Godin LGX-SA

A beautiful and subtle cognac burst flame AA top. Excellent fast and wide neck with a nicely balanced body. Comes with a pretty decent gig bag. Made in Canada and, I believe, assembled in the US. Solid controls with 5-way selector, volume, tone, synth, and acoustic pickup controls for blending tones. Neck and bridge Seymour Duncan custom pickups (love 'em).

LGX-SA - what a great tonal palette! I'm thrilled with the variety of tones available with the 'three voice' (electric, acoustic, and syth) concept. This guitar does just what I was hoping in terms of versatility. Tones are rich, resonant, with an almost acoustic depth. No complaints about the sound.

My style of music ranges from classical (I play a lot of nylon string, classical and jazz), to acoustic or electric country, to Pat Metheny-style jazz. After playing so much acoustically for many years getting back into electric seems almost like cheating with effect boxes and such. But the LGX-SA makes me want to explore.

The set-up from the factory including the action was fine. The top is a handsome cognac burst finish and flawless AA grade top. I was tempted by the transparent blue finish, but the cognac is subtle and classy to my eyes. Controls are solid and tight.

I've only had this instrument for about a month, so I've only just begun to investigate the range of tones. But the guitar feels solid, balanced, and well made. I would gig without a backup, though accidents could always happen.

No experience with warranties or Godin service.

I've been playing over forty years. My classical guitar is a Yamaha G 235, my first electric is a Gretsch Anniversary model (about 1964 vintage) and my steel string acoustic is an Alvarez RD 8. Ironically, my classical and steel string are not expensive guitars, but each is a very sweet instrument which deliver beautiful tones and sustain with excellent playability.

I've wanted to get an electric with synth access for some time, and experimented with a Brian Moore 2.13 as an alternative choice. But after much deliberation and hesitation I finally got an opportunity to play the LGX early this summer and was simply blown away. Beyond the tonal palette, the excellent neck playability and overall feel I finally found an electric that I can play smoothly with a hybrid fingerstyle technique. I intend to use a Roland synth for orchestration in studio and live work, as well as to MIDI-input into computer notation software for composition as an alternative to keyboard input.

If this guitar were stolen, I would buy another immediately. Love this baby.

Bought it new in 1998. Way before I even knew what it was. Played it in a store and was reasonably impressed. I likend it to a poor mans PRS and since I was a poor man I bought it. Boy was that a great buy. As far as I have seen they only make one kind of LGX-SA so their is not much difference in the features...except for the pre-Duncan pickup era.

I started using it live immediately, replacing my strat and my Takamine. I stopped lugging multiple guitars around and that was worth its WEIGHT in gold. I started to blend the acoustic sound directly into the main mix with a little reverb and ran the electric through a Fender Hot Rod Delux. It really gave me a great full sound. I played regularly in a dance club in Gainsville and the sound guy told me to get rid of all my crappy effects and just play the guitar through the amp. He said it was the best sounding guitar tone he had ever heard. (not the best sounding player though...)I guess that says something about this guitars possibilities.

I do not use it for 1-2 man acoustic guitar acts becuase it does not give the same feel that a "real" acoustic can but for all other situations I use it exclusivly.

Almost no noise in the pickups (not single coil) so that is great when you play in bars with lots of neon.

I also use the synth with a volume pedal. I like to swell in organ sounds to really build the sound. Since we don't have any keys it really adds a lot to the overall sound of the band. I will play some sax solos and I have almost never had any issues with the tracking.

Action is OK..not the best, not the worst. For the price of the guitar it is perfactly acceptable.

I have giged with this guitar live for 7 years....50 gigs a year...350 gigs and never had a problem with it. That is pretty durable. I keep it in pretty good shape.

I have just started to notice that the strings have cutting into the bridge over the years and that has started to affect the tracking on certain strings. Don't know about spare parts availability.

I have no idea....I do all my own work. I would like to have more documentation.

I have more expensive guitars and less expensive ones. Just bought a Modulus G3 semi-hollow a month ago. It is a dream and blows this guitar away.....but it costs three times as much too. So I guess for the value of what you get this is probably the best guitar I think I have ever owned.

I have a mid- to late-90s model with a transparent red finish on the flamed top. It had gotten the Frankenstein treatment from the previous owner (I bought it on ebay almost 2 years ago now), but aside from the pickups it's now all back to stock. With the combination of splittable humbuckers, piezo, and Roland synth output, there's no way you can't give this guitar a 10 for features.

It had a Duncan JB in the bridge (with the cover removed) and the stock neck pickup when I got it. I found the neck pickup a little lifeless, so I had Torres Engineering put their neck PAF in and put new black covers on both pickups. My sound ratings are based on this setup since I've never tried the original bridge pickup (although I have it if I ever want to drop it in).

The acoustic (not the piezo, the unamplified acoustic sound) of the guitar is pretty 'zingy,' for lack of a better word--pretty lively and bright. If you've ever played a guitar with an ebony fretboard, you'll recognize the distinctive sound it imparts to fretted notes. It's not as pleasing as rosewood to my ear, but that's the tradeoff you have to make for the improved synth tracking ebony gives you.

With the swapped out pickups, the humbuckers are strong without being too high gain. The JB is great for rock stuff, and the Torres PAF has an old school rock vibe. I keep the tone backed off with both pickups to mellow the guitar out a little, with the volume backed off just a hair also.

I'm a big fan of using the middle setting with a two humbucker guitar and using the volumes to create a tone that's nicely mixed, and you don't get that with this guitar. But the 5-way selector really makes up for that omission with the tremendous flexibility it affords you. The two and four positions are not an imitation of a Strat, but for live playing they give you sonically similar sounds that can fit in a mix well--and it's also nice to be able to use the volume drop you get in the 2, 3, and 4 positions to create dynamics without changing the volume pot (although I constantly work the volume and tone pots anyway). The 5-way switch and the humbuckers make for a really flexible rock guitar--that's the style it seems most suited for to me.

I don't use the piezo much. It's nice to have as an option, but it needs a lot of help to sound decent--e.g., an SIB FatDrive and some delay into an acoustic-type amp or preamp. I do use the synth output a lot, though, and the tracking and control setup is very good into my GR33. I'll often leave a soft string-like pad on the GR33 that I can blend at very low levels behind my guitar in a trio setting for added fullness. It's a very nice effect. The guitar is very quiet overall.

I can't rate the original guitar setup, but I'd give my modded Godin a 10 for flexibility in its sounds, and an 8 for the best single tones it provides. If you want just one sound there may be a better guitar for you but for the total package there are few guitars that can compete with the LGX-SA.

Mine had had locking tuners put on that didn't look good at all, and they left exposed holes as well. I had the original tuners put back on, which unfortunately still left visible holes--but that's not Godin's fault. Since there are no F-holes are anything (places that Godin usually doesn't finish well) everything looks good on the guitar--nice finish, pretty tight fit on the neck, etc. The guitar has the goofy 'Godin' and 'LGX' on the headstock that Godin has since refined to a more pleasing font, but it's all good. I don't particularly like the ringless mounting for the pickups, but again, it appears to have been well executed at the factory.

I'm not very fond of the flat 60's Les Paul-style neck--I'd like something chunkier. But for a flat neck it plays well.

The LGX has never missed a beat in the two years I've had it. I had to do a lot of work when I first got it because it had been abused, but since it was fixed up it's been very, very solid for me. I like to have several guitars with me when I play (Strat, Jazz Multiac, Reverend Wolfman with filtertrons) for different styles, but I'm very comfortable taking this as my only humbucker guitar. Aside from breaking a string occasionally, there's nothing that's going to go wrong with it, even with the three outputs.

I've never dealt directly with Godin. They have good info on their website and they had supplied the previous owner with a replacement RMC jack, but that's not enough for me to give a rating here.

I try to grade fairly on H-C. An 8 from me means that I'm very happy with the guitar. If I had to take ONE guitar with me for a gig, it would be this one since it handles so many styles. As I said above, it doesn't do any one thing at the highest level, but it does a lot of things very well. I'd choose this over your average Les Paul any day. I'll probably get an LGXT-SA to replace/supplement it eventually, and I've bought several other Godins--which speaks to the quality of their brand in my eyes.

I've accumulated a ton of gear over the years and have been a semi-pro player for longer than I'd care to admit. If you have any questions about LGX-SAs, feel free to drop me a line and I'll answer it if I can.

1999 Amber burst w/ Tetrads, Piezo, and Synth Access. All the bells and whistles you need if you want everything on one axe --- which is precisely why I bought it. Got it off ebay in near mint condition for $1089. Non-locking tuners (not sure what type), but I feel compelled to comment that this thing really stays in tune and I find no need for locking tuners. It is a non-tremelo model, but I am not a whammy guy anyhow.

I really could not be more pleased. I use a Vai Legacy V212 and I get all that I can ask for from the guitar in this set-up. I wanted both awesome humbucking and single coil tones and it is all there; with the small exception being that it does not give you "true" Strat sound --- close but not the real thing (i also own a Strat and a moded Guild S-300). So, if you're looking for the total Strat experience, buy a Strat. Anything else, this guitar will smoke. The Tetrads are extremely hot (as other users have commented); so I guess I need to add that you're not going to get the jazz guitar sound exactly either. I play pretty much every style; blues, heavy/hard rock, prog, Southern rock, Steve Stevens-flamenco-a-go-go type noodling, etc. I love the this guitar for pure electric applications through my amp.

Piezo: I use a Fender Acoustasonics (the big one) and frankly, my acoustic sounds from the Godin are on par with my Taylor 814 CE and 410 CE through this amp. Again, exactly what I was looking for on this front.

synth: Incredible tracking and great sounds with the GR-33 synth. I am only getting into this (guitar synth playing technique is a whole other world). However, the tracking with this absolutely blows away the G2K pickup on my Strat. I run the synth into the Acoustasonic and will need to explore whether other amp/pa options are even more suitable to gettin even more out of the LGX-SA.

The greatest thing is that you can have all of this capability (to play all three - mags, piezo, and synth - at once or any combination you'd like. A possible downside is having three cables running out of the guitar (it is a bit unwieldy and would definitely impair someone who moves around alot when getting their groove going). However, the 13-pin output does have all three signals running out and I am going to experiment some more on how I might effectively use all the potential through this one cable. I have not noticed any loss of volume with this approach when just running piezo and synth into the Acoustasonic.

There is some volume loss when using the single coil configurations in comparison to pure tetrad humbucking, but nothing I would consider in any way problematic.

Again, beautiful, rich sounds from all outputs on the LGX-SA. I got more than everything that I bargained for with this guitar. One final thing I guess worth mentioning: this guitar has tone man! It just sings and sings!! The beautiful neck is a bolt-on, but I could not ask for more sustain. Play one unplugged and you'll know you have a phenomenal instrument in your hands; but maybe I just lucked out and got one that is special. I firmly believe that certain guitars just have that intangible feel and sound beyond identical models produced in the same shop in the same year. If all LGX-SA's sound as sweet as mine, then Godins are the most under-rated beasts in the guitar world!

Again, bought the guitar on ebay (1st time I've ever done that and I was definitely scared shitless that I would have issues/problems). it is in near mint condition (one small pea-sized mark on the back -- probably from a belt buckle). The action is incredible, the neck is the fastest I have ever played. I have played every guitar imaginable (although not always set up for me personally) and this is the perfect playing guitar for me. This is so subjective; so my advice is play one and see if it works for you. I did A/B this model against the top end Brian Moore (a custom shop deal with all the same capabilities) and I found the Godin to be better for me. Note: did not try it against a Parker. I love the beautiful amber burst finish and the flame maple is fantastic on my guitar. You can find better flame or quilt if that's what you are looking for. I bought the guitar to play freely/expressively and to gig; the guitar will be a workhorse and is not intended by me to be a collectible. the guitar is 6 years old and everything hardware-wise looks like it just came from the factory. No problems with anything and don't expect to have any. 5 Way switch is a bit more sticky than my Strat, but in many ways it gives you more control to hit your selection. Just thought I would mention this. The patch selector switch (for the synth) and the output blending switch work as intended and the functionality is unparalled in my humble opinion.

Have not played out with the guitar yet; presently do not have a gigging band. However, I do play/practice just as I would play out and I believe the guitar will be fine for my needs. I certainly am no Angus Young or Pete Townshend, but I do play hard, push my guitars, and try to "emote" as much as possible while playing (depending on the material of course) --- if not, why play the guitar?? The LGX-SA takes all the hard -strumming and spanking that I throw at it (I don't use a whammy because I don't like to hold back while playing and have a heavy right hand). Finish seems durable (but probably too early to tell). No problems with strap buttons. I feel I can totally depend on this guitar and would definitely gig without a backup.

