Godin LG SP90

I agree 100% with 2 previous people. Don't feel like wasting time.
Beautiful guitar. I love it!!

I love the sound from these seymour Duncan sp-90 pups. High output!
Mountain- Mississippi Queen. Jethro Tull- Aqualung. Early Carlos Santana- Black Magic Woman, Soul Sacrifice, Oye Como Va, Get Ready.
This Godin nails this sound perfectly in my humble opinion.
These pups are Seymour Duncan SP90-3 Custom Soapbar pups. The website says each pup has 2 large ceramic magnets for x-tra output. They do scream, that's way I lowered mine to 1/4" below strings.

Dito the previous 2 reviews. Rock solid.

Dito previous 2 reviews. It's not a lightwieght and it's not a lard. It has a nice heft to it. I like that. Feels solid.

Had the guitar for 6 mos. No problems. No dealings with the company.
I completely trust Chris and Bruce at Mainely Music. In the past 6 yrs. or so I've gone to them for ALL my musical needs and these guys are A-1!! I would go to them before contacting any of the guitar companys.

What was said in the 2 previous reviews says it all for me. I agree 100%! Wonderful guitar all the way around. I have a Gibson LP Classic, 1996 Fender 50th Anniv. Strat Plus with lace sensor pups and a Carvin sc90. This Godin has it's own particular sound and yet sounds like the Fender and the Gibson in some aspects.
I set the sp90's at 1/4 inch below strings. The Duncan website recommends 3/32. That setting screams too much for me. I'm VERY pleased with this guitar. If anything was to happen to it I would definitely get another one. I purchased it new. It cost $559.00 with natural satin gloss. I also ordered a hard shell case for $59.95. The case is VERY well built and worth the 60 bucks. It looks very similar to the case that comes with Gibson guitars. Been playing 38 yrs. Not in a band, don't want to be. Just love playing on my own. Love good quality anything. Love the Blues and Rock.

This Godin LG P90 is'nt mine, I borrowe it just to see what a huitar with P90's is all about. And I really enjoyed it, but I'll get to that later. It has this satin red tranparent finnish on it and has sort LP meets strat meet tele body to it with a 24 fret bolt-on neck. It has a set of schaller tuners and 2 Seymour Duncan SP90 pickups in it along with a volume and tone control. It also sports a nice schaller tune-o-matic bridge and a string through body design that looks really cool and I thinks really helps with the sustain. It was made in Canada and the US and comes with probably the sweetest gig bag I have ever see, trust me I hate gig bags.

For anyone looking to play anything but country I think you will be pleasently surprised. These pickups are very high output and have alot of balls, but not too much, even though they are single coils. It has the same output as my strat but a more powerful and full sound. I ran it through a traynor ycv40 combo(clean channel) and a marshall jcm800 combo(dirty channel). I was very impressed with the versatility of these pickups for any and all styles of rock and the blues but there was a little noise, you know that 60 cycle hum from single coils, but no more then my strat or my tele. The bridge pickup is not as brite as a regular single coil, actually it was alot warmer and had alot more balls and the neck pickup absolutely sings. It is so warm and beautiful that I think it actually outperforms strats, teles and LPs, for what I use it for. Also, for a single coil guitar with a bolt on neck the sustain is just as good, if not better, then my Les Paul which I thik comes back to the bridge. It is a schaller tune-o-matic with a string though design. But unlike a tele string through design it has a string block and it is made of brass so I think that really boosts the sustain, plus the neck is in a very deep and tight pocket. All in all this guitar is very deceiving, you think alot less of this guitar before you try it. As for the 60 cycle hum, like I said it is no more then my strat or tele, once you start playing (clean or overdirve) its gone and when you are not playing it is'nt that bad. If you really cant handle it when you are not playing just stick the pickup selector switch in the center position.

