for some variety. After looking over a few Squire models, I talked to one of the salesmen that I have dealth with in the past. His comment was that I 'could' go with a squire, but, for just a little bit more money, I could get into a Godin - which he strongly recommended. He set me up with an SD model plugged into a Traynor 40 watt amp. I was really impressed and almost bought the guitar, as it seemed to meet my criteria, but I decided to think about it (and get the blessing from the wife...). One of the things which I wasn't particularly comfortable with on the SD was the kneck. It felt a bit 'flat' for my liking, and I do not care for the short string scale. After some web surfing I noticed the SDx model, which is similar to the SD in shape, but had a 'more different' D-S-D pickup as opposed to the S-S-D on the SD, and it had the string scale that I preferred. A week later I was back in the store (blessing in hand), as I spotted the SDx I noticed the Freeway beauty hanging right beside it. To my surprise, the price was just slightly higher, so I picked it up instead. After only two minutes my decision was made without even touching the SDx (which might be a good guitar as well).
The real strength of this guitar is in how well it feels and plays - I absolutely love the shape of the kneck. I played this guitar at practice just before our last gig and pulled off what was easily the best solo that I have ever done. For the price, I think the only other guitars that could come close are probobly the other Godins (SD if you prefer the short scale, or SDx). If Godin could only address the quality issues I would easily give this guitar a higher rating.

If I had one wish for this guitar, it would be to have the kneck of the first guitar and the body of the second.

My Godin is the Blue Flame top with maple fretboard, it has a brushed steel non-locking godin tuners which are very accurate when tuning, a nice well made trem which I use only for subtle stuff.The pickups are a HSH config which is my favourite combination as all the guitars I have owned have this config. The centre of the body is Silver leaf canadian maple with a thin silver leaf maple top which looks lovely and gives it a great tone, the guitar also has poplar wings which makes it fairly light. The neck on my guitar is a maple fretboard and is very flat but not too thin, certainly better to play than the wizard neck on my Ibanez which I have now selling.

The sound of the Godin really took me by surprise. I did'nt think it would have such a clear powerful sound, the neck pickup is very clear and creamy with overdrive, the middle single coil is very crip and the best for clean sounds and the bridge is clear and very powerful, great sustain for leads. I compared the sound of these to my dimarzio's in my ibanez and the Godin sounds very similar to the Airzone,Air classic and Cruiser that I have but has a better presence which is probably down to the body of the godin.I love these stock pickups and will keep them.This axe is great for just about any style of music, I tend to play a lot of rock,metal,blues stuff and try to play jazz and funk. Its a very versatile guitar.

My Freeway was setup by the shop I bought it from and they did a wonderful job, the action is lower than I have ever played before with no buzzing and is a joy to play, I can put the thing down once I start.The whole guitar is built very well, its quality is more like a 2 grand guitar rather than a sub #500 pound guitar.It reminds me of a tom anderson or a suhr guitar.

As mentioned, very well built and surprisingly for the money, it is not an Asian import, built in the USA from hand crafted parts from Canada so it says on the headstock and it looks and plays like a guitar that's worth a great deal more.I'd say it would be a great guitar for gigging and for the money, a working musician could probably get two of'em. I don't play live, just in my bedroom but still its rock solid.

not needed to use them so have no comments on the support side of things. I'd like to think that Godin will have a good support team if ever I need them.

To sum things up, this is a fantasic axe and the best guitar for the money I have ever owned, even without the price factor, it plays and sounds the best of the guitars I have owned and I have had carvin's, Ibanez,Parker's and steinberger guitars. I paid a measly #389 for my Godin, for some reason I got a 25% discount off the $450 RRP price so it was even better value for me and that includes the wonderful robust gigbag that comes with the Freeway. I cannot recommend this guitar enough, go try one out at a shop and see if I am wrong !.