I have been playing for 30 years. Played mostly my acoustics for the last 14 years and have dedicated myself to re-immerse in to electrics and start gigging again before my 40th birthday (hey, we all have to do our small part to reintroduce a guitar solo with feel back into modern rock music!!! hahaha... maybe I'm too pessimistic in watching MTV these days, but I am so disgusted with what "modern" rock has become - it's all shit and we need more appreciation for what the electric guitar can do to have rock be the art form that it once was --- but I digress...

I would certainly try to replace this guitar if it were lost or stolen. I would put this guitar up against any humbucking electric that I have ever played (again, for my money and my personal taste). I will not sell the Strat (just because I may want that true sound for home recording projects) nor the Guild (because it was my first electric that my parents bought for me when I was 8 years old). However, the LGX-SA is the only electric guitar that I will probably ever play for the rest of my life. Bold statement, yes. But keep in mind that this guitar has everything that I can now ever ask to have. It is the complete palate for my paintings --- not to mention the perfect brush! Hope this helps any of you.

I think mine was made in '99. It is a blue flame color. It also has the symour duncan pickups. I got it with a hardshell case from HC classifieds for $800, I think, and in mint condition.

I play in a Christian rock band and I love the sounds you can get from this guitar. I went out and bought a Roland VGA7 (for using the 13pin output) and couldn't be more pleased. While the two don't do everything just the way I like, together they can get some really authentic sounds. When using the synth output with the VGA7 alone, there does seem to be a little more noise but not too much. The Godin neck is perfect for me, a little thinner than the Strat I previously played. Being able to mix and match the 3 outputs is very cool as I am the lone guitarist in the band I play with. Add a couple of different (very small) delays on each output and you can get a really full sound. I do wish I had my Mesa Tremoverb back though just to see how this thing could make it scream.

The guitar came setup with 10's but I quickly changed to some EB slinky hybrids. The finish is beautiful. I can't say enough about this guitar.

I have owned it for about a year and no problems yet

never spoke with them

I have been playing for about 9 years. I have owned an Ibanez RG570, Fender Am. Roadhouse Strat (replaced all pickups with duncan hotrails), Ampeg AMG-1, Ibanez RGT42, PRS Tremonti SE, G&L Legacy, Godin LGX-SA, and a Takamine F360SSMT. I have owned a Peavey Classic Chorus, Marshall JTM30, Carvin MTS, Mesa Nomad 100, Mesa Tremoverb, Mesa Triaxis/2:90, and a Roland VGA7. (that's all I can remember anyway). The Godin is by far my favorite guitar and suits my style very well. There are others I would still like to try (such as a Parker) but I am very happy and do not plan to sell this guitar. I would recommed it to anyone.

Just a quick update to my initial LGX-SA review. This guitar has been my band rehearsal and stage guitar for about 8 months now. The electronics have been trouble free, and a single 9v battery lasts a very long time despite the fact that I use both the synth and piezo capabilities each time I play this guitar. All of the other hardware has been trouble-free as well, and I?ve come to appreciate the substantial yet comfortable body and overall feel of the guitar. The neck, despite its luxurious and visceral feel, has been a pain in the ass. About half the time when I take the guitar out of the case, every string is tuned either a few cents sharp or flat, and inevitably the problem ends up being that the neck has shifted a bit. It seems like every week I am tweaking the truss rod. I might as well just super-glue the allen wrench into the socket, it spends so much time in there. The mahogany is straight-grained and tight, so I suspect the waivier-grained ebony board might be responsible for the constant fickle behavior of the neck. It seems to be moving around less as of late, so I hope it is finally settling down. Tonally, it sounds great and is an excellent electric guitar in its own right, but it becomes evident that the sound is slightly fundamental when you plug in a guitar with more tonal complexity. I think the combination of the maple top and the ebony board is responsible for this. I would have liked to have a rosewood board instead. The hard case that comes with the guitar is pretty crappy. The center latch on mine is almost impossible to close (I sometimes have to step on it), while one of the other latches doesn?t clamp hard enough and likes to come undone. The hinges and overall feel of the case is cheap. It?s holding up okay, but for a guitar this expensive you would think they could include a bit of a better case. Maybe I got a dud case, but it still would be nice of Godin to include an LP-type case of higher quality. Overall, the LGX-SA is a high-quality, good sounding, professional quality guitar with tons of versatility ? and a few irritating bugs to go with it (at least on mine). It remains my workhorse, and I can still recommend it for those needing synth access. Just hope that you get one with a neck more stable than mine. Peace!

Made in 2001 same shit as others here so far in specs so I'm nmot going into those aspects . But I will tell you how I got it :

Started out on a Saturday morning in Palm Springs southern California , I hit every muisic store and pawn shop - - nada , zippo , niente ! So off to San Bernadino and beyound stopping in Azusa and Pomoma and still nothing that really shook me up till in Pomona I find the LGX-SA in this store and am pissed cause its not the LGXT one I wanted with a whammy ! ! So I said I didn't want it and the owner said " Let me make you an offer " well , I walked out with the LGX-SA and a Roland GR33 !

This sucker is expanding my musical style(s) .

I play a mixed salad of stuff from Pop to Rock , Rock-A-Billy To Blues To Jazz , Standards and other stuff from Hawaiian to Brazilian Portuguese Jazz and then some Cuban Boleros . I am eclectic as all get out :) . With this guitar's multiple voices from acoustic electric to electric , then to synth makes it a a free for all !

Love the Bluesy Santana feel of this guitar and the killer B.B.King touch I can get out of it , and then throw down some serious Rock-N-Roll and or Country Western licks and then do something in a Jazzy mood ! The acoustic electric is not bad over all if have a acoustic guitar effects unit for it , or as I do have a digital delay hooked via my P.A. then its all good . The Rock-N-Roll , Rock-A-Billy , Blues , Jazz and acoustic sounds are truly fantastic .

Sythn tracking is killer . The access of so many sounds out of the GR33 it came with is truly an awesome threat , add another sythn module that plays more than just two voices at one time as in the case of the Roland GR33 and watch keyboard players tremble when you can blend 6 , 8 or more voices at the same time .

I play this guitar through a 60 watt tube amp for the electric Blues , Rock , Jazz & Country Western sounds of the Seymore Duncan pick ups and the acoustic electric & stereo syth sounds through a P.A. mixer that does more than justice to these finer sounds with a 400 watt power stereo amp . I use a digital delay for the acoustic electric sound . The GR33 Roland sythn has fantastic effects for the sythn sounds so I use it for it's own sound modifications . My Cavin 60 watter's reverb make the electric guitar sounds really " vintage " sounding from wet as a surf side wave beach party to classic Rock & Blues reverb sounds of the 60's . This guitar is a one stop type guitar for the really creative and versitile musician - - like myself .

Over all action is good , needs to be lowered formy taste . But , shit howdy from the factoryt at the price I got , I am not complaining .
Super fine quilted maple top looks so dreamy , so hot , so sexy --- somebody stop me ! ! !

Two minor problems :
Guitar pick up cover's plastic was warped . They sent me a new one .
#1 Piezo broke strings a lot , they sent me a new one and a back up ! Not bad !

Its built like a tank ! This baby is in for the duration . The hardware is heavy duty , I like . So far it has shown nothing but top quality in it's looks and workmanship . I thinks this baby is gonna last a long time . I would trust this axe and my Washburn D46SCE and not worry about a back up for either one .

Super , these guys want YOU to sell their products with customer satisfation ! !

They as I mentioned sent the parts needed with out a hitch . Good Warranty back up so far .

I am a professional musician , currently working with Chan Romero ( Mr. Hippy Hippy shake himself ) , I celebrate 50 years of playing music this September the 6th , and will participate in a PBS special that will honor many people , one of which will be Chan Romero , the PBS Special is being taped on the 14th of this September in Los Angeles southern California . I have been blowing harp 50 years on the 6th of this September. I have a reputaion as a pro harmonica player , and now 5.5 years into guitar playing I now making a a new reputaion for myself , Only as a guitar playing son of a bitch at this point in my life ! 5 to 8 hours a day on my guitar I practice and its paying off . You can't practice all day long with out a great action guitar and between my Washburn D46SCE and this Godin LGX-SA I don't fatigue my hand :) I just play my ass off everyday if I can get to ! ! !

I have this guitar under constant watch and have guard dogs around it and myh other axe day and night ! !

I will get a Godin LGXT Next , and maybe another LGX-SA too these guitars kick ass .

I was at a crossroads .

Suddenly a miracle happens one day on OCT. 12 1998 , after 36 years of prayers and I'm in the saddle starting to learn to play guitar at 48 years of age when tiny glass shards finally exit my left ring finger's tip ! Between my Washburn and this Godin LGX-SA I am blowing minds daily , people before only knew me as a killer professional harp ( harp = harmonica ) man and now are seeing the " new side " of me that is going to include ( among other styles too ) world beat music . I am in a cloud of excitement and daily wonderment as I cross into new musical styles and instrument fronteers with my guitar(s) and this synth guitar now . What a feeling to re experience musical discovery at 54 likie a kid once again ! !

I also play trumpet , drums & keyboard besides blow harp ( both chromatic & diatonic types ) and sing too .

Very good, loaded with features. Only thing I can think of is having a single blend knob for the top output like on the LGX.

I dont use the Syth capabilities

This is one sweet sounding guitar. It covers it covers many of the classic tones but yet has a tone all it own. The neck HB is absolutely awesome for lead playing when going through a overdriven tube amp or using a OD pedal (I have a modified TS-9DX and a Barber Direct Drive) the Barber sound brilant! The bridge HB equally awesome for both lead and rhythm playing. Both pickups generate different harmonics on sustained notes particularly the neck PU. In single coil mode it has a certain Strat like sound to it. Also great for rhythm playing.

The piezo sound realistic enough when gigging. The versatility that this guitar offers is outstanding. Since owning this guitar I have only on a couple of occasions felt the need to bring my acoustic along, even then I wasn?t sure if I did it because I felt guilty owning a beautify Martin and not playing it or if the song really needed it.

All that being said there is one shortcoming on this guitar that I have noticed over the years since owning it. The top output on the guitar allows you the option of using either the piezo or the electric pickups or a blend of the two, all you have to do is turn the individual volume knobs to get the sound you are looking for, all electric, all acoustic or a blend. This is a nice capability, as it will allow you to play using only one cable. Unfortunately when using the guitar this way I have discovered that the sound of the electric pickup is muddy. Sometimes by mistake I plug my cable in this output and notice something wrong almost immediately. For now this isn?t a big problem as I use an acoustic amp for the piezo but I can understand how this may be a problem for some set-ups

The neck is a dream to play. I have Strat and accually prefer the neck on the Godin.

I should mention that I spent a lot of time looking at different guitars I really wanted a Gibson or a PRS. In the end the Gibson?s really didn?t compare to the Godin in terms of features or sound quality (I'm talking new here). And I just couldn?t justify the cost of a PRS. The Godin was the clear winner.

Overall very good nice setup and great neck. Everthing fits very nicely. Only complaints are the 5 way switch is a little weak. I need a new one, and the pickups on my guitar are the anodized ones and the finish is coming off and they are impossible to clean, they get something on them and it will not come off. I have tried everything. Godin should have just left chrome or gone black.

See above issue with the switch.

Complained about the pickup and they sent me another, did the exact same thing. But good service

Very good value, much better value than the current line of Gibsons or PRS, you don't get the big name but you get an insturment that is better that a Gibson and every bit as good a a PRS with out the price tag.

I something happend to this guitar I would definitely get another, it just suites my needs and sounds so good.

I visit different guitar shops and play a variety of differnt high end guitars, when I get home and plug in my Godin a simle comes to my face every time knowing I made the right choice.

Peace

2003 Godin LGX-SA. This guitar is loaded. Duncan Jazz/Custom pickup combination, 5-way switching that taps the coils in positions 2 and 4, LR Baggs preamp for the piezo pickup with 3-band EQ and volume, RMC piezo/hexaphonic saddle pickup, RMC Polydrive synth module for Roland 13-pin connectivity, synth volume, split, and patch selector switches, all mahogany with an AA flamed maple top and ebony board, 25.5 inch scale, and locking tuners. If you want more features, you are either delusional or impossible to satisfy.

I use this guitar with a three-channel 100 watt Roland KC keyboard amp, a Vox Tonelab SE, and a Roland GR33 synth. The electric signal goes into the Vox and out to the KC, the synth output goes out to the GR33 and into the KC, and the piezo signal goes directly into the KC. This is my rehearsal and stage rig.

