Godin LG SP90

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The pick-ups make this guitar .. gen-you-wine Seymour Duncans. Actually, when you add up the cost of the pick-ups, the rather awesome gig-bag this guitar comes in and little things like the locking strap buttons, this guitar is a bargain.

Anyhoo, sounds great .. quite mid-rangey and VERY loud. The pick-ups are a little noisy but they are single coils after all. I bought this as a back-up to my PRS guitars .. this is a very different sounding guitar but it definitely holds it's own.

Play it through a mildy overdriven tube amp and this guitar gives superb blues tones. Try it through a Boogie on full tilt and it sounds wonderful .. just keep an eye on the noise when you're not playing.

This gets an 7. My PRS Singlecut Artist only got a 9 .. and that's the finest guitar I have ever played. Is it just me or do the majority of people put 10 for this category, even when they are patently reviewing an average, or even down-right poor guitar? I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions but ... The day a true 10 guitar is built I will sell my house, buy THAT guitar and go live on an island somewhere. So there!

Had to replace the volume pot on day two, the tone pot now needs doing as well, the pick-ups were too high and snagged on the strings, the action was too low and was fretting out anywhere past the twelfth fret .. in short, assembled by a drunk Gibbon working it's notice.

None of this is a disaster and all points were or are about to be rectified simply, but should you have to, even on a relatively cheap guitar like this?

See above ... it is well built with very little to go wrong once the initial problems are sorted. It is a back-up guitar anyway so not too worried about taking it to gigs.

But hey, when all's said and done, at least it's not a G*bson!!!

Sent an e-mail r.e the problems above, got a reply within 24 hours. Not too shabby. PRS take a month...

I think this a reasonable guitar for a reasonable amount of money. It sounds like it cost more and it plays like it cost more, which is all that really matters at the end of the day.

The gig-bag is fantastic, the pick-ups are wonderfull, the construction isn't too bad for a fairly low cost guitar. Definitely a better bet than the equivalent from G*bson.

This is a 2001/2002 model..2 P90s three way switch..body somewhere between a Tele and a LP. Much lighter than a LP. Mahogany body. Great finish

Seymour Duncan P90s swapped out for 2 Fralins..Tonepros bridge added, sperzel lockers.

Awesome

Action on this guitar is as fast as my 77 LP Custom, has flat substantial neck profile which take about an hour to get used to..then..wow.

I bought this used and needed some adjustments.

Fit and finish is extraordinarily nice

Very well built and should withstand reasonable misuse and abuse. Already put a decent dent in it that would break the finish on most guitars but not this one.

I never gig without a backup..does any sane person do that?

I've been playing since 1964 and have owned plenty of "great" guitars in that time. This is as good as any of them and better than most. I'm sure the changes made a difference and I would recommend them to anyone with this specific guitar, it sounds and plays amazing. If it was stolen I would recover it during the funeral.

Bought new last week, I believe that this is a 2003 model LG-SP90 as it's in a fantastic dark-gold metallic colour, that is no longer part of the current Godin LG line-up. It's made from Canadian parts and assembled in USA.
Solid mahogany body, with beautiful mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. 24 3/4 scale.
Simple controls - volume pot, tone pot, and 3-way pick-up selector. Pickups are two Seymour Duncan P90s (fantastic sound!)
Machineheads of Godin's own (and good enough) non-locking variety.
Schaller Tune-O-matic bridge with strings through body configuration.
Guitar came with high-quality, multi-pocketed and well-padded Godin gig bag. In summary, an incredibly well made axe for the money. The PUPs would probably have cost me more than #150 to buy on their own!

I'm a relative novice, having only started learning to play around one year ago. However, I'm exposed to a lot of guitars and associated kit, as I sing with a semi-pro rock covers band. I play a range of music from blues to classic rock and rock"n"roll, and the LG suits well enough. I also have another Godin Guitar - the SD, with SSH pickup configuration. The SD is a great guitar for the money ( I only paid #225 for it) however the Seymour Duncans on this LG really rock. The clean sound is fantastically smooth (and loud if you want it), and the dirty sound, whilst not as raucous as the humbucker on the SD, is very special. It's a great blues / rock-blues machine!