Ok, this guitar is the Godin Freeway Classic. It was made in The USA with Canadian parts. It has 22 frets. The top is a beautiful flame top. I got mine in blue but you can also get it in amber flame, red, and black. The controls on this guitar are basic, 1 volume, 1 tone, and a 5-way switch. The pickups are in a HSH configuration with passive electronics. It's kind of a Jackson meets PRS looking guitar. It has a good Strat-Style trem. It comes with a great gig-bag. It has the right amount of features.

WOW. THe sound is amazing. You could get a deep sound in the neck (think Sweet Child O' Mine intro) to Hendrix in the middle, to SG in the neck. I use this in a classic rock cover band and the sound is perfect. If you're looking at the fat strat (like i was) then check this guitar out because it is sooo much better sounding.

The guitar was excellent out of the box. There was another in the store that wasn't as good, but the playability of it was FANTASTIC. I ordered another on it and the finish is perfect. It's the kind of finish you'd expect to find on $2000 Les Pauls.

This is the best guitar in the price range. I have a strat copy, an my dad has a Squier Tele and this is so much better. I was looking at the Fat Strat or an Epi Les Paul and this was better than them both, sound and playability wise. The only other guitars I like better than mine are Gibson Les Paul Standards. But you could buy 2 of my Godins for that. It's not a Les Paul, but it's not nearly as expensive. If it were lost or Stolen, I would buy it again.

I bought this guitar last week so I believe it is a 2004 model. It is the model with the translucent brown flame finish with silver leaf maple/alder body. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard and is really comfortable. It also has Godin pickups HSH configuration. It has a five-way selector switch and I think the 2nd and 4th position splits the neck and bridge humbucker and adds it to the single coil middle pickup. Also came with a nice dark brown deluxe gig bag.

This guitar sounds great. I play through a Peavey Classic 30 (which I love) and it will deliver many really good tones while playing clean or dirty. It is a rock/blues machine. The 2nd and 4th pickup position will deliver nice Strat type tones while the neck humbucker has a nice warm tone and the bridge humbucker is meaty with good sustain. The guitar stays in tune reasonably well when using the whammy bar, but without a locking nut you do have to be careful while dive-bombing. I have read in other reviews that the pickups should be changed but I think the sound of these pickups is really good. Obviously there are very good aftermarket pickup like Dimarzios and Seymours that would sound different but give the stocks a good workout before making a decision on replacing them. Personally, I don't believe in buying a new instrument and then ripping it apart to only have to spend more money on an already new instrument. If you don't like the sound, then simply buy another guitar. It just doesn't make sense to me.

This guitar is beautiful looking. The brown flame finish is flawless and the rosewood neck has a nice wood grain and is very comfortable with good low action. The body is contoured and is comfortable to play. The first thing I noticed about this guitar while trying it out at the store was how loud it was unplugged. This guitar plays and looks like a guitar that would cost at least 2 to 3 times what I paid for it. Amazing.

I have only had this guitar for about a week but it is built solid. I own a Godin LG Hmb, which is all mahogany, and it is built to last and sound very good as well. I never had a problem with it yet and I have used it alot so I would assume that the Freeway will be a sound guitar as well.

Never had to use them. Their guitars are built well and do not seeing have to need them.

I have been playing guitar for about 15 years and have owned several brand name guitars like Fender, Ernie Ball Music Man, Ibanez, Yamaha, etc. This guitar is an absolute steal for the price paid. It looks very sexy, has good sound, is versatile and is comfortable to play. I would compare this guitar to other brand names, even American made, at three times the cost and it will hold it own. If it were to be lost or stolen I would quickly go out and buy another before Godin comes to their senses and charge what this guitar is really worth. Good job Godin!

2004, parts created in Quebec Canada, then shipped across the border
to New Berlin, New Hampshire for assembly. Interesting story here,
New Berlin was a shoe manufacturing town that had the rug pulled out\
from under it's feet when the shoe companies moved overseas.
Godin offered to take existing factories and American workers and
train them to assemble guitars. That's why it says assembled in USA.
Godin guitars are good quality and priced below the competition
because there are price caps on their products because of subsidies
from the Province of Quebec to keep their citizens employed.
Hundreds of people work for Godin around the La Patrie area now.
Mine is the Burgundy Metallic finish, maple fretboard (their maple
boards feel great, but for some reason they don't seem to make a
rosewood board that feels nice)
This is a modern guitar, it is extremely comfortable to play and
an unbelievable deal for the 420.00 Canadian that I paid for it,
including a high quality/well designed gig bag.