Electric: As good as any other solid body guitar I?ve ever played. The ebony board adds some snap and keeps things fundamental. You lose some of the sweetness and note bloom of a rosewood board on a 24.75 inch scale, but get some added attack and clarity. The maple top is relatively thin and doesn?t seem to overly brighten the tone, which is a good thing. The tapped positions 2 and 4 on the switch actually sound very good, probably the result of the longer scale and ebony board. You get the fat, sweet neck pickup sounds and hot, thick bridge tones from the Gibson camp with some extra attack and stringiness. If I had to compare it to anything, I?d liken it to a PRS Custom 22 with an ebony board, if that makes sense. Overall, the words I would use are balanced and refined.

Piezo ? The RMC pickup/LR Baggs preamp combo is fantastic. For a piezo, it doesn?t get much better. The onboard EQ has a huge range, and the tone is fairly natural and not ?crinkly? or strident once you?ve dialed it in. Like any piezo the key to good tone is in the mids. The use of a parametric mid control or two will yield excellent results, which is what I do at the amp. The dedicated output at the guitar makes this easy without affecting your electric tone. Nice overall.

13-pin synth: The best tracking I have ever experienced, period. The RMC Polydrive system kicks butt. Apparently the reason that the LGX-SA has an ebony board is to improve tracking. It works.

Overall, the sounds are excellent and as good as you are likely to find in any solid body guitar.

Okay, here?s the rub. And it is a big rub. The woods are of excellent quality, the hardware is top flight, the construction is flawless, the neck and frets are beautifully finished, the neck pocket is ultra-tight, the finish is perfect, and the feel and character is great. So here?s the problem: I get the guitar, and the bridge pickup ring is a beveled-style unit that will not allow the proper alignment with the strings, and is causing an unbalanced signal from the bridge pickup coils (it should have come with a non-beveled ring). Hmmm?.the neck pickup has a non-beveled ring and aligns perfectly. So, I go buy a set of non-beveled pickup rings for $4. I begin to unscrew the bridge pickup ring screws, and they are obnoxiously tight. So tight that I?m leaning over the guitar with all my weight just to keep the screwdriver head seated in the screw (yes, I?m using the right tools, I?ve been doing this stuff for years). I can?t believe it ? I can barely turn them. They were either installed in pilot holes that were WAY too small, or installed before the finish had dried completely, locking them in. On the last screw, it is so tight that the screw head twists right off the screw!! #$@#*$$*!!!!!!! There is no way the screw is coming out, even tried Vice Grips, no dice. I cut the screw off at top-level and try to drill it out. Again, no dice. So I have this broken off screw in the top of my new $1200 guitar, since Godin couldn?t be bothered to install them properly. Nice!! Anyway, the pickup ring is off, so I align the new one?and the bridge ring wasn?t a standard size, so the holes don?t match up!! I check the neck pickup ring on the guitar ? standard size, non-beveled! So they used two completely different sized rings on the neck and bridge, making replacement impossible. At this point I?m ready to start pouncing on the guitar, or stick the screwdriver into the dog?s forehead (who is now looking at me as though I?m insane, as I cuss and spit and jump around like Captain Caveman). What did you do, Godin, just rummage through the parts drawer until you found something you could compromise with?? Use standard parts, or at least consistently non-standard ones!! This really marred my initial quality impressions with this guitar. Bad Godin!

To early to tell, but the guitar has top-grade hardware and is robustly constructed. I can?t imagine all have any problems with it, but if I do I?ll report back later (I?ve had the guitar about four months now).

Booo! I?m not sure customer support even exists with this company, at least for Americans. There is no phone number and no email address listed on their web site. Plus, I had to buy mine from Canada since there were none available in the US that I could find at the time, so I can?t take it back to the dealer if I need warranty work. How?s that for customer service?

Great guitar, no complaints aside from the screw/pickup ring ordeal. I?ve been playing for many moons and own several USA Hamers, Boogies, a Rivera, Reverend, etc etc etc. For Godin?s sake, and because it is such a great guitar, I will leave Godin?s dismal customer support out of this overall rating category. I almost bought a Korean Brian Moore 21.13 when I suddenly remembered the LGX-SA. After playin a non-synth model, I knew this was the one. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a synth-access guitar that is a great guitar in its own right as well.

Well described by others. HIghly versatile 3 voice guitar. Duncan pick-ups, ebony fingerboard etc. Mine has a very nice flamed blue finish and a mahogany neck which is not overly finished and is smooth and fast

perhaps the best sounding electric guitar that I have played. certainly as good as any solid body. i play a wide range of styles ranging from jazz to bluegrass and about everything in between. i also enjoy using synth (GR-33, VG-88) and this thing is infinitely better than my GK2A in tracking and tone

guitar came almost perfectly set up. action smooth and fast. no observable finish flaws. it was almost as if they had done a custom job for my preferences of low action etc. my only beef relates to relatively small strap buttons which should have strap locks as standard equip

this thing is a rock, in fact a bit heavy a la a Les Paul but ergonomic. aside for the strap buttons mentioned above I would have no reservations using this guy w/o backup. in fact it would take 3 guitars to serve as backup for this versatile instrument

No idea

i have been playing about 40yr and own or have owned a broad array of guitars including a number of Gibsons, Fenders and others. the LGX-SA stands up to all comers with gusto. as stated above, perhaps the best guitar that i have ever played: feel, tone, versatility. i don't know why i didn't get one of these previously

There isn't a heck of a lot more you can ask for. A Duncan Jazz in the neck, a duncan something in the bridge with Baggs piezos and synth capabilities. It all makes for a lot of knobs and faders. I've actually come to like the 5way pickup selector.
The guitar is all mahogany with a flamed maple top and ebony fretboard. I really like the neck, it's real thin and wide without being like a wizard neck.

I'm really into jazz, from bop jazz to jazz funk to fusion, but I can't deny (or get away) from playing all kinds of rock. I play it through a Line 6 Flextone III, and periodically, namely for church playin', I'll use the piezos through the PA.
The guitar sounds magnificent. The neck humbucker is fat and ballenced and smooth, and the bridge humbucker provides enough output and bite to get nice dirty tones as well as tempered mellow tones. The vollume drops with both pickups selected, and of course when splitting them. The piezos sound good for piezos, for what it's worth. I've never used the synth stuff (I only bought the SA because I found this one cheaper than one without it). This guitar won't get trashy punk tone and will have trouble getting country twang, but aside from that it's a versitile little beast. The only issue is that at times, the bridge humbucker has seemed a bit too harsh compared to the neck, but that's partly due to the fact that it isn't covered (it was taken off at some point) whereas the neck is.

I bought it used from some dude who had the strings actually laying down on the frets. He said he actually played it like that, which is scary, because no notes would actually sound like that.
Aside from the battle scars that the original owner accumulated with it, the finish is awesome. By what can tell, any problems that I've had with it were from the other guy and not the factory. I won't rate this, because it didn't come from the factory.

This guitar had a rocky period for me. It's seen a lot of abuse from it's former owner and then I bought it and 5 days later a kid dropped it and broke the headstock off. I got it fixed by Rob at Rossi Music in Canandaigua new york and it's great now. But like at one point the bridge humbucker was shorting out, so we had to pull the cover off of it. The guitar itself is 8 years old mind you, and I can't really tell what is Godin's fault and what's the guy's fault. But from that point on it's been great. It doesn't lose tuning, the finish is solid, the strap buttons are like they've been set in with cement. I've gigged a lot with it without a backup.

Never dealt with them. Of course, I hear they seldom speak english over there in quebec, so that's probably for the best.

I love this guitar. It's a bit heavy, but I like the weight, and I love the feel of it. Plus the tone I'm getting now is the best I've ever had. I bought this after selling my epi les paul because I hated the neck of it so much, and after playing that the Godin was like a breath of fresh air. I'm not going to sell this until it crumbles into dust.

The 3 main feature of this guitar include:

-Electric guitar tones via 2 Seymour Duncan Custom pickups
-Acoustic guitar tones via the L.R. Baggs transducer saddles with custom Pre-Amp EQ for: Acoustic Volume, Treble, Mid-Range and Bass controls
-AND Synth guitar tones via a synth bridge pick up and a 13 pin output (RolandTM GR-synth pickup).

Other features worth mentioning are:

-Locking tunes...Only on the new models...This was not included in years past...A very good upgrade (A must as far as I'm concerned. It really makes chnaging strings painless...I HATE changing strings, so it's got to be easy.)
-Mahogany neck and Ebony Fingerboard(Simply beautiful)
-Godin's new custom gig bag (It's a little thing, but a great design none the less)

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
-The #1 reason for buying this unit was for it's flexability. I need to be able to play any and all styles at the drop of a hat. Both live and in the studio. And having the ability to switch from electric to acoustic to my synth/GR-33 setup at the flip of a switch is invaluable to me.

What amps and effects are you using it with?
-Electric: DigiTech RP300 (This may change soon...I'm used to using a BOSS GT-6 and this simply can not compare...But that's not the guitars fault)
-Acoustic: BOSS AD-8 (There is NO better acoustic processor and direct box anywhere near this price...NONE)
-Synth: Roland GR-33 (This unit has done more to chnage my approach to my music than any other single piece of equipment...Simply wonderful...Tons of useable tones)
-Amp: Since I need to run a minimum of 3 channels, sometimes 4, I am using the Carvin S400D.

Is it noisy? On what settings?
-Not at all.

Likes and dislikes?
-I really haven't found a thing that I don't like about this guitar. The only thing that's taking me a bit to get used to is the weight. It's about the same weight as a Fender Strat, but I have been playing a Parker Fly Deluxe for a number of years, and I got spoiled with how good the Parker felt after hours of use. But Parker is simply not putting out a guitar with this many features right now, and even if they were it would cost at least twice what I paid ($1,200).

The setup from the factory really surprised me. It was perfect. I haven't had to change anything. I may bring it in just to check the intonation, but other than that, everything is wonderful (lovin; the action).

And the paint job, and it's over all apperiance is beautiful. I've gotten a lot of possative comments.

This is a very sturdy and quality feeling guitar. As good as any HIGHER end Gibson or Fender, and much better than any LOWER end Gibson or Fender.

This has been a big diapointment. I've owned 2 Godin's, and neither came with any kind of manual or customer support number. With this many options it would be nice to see a small manual like my Parkers had to explain all of its options and settings. All of the knobs and switches can take a while to figure out.

And I am VERY disapointed that they do not make themselves available as Parker has done. They currently don't even have a phone number listed on their web site. Very poor. Parker always seemed to welcome my calls, and I always sent my guitar back to the factory for any setups and/or tuneups. It dosen't look like the factory wants to hear from or service any of their customers. I'm really NOT impressed with this. There are a lot of electronics in this baby, and if anything went wrong I would like to send it to them, not some tech off the street.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
-I have been playing for over 20 years and I own a small recording studio.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
-I would buy this guitar again in a second. No questions asked.

What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
-Love: Total flexability. Great tone. Great look and feel. Solid and meticulace construction.
-Hate: Lack of any manual or customer support.
-Favorite features: It's a "Three Voice" system (Electric/Acoustic/Synth)

Did you compare it to other guitars? Which ones?
-I compared it against the Brian Moore's and I would pick the GODIN each time.

Anything else you'd like to share?
Along with the GR-33 this is truly the best tracking guitar I've ever used. This guitar would be worth owning for that feature alone, but along with all of it's other features this guitar has become my #1 instrument for both my live and studio work. I would recomend this guitar to anyone looking for both a good giutar and a flexable unit, because this guitar excels in all departments.

mine is I think a 1999 made in the US in trans blue (amazing finish, must be AAA maple on top) mahogany body and neck and ebony fingerboard. One of the main features is that its a 3 voice guitar, elevtric with 2 seymour duncan humbuckers, a jazz in the neck postion and a special design custom in the bridge position, an LR Baggs piezo under the saddle for acoustic tones with seperate volume and 3 band eq and a roalnd 13 pin synth output for guitar synth along with onboard synth volume and patch change controls. bridge is sort of a tunamatic style, the tuners are schaller minis and the neck has a beautiful radius and shape just right for me. I would say the only thing about the neck is that i like really big frets and these are more or less medium size.

when i got the guitar it was part of an order of 3 instruments (I got a multiac and a seagull acoustic from them as well) and i didnt really even know why I got this one. but once i had it i wasn't going to part with it. this guitar is beautiful to look at and has gorgeous warm tones. not really a metal or high gain kind of axe but for fusion or funk or jazz or pop this is a great guitar. blending in the acoustic sound is truly amazing. one of the first things i did with this guitar was a pre record for the superbowl (a motown tribute). obviously i mostly do session work. it was a remake of dancing machine and theres a solo and for it I split the sound to 2 channels one through a sans amp pedal and the other was the acoustic direct into the console and it was amazing with it panned hard left and hard right. I usually have it out as an all purpose writing and recording guitar in my project studio as its so easy to just switch for the electric to the acoustic sound. i just wish they would have a way of using one stereo cable for getting both sounds seperately instead of being tethered to your guitar by 2 or maybe even 3 different cables to use this guitar for its various sounds. (you can get a mix of acoustic and electric through one of the jacks but it seems as though the electric sound is weak this way.

i would use this guitar for anything but super hi gain.

i got this guitar directly from godin but it wasnt set up all that well. the action was a little high. the fit anf finsh of this guiatr is excellent. the finish is a beautiful trans blue AAA maple top. the 5 way switch is a little noisy and in the single p/u positions this guitar can be a little noisy especially when around computer omitors in the studio.

the guitar is solid and would definitely stand up in regualr live use. the strap buttons are a bit of a problem as they seem a little small and the strap does fall off from time to time. i would use this guitar without a back up. its very solid.

never had to have this guitar repaired but the folks at godin are a real class act.

overall i would give this guitar a 9 there are no perfect guitars but price performance wise you can't do better.