The guitar seems to have been very well set-up. Not sure if this took place at the factoryl or if the boys at GuitarStore in Southampton did it. Either way, no complaints. PUPs seem to be adjusted OK, although I'm no expert.
All in all the finish on the guitar is superb for the money. Everything fits as it should. One small flaw however, is a bit of missing lacquer (about 1cm long) off the top edge of the fretboard by the nut. All the hardware is of good-quality, and is robust. The ergonomics on this axe are great, with recessed bridge and pick-ups, there's nothing to get in the way of axe-antics.

Having used my Godin SD for more than a year, and seeing taking into consideration the high quality of the hardware and general build of this guitar, I see no reason to worry about using this axe live. The Schaller locking strap buttons are a great inclusion on all Godin guitars. The finish on this guitar (in common with my other) is very good, and seems like it will stand the test of time well.
GOOD WORK FRENCH-CANADIAN GUITAR DUDES! VIVE LA GODIN!

Not really had to deal with Godin. Although I did send them an email when I was trying to source a hard-case for my SD - they responded within a couple of days.

The shop where I bought the LG is long-established, and fairly local to me, so I envisage no problems. They offered to do another set-up on the guitar for free if I ever needed it. The dealer is also offering a one year warranty.

Was originally looking for a dual HMB guitar, and was considering buying an MIJ Tokai Les Paul. Saw this in the shop, tried it out and fell in love with it's build-quality, sound and simplicity. It looks great, sounds great, and should last for many years. I was very, very happy with my first Godin (the SD), and am even happier with this one. I got the guitar for almost half list price. But even at full price, the GODIN axes represent stunning value for money. If you're looking to spend #500 or less on a guitar, buy a Godin. If you're considering spending more on a Gibbo LP Studio or Melody Maker or whatever, you should also consider a GODIN and save yourself some cash.

This is an earlier model, maybe around 2000?

This guitar was the result of my first craving for a p-90 guitar, so this is my first experience, but I'll tell you this - the craving is satisfied! This thing sounds incredible. I plug into my little Princeton/Deluxe Rev clone and crank up the volume and just play for hours! Lotsa distortion sounds I never could achieve are easy as pie with this guitar.
I thought the guitar was a muddy dog when I first got it, but changed out the 250k volume pot to 500k (the tone pot was already 500k - factory or mod??). That change was an excellent move.

Bought this guitar used, so my rating is what I see plus what I think it was originally.
We got off to a rough start, this guitar and me. I bought it second-hand on ebay. Paid the "Buy-it-Now" price after the seller assured me the frets and action were good.
Got the guitar and three frets were popped, the strings were 11s and the action was set to nearly a half inch above the fret board to keep it from buzzing. I was upset. I don't believe this is typical for these guitars. The guy probably stored it next to a heater vent or something. Anyway, Phil Jacoby in Baltimore replaced or reseated the popped frets and did a level and polish and new nut and the guitar played great.
Only problem was that it refused to stay in tune.
I figured that the strings coming through the body as they do, actually cutting into the body wood, might be the reason the guitar couldn't handle my string bends.
I wanted to sell it, but I'm the honest type and if I told folks it wouldn't stay in tune I would have lost my butt on the sale.
I have plenty of guitars, so I mostly ignored this one for about a year. A couple of months ago I got a craving for that sound again and pulled out the Godin. It was impossible for me to wail on it because of the tuning problem and was driving me crazy, so I e-mailed Godin's tech support and a fella named Michel promptly responded, suggesting that I install some good locking tuners. Thank you, Michel. A set of Sperzels was all it needed.
One problem (?) I see is that a couple of the strings roll over the frame of the tune-a-matic bridge before getting to the bridge saddles. It doesn't seem to hurt anything, but it doesn't seem quite right. I'm thinking of trying to find some of the taller type saddles to put in there. But can I find them in black? I dunno.

This is a well built axe. This isn't the kind of guitar (IMHO) that one plays an entire gig with (unless you're maybe a Who tribute band), but I'm sure it's reliable enough to use without a backup.

See the Action, Fit & Finish section above. No BS to try and protect the company reputation - just told me to get new tuning machines.

Been playing too many years and have five distinctly different and excellent guitars (including this Godin). Of all my guitars, this one gets the most comments on its good looks (the black semi-hollow Ibanez Talman is second place).
With the new pots, fretwork and tuning machines, I guess I paid a total of around $525 for this guitar (case included). This is more guitar than $525 - I feel like I stole it at that price!