Acoustically, this instrument is second to none. I never would have
thought that silver leaf maple and poplar would sound this
articulate and solid. The rock maple neck contributes some of the
sound as well, just like the neck on my '52 Tele reissue.
I got a smokin deal on a pair of Ibanez V7/V8 humbuckers and
installed them in this guitar. These are the type of high output
pickups that the guitar should have from the factory.
The Ibanez pickups totally bring out the beautiful sustain and
punch of this guitar. Godin apparently have their Freeway Classic
pickups made especially for them in Korea, so I can't figure out
why they didn't overwind them a bit as most people who buy this type
of instrument are going to want a punchier high output pickup.
This guitar sustains and plays like a much more expensive instrument.
Top secret! The neck is actually a Valley Arts profile, from what
used to be very high end instruments. Godin is not pushing this
information, so there may be some copywright issues involved.

Great fit and finish, just needs to be played in.
The maple fretboard played great right off the wall. I've been
treating it with fretboard lem-oil, and it's feeling very nice now.
It was really dry, it just soaked up piles of oil at first.
This is an important aspect of guitar maintenance that is often
overlooked, as the fretboard is the only untreated piece of wood
on the guitar and will gain and lose moisture repeatedly unless
it's sealed up with lem oil. The frets are left high from the
factory which is a good thing as you will get lots of dressings
out of them before they need to be replaced.

I'm gigging with this guitar now and feel completely confident
not to take a backup guitar along.

Godin is great for customer service, I sent them an email and they
got back to me within a day, answering my questions politely.

Been playing pro since '73, I need a comfortable reliable guitar
because I gig so much. I would definitely replace it if anything
happened to it.
Make sure you change the pickups if you buy one of these instruments,
the stock ones just don't cut it. Too bad, cuz everything else
about this guitar is really good.

2004 Freeway Classic; mine is the real pretty amber burst color with a maple neck. Basic info/features: floating trem/strings-thru design; H-S-H set up (stock Godin pickups; model # is designated on each pickup); 25-1/2" scale (I think); very flat radius (can get the action REAL low!); fat frets; six-on-a-side brushed metal tuners; body is comprised of a maple centerpiece, with poplar "wings" on either side; mine is supposedly a "flame top" of leaf maple--I question that. It appears to be a very thin veneer (looking at the guitar from the side, there's no apparent maple 'cap'); still, nice looking! Comes stock with schaller locking endpins; vol and tone; 5-way switch similar to Strat set up. Best gig bag out there! Very nice.

Very good and very versatile. Having buckers, single-coils, and a Strat-like quack available makes for one versatile axe. The humbuckers are good but not what I'd call "great." I may eventually upgrade the bridge to a Duncan or a Gibson.

Literally perfect. Right off the showroom floor, I was able to get the action nice and low with nearly no buzzing. Playing is a breeze. Everything is tight--it feels like quality. The flame "veneer" or whatever it is, you can see at the edge where there's an uneven spot. No biggie. The trem is VERY smooth and always seems to land back in tune, even if doing some fairly serious wanking (I normally just use it for a touch of effect at the end of a song or something, but when I've tried to be a metal-head, it's actually stayed in tune quite well). This guitar feels like a guitar that would list for $1200-$1500, seriously.

Who really knows? Why do they ask this question??

LaSiDo has always been quick to respond to emails, answer questions. According to my friend who works at the shop where I bought this, they are well-known for standing behind their stuff, going over-and-beyond what the warranty calls for. Speaking of which, I wonder how long the warranty is?

Great guitar, great value. Nuff said! I play in an 80s/90s/00s dance-rock cover band (Prince, Cure, Strokes, Hives, Weezer, U2, Violent Femmes, Me First & Gimme Gimmes, etc). I need a versatile guitar, and this one fits the bill well.