My guitar is a 2002 model, assembled and hand-finished in the USA from woods and parts from Canada. The features are all sufficiently described in the earlier reviews so I won't go into detail. Mine has a beautiful AAA highly figured dark red flame maple top so it costs a few hundred bucks more than the regular model. As this guitar is a 2002 model, the neck is somewhat different from earlier models. It has a little more girth. I believe this has a positive effect on the guitar's overall tone. The neck feels really comfortable, much more comfortable than a Les Paul.

It comes with Seymour Duncan magnetic humbuckers with a 5-way selector, a L.R. Baggs transducer under the saddle with separate acoustic EQ, and a 13-pin Out for Synth access. You can dial in the three voices separately or altogether.

All these great features for this price deserve a 10 rating.

This guitar is ideally suited for jazz, pop, blues and light rock. It is not designed for heavy metal.

When I first got the guitar, I spent a considerable amount of time just playing it unplugged. I was pleasantly surprised at how acoustically loud it was. Unplugged, it is much louder than any other solid body electric guitar that I have played. I believe this is due to the neck being tightly fitted into a very deep neck pocket in the body (Just compare this to a Fender and you'll know what I mean). This ensures very efficient transfer of vibration between the neck and the body. An acoustically responsive guitar is always a good sign as it provides a great foundation for the amplified sound (and I was not wrong - see below). In my humble opinion, many guitars (including some well known "high-end" ones) have very weak acoustic response and have to rely on powerful pickups to make up for the lack of natural tone, producing a very "fake" but loud tone. Not the LGX-SA. It is made to be acoustically responsive because it doubles up as a solid-body acoustic quitar. As a result the electric tone benefits from the rich overtones and harmonics. Sustain is so good that I often have to mute the open strings with my right palm while playing.

I play the guitar through a Fender Super 60 tube amp. The magnetic pickups sound really good. Kudos to Seymour Duncan. I am told that he specially customized the bridge pickup for this model. The 5-way switch gives you a wide variety of useable tones. The bridge SD Custom Custom humbucker is great for strong, fat leads with an edge. Switch that to single coil and it sounds almost as snappy and rude as any Strat. The neck pickup in humbucker mode gives you a really clean, warm, full tone that is perfect for jazz and blues. Dial in a little gain and you'd think you are B.B. King. I use this mode most of the time.

Just the tones from the magnetic pickups alone make this guitar worth the price. But as a bonus, you get a very reasonable piezo-powered acoustic sound as well from the Baggs transducer under the saddle. To really do justice to the acoustic sound, you should plug it into an acoustic amp or to the house PA via a direct box. The great thing about this is that there is zero feedback (unlike conventional acoustic guitars). And with the 13-pin MIDI Synth Access, the sky is the limit when it comes to variety.

What I don't particularly like is the significant drop in volume when switching from humbucker to single-coil mode. But this is usual for most humbuckers, so I won't minus points for this.

I had to straighten the truss rod a bit when the guitar came. The action was a little high, so I lowered it just a tad. I prefer medium low action. Besides these, the neck is perfect. Nothing wrong with the frets and hardware. The flimsy truss rod cover on the headstock is cracked though. I have asked for a replacement.

The pickups were a little too close to the strings, so I lowered them a little.

The 5-way selector is slighly noisy. I plan to fix this soon.

I felt that the strap buttons were a little small so I replaced them with Dunlop strap locks. I feel more secure now when I play it.

The guitar has been with me for 3 months. It is still a little early to judge how durable or reliable it is.

I depend a lot on it because I play both electric and acoustic guitar, mostly live. Now I don't have to switch guitars. So far it has not let me down, except for one occasion when the battery for the acoustic preamp died on me. But that's not the guitar's fault.

I e-mailed both the dealer and Godin with a query and a request for a new truss rod cover (mine is cracked). I never got any reply.

They may well reply a few weeks or months down the road, so I will give them a 4, instead of 1.

I am basically a bass guitar player, although I also play acoustic and electric guitars. I have been playing for more than 20 years. I own a couple of Taylor acoustic guitars, a Fender bass and a Lakland bass. I also dabble in keyboards and have owned quite a number of synthesizers over the years.

I have owned and sold a few electric guitars (including Fenders)in the past. Somehow they did not blow me away. This is the first electric guitar which I feel I would keep forever.

In my search, I tried out the usual suspects including the Fenders, PRS's and Gibson Les Pauls. The Fenders seem to have quality control issues. Maybe 1 out of 10 is a good one. The Les Pauls to me were just overpriced mass production guitars. The heavy weight is also a deterrent. I think people buy them because of sentimental reasons (due to its long history), and also because their guitar heroes play them. To my ears, they don't sound better than the LGX-SA (just louder and more aggressive because of the pickups), yet cost twice as much. In fact, a Les Paul with a AAA flamed maple top like what my Godin has would probably cost at least US$5000. Similarly, the PRS guitars I tried did not sound better than the LGX-SA, yet cost more. It is not that I cannot afford these brand name guitars. I am an attorney by day, and I can go out and buy a couple of Les Pauls and PRS's if I want to. But I believe in getting value for money, and the LGX-SA gives me that and more. The features and sounds I get are almost too good to be true for this price. If it were stolen, I'd get another one without thinking twice. In fact I am thinking of getting the LGXT, a sister model from Godin that comes with a tremelo bar.

The Godin name may not be as well known as Fender and Gibson, but if this Canadian company continues to produce such high quality guitars at sensible prices, it will become a household name before too long.

I am giving this a 9 overall since no guitar is perfect.

The most versatile guitar I ever owned. Mine is with godin Tetrad Pickups, L.R Baggs Piezo Pickup and Synth Acess. Through the Push pull tone Poti you can activate a mid range filter for strat like sounds.

Wonderful clear sounds from the magnetic pickups. Through the 5 way switch and the push pull tone poti ten different sound options just with them.
The synth acess allows a much better tracking than the roland gk2a Pickup at least in my opinion. The Piezo pickup is the best sounding i tried in a solid guitar.

Beatiful guitar with an flamed maple top in amber, that shines wonderful. Perfect to play with just out of the box.

I've already submitted one review of my Godin, but wanted to follow up with a recent experience with it. Played a solo gig at a very fashionable establishment recently using the Godin with a Boomerang sampler and a Roland GR-30 guitar synth. I played my usual chord/melody arrangments of some standards for one set. The Seymour Duncan neck position pickup, along with the L.R. Baggs acoustic bridge pickup sounded excellent in this application. The show stopper, however, was when I recorded the changes to 'On Broadway' with the 'rang' using the neck pickup and then switched to the midi pickup to lay down a bass guitar and acoustic keyboard sound on top of the guitar part. I then traded solos (with myself!) playing guitar, keyboard and jazz organ. Way too cool. The midi pickup on the Godin works MUCH better than the GK2A pickup. What a cool guitar!!!

I thought you guys would like to hear from a keyboard player (who dabbles in guitar). I own a Talor 614 and a Chet Atkins Classical. I wanted to get into an electric guitar, but I wanted versatility. This axe has it. I'm playing thru a Line 6 POD with the piezo output run through a direct box into a PA.

Magnetics sound great. Nice hot output from the SD pickups (my friends tell me it sounds hotter and fatter than a standard Tele or a Parker Fly. The Baggs piezos sound incredible (better than the Fly's Fishman piezo). No noise in either output. I am not using the midi output (since I am a keyboard player), but I have played it in the store before I bought it. It tracks better than anything I have played before (I used to work in Guitar Center).

I had a setup done on it after I bought it to lower the action and adjust the intonation (standard procedure for any axe, in my opinion). Plays great now! Replaced tuners with Grovers (personal taste), replaced strap buttons with Schaler strap-locks (and here was my one and only problem) but the screw on the front strap lock came out about a week later (stripped the hole in the guitar's wood body). I don't know if it was already stripped or if I did it, but the screws were the same diameter. I simply wood glued the screw in place. The screw hole goes all the way thru to the cavity where the battery sits for the Baggs piezos, so I couldn't use a longer screw. Be careful if you replace the strap buttons to avoid this problem.

I am a keyboard player, so this is the only axe coming to a gig. Too early to tell about durability.

No need here.

Been playing guitar for about 10 years. This is the perfect axe for someone looking to buy a single guitar for as much versatility as possible (lead playing, power chords, acoustic work, synth). I don't have the dough to buy a bunch of guitars to cover all these bases (spent too much on keyboards). If you are like me, and want to buy ONE axe and be done with it, this is the one to consider. Almost bought a Parker Fly of a Power Tele, but both have Fishman piezos and the Baggs sounds better to me. The magnetics on the Fly and Tele are thin compared to the Godin (and the Tele is noisy anyway). I know I could replace the pickups, but the final thing was the neck felt better to me on the Godin (again, personal taste). If it were stolen or lost, I might buy the one without the synth pickup (I thought that if I didn't like the guitar, the synth pickup would increase the chances of selling it quicker, but since I know I love it now, I would opt for the cheaper version without midi to replace it).

This is a 2002 LGX w/Synth Access. Godin says...

"The LGX-SA is a three-voice guitar featuring electric and acoustic guitar sounds, plus the infinite possibilities provided by synth access.

Specs
Mahogany neck
Ebony Fingerboard
16" fingerboard radius
25 1/2" Scale
1 11/16" nut width
Mahogany body
Figured Maple Top
Seymour Duncan Custom Humbuckers
5-Way switch
Guitar volume
Tone
Synth volume
Program up/down
3-Way
Magnetic Output
13-pin Synth Output
Acoustic transducer Output
L.R. Baggs transducer saddles with custom Pre-Amp EQ for: Acoustic Volume, Treble, Mid-Range and Bass controls
Colors: CognacBurst, Trans. Dark Red, Trans. Blue"

(www.godinguitars.com/godinlgxsap.htm. )

///////////////

Most istinctive is the multi-voice ability of the guitar. It has three.

The first comes from two Seymour Duncan Humbuckers. The second, which is more acoustic, comes from the L.R. Baggs transducer in the saddle. Finally, it's has a 13 pin synth output which I use to drive a Roland GR33.

I really like the neck a lot, by the way. It's a very moderate profile, and the finish is matte. so it doesn't get sticky.

I use this guitar to play in my band, and we do rock, blues and some jazz. I play through an Evans 150JE, and will occasionally use a tube distortion pedel.

The three voices in this guitar lead to an good variety number of sounds. Obviously the synth access let's you play the guitar as a sax, a choir, an organ... whatever you can program the synth to produce.

You can also mix the outputs from the humbuckers and the Briggs. While the guitar never really sounds acoustic to me (I agree with others on this point), adding the Briggs signal enriches the electric sound, it fattens it without making it boomy or muddy. I like this sound a lot for jazz leads especially, using the very nice Duncan jazz neck pickup. On the other end, combining a more treble Briggs mix (3 way EQ on the Briggs) with the bridge pickup get's you a bright, almost jangling tone.

There is just one tone control that controls the signal from both humbuckers, a departure from the usual "one pickup one tone control" model. I don't mind this, though some others might. I do mind that the tone control seems to have a very narrow sweep. It goes from heavy bass to treble in the first 1/4 turn, and there is very little added variation for the balance of the sweep.

Of course, you can get lost in all the possibilities. There is a learning curve with this guitar. The first time I performed out with it I made some mistakes and got a sound I did not want. I wish that Godin had used different color knobs to distinguish the synth from the electric volume, and had painted a dot on each so I could see how high each was.

I expected this guitar, which I purchased new, to arrive perfect. It didn't. The guitar arrived with a dead tone pot, and the volume pot was noisy. I also note an small area of uneven finish along the edge of the neck, very minor, but not perfect now is it?