The action is great for lead and rhythym. The guitar body is very comfortable, very comfortable and the finnish is beautiful, no flaws what so ever. The only thing I can think of is it has a Gibson-esque type neck, its a little big and hefty for guys with little hands, but if you are experienced enough you can get around that without any diffuculty. Trust me I have small hands.

This guitar seems to be strong as they come. Mahogany neck and body, come on, tough as nails. I think you could totally depend on it to get you through whatever you need to do, as long as it is not country. Hardware is all of fine quality, nothing rattles and nothing has fallen apart.

I dont own this guitar, I borrowed it.

Look, if you need a unique sound you cant get from a strat, tele or LP this is it. If you need a good backup for a strat and an LP this is it. And if you just want a good all around guitar that'll get you through what you need to do this is it. Me personaly, I am the type of guy that buys a guitar for a purpose, and by that I mean if I buy a Tele I want it for a sparkilg clean and a chunky dirty sound if I buy a Les Paul its so I can rock hard, no questions asked. I presently own a Gibson Swamp Ash Studio Les Paul, a Fender American Standard Strat and a Fender Highway One Tele and soon enough something with P90's will be in my arsenal. I am a firm beleiver that if you want a certain sound you have to buy a certain guitar, in essence guitars are purpose built and you can only get out of them what they are desigend to do. I am not a collector, even though I have 5 guitars (not a very big collection), I am a just another guitar player trying to find the right tones. So, in conclusion this guitar actually can be a healthy backup for pretty much any guitar besides a tele (if you need a backup) but it also stands out with its own very distinct tone and once you play it you will realize that ,along with the other guitars I have mentioned, it is purpose built and can serve quite a purpose. Just dont neglect your other guitars, because you will fall in love with this guitar. Personally, I think my search is over for the guitar with the P90's and now I am onto a dot or an ES series guitar. This guitar is a value in every aspect, espescially at $620 CDN, and I highly recommend trying one out for yourself because your opinion is the thing that matters the most when it cmes to your tone and because P90's are'nt for everyone. Awesome guitar, cheers Godin.

2006 22-fret, mohogany body/neck, rosewood fretboard, 3-on-a-side headstock. Kind of a Tele/Paul hybrid with Duncan P-90s. Trans red high-gloss finish. Canadian/US joint effort. Came with a very nice gig bag. I guess when I look at a guitar's "features," I don't necessarily consider more to be better. This is not one of those guitars you have to "get used to"; it's a simple, straightforward electric guitar that will feel immediately familiar to almost anyone.

If you like P 90s, you will like the way this guitar sounds. I'd even venture to say that these P-90s are better than most, except perhaps for some hand-wound Lindy Fralin boutique numbers. They have tons of volume, lots of grit, but are quite capable of nice sparkling cleans. A little hummy like any single-coil, but the tone more than compensates. Classic rock never sounded so authentic.

Nice finish, well-adjusted neck, good action. Frets are perfect. I tweaked the truss rod a little, but ended up going back to the factory spec. Mine came with 9s even though it's spec'd with 10s. With the 10s, a little relief in the neck and a slightly lowered bridge, it feels great. The neck is "Gibson scale" but sort of "Fender shape," and it plays fast. The neck joins the body on the bass side at about the 15th fret and it's a bolt-on neck, so I was sure that the upper register of the fretboard was going to be tough to access, but it's really no different than a Les Paul or any single-cut body. Nice belly countour on the back. String-through body and a recessed bridge give it a very smooth-feeling top. A very comfortable guitar, but it's really heavy. Tusq nut is cut tight, Gotoh tuners (Godin branded) do the 18:1 trick. No complaints.

Seems about as tough as a Telecaster; can't imagine this having durability problems. With a T-O-M bridge, string-through-body, one vol/one tone knob, and a three-way switch, it's about as idiot-proof as they come.

No clue here.

I love Telecasters and I love Les Paul Juniors/Specials. This truly is the best of both worlds.
been playing for 30 years, and this was a really pleasant surprise. I'd say it's an unbelievable value, given the price, quality and the country of origin.