Made in 2003. Parts from Canada and assembled in USA. 24 frets. 24.75" scale. 3-piece mahogany painted a bright solid gold (lots of red in the gold) color. Two Duncan SP90 pickups, 3-way switch, tune-o-matic bridge with string through design. Styled somewhat like a Les Paul.

Came with hard case with does not exactly fit the guitar shape properly. A little loose on one side and tight on the other.

Godin, why didn't you put gold tuners on this guitar to match the paint? For that matter, why didn't you use gold locking tuners? I installed Schaller mini locking tuners.

The pups are very noisy (nature of the single coil beast) and Godin should have applied at least 3 coats of shielding paint and should have shielded the control cavity cover. Like most guitar manufacturers they cut corners here.

I would have liked a gold colored bridge but that is just personal opinion and I won't knock them for having it black. I would have also liked gold colored knobs to match the paint. I replaced the two knobs with custom abalone topped gold knurled dome buttons.

I am not a fan of painted mahogany but I liked the guitar finish nevertheless. Everyone does love the color.

I LOVE these pups except that they are too damn noisy on high gain settings. I tend to like most Seymour Duncans in general.

I play it through a PODxt, a miced-up 1 watt homebuilt tube amp and Tonelab into a Bose PAS system. I play classic rok and Blues through this guitar. With the mahogany and string through design the sustain and tone on this guitar is awesome. I may experiment with different capacitors and I plan on adding a Tonepros TP6 gold bridge in the future.

I bought from a local dealer and he tweaked the truss rod and action to my settings. I usually like 0.080 on the bass E side at the 12th fret and 0.070 on the treble side.

The main reason I bought this guitar was due to the 24.75" scale and neck profile. It matches my 1968 Univox Les Paul copy almost perfectly. I have small hands and short fingers and it fits me perfectly. The neck is very straight and needs very little relief. The fret work is excellent.

The pups were set way too high from the factory. On the base E side it is almost flush with the body and 1/8" higher on the treble side.

One knob fell off because a set screw was loose.

The neck was sticky most of last Summer due to what I believe to be the nitro curing out. Rather than hit it with 0000 steel wool I just waited for it to cure. It has and this winter it is very smooth.

The nut was cut a hair too tight and was causing tuning squeaking on the G & B strings.

Overall the guitar was very well made for its price range.

Based on the design of this guitar it will last a LONG time. The finish is very durable and adheres well to the mahogany. It will resist chipping.

I've emailed Godin twice and they answered back with answers to my questions with 48 hours.

I've been noodling for about a year with 1 hour/week lessons given by a 40 year pro. I own and play a Warmoth short scale strat, Godin LGX3 and 1968 Univox Les Paul.

If lost or stolen I would probably replace.

Most of the details have been covered earlier. One of the features I think makes a big contribution to the instrument is the string through design with tune-o-matic. The guitar is very resonant and alive. There's not a lot of frills on this guitar, it was designed 100% with function in mind. However, there isn't anything I'd add either. The one thing I would change is to make one of the pickups RW/RP so it'd be humbucking in the two pickup position.

Great, great sound. The bolt on neck, and string-though tailpiece add a bit more snap to the sound than compared to a Les Paul Special. Even though this is the 24 fret model, the neck pickup sounds fine. It should be noted that a regular single cut LP Special doesn't have the neck pickup jammed up against the end of the fingerboard either, so it's pretty much in the same spot.

Stock the sound was pretty good. However, changing the volume and tone pots to 500Kohm awoke the giant. It added some aggressive edge to the sound, made it more rock and roll. It was a bit more laid back jazzy before. Because it needed the mod, I give it a 9.

I'm not ranking this, as mine is a factory second. However, I will note where the flaws are. The nut fit is a little flaky on the sides of the neck, but it's well cut. The slots where the strings come through the body are a bit rough. There's a drip on the gold metalflake paint.

However, the fretwork and setup on this instrument were immaculate. It was set up as good any any guitar I've played.

The guitar is rock solid. I've gigged with it several times. While an inexpensive guitar, nothing was done cheaply.

I had a question about the guitar, and it was answered promptly.

I've been playing acoustic and electric for over two decades. With this guitar and a Strat, I cover 90% of the tones I want...OK, I need a Tele and a Gretsch. If it was stolen or broken (how could I lose it?), I'm pretty sure I'd buy another just like it.