Everything else gets fullmarks. Lovely finish. For significantly extra you can get a "highly" flamed top, but this one is just nicely flamed. Fine with me - I don't play the flames.

A rating of six may seem severe here, but the dead tone pot is unforgivable.

I am rough on instruments, I admit it. I will bang a guitar with my fist to get a ringing chord. When I did it to the Godin, the volume cut out, but came right back, I won't do that again I guess.

Everything else seems sturdy enough

Remember the dead tone pot? I got the ax five days before a gig, so I drove it the three hours back to the factory, where they fixed it in 30 seconds.

I've been playing for over 30 years, and own a Heritage jazz box, a Rameriz classical, another Godin... Lots of axes.

I really like the tone of this guitar and the neck. It tracks the synth stuff as well as any other guitar I know, which is to say it does a pretty good job on most things and get's a little strange on a few settings.

I considered a Brian Moore iguitar, but the acoustic sound from that guitar did not compare.
I guess I';d get another if this one was lost or stolen. It solves my synth access propblem, and provides me with a very nice electric.

I've submitted a review earlier, so I will forgo the already mentioned.

Still sounding great I've had more time with it and the only things I find disapointing are

- huge drop off in high end as volume is reduced

- huge jump in volume when switching from single coil mode, position 2 and 4 to Humbucker mode, postion 1 and 5 position 3 is consistent with positions 2 and 4.

- when using the top output, blend of acoustic and electric the tone on the electric is muddy, it just don't have the same bite as the electric only output, it is usefull when blending the two sounds but if you are thinking of using this output as simple way to switch between electric and acoustic sounds I would give it a try before you buy. This is not a big problem for me as I use two amps any way, so I have two cables coming out of my guitar at all times.

I have downgraded my grading here because of these short commings.

In general I still think this guitar is the best sounding best playing guitar for the money. I tried many others but alway came back to the Godin.

See Customer support,

Here is the reason I am submitting another review of this guitar.

First some history,
I had some problems with the acoustic pickup system. The output of each individual string was different, with the G and high E string much to low in output, the dealer changed them and everything is working as it should. Godin was very prompt in sending the new peizo pickups.

When I purchased the guitar I noticed the bridge pickup was looking different than the neck pickup, as a matter of fact the finish was already worn off the cover. At first it didn't bother me to much as I got a great deal on the guitar. But after I had it for a while it started to get to me, why should a brand new guitar look old? I complained at the store where I purchased it and they said it was normal wear. WHAT? after only a couple of months,, you have got to be kidding me... Anyway they said they would contact Godin and see what they said. Well a couple of weeks later they just restated the same saying it was not covered under warranty. Now I thinking did they really contact Godin?

I then took it upon myself to email Godin directly, well I didn't get a response so I though I will have to live with it. This all happened back about 6 months ago. The other day I stumbled on the original email and decided to send it again with a bit more attitude.

I GOT A REPLY WITHIN 30min!!!!!

They replace the pickup with no charge to me and apologized for the inconvenience>

NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!

Thanks Zak!

As I said I still love this guitar, if its not the first one I pickup it is always the one I end with and the one I play the most. It is the most versatile guitar I own.

If you want the vintage strat sound you should look else where, but if you are looking for a great sounding Hybrid this is it. Fat and warm, great neck action and a beautiful instrument to look at.

Well you all know the features from the other reviews. Seymour Duncans, piezo bridge, active and passive electronics, quilted maple top with matching peg head.

This guitar covers everything(except for the lack of a tremolo) I run it through my H&K attax 100 and the MIDI goes into a roland convertor than into a Alessis sound bank QSR i think

Setup needed some work for the MIDI but nothing too difficult. Finish is great, neck is tight and fast. The pick-up selector leaves something to be desired and I have tighted it a couple of times, also it's not something that you can find at the local store to replace.

Plays and sounds great on CD and live, holds up so well that it's the only one I take out these days for gigs. Very, very dependable!

Never tried but thy don't answer emails at al it seems. I'm having a neck built for another guitar and wanted to know the fret size on my Godin. It's been two weeks and they haven't gotten back to me

I've been playing for 12 years, if it was stolen i would probably replace it for the price and quaility it's a great deal. I looked at the Brian Moore model plus some custom guitars and for features this was the best.

I bought this guitar in 1998 in Virginia Beach. Like other Godins', it's Canadian made. It has the Seymore Duncan pickups along with the other pickup systems found on all the LGX-SA models. This guitar has a beautiful black pearl paint job, but I think I would've prefered a more natural finish. It has a mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard, bolt on style. I'm uncertain as to the type wood that the body is made from. It doesn't seem to weigh as much as a Les Paul Standard though it does sustain well. It uses a 'string-thru body over a tune-o-matic style bridge system. So far, I've experienced no problems with it breaking strings. Tuners are excellent and stable. The neck is rather thin with a low radius fret board; very fast and comfortable.

I play alot of contemporary jazz and top 40 style music. I also use it almost exclusively for live gigs. The Seymore Duncan pickup system found on the LGX-SA is nothing short of excellent. What can you say? I can achieve warm jazzy tones or bright courtry sounds. And this guitar can rock. I find the un-modified acoustic pickup sound to be a little too bright for my taste. I'm used to using a real acoustic guitar if I want that sound. But with just a little outboard processing, (eq, a touch of delay and chorus) it is more than acceptable. The advantage of not having to carry another guitar and to be able to change sounds fast in a live situation is great. I've used it with a roland GR-30 and it works fine. The sounds possibilities are of the scale.

The action on this guitar is still as I got it from the store. It was just fine the way it was. The only gripe I've experienced with it in this regard is that some of the fret finishing could have been a little smoother. Mine does have some sharp fret edges which can catch a finger going by.

No problems with it, and it's been used live extensively.

I've never needed it....

I've been playing a long time (32 years), and have and do own some high end guitars (Les Paul standard, ES 335, ES 170, Fender Stratocaster, Guild D-35, Ovation Elite). The LGX-SA holds its' own with these guitars and then some. I would cry like a baby if it got stolen and then go get another. The versitility of this instrument is its' biggest feature. It doesn't have as good of an acoustic sound as a real acoustic, but it is a useable sound. I think the Godin is my favorite guitar.

I'd like to clarify something for those who believe the LGX-SA uses the RMC pickup. I emailed rmcpickup.com to confirm whether or not the LGX-SA uses their pickup since I'm trying to decide between the LGX-SA or the Multiac Jazz. Their response was:

"We do make the Jazz pickup system, but we don't make the pickup system in the LGX series instruments."

I hope this clarifies any confusion for those of you who want a guitar with the RMC pickup...

Have at look at the reviews below. I think you get the idea.

Everything anyone could ever want. As a matter of fact that in it self may be a problem,,,,how am I going to justfy buying another guitar???

Clear, rich, full, mellow, twangy, in other words. This guitar has an amazing complement of sounds. You can go from the thick HB sound to the twangy single coil sound (not quite Fender,,,,but hey everyone has a fender, me included, and we all sound alike, get you own sound!). Jazzy to Rock to blues, of course it dosn't quite have the hollow body sound. If variety of sound is what you are looking for STOP here! Your search is over.

This guitar can cut through the mix or if you like you can blend (who wants to blend?) anyway I think you get the idea. I love the bridge sound, wait I love all the sounds. This guitar will suit my musical need what ever my mood is!

One of the problems I had with this guitar at first was the variety. I had a hard time chosing what sound to play on what song. Only time with this ax has resolved that issue!

Believe me, before I purchased this guitar I spent a year looking at amost every guitar out there, I kept coming back to the Godin. I really wanted a Gibson, but the Godin just kept me coming back I just fell in love with the sounds of this guitar.

I didn't go the vintage route mainly due to cost, I know there are some amazing vintage axes out there if you have the $$$$. Howerver one thing you should relize is that technology in guitars have come a long way. The number of good sounding guitars out there at resonable prices is absoulutly amazing. This one is definitely a GREAT sounding guitar at a reasonable price.

I being generous here. I did have some problems, the nut for one needed work (fixed), two there was a volume difference on indivudual strings for the accoustic pickups (fixed) three the tone control is not working as it should (not fixed).

Setup is such a personal thing that it is hard to get it right for everyone, so I will not comment, only to say that you will likely have to have it set up for your individual playing style(duhh)!

So far so good.

This guitar looks solid and play solid

The store where I purchased it does most of the warrantee work and they have been great. This rating is for the Arts in Newmarket!

Love this guitar, It is absolutly beautiful. Its sunset colour maple top looks 3 dimentinal.

The only thing I wished it had was a transparent pick guard, but then that would take away the beauty! Forget it I just talked myself out of that one.

I have been playing for over 25years, last 12+ years seriously. I have had this guitar for about 8 months, I am not disapointed.

You will not find a guitar out there that sounds, looks and plays as good as this does with the variety of sounds the LGX has for this type of price. NO WAY!

This is essentially a midi-guitar with a 13-pin Roland compatible output. It has two Seymour Duncan pickups, one of which was custom designed by Seymour for this particular guitar. See the Godin site for exact specs at www.godinguitars.com. The guitars are built to order in Canada. I ordered mine with the figured maple AA body in deep red. The neck is made of rosewood with an ebony fingerboard for better sustain. It definitely has great sustain. This model has no whammy bar but there is a sister model that does. The body is a single cut away but has a pretty cool shape.

All I can say is WOW! Great variety of sounds. The saddle pickups in the bridge are phenomenal and sound just like an acoustic. The sound of this pickup is sparkling through my stereo PA. Layered with the Duncans many sound combinations are possible. Also, the pickup selector switch was unique in that the 5 positions allow the player to select single or double coil operation.

The action was a bit buzzy from the factory. Comes with .009 strings. While a tad buzzy, I've not adjusted the action because the buzz does not manifest too much in the amplified sound. Intonation was perfect.

The finish on this guitar is nothing short of gorgeous. In place of a binding, they mask the natural wood and let the blonde wood show through the lacquer. Elegant. I have found no flaws at this time.

I confess that I've just had the guitar a week, but I've been playing over 30 years and know a good guitar when I see one. I think this instrument is very solid. I've replaced the strap buttons with strap locks as I do on all my guitars.

The factory case is very nice and tightly form fits to the guitar.

OK, here's a fly in the ointment. I ordered this guitar in June and got it in September. Got quite the runaround while waiting for it. I called the factory and the rep. I kept getting stories like "it's shipping this week!" "The factory is on vacation for two weeks..." VERY frustrating. A guy at the plant told me that there were none of these in "stock." They are made to order. Great guitar, but if your store doesn't have one, be prepared to pay your down payment and wait and wait and wait.

Been playing over 30 years. Just retired my Casio midi guitar in favor of this one. The tracking is much improved. I also bought a Roland GR-33 which has some very nice features and some impressive sounds - although the factory patches are largely useless to me. I had guessed that the guitar sounds would be better than the Casio, but I was really blown away.

I play old standards, light jazz, a bit of folk, and quite a bit of Merle Travis style finger picking. This guitar seems to handle just about everything I can throw at it. I would definitely get another one of these if it were ever stolen. This guitar beats ANYTHING with a big name label on it at prices considerably higher. It's a great value.

If you are reading this, you probably know what an LGX-SA is by now, but briefly: a solid body electric with an acoustic preamp and synth access built in. First of all, the guitar looks stunning. This is a 2001 model with a cognac burst finish, ebony fingerboard, Seymour Duncan pickups, etc., etc.as stated above. I like having a 5 way switch instead of a coil tap, but the single coil sounds are softer than the double coil sounds. Usually I only require two things in a guitar, and that is good tone, and a good neck, but the LGX-SA is even beautiful to look at to boot!

MAN! An amazing array of tones, especially if you blend the acoustic and electric,and especially if you separate the outputs of each into two amps. The Duncans sound very clean and clear, but not thin. In the two weeks I've owned this guitar I've used it on a jazz job, an acoustic job, a rock job, and a blues job, and it sounds great for ALL occasions. I would suggest raising the front pickup, though, and putting on at least 11's for real jazz playing though. I have 10 guage strings on it now, and the sound is a little light, and the strings are a little bendy. Aside from that, if your going for a Santana tone, or a country tone, or anything in between, you will get a great sound from this guitar. It SINGS.

The acoustic output to a P.A. is excellent. Much better than I thought it would be, actually, I played with an actual acoustic player, and the blend was amazing. The acoustic sounds much better through a P.A. than through a guitar amp, but it sounds great through a guitar amp also.