This is a follow-up to my review of 5/4/06. See below.

(see my earlier review)

After owning it for a couple of weeks, I was cleaning the guitar when I noticed that there was a gap between the fretboard and the neck. Also, the neck has a slightly irregular shape to it -- a small bulge on the treble side right at the top of the neck cavity. I could actually slip a dollar bill in the gap and it went through to at least the middle of the neck and all slide it all the way to the end of the 22nd fret. It was pretty subtle, or I'm sure I would have noticed it at the shop, or else it had gotten worse since I brought it home. Anyway, I was a little disheartened that my brand new guitar that I had already become attached to wasn't right ...

(see "customer support" below)

(see my earlier review)

So... I took it back to the shop where I bought it, they sent it right off to Godin, and three weeks later it's back, with a brand-new neck installed, and set up to the same specs I had it adjusted to when I returned it. Same action, same neck relief, same bridge height.

While I was waiting, I looked probably a dozen other Godins around town, and they all looked fine. So I guess I got the one that slipped past QC, but no worries. Godin took great care of me, very quickly, and to my 100% satisfaction.

I guess the moral of the story is this: while I have had excellent dealings with internet mail order music stores, in this situation it was certainly reassuring to be dealing face-to-face with the guys that sold me the guitar. They were concerned, apologetic, stood behind the product, dealt with the manufacturer quickly and directly, and gave me updates on the status of the warranty claim.

The LG P90 remains my favorite guitar. Buy with confidence, and know that Godin honors their warranty with no hassle and with no questions asked. And support your local shop!

2002 model, but I am not sure. 24 fret bolt on mahogany neck, rosewood board, mahogany body, 2 (fantastic) Seymour Duncan P90s, 3 way selector. I also give it a 10 because it is simple and does what it was made for - good all around rock blues guitar at a low price but sounds and feels like a guitar much more expensive...

I think it produces a pure bitey but rounded tone. It is not to sharp - the sound has body to it. This guitar also has excellent susutain - maybe due to the strings that go into the body. I used it on track 10 on my first CD. If you want to hear it for yourself go to CDbaby.com and look up "First Solo Flight" that's the name of the CD or look up my name, Felix Marin jr. You will be able to hear it on line - it is track number 10 called "Kisser".

Action is really good - it is low and comfortable to hold. The finish is okay - this is probably where the guitar is weakest - it looks good but not great. I guess you can not expect everything for the price...

This guitar is solid - think it will last a hundred years if it is taken care of...

I haven't had to call them - so NA

Overall - I say this guitar rocks - for the price you can not find another solid electric guitar for rock and blues...

2006, made in USA with Canadian parts. 22 frets, mahogany body and bolt-on neck, rosewood fretboard. 2 Seymore Duncan P90s, volume, tone, 3-wat switch. Trans red finish with clearcoat, recessed Tune-o-matic bridge, string-through body. 24 3/4 (Gibson) scale, with meaty but not huge neck, at least compared to my Tele. Came with a very nice gig bag. As many features as I'll ever need. The simple set-up is one reason I liked it.

The Duncan P-90s are smokin'. This thing is a lot like a Les Paul Special/Junior, with its all-mahogany build and the pickups, so it delivers that sort of sound. Clean, the pickups have plenty of sparkle, but never that piercing treble of the Telecaster. Cranked and driven, they are, in my opinion, the best rock & roll pickup ever made. Meaty and crunchy, but with plenty of pick articulation. I can't decide which I like better, the neck or the bridge; both excel in their op=wn ways. As single coils they're a little noisy, but that's a concession I'll gladly make to get this tone. My only criticism is that the tone control does very little in the first 3/4 of its range. It seems that most of the differentiation occurs just before it's all the way down. Maybe the top half of the range is just too subtle for me to hear.

Really top-notch build quality, especially compared to the Les Paul faded double cut P90 I was comparing this to. The transparent red is classic, and it allows thegrain tro really shine through. Nice clearcoat, excellent and clean routing of the recessed bridge, pickup cavities, and string-through slots. Came with strap lock buttons installed. Nut is straight and nicel;y cut. Frets are even and finished on the ends. All I did was tweak the truss a quarter turn to take some of the relief out of it, and it plays like a dream. The neck has a satin finish on it, which I really like better than a full gloss. It feels dry and smooth in my hand. Played with the action a bit, but after getting the neck straight, I returned it to the factory set up. It's about 2/32 on the bass side at the 12th fret, and less than that on the treble side. The neck/body interface is tighter than the lugnuts on a '52 pickup, and the cutaway on the back makes it very comfortable. It's pretty heavy, but I like the solid feel that the weight gives it.

I'd play this guitar without a backup without hesitation. Seems utterly solid and stout. You could fight your way out of a major brawl with this thing!

N/A

Been playing 35 years. I own a Martin and a Guild acoustic, a fretless bass, and until last week, a US Telecaster that this guitar is replacing. I chose this guitar because I wanted the P90 thing, I wanted a US-made guitar, and I wanted to spend less than a grand. That pretty much narrowed it down to Gibson, and the Les Paul DC faded that I played was such an utter embarrassment to the heritage of Gibson that I almost had to laugh. By comparison, the Godin was everything that guitar wanted to be, except it wasn't as butt-ugly and it cost $200 less. The LGP90 is one of those "best kept secrets" that truly defy the expectations one has for sub-$1000 guitars. I honestly can't find any reason why this guitar is as inexpensive as it is. It has name-brand pickups, time-tested materials, USA construction, solid craftsmanship, and tone for days. I feel like I won the lottery.

Bolt on chunky mahogany neck (looks like a 2 piece - not like the 'old' godins, and mahogany body (think i read 3 peice, but i have the black pearl finish so not sure)

Dual Seymour Duncan HIGH OUTPUT P90 pickups - very different to other SD P90s i have bought since (and by FAR the best)

Nice brass tuneomatic bridge, with through body stringing - my favorite.

I would say the only place this guitar (my one) lets itself down, is the tuners arn't all great at holding pitch. I have pretty wild vibrato, but even when i hold back. the 3rd plain string seems to stick in the nut, or the machinehead will not hold. Locking tuners would not come on a guitar with everything else godin provided for the list price.

Godin are the best company IMO for working to a list price, and spending the money in the guitar where it should be spent first.


Oh, and it came with a gig bag, that i would expect to pay at least #40 for in the shops. Well padded, but light colour means it looks dirty now, and not shower proof.

Best sounding guitar i own of its type. I loved it so much, i bought a maple capped chambered washburn custom shop loaded with duncan p90s. Obviously we would all think it would be a better guitar right?

Wrong.

Although the washburn rings out louder acoustically (due to the hollow sections) amped up, the godin has a much more focused sound. Much rounder and earthier. WAY more aggressive in the bridge - my fave rock tone from any guitar out of my dozen or so. Silky smooth, great reaching upper harmonics at the neck pickup.

Part of this is to do with it being all mahogany, and without the hollow sections and maple cap, but a chunk is due to the different winding of these pups (wish i could buy another set but they were made specially for godin so i am led to believe)

In comparison, the similarly specced washburn sounds sloppy when my picking gets up to speed, useless in the bridge, and just not as nice in the neck.

It truly deserves a ten. The only other guitars i now use for tonal variations are an (IMO) even better playing Godin Radiator and EMG SA loaded fender jap strat. The rest seem pretty redundant at the moment, although i am hoping to change that.


Slight consideration - p90s are noisier (background noise - humming)than the equivelant humbucker, and pick up more interference (pc and tv). Not as much as people might want you to think, but certainly noticeable.

Came set up pretty well out of the box. Intonation spot on, set for d'addario EXL 9s. Action a little higher than i would have set, but this took me all of 5 minutes to correct.

The black paint was absolutely flawless, and looks stunning.

The clay dot markers were a bit scruffy, but i want a guitar to play, not to stand up to close cosmetic scruteny.

Main thing i want - and godin excell in; Setting a neck into a body with a bit of care and attention. Really nice tight fit into the neck pocket, well angled. Frets all even, and nicely finished off at the edges. Thats the main thing I want fit and finish wise.

GReat little rosewood truss rod cover - nice touch godin.

totally reliable, as every fixed bridge guitar i have ever owned is. The black coating on the brass looks as it did on day 1 (a year later). The paint looks similarly excellent.

This is a heavy guitar, which could stand a real beating if you wanted to give it one. I think i like it so much, i treat it with a bit of respect - i love it.

local shop said my one tuner was not deffective (i think it is) but that should have been a problem sorted at the dealer, and i don't blame the company for the issue - it only arises after a few weeks of playing.

In an email to the company (about a non related inquiry), i got a kind reply less than 48 hours later from i think possibly from a Godin family member. They couldnt help me with my problem (uni project) but i wasn't holding out much hope and they were very nice about it.

i bought this at WAY under list price, because i loved my old godin radiator so much. That guitar was at the time the cheapest godin made, and this one, IMO is the top of the performance series in terms of features.

Its not way better than the radiator in my hands or through my amp, but it is very different and more useable for heavier rock tones. So just different - probably more versatile to be honest (more than any guitar i have ever owned)

Its the guitar that sits closest to my amp (laney vc50 combo) and is the one i reach for 95% of the time, even though i have alot of good guitars to choose from.

I would easily (if i could afford it) shell out #450 -500 for this kind of guitar, new in a shop enviroment. Your only comparible type guitars are the PRS soapbar SE and some of the p90 tokai's. They cost this much, and i don't think they are anywhere near as good a package.

absolute 10

Simple- tone, volume for electronics, solid mahogany body w/ mohagany neck. Seymour Duncan P90's. This particular guitar was extremly lightweight compared to all the other solid mahogany guitars on the floor and what I've tried elsewhere(Godin or Gibson). Lot's of resonance.

I'm basically an blues/r&b/rock/whatever pays at the gig player.This is a versatile well put together instrument w/ monster P-90 tone. I'm running this axe through a 1980 Mesa MKII w/ Weber 12" ceramic blue dog & THD Yellowjacket EL84 converters and I'm using a Teese wah and sometimes an overdrive pedal. Lot's of sustain from the guitar.As much variety as you can muster from a two pup guitar. Much better than the way over-priced LP Special reissue.

Right off the floor this guitar was set up very well. Proper action w/ no buzzing. Clean fret work and smooth feeling neck.

Solid feeling and playing guitar. I've played this guitar on quite a few gigs w/ a backup Strat hanging on the stand all night. 'Nuff said.

Never dealt with them.

I was a professional player up until 1990, and now(day gig)semi professional(week-end gigs, but calendar pretty booked) I've been playing for 40+ years(yikes!).

Well described already - 2003 model, 24 fret bolt on mahogany neck, rosewood board, mahogany body, Shaller straplocks, 2 (fantastic) Seymour Duncan P90s, one tone, one volume, 3 way selector. Came with a neat Godin gig bag. Giving it a 10, not because it has tons of features but because it has all you need!

Over the years I have had dozens of guitars and have always been a bit of a guitar snob - if it wasn't Gibson or Fender then it wasn't worth a damn. This is the first time that I have bought a guitar on the recommendation of a review (several actually!). Through my little Line 6 practice amp at home and my Hughes and Kettner 100w combo for gigs and general noisemaking, the LG delivers. One of the sweetest sounding instruments I have ever played. So much so that I thought I'd post this review - the first time I have been moved to do so. I guarantee anyone trying out one of these will be blown away by the sound and the feel. Really good for bluesy stuff and 70's rock. More controllable than a Les Paul (not muddy sounding the way LPs can get on the neck pickup) and more beefy than a Strat or a Tele. Obviously when cranked up, the P90s are a bit noisy as they are single coils, but it is no worse than a Strat.

Bought it new (well I think that it had been hanging on the wall of the guitar store for a couple of years) and apart from a slight tweak to the truss rod, it was perfect. Nice low action. The fit and finish are really good and worthy of guitars costing much, much more. In the last 12 months I have had 4 Gibsons (an SG Standard, Les Paul Classic, Les Paul Custom and Firebird V - everything bar the custom has gone to a better home) and can say that none of them matched the LG for quality. I reckon the neck on the LG is among the best I have played - Gibson-like feel but none of the 'sticky lacquer' problems that afflicted the LP Classic and Firebird especially - at least in my hands.

Looks like it will last and, more importantly, looks like one that I will keep!

Never had to deal with them though from all I have read about them they seem to be very customer-friendly.

Been playing 27 years. Presently have a Les Paul Custom, Fender Strat US 62 reissue, G&L Legacy, Fender Telecaster Plus, Tokai Telcaster and a Taylor 422 acoustic. Have owned many, many more!!! Got to say that the two cheapest electrics that I have (the Godin and the Tokai) are among the best!
If it were stolen I would definitely buy another - especially if I could pick it up for what I paid for this one. Godin are criminally underrated here in the UK and deserve more success - at least this means that you may be able to get one well discounted. So before you blindly go and buy that LP Studio or Strat, check one of these out. You won't regret it.

I don't understand a couple of low marks for features. For a guitar in this price range and style is has a lot of unique features. The recessed (for lack of the right term) bridge seems to really add to the action, sustain and tone. The mahogony neck and it's finish is beautiful. As is the fretboard.

I personally think they should have added individual tone and volume knobs for each pickup (for of like the Squire Custom II), but other similar guitar from other companies have pretty much the same setup so I can't really label it as a 'missing feature'.

The only thing I dislike is it's a very heavy guitar. It's heavier then my 81 Dean Elite which I thought was impossible. But all of this also lends to the sound.

I was looking for a P-90 equipped guitar and I had actually never even heard of this model of Godin. I tried it out along with a PRS Soapbar, an Epiphone, and a Squire Custom II. This guitar had similar tones, but the quality of the construction was miles above the other models tried. The comination of woods and design features gave it a bit of a unique sound as well.

I learned shopping for P-90 guitars for my first time that P-90's are noisey. Espcially with gain. But nothing sounds quite as cool to my ears. And the P-90's in this guitar are quality Seymore Duncans.

You are looking for a specific tone buying a guitar like this, so if you dislike the tone, then you bought the wrong guitar in the first place.

My experience from other reviewers differs regarding setup. Mine was set up beautifully right off the floor. The action is perfect. As mentioned several times the construction is top notch and I have not seen a flaw in the neck or body. I have picked up guitars 'out of the box' that cost way more money and have been set up horribly straight from the factory.

Again, oustanding construction quality. Time will tell how the electronics hold up, but right now everything seems great with the guitar. It comes with quality strap locks, so that is not a concern. The finish is beautiful and seems very durable. The only thing I could see going wrong with the guitar is the electronics but again only time will tell with that.

No experience yet.

I own a 1981 Dean E'Lite Deluxe, a Japanese Fender 52 RI Tele, a MIM Strat (92) and I play them all through a Traynor YVC50. I obviously have the guitars to cover a wide variety of styles, but there is nothing that sounds like P-90's and that is how I found this guitar.

It has an incredible feature set, and amazing construction quality for a guitar in this price range.

it's hard to compare it to other guitars because again is has a pretty unique design. Tone wise it can be compared to other solid body P-90 equipped guitar.

Overall I think the guitar falls into the 'hidden gem' category. Right along with another Canadian manufacturer, Traynor (Yorkville sound). Go Canada.