This guitar was made in 2004 and I have been playing with it for about month now. Godin is all about N. American made guitars, it even says on it's headstock that it was assembled in the United States with handcrafted parts from Canada.

It is a 22 Fret guitar with a H-S-H pickup configuration and the pickups were all stock Godin pickups. A nice 5 way pickup selector, 1 tonal knob and one volume knob.
There are no electronics but come in a variety of styles including flamed maple top, but I chose to go with Black Pearl, as it was cheaper and I just prefer the style.

It's in a standard Strat style body, although it feels a bit nicer and probably a bit closer to an Ibanez. The bridge has a socket for a tremolo. The neck has small inlays on the top, which took some getting used to, but overall has made me a more precise player.

The Freeway Classic came with a free gig bag, and what a monster it is! It's very nice in a light beige colour.

I play mostly rock, punk and metal music, and this guitar does well on all fronts. The bridge humbucker gives the best sound when palm muting and the distortion sounds very respectable through a larger amplifier. It doesn't have much hiss unless you're standing close to an amp, and it has a nice bassy sound.

Playing clean is salivating. This baby has a very nice, warm bassy sound when playing clean through the humbucker but the single coil seems to suit playing clean a bit better. The sound is very rich, especially for the amount paid for this guitar.

The guitar can easily crank out the old style rock and roll such as Led Zeppelin, 80's rock like Van Halen, Metallica, and can handle almost any style of punk or metal. This guitar definately isn't suited for more hardcore metal enthusiasts though. Blues player's will definately welcome the sound of this guitar.

The tonal knob will give you a variety of tones, but it just doesnt seem so varied. Either it has a nice sound, or it sounds underwater...there is very little in between, and the stock pickups could have been a little hotter to suit more tastes, but again, this is a VERY good sound for the price.

Everything on this guitar was setup nearly perfectly from the factory, but I DO have a few gripes with the guitar in this category. The frets stick out of the guitar a bit, so if you're playing constant bar chords, your finger will get caught a bit on the fret. It'll prick your finger a little bit, but it's a very minor problem. Another problem I found was that the single coil pickup seemed a bit loose when I moved it. It can get depressed into the guitar and wiggled relatively easily. I was also disappointed that the tuning pegs on the headstock weren't made out of strong metal, they seem plasticy.

The guitar overall is built very nicely. It's extremely comfortable when playing sitting down or standing up. The body is very sexy looking, a perfect black pearl colour with the bridge and knobs being very secure. The action is low to the frets, making it an easy to play guitar. The knobs are of a nice metal, and the pickup selector felt solid.

This guitar will easily withstand live playing, and the hardware seems to be fit for the job. I would take out the stock pickups and replace them if you're in for some pro gigging but if you're playing in small venues and private clubs, the stock pickups will do the job nicely.
Everything about the guitar seems quite solid, aside from a somehwat loose single coil pickup. The body is quite strong and will survive if you dropped it. It WILL cause knicks in the finish though if dropped.
The finish on the body is superb, it's very nice and shiny and reflective, just a thing of beauty, I doubt it will wear off from mere usage. Over time perhaps the fretboard will look worn, but I haven't seen that yet.
This guitar is very dependable and I would use it without a backup on small to medium sized venues. If you are playing professionally, and I mean an extreme professional, then this would be an awesome backup guitar for a $1500 Gibson or Ibanez.

I have never had to deal with the company, overall they sound very dedicated to their customers though.

I have been playing for just over a year now, and I've done my research with this one. I needed an upgrade from my craptacular Squier Strat I had to learn the basics and fundamentals on. Now that I feel I can warrant a purchase of a new guitar, I was very happy to find out that this Godin was everything I was looking for.

It is relatively inexpensive and very good quality. I checked Ibanez's, Epiphone's and B.C. Rich guitars within, or just above the price range of the Godin, yet the Godin beat them all in terms of playability, sound and overall quality.

If lost or stolen, I'd probably save up for something more expensive, but if push came to shove, I'd definately buy it again.

I'm extremely happy with my Freeway Classic!