This is an update from my review on 11-22-2002. I just installed the Tone Pros TP6 bridge on my SP90 and it sounds great. Even unplugged you can hear the difference. Very lively - more resonant. And thru my Dr Z Maz38 - Sonic Heaven. With the money you save by buying this guitar over other P90 models (Fender, Gibson) this is an easy addition and costs about 70 bucks.

Yes, the new amp makes a world of difference too, but as I said, you can hear the difference as soon as you play your first chord with the amp on standby.

I emailed Larry Davis at Tone Pros because I was having trouble trying to find the right bridge from the descriptions the site gives. His emails came back within a day, and he even went to the Godin website to verify the style, color and diminsions. Great customer service.

See my review from 11-22-2002, and add a Dr Z Maz 38 and a PRS McCarty.

this is an update to my original review about a year ago (09/29/2003).
you all know the scoop by now. mine is a 2003 24 fret model.
one year later it still has all the features i need. no more no less. it is my "go to" guitar. it never lets me down. a real keeper.
i will not give points because i have allready done that.

suits me to a T.
still using the same dg100 and midiwizard.
lots of variety. amazing tone and versatility.
wow. love it.

good setup, my local dealer does thier own setups so i can't say anything about Godin there, other than they know how to build a great instrument.

as reliable as hell. lasting great. i have noticed that my hands have polished the satin finish in places to a shine. i may get a buffer out and polish the whole guitar up to give it a gloss finish.

the company is great to deal with. my lg was missing a truss rod cover. the store gave me a deal. i emailed Godin and asked if they sold the cover separate, they asked for my address and sent me a new one for free. it is made of rosewood, screw included. they always respond to my emails and i have tons fo faith in them. bravo Godin.

playing for 20 plus years.
yes , will you adopt me?
if it were stolen i would buy another for sure.
i love everthing about it, dislike nothing.
i compared it to many guitars and there is always something lacking in the others. this guitar is my voice now. i chose this because it is 100% guitar and 0% marketing crap.
i wish it had the locking tuners off the solidac, mainly for string changing ease.
i would like to share my praise of the Godin guitar line and how freaking awesome p90 pickups are. do try a p90 guitar people! this pickup setup is fantastic.
one more thing, i have owned way too many guitars and it is a joke (to my friends) how often i trade the latest and newest guitars for another one. this has gone on for a long time. i have always searched for a guitar that could be THE guitar that i would use above all others. i don't want one of everthing. i just want one awesome, playable, versatile and tonefull guitar. i pretty well gave up on that ever happening.. until i played my LG sp90. i can now say i have a guitar that will never leave my possesion.
and the fact that it didn't cost me tons of money from a custom shop is the most incredible thing of all.
well over a year and still "honeymooning" with the LG.

2003 Godin LG SP90, Seymour Duncan Pickups, 3 way switch, 2 knob.....the basics

mahogony, mahogny and rosewood fretboad

24 frets....

wicked sound

i can't believe that this guitar only cost me $400CDN...as every other review has said, and I believe it too this guitar sings...can get dirty and has a really nice clean sound....pure as hell...not as heavy as my last guitar with two humbuckers...but nontheless can get quite heavy

this is the only complaint....I got one free setup with the purchase and it had to be done right away...the fret buzz out of the factory was absolutely terrible....i couldn't believe that...

after the setup though it's wicked...still a little bit of normal buzz but other wise great...the neck and body are seamless...other wise great

haven't noticed anything to not give it full marks...i tend to always break strings and haven't broke one yet....almost a month of solid playing too....eveything seems solid

n/a

2003 model LG P90, with the Black Pearl finish. (I also have had one with the translucent red). Its a solid guitar all the way through, and has a very simple setup of a 3 way switch, master volume, master tone. The pickups are P90's from Seymour Duncan.

The body and neck are made from solid Mahogany, while the fretboard is rosewood. The frets are of standard size, and the neck is bolted. The tuners are Godin's own (as far as I know) and the nut appears to be made of bone.

One thing that I have not seen too many people mention is the fact that this guitar comes equiped with locking strap ends. Sure you don't get the strap screws, but any Schaller lock strap screws will lock onto this guitar with ease! (The same locks on the Fender Deluxe series) A very cool addition!