I'm still having a little problem with the tracking, as the GR pickup seems to be set very hot and possibly overdrives my GR 33 (if that is possible) even with the sensitivity settings turned down to 1!
This only happens on the piano and classical guitar patches that I built, though, and only in the low notes. I wish there were a sensitivity setting for the RMC pickup. That is the only thing this guitar is lacking. BTW, it tracks like a maniac, and you can't play faster than it. It tracks much better than the GK pickup.

When I first got this guitar, it needed some adjustment. I had a professional guitar-fixer-upper adjust the neck and intonation, and did a little tweaking on the action myself,and now the action is truly amazing. The ebony neck is smooth and fast, and the fret job is nice.

The only complaint I have is that I wish they would make these things with a 24 1/2 " scale and a 12" radius, which is what I really feel at home with. Still, with the bolt on neck, who knows what the future holds?

I haven't had this guitar long enough to know about durability. Still, it seems like a very reliable guitar right now (for 2 weeks).

I have no idea. My registration card even came back because I didn't know postage to Canada was $.50 . Hey what ever happened to Nafta?

I've been playing guitar for over 35 years, play every style of music imaginable (except rap,metal, and opera) and have a tendancy to torture my guitars. This one will be an exception,though, because I love it so much. I also own a Cort Triggs I, which I use for my main jazz box (the best jazz guitar I've ever owned, and that is comparing it to a '58 ES-175), a Gibson Blues Hawk for rocking out, although I will not be needing it anymore thanks to Godin, and a Gibson Epiphone acoustic which has great tone because I use silk and steel strings on it. Still, it sure would be nice to have a Multiac, and a Multiac-jazz! Hmm...if I didn't play music for a living, I could probably afford all the music equipment I ever wanted.

Before getting this guitar I did about 6 months of research because I am very persnickity about guitars. I believe I made the correct choice here!

What year was it made? Where was is made? (Japan, Mexico, USA, etc...)

98 canada

Solid-Top? Laminated top?

maple capped mahogany body with mahogany neck

Make and model of pickups?

SD jazz in neck custom custom in bridge piezo in bridge and synth... see http://charliemb.home.mindspring.com/lgxbrig/ for info on important bridge mod.

Finish (Satin, transparent, quilted top, flamed top, etc...)

Beautiful quilt!!!

Bridge style (Tune-O-Matic, Floyd Rose, Wilkinson, Tele-style, String-thru body,
stop tailpiece, etc...)

String thru body recessed tune o matic

Neck/Scale (Fat, Thin, Jumbo Frets, Rosewood, Maple, etc...)

Thin and FAST!!! Maybe too thin for my string guage (flat 11's) ... I hope not

I believe that the jazz neck pickup with tone all the way off and the volume all the way up plus the piezo pickup with treble all the way down, mid and bass all the way up, volume at mid will give me a great tone... can't tell on this instrument.

I believe that there is a problem with this particular instrument. There are some horrible noises associated with single notes sounded on the guitar. All single notes to one degree or another produce a "leslie" like effect. It makes the guitar sound out of tune no matter if it is really in tune or not. I think that there is a fundamental problem. I postulate that there is an inherent disharmony between the wood of the neck and the wood of the body. I think that their resonant peaks are not complimentary. This of course really can't speak poorly of Godin. In this price range it would be impossible to employ people that are skilled enough to discern these types of conditions before the instrument is constructed. I couldn't tell this when I bought it because the guitar wasn't properly set up.

I had a professional luthier set the guitar up for the first time. After being set up this is the fastest guitar that I've ever played. The only real complaint about the build quality is that in the routing where the strings go into the body there is lots and lots of compound... it looks kinda crappy.

I always hate it when people say...

"well I've only had it for a day, but I'm absolutely sure it will outlast humanity"

Who knows yet.

NA

How long have you been playing?

7 years

What other gear do you own?

Gibson nighthawk (backup) ibanex pat metheney mesa dc 2 pod

Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?

I wish that I'd had the opportunity to eval the guitar set up by a pro luthier rather than ordering it off ebay, but I;m sure the guy will help me out.

Moreal of this story... not all lgx-sa's (or tele's or strats etc) are built the same. This is why you can get an american standard that is a dog, but a mexican that is a good instrument.

1997 presumably Canadian made amber-top LGX-SA with Seymour Duncans,
LR Baggs piezos and RMC sytn-Roland 13 pin output.
Bought it on the eBay as mint yet it was played probably in some
shop - cleaned it a bit (the neck) replaced the 13-pin plug that
was shorting ($30.-) and fixed even the contact of that plug
with the electronics inside with some scotch :-)
Sounds 'funny' yet I like to have everything 100% reliable.
It is standard oGX-SA = as other Duncan-equipped described below.

I note that some 5 years ago I discussed a design of a guitar like this one (on the synth guitar forum) and even had an offer from a French
luthier Patrice Blanc to build me one for FF25'000 which was $4000
at that time - this one is 3 times cheaper and has it ALL, read on ...

My band plays jazz ( Herbie Hanckok, Miles Davis ...) as well as Santana and fusion (our own progressive funky-bongos-rock) so
I needed a guitar that will play like a Les Paul, Strat Plus as well as run the GR-33 synth. I have also the VG-88 but do not use it live.

With Duncans this guitar sunds fabulous when I plug it to my
Prosonic Combo tube amp or to my custom made Cornford Class A ...

In short it is brighter than my Les Paul Studio so I always use
minor EQ correction for the jazz sounds but Duncans are very
clear sounding and sing even when I take the treble off.
I use mostly the neck Duncan and ocasionally mix the piezos for the
suble effect (through the Roland KC-100 keyboard amp ! that I
also use for the GR-33) ... In position 2 and 4 it has good
Strat imitation for the live work or dense mixes. Actually
I can use it with my Prosonic and really have NIRVANA heavenly
sounds that all true guitarists dream of (I play since 1960!) ...

I have owned since 1960 all archetypes guitars excpet for the Parker
and I can say that this is THE guitar for a serious professional that needes verastility: in the process I sold my DeLuxe Strat Plus
yet kept my Les Paul (with RMC & synth modification as a back up) as well as one Strat Plus with GK-2 : with LGX-SA I have all sounds I
need but with Strat and LP I have all also for recording and keep it
for emotional reasons and the feeling ... namely my favorite neck
length is LP's 24 and LGX- has like Strat 25 neck but that's negligible
as the neck is FABULOUS - fine and easy to play; only some very best Parkers may have even better or faster necks ...

Piezo sound is adequate and I run it through Zoom 504 or 504 II
and it0s great for live. For recording I have my Martin D-42,
Gibson J-200 and Taylor 714 as well as Yamaha 12 string so who cares ...

In summary, if you need this versatility - and love the
range of sounds - well, just go and buy one !

Action is medium and good enough for me.
Pickups were well adjusted yet I did the finetuning.
Godin is great luthier so there's nothing to be said.
Ma guitar had that electronic contacts flaw and I
easily fixed that: ask me if you need help.
The wood and hardware are great, maybe the tuners
made by Schaller could be changed with something even better
yet I doubt it's necessary.
The headstock and maple top are roughly matched so it looks great.

THis guitar is fine for live playing but needs care and attention
as 13 pin plug is fragile and I fix it also with a safety loop around the strap. You need a back-up for this type of gear if you gig a lot
and you cannot play LGX-SA in a bar full of drunken people ...

I give it only 9 as the Roland plug could be replaced with some
special designs to ensure 100% reliabilty yet I won't do that.

I had to order the replacement 13pin plug from Godin dealer
in Switzerland and he was great and I am sure that most
problems can be solved through him, hence 10
(note mine is 1997 and still impeccable guitar - mint!)

I play since 1960 and I am probably one of the most qualified
non-biased people around who can and does buy the very best gear:
If you need the versatility and synth LGX-SA is great.

Actually, already as a kind of versatile PRS - this one beats
it for the price: I surely have any blues or Santana or Garry
Moore tone you can imagine. It doesn't give you vintage Strat
but all type of PAF humbucker and nice feeling single coil can
be obtained from this baby. However, it doesn't do the aggressive
quack like Tele or aggressive Rickenbacker 12 string :-)

I dislike VG-88 for live work and use TUBES everywhere and analog
everywhere so for that this is fabulous. If I had to keep 2
guitars only I would keep the LGX-SA and Strat (Plus or similar top Strat). For acoustic you will need an acoustic (try Godin Seagulls!).

I recommend that you buy new Godin directly from Canada for about $1100.- plus shipment and taxes (ask for the best case even if it costs $100) or from www.musicians-gear.com where they ask roughly $1332.-
plus shipment. On the eBay there are good deals but ask all details
in advance, year, finish and make sure that you pay through an
inter,ediate agency as this guitar can arrive with loose contacts
or some other problems as they ship them in $50.- cases ...

I had to spend additional $120 for shipment and $100.- import
tax and $30 for the replacement jack yet even to pay a total of
US$1350.- for the mint 1997 LGX-SA in 2001 is a good deal as
I have exactly the finish I wanted and the guitar is great.

To conclude I am longing every day to go home and play my Godin LGX-SA
through my Fender all tube Prosonic combo and Roland LC-100:
and that comes from the guy who has it all and who plays since 1960
and has bagun by playing Duan Edy or the Elvis Presley stuff
when even the Beatles were not around.

Summary: if you read this you will buy Godin LGX-SA or possibly
Brian Moore 2.13 midi or perhaps Parker 1-1-2 midi : that I cannot deicde for you, but surely Godin is one of the top 3 guitars in
the world when it comes to versatility. And the sound is as good
as ome PRS or Les Pauls in humbucker mode and can do the Strat
as long as you don't need exact vintage Strat-sound in which case:
well, surely, you have one Strat already anayway ...

... to the memory of Leo Fender (and congratulations to Robert Godin).

Great set of features humbucker guitar with synth access and transducer (LR Baggs) pickups in the bridge. Eq and volume controls for the transducer, tone and volume for the magnetics (Seymour Duncans), volume and up/down selector for the synth.

Magogany body with a beautiful maple cap (mine is AA but looks like AAA), ebony finger board, see other reviews for the details.

All I can say is wow!! This is a most amazing sounding guitar. Very warm sounds from the neck and number 2 position(SC), full and rich sounds from the 3rd position, bright but not to bright sound from the 4th position, very fenderish, but not totally so, and very honky sound from the bridge position.

This guitar has so many sound combinations that you really need to work on a few at a time with your gear and perfect them individually. I love to play lead in both the neck and bridge positions. Both of these positons add a bit of level to really cut through.

I compared this guitar to all the usual suspects and the LGX was the clear winner. I really wanted a killer clean sound, that could also cut it when I cranked up the OD, this guitar did it for me.

With the LGX you have three outputs one for magnetics only one for synt and one for magnetics/transducers. When using the combo position you can get some really interesting tones for rythym plyaing .

Again the real strengh to this guitar is the varity of sounds, beautiful textures when playing clean or with effects on. Unbelievable sustain. Great neck, what more could one want a price that is affordable.

No bad overall, but like any guitar you are going to buy you will need some minor tweeking to individual preference.

To early to tell, there are a lot of electroinics in this guitar. But I'm not worried, I'm in the electronics industry and the reliability of componence is very high these days.

Haven used them

I love to play this guitar. With the great sound and looks what more could one want. Over all this is by far the best deal going. No other guitar maker is coming close. Hand crafted parts on a great looking/sounding ax.

wow!!!!

Lots and lots of features as a matter of fact this may be one of the problems with the guitar. It has so may features and sounds how is one to justify buying more guitars? Anyway here they are ;
Mahogany neck
Ebony Fingerboard
16" fingerboard radius
25 1/2" Scale
1 11/16" nut width
Mahogany body
Figured Maple Top
Seymour Duncan Custom Humbuckers
5-Way switch
Guitar volume
Tone
Synth volume
Program up/down
3-Way
Magnetic Output
13-pin Synth Output
Acoustic transducer Output
L.R. Baggs transducer saddles with custom Pre-Amp EQ for: Acoustic Volume, Treble, Mid-Range and Bass controls

BTW the case is included, it comes from the factory in the case. This is not a great one but hey its included. It has the Godin logo on it and its made in Canada.

I love to play this guitar. The sounds from the magnetics are sweet, up there with the best of them (see below). The sustain is very good. Excelent resonance from the mahogany body. I a/b this guitar with a varity of Les Pauls and although the LP's are great guitars I could not justify the cost for a one trick pony. The LGX was the best of the bunch. It has more sound variety and a neck that is thin and fast. Great to look at and great to play.

The pickups are seymor Duncan's, the neck is a 'Jazz' humbucker and the bridge is a modified Custom Custom. Position 1 is the neck in humbucker mode great for clean or distorted leads, 2 is the neck in single coil mode I don't use this position to much, three is both pickups in humbucker mode I like this for the rhythm, 4 is the bridge pickup in single coil mode, great for just about anything, nice and bright, I use it for clean rhythm when I want to cut through the mix, and 5 is the bridge pickup in humbucker mode, high gain and very cutting, there are times when only this sound will do great for leads.

The single coils do a resonable job of mimicking a Strat but if you want the strat sound you may want to consider a Strat in addition this guitar. I alreay own a Strat so this was not a concern for me.

The accoustic sound is good for a solid body guitar but I would have to agree with others that have commented on the fact that this will not be replacing your dreadnought for those occasions when only an authentic accoustic sound will do. This is not a bad thing in my opinion, this guitar has a great acoustic sound, the fact that I have all of these sound from one guitar is amazing. Also consider that I also own a very nice accoustic (Martin D35) with a Fender Acoustasonic amp, so the comparison is not really fair. Your opinion may varry depending on the equipment you own.

Ok here is where thing get a little tough. I played this guitar in the store before I bought it, every thing seemed great. As a matter of fact I played it on may occasions, as I said earlier I a/b it with other guitars, including other Godins. However after I got it home I noticed that the acoustic sound was a little thin,,hummm, this is the one feature I really didn't spend to much time evaluating in the store on this particular guitar, mainly because other that the godins and the parkers there was nothing to mesure it agains. And on the other Godin LGX's that I played the acoustic sounded great.

What I discovered is the following. On the LGX-SA there are three outputs, one for magnetics only, one for syth, and one for magnetics and peizo. When I went back to the store and compaired the acoustic sound of my guitar (LGX-SA) to a LGX I noticed there was a volume jump on the LGX when using the peizo only output (other uses of the LGX have commented on this also), since the LGX-SA does not have a peizo only output you are left with the combo output. I also discovered that there was a very noticeable volume drop on the G and high E strings when comparing it to the output of the other strings on my guitar. This made the acoustic sound very thin and quiet.

The guys at the music store where I bought it were great. They replaced the G and then the high E pickups. With no questions asked. They also replaced the strings with 10's the guitar came with 9's. I would highly recommend this to anyone using this guitar.

The nut is not cut properly on the Godins this will requrie some attention at the factory. I got the guys at the store to fix it for me. The G string would not slide properly in the guide, a small file and a few minutes and it was fine.

One last thing and it is a little thing but I feel it goes towards quality control. The mounting plate for the outputs was missing a screw, and althought this did not cause any problems it does may one wonder what else was forgotten??

Over all the fit and finish were good on the guitar. The action is about right for me. The neck is fitted very nicely. The quality of the switches is good.

I'm only giving Godin a 6 here as I feel a guitar at this price should be given more attention to detail. They claim that these guitars are hand made, so where is the benifit if I need to take it back and have all these adjustments made. This reminds me of buy a new north american car. Come on Godin!

I haven't had this guitar long enough to really judge but lt feels like it will last for a long time.

I was please at how fast Godin go the parts to the store. I was a coulple of days. They also sent more parts than were needed, which to me is a sight of a company that really want to make things right.

I have been playing for over 20 years. Without question I am very pleased with this guitar. The quality problems I mentioned above are nothing in comparison to some of the problems other people experience with some of the BIG guitar manufactures. Godin responded quickly to my concerns. Even the guys at the music store were impressed, leading me to believe that they do not get this type of responsivnes from manufactures.

Godin produces a excelent guitar that looks great and plays as good as it looks. This is without question one of the great deal out there. My wife and I were in a music store last weekend looking at some PRS's. These guitars cost over 5K, thats more than 3x what I payed. They don't sound 3x better, not even 2x better, IMHO they don't sound any better at all, different maybe but not better. Anyway sound and feel is a subjective thing, you should trust your ears not other peoples opinions of what sounds good. Futhermore the PRS's sure don't look any better that my guitar, which by the way has a beautiful maple top with the sunrise finish.

I would definitely buy a Godin again!

Lost? what fool loses their guitar? Stolen? thats what insurance is for.

The 9 is only because I had to bring it back twice for the above mentioned problems.

Play on!

My LGX-SA is, I believe, a 2000 model, as I had to wait or four months after ordering in January for Godin to make a production run. It was purchased From Long and McQuade music in Windsor Ontario for $1850 Canadian. The case issue, as stated in other reviews, raised its ugly head here as well. When I ordered the guitar, I was assured the case was included. When it arrived, Long and McQuade attempted to charge me $80.00 for it- and the salesman who sold it to me had since moved on. After refusing to accept the guitar without case and demanding my deposit back, they reluctantly threw the case in for free. If you are ordering one of these guitars, get the case question IN WRITING before forking over any dough. But getting back to Features, it has all the regulars- maple top, piezo and magnetic pickups, that are outlined in the other reviews, and don't need to be mentioned here. For this, I'll give it the highest rating.

The one thing this guitar really has going for it is the amount of sounds available from all three outputs. The Seymour Duncan Custom in the neck position is clean and warm, but I found
I had to raise it a bit in order to balance the output with the bridge pickup. I suppose this was intentional to remain clarity, but I found the output wasn't high enough with my rig to get an authentic "Woman", "Brown" or Santana tone the way it came from the factory. It does give a fairly decent approximation of the SRV-Hendrix thing in single coil mode. The bridge pickup is nice and hot, and cleans up appreciably in single coil mode.No adjustments needed here- with the brightness of the maple cap and a litle compression, you may not be in Nashville, but you can sure see it from here! Although the documentation doesn't mention it, the middle pickup position seems to wired put-of-phase, and gives a nice cluck for skankin'. Much has been made of the piezo acoustic saddles in previous reviews, and I have to agree with most that the acoustic tone, while it may not replace a vintage dreadnought, is simply wonderful substitute in a gigging situation. I run this output through the normal channel of my Fender 65 Twin reissue, and as long as I don't have to turn up past about 5, it works relatively well (I'm currently looking at keyboard rigs to run the acoustic and synth outputs into, as well as saving dough for such a purchase). The synth ouput tracks much better on my GR-30 than the GK-2a ever did on my Stratocaster, and it doesn't look like the Borg got a hold of my guitar either! Blending sounds is a lot of fun -dry acoustic with wet single coil electric makes a great jangly concoction, or acoustic with an electric bass makes a credible baritone-6 string bass tone. The mind reels.

The guitar came reasonably well set up, but I did have to make slight intonation adjustments as well as the forementioned neck pickup height. One flaw was that the output plate was not tightened properly, so the jacks slid around (Like on of those old Gibson "sliding pickup" basses) until tightened.
Also unfortunately, the first night I brought it to my gig, the five-way switch shed a solder connection twenty minutes into the first set, and buzzed and crackled embarrasingly- I had to drive home and get my strat to finish the night. The guitar tech at Long and McQuade fixed it promptly the next day, but the five way switch still crackles and goes dead if you don"t finesse it just right. I am still awaiting a replacement from Godin (Two of the wrong switches were sent, and one of the right ones sent to the Winnepeg rather than Windsor) As much as I love the guitar, an instrument in this price range should be subject to much better quality control when shipped from the factory. The finish is gorgeous- deep mahogany ovr highly figured tiger maple, and the wide satin finished neck very comfortable. Right after I ordered mine however, Godin finally got rid of the ugle headstock logo and is now putting a more tasteful one. I wish I had waited another month. I have to give the lowest mark in this category, as my face is still red from coming to the club to show of my fancy new axe, and having it sound like a SETI search when the pickup selector failed. (Through a full double TurboSound PA rig to boot)

I toured around Canada this summer playing in a Shania Twain tribute act, and the guitar held up well under the rigors of the road. Sound men aroung the country were fooled, then knocked out by the acoustic sound I was getting. For a few fly-in shows, I took my strat because I have an SKB flight case for it. I haven't been able to find an off-the -shelf one that will fit the Godin, and will probably have to order one special. (anybody who knows where to get one, please email me ) Except for the aforementioned 5-way switch, the guitar has performed flawlessly. I am now gigging without a backup as I am confident enough with this guitar. I'll give it the top mark.

For customer support, I'd have to give Long and McQuade a ten, as they promptly fixed the pickup selector, gave the case for free without too much haggling, and are in constant touch with Godin trying to get a replacement switch. For Godin itself, they seem a little mixed up in their service department, but are trying. I'll give a combined score of seven in this category.

I would give this guitar a ten except for the early problems, so I'll generously give it a nine. I have been playing guitar for 32 years, and this is the most versatile guitar I have owned, even if it doesn't have the snob panache of, say, a dot neck 335 (one of which I also own). I use a guitar synth on quite a lot of the top forty gigs that I play, so I didn't really have another choice, except for maybe a Brian Moore midi guitar, which I haven't seen in the Windsor-Detroit area yet. It does three times as many things, looks and plays as good as, and costs half what a PRS does- with a comparible figured top. I only wish Godin made this guitar with a hybrid 1 humbucking, 2 single coil configuration- to me the most versatile set up for a gigging pro.If stolen, I would definitely order another one.

Its a 1999 with Seymours, Sweet pickups, Very quiet, with separate midi and Acoustic sound and outputs which can be controlled separately.

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)? The Guitar has and advanced features that fits the sound of Rock, Blues, Jazz with a combination of a Roland VG-8 midi synthesizer you can expand these tunes to hundreds of instrument sounds. a little adjustment is nescesary to set and finalize Sound Variations and Tracking to Optimal.
The best part that I like about this guitar is the Acoustic sound (from its acoustic output) It has that root "Real Acoustic Hollow Sound" You can do a narrow to wide aided by your setup. works best in direct injection box.

The Pickup is setup right on with easy access of adjustmet (quite nescesary only in the beginning. The only thing that boggles me is the Midi Plug thou it never failed) No hums or anything even with extra lenght wires. Action is Low and Easy. The luster and finish is quite Excellent,

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Excellent

Does the hardware seem like it will last? They are all sitting right on down

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? Excellent + Extra-fine finish

Are the strap buttons solid? I change the strap button a to wide easy slide.Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

I wouldn't go to a gig without a backup for the past 16 years of playing and sold over hundreds of fine guitars, I set my Godin Lgx-Sas as my 1 Prime Guitar. Live or Recording!

No comment. Never dealt with warranty yet!

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
Did you compare it to other guitars? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
Anything you wish it had?
Anything else you'd like to share?


There is 1 answer to all of these:
I give this Guitar a #10 rating "A Must Have Instrument" it is Rare for a guitar to have all these qualities: Sound, Playability, option of playing several instruments in one (depending on your setup), The freedom of transporting less instrument "Godin LGX-SA known and popularized as 3 guitars in 1", Fine selection of Wood, Electronics and its setups, Looks/ Finish and The Price Value.

This guitar was made in 2000, I think it's made in Canada. It is made of mahogany, two humbuckers (Seymour Duncan Jazz 2 and Custom Custom) and a piezo pickup. There are lots of controls on this guitar, which is a bit daunting at first. Three jack sockets, one for humbuckers, one for piezos and one for a mix of the two. Volume and tone controls, mix control if selected both piezos eq and seperate volume for piezos, pickup selector 3 way switch, and another 3 way switch which does nothing much. standard style tuners, the neck is quite thin, the action is very low and fast, jumbo frets? mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard. Because of the many controls you can get tons of sounds from this guitar so I give it a 10.

My music style is hard rock/metal. I use this guitar into either a Marshall 900 stack or into a Marshall Valvestate 100watt combo. The guitars bridge pickup is phenomenal. The best pickup I have ever heard for lead tones. very high output, pushes the amp right into overdrive. lovely sustain. incredible tone. This is the ultimate rock/metal pickup. The bridge pickup is a Jazz 2 and is less output and the sound is much warmer, fatter and less harsh. playing lead you can get great bluesy tones with less distortion. It's a good rhythm pickup but for that I prefer the piezos. The piezo pickups are probably meant to be used with an acoustic amp, but I used it with my marshall and the result was incredible. On a clean channel, the guitar can almost sound like an acoustic, but I used on the gain channel and got a great rhythm sound. Think of an acoustic guitar plugged in to a marshall stack cranked to ten. You hear every note ring through even with silly amounts of gain the sound doesn't get muddy. For this reason I play rhythm with the piezos and usually mix in a bit of the humbuckers to get a great tone. This guitar is very quiet, excellent quality humbuckers. Great guitar for any style.

The guitar was set up very well from the factory. the action is low and fast. The neck is wider than I would have liked though. And so I cant play as fast as I can on for example my jackson or my Ibanez. It's more like a neck or a les paul. This guitar is mostly played by jazz rock players, so I assume it would be great for them. But it's still a very rock guitar, the body style is quite unconventional and that's what drew me to this guitar. There were no flaws at all with this guitar, It's of the absolute highest quality

I havent had it long enough but it seems like it will last, the stap buttons are too small, so I changed them immedialtely. I wouldn't gig without backup, because if it breaks your fucked, how else would I get that piezo sound? I use it mostly for recording. I wouldn't want to take it near a stage anyway unless It was a big stage, because it's just to valuable to be used in a little bars and clubs where it could easily be broken. It looks like it will last so I gave it a 8

Never dealt with them

Ive been playing 3 years, this is the greatest most versatile guitar I have ever playeed or owned. I also own a Tele, Ibanez RG, an Epiphone Riviera and a Jackson PC3. If it were lost or stolen I guess i'd be pretty fucked off, Id buy another one when I could afford it. I didn't compare it to anything else it was an impulse purchase. It's the most perfect guitar in the world. Maybe one day when my band plays Wembley Stadium i'll risk it on a stage.

There really isn't any reason for me to go into features detail since there are so many submissions here. My guitar is honey colored with the factory stock pickups (not the duncan ones). Other than that, it's just like everyone elses.

I play a variety of music (pop, rock, industrial, metal, blues, country), mostly as a bass player but I'm a guitar freak who currently owns 17. This is the pinnacle! I actually am using it in my home studio and since I completely suck at keyboards, it has become my surrogate keyboard.
I play either directly into the board, or with a 5150 combo, a music man 65 with a Peavey (yeah, I know) 4x12 cabinet, a fender blues junior or a fender acoustimas. I have a buttload of effects, so I'm not going into that, but I normally use an Art SGX2000 (for reverb, delay and a few other effects), a TC Electronics chorus pedal and a sansamp GT2.
This is hands down the best sounding guitar I have ever owned, and certainly the most versatile. I can get everything from acoustic to a good Les Paul sound, then turn around and melt with a strat sound. The only sound I don't think I get is a good Tele, but that's what my G&L ASAT is for (which smokes my Fender Tele Plus...but that's another review).

Perfect. Beautiful! What else can I say?

I bought it used and the only thing wrong is that the 5 way switch is a bit noisy, but I will either replace that or have it cleaned. Everything else is perfect...and yes, if I never broke strings, I would most certainly gig without a backup. Heck, there's not another guitar I own that can do all this can.

I've been playing 17 years and this is hands down the best guitar I have ever owned, especially for less than $1000. Like I said, I'm a bass player mostly, but this guitar has aided me in writing like no other tool I have ever owned. If this was stolen, I would buy another in a heartbeat, even paying much higher.

I won't go over the features here, as they've been so well documented below. I will say that my LGX-SA has the Seymour Duncan pickups, and a cognac burst finish. I play it through a Vox Wah, Boss DS-1, and Ibanez TS-9, into a Fender Blues Deluxe, with a Boss GT-5 in the effects loop for pitch/time effects. The reason I bought it was for the 3 separate options of magnetic, piezo and midi pickups, to expand on the theme my Parker Fly Deluxe had already begun in my life.

I gig frequently with a rock/R&B band and also with a jazz quartet. This guitar is simply the best I've ever played. With the R&B band I run two separate UHF wireless units from the mags and the piezo. The mags go into the setup I described above, and the piezo goes straight to the board, with a pinch of verb added there. I have a wonderful '52 Reissue Tele and '80 Strat, and I just never pick them up at a gig unless I pop a string on the Godin. Being able to have all that sound at my disposal all at once is phenomenal. In fact, I sold the Fly one month after getting the Godin. The Duncans are versitile, warm, fat, and LOUD. You have to be a little careful when switching from the middle position to the 1st or 5th position on the pickup switch, as you the volume jumps quite a bit. The piezo is sweet and sultry, a little fuller than piezo on the Fly, especially since you can control it more completely with the onboard three band eq. For the jazz trio I use the "blender" jack to send both sets of pickups to the amp clean, and with the proper tweakage, you have a remarkable hollow-body sound.

I bought the guitar at Mars Music in Indianapolis (having driven 3 hours from Columbus Ohio)and it was set up pefectly at the time. The finish is beautiful. The neck is smooth and easy to play. They toed the line with the neck, trying to optimize it for the "acoustic" sounds while still being an electric. Not as fast as my Tele, but very playable. My only quibbles involve the bridge and piezo saddles. Strange though this may seem, this guitar is VERY hard to string because the holes in the back open up into a wider chamber before closing up again to small holes where they come out the top. Especially when stringing the higher strings it can be laughably hard to get the string through. Secondly, I break a lot of high E strings, and even more B strings on the saddles, and there's nothing I can do to stop it, because taking a file to the piezo saddles would be, um, bad.

I've had the guitar for almost 2 years now, and it has been flawless thus far. It's well built and durable, and the finish still shines like day one. The strap buttons are strap-lock compliant. Again, as much as I love my Tele (with it's zebra jazz humbucker in the neck) and Strat, they sit as lonely backups to the Godin.

Unlike some of the below entries, I've had great experience with Godin. My phone and email contact with them and their regional rep both when trying to find a place to play one, and later with assorted questions about them have been great. They've been prompt and friendly at all turns. I can't say the same for Mars Music, who quoted me a firm price, with case. Then, after I drove the 3 hours to play it and buy it, all of a sudden it was "Well, we're not sure who told you the case was included, but the case is NEVER included." Which, of course, is crap, since the guitar is shipped from Canada its very own case. It was just bait and switch crap, and we eventually compromised on a price, but they can kiss my business goodbye on future Godin purchases (Mmmm, have you seen the LG3? Three single coil duck-buckers in a Godin. Gotta have one.)

For all the above reasons, I give it a 9. It would be a 10 for sure, and in fact, it IS a 10 everyday, except for the days I have to restring it, and start cursing those goofy string holes.

Features? Well, a lot. Others have listed features in detail. I'll stick to basics. Three outputs to choose from: magnetic humbucker pickups (seymour duncan custom custom and jazz neck) with 5-way selector switch and tone control, special micro-transducer bridge pickups for acoustic sounds (complimented with a 3-band EQ and volume control) and access to guitar synths, etc. via a 13 pin jack. Visually stunning. Cognac burst. It's a warm, earthy brownish orange color. Scale length is the same as a Fender strat but the layout is more reminicent of a Gibson Les Paul ie. twin humbuckers, mahogany neck and body, maple top (and ebony fretboard). When mounting it on my shoulder with a strap I find it lightweight and well balanced. This last point is important to me. I've had to fight with guitars in the past that wanted to tip if I let go of them and it's very annoying. Somebody knew what they were doing when they designed this guitar. It's clear that attention was given to every detail. The only accessories it came with is the standard flight case that's custom fitted inside. Adequate for local travel. Frequent or international travelers would be well advised to invest in something a little more secure.

This is an extremely versatile guitar. The tonal possibilities are staggering even before you consider it's possiblilities with guitar synths and the like. It's possible to mix all three outputs to varying degrees. In a way, this is also a drawback because it seems more difficult to "arrive" at your own signature sound. I've only had this guitar for a month and I think it will take some time before I find those combinations that I like best. The magnetic p/u's are very good quality. They make my junky practice amp sound phenominal. The guitar is worth having for these alone. The jazz neck pickup is very warm, clean and full. I'm at a loss for words to describe the PAF like custom custom in the back. It's full of character and it rocks! For leads it just sings. It's very bright full. It's not brittle and sharp. There is a full range of sounds between the two pickups that all sound great. My favorite is the jazz neck pickup alone. The acoustic sound on this guitar is also very remarkable. I sent this signal dry and direct to the PA the other night backed by the whole band. The quality of the sound was unbeleiveable! I was perhaps a bit bright that night but I'm still working out my EQ settings. I find I have to change my playing technique somewhat when using this as an acoustic. It's not an acoustic, it's a solid body electric guitar with light gague strings. I have to use a very light gague pick and not strum so hard, and I'm not a heavy handed player to begin with! It's going to take some getting used to. It makes for great acoustic leads though. I use the 13-pin out to drive a Roland VG-8. Needless to say there are a million ways to go through this little puppy, but that's another story. As far as the LGX-SA is concerned, I'm happy with how it drives the VG-8 for the most part. I do find that the LGX-SA tends to produce a rather bright signal through the VG-8 which is bothersome. Again, its a matter of tweaking the EQ to find the right setting. It's a real pain in the butt when all I want to do is get up and play. The one consolation I have is that eventually I'll lock into the settings that work and keep them. There are also modifications that can be made to the LGX-SA as detailed by members of the VG-8 egroup www.vg-8.com that are reported to address the issue of signal brightness through the VG-8. I haven't tried this out yet but I'll probably give it a go sometime in the future.

The guitar arrived from the factory well set up. There was nothing to do but play the thing the moment I got it. There are no flaws that I can see. Great care was given to the details. Thats more than can be said about some of the bigger name brand guitars. There's a whole lot of guitar here for the money. People have commented that the finish reminds them of PRS guitars which are unquestionably high quality items.

It's hard to comment on the reliability/durability seeing as I've only had it a month. Nothing has fallen off it yet. Don't expect it will either. Can I depend on it and would I use it without a backup? I'm afraid I'll have to seeing as I can't afford two of these things!

Can't really comment here either. I've not had to deal with them and I hope it stays that way.....unless I'm able to buy one of their acoustics.

This is the highest quality guitar I've ever owned. It's hard to think of anything to complain about. My biggest complaint is the bright sound through the VG-8. But if it were lost or stolen, I would seriously consider getting another one.

If any of you have read the previous submissions, I'm sure you are aware that this guitar has all the features imaginable. But I'll go through them just the same. The LGX-SA is basically a do-it-all-one-stop guitar. It has a 22 fret mahogany neck with an ebony figerboard that is bolted to a mahogany body that is capped with a maple top. The top on these guitars are similar to the highly flamed PRS guitars. The guitar is stunning. The neck is wide 1.75", by electric guitar standards, but thin. The fingerboard is nearly flat with a 16' radius. The best way to describe it is a fast acoustic neck with electric action. The body shape is somewhat similar to a Les Paul but with a little more carved surfaces and the rounded edges. The tuners are made by Schaller as well as the Tune-O-Matic style bridge. All of the SA models come with passive magnetic pickups, and an active peizio transducer that doubles as an acoustic pickup and as a GK2 Roland type synth pickup. The magnetic pickups on my LGX-SA are of Godin's own design and are called Tetrad Combos. Tetrad Combos are double stacked blade type humbucking pickups. The LGX has one master volume and tone control for the Tetrads. There is a 5 way (Fender style) switch. Positions 1, 3, and 5 select the front pickup, both pickups, and back pickup with positions 2 and 4 providing for splitting the pickups. The tone control can be pulled to initiate a filter that simulates a single coil strat type sound. The piezio transducer is made by LR Baggs and the onboard preamp is controlled by 4 sliders. The top slide controls the volume and is followed by treble, mids, and bass. There is no mid sweep or presence. The Roland output is controlled by a separate volume control and the Roland patches can be selected by toggled an on board switch up and down. There are three outputs. One 1/4" for the magnetic pickups only, one 1/4" for either magnetic/piezio and a 13-pin Roland. The list of features on this guitar would make anyone wonder why there isn't a Godin LGX-SA in every guitarist's arsenal. It allows the guitarist to bring one guitar to any gig and be able to sound like an acoustic or electric guitar, or with a Roland synth, a piano, horns etc. One outstanding feature is the adjustable transducer bridge. This was a major selling point for me. Most piezio bridges are of the acoustic variety that do not allow for any string height or intonation adjustment. Godin has taken time to provide those features that all of us take for granted on our electric guitars. There are just a couple of minor items that are more annoying than anything else. There no way to switch from piezio to electric. The change is made by backing the volume off of one and increasing it on the other. Also, blending of the piezio and magnetic pickups are done the same way as there is no blending knob. Finally, there is no battery check button and the battery is replaced by the removal of a plate with two screws on the back. Not that bad except that the LR Baggs pre-amp is always on when the dual output is used. This will burn up the 9 volts and you won't be able to quickly change batteries... but you will be able to switch to the passive electric pickups and get by.

This is a really tough category. So I will break it down into three sections. First the magnetic pickups. When I ordered the guitar, I had a choice between Godin's verstile Tetrads and optional Seymour Duncan humbuckers. Since I own a Les Paul and I was looking for something different I went with the Tetrads. Although these pickups are not terrible, they do provide an excellent reason why some companies make guitars and some specialize in pickups. Basically they are very clean sounding but extremely low output pickups. Less than a standard strat, think Mexican strat. In humbucking mode they lack any of that bright push it to the limit sound that my Les Paul gives (Well I guess I was looking for something different). They do sound better when filtered. Actually they are a slight bit louder. Godin says that there is not a drop off of sound when split, but the volume does fall off noticeably. Overall a nondescript sound. I can only rate them a