The truss rod adjustment is also placed behind a cover in the headstock (re: gibson). While this makes adjustments and setup much easier, it does pose one problem: a weaker neck design. One good hit, fall, or what have you and that headstock will pop right off (it's happened to one of my SG's, and a friends LGP90 so I now take more care) This is where the strap locks can save your ass.

The bridge is a recesed into the body and is a tune-o-matic style (perferd by myself) while the body is strung through, giving the guitar beautiful attack and sustain!

Finally, the included 'deluxe' gig bag destroys any other gig bag (Besides the warwick rock bags), and seeing as how your getting a $200 bag for pretty much free...who can comlain! (the bag has almost as many features and pockets as a backpack, and includes a nice neck brace/pillow)

I'm used to playing a variety of Epiphone/Gibson SG's, as well as Fender Telecaster Custom (H/H), and my main guitar an 1999 Epiphone ES-335 (outfited with Gibson Electronics and grover hardware) so I'm used to fatter tone from the humbuckers. I have tried many single coil equiped guitars, from the SG Pete Townsend model, to Telecasters, and to strats. Personally I dislike strats so that battle was lost quickly, the telecasters were too twangy, and I personally think they are just drop dead ugly. The Pete Townsend SG just was way too noisy, and didn't have the single coil agressiveness I wanted (it almost had a humbucker growl.)

A friend of mine plays a p90 LG so I decided to try one out for myself.

Pluged into a Mesa Boogie Dual Rec with a 212 cab loaded with G12 Century Celestions, the guitar had a very agressive tone, that made the notes just jump off my figners! The bridge pickup was perfect for some hard rock lead lines with the tone turned up, and with the tone down it provided great chord work. The neck pickup proved equaly versatile by giving off smooth, surypy tones that just brought the guitar alive. I have never been more impressed with a guitar worth $600.

I then plugged into my old Fender 80's redknob twin, and was just floored at how well this guitar sounds through this monstrosity (the 80' redknobs were known for constant breakdowns).

But the true gold of this guitar is realized when plugged into a Traynor YCV80Q. (how ironic, Godin's partner amp line sounds excelent with a Godin guitar...) This is the reason why Traynor and Godin are the underdogs of the guitar communities. Their affordable, and when paired, nothing sounds finer! The tones were just excelent, there was so much I could do with this guitar, from small volume swells, to searing solos!

The off the shelf setup of this guitar was perfect. The action was lower than any other guitar in the shop, and with not buzz anywhere on the neck. I did my own tweaks for my playing style and custom string gauges (10-42 set, with a wound thrid) and hardly had to play with intonation or the truss rod.

The pickups were in their proper positions, giving equal output.

I checked over the finish, and found no flaws, not even a scratch even though the guitar has been in the store for about six months. Most other guitars that see the shelf that long at least have one belt buckle leave their mark..but none seem to be on this one.

Three months and no problems. It has seen many gigs and has never missed a beat. The finish still shows no sign of wear, and the rest of the guitar seems flawless. Even the rose wood neck is still undented (unlike some of my other guitars.)

If I didn't rely on my 335 for some of my songs, this guitar would always be on my shoulders.

Long & McQuade pretty much offer all the customer support you need (hell as far as I'm concered they are the customer support for Godin). They can get you the answers to your questions quickly, if they don't know it themselves.

My friend once brought his in for a setup and pickup replacement, it was returned to him the next day.

The warrant is great, 1 year, includes all normal wear and tear (minus strings of course!)

After playing for ten years, and owning a dozen guitars. (2 Epiphone SG's modded diffrently, Epiphone ES335 heavily modded, 1 Gibson SG Special, Danelectro U2, Danelectro Hodad, Takamine LTD88, Takamine EG560C, Fender Tele Custom HH model, Vantage Avenger, 2 Godin LGP90, Gibson Les Paul Clasic) I can honestly say that this one goes with me everywhere.

Not only is it one of two of my main guitars, it is also my backup guitar when I'm on the road and space is a premium (otherwise I bring one of my Sg's) There would never be a trade in, and if it got lost or stolen, another one would be aquired quickly.

If there were one thing to change or add, it would be the addition of a phase tap. That or I would put a humbucker in the bridge and put in a 5 way switch. (Bridge-Bridge(taped)-bridge/neck-neck/bridge(tapped)-neck).

Compared to other guitars of this price range (or even double) it just wins! Who ever said Canadians can't craft anything were wrong! This guitar deserves every award it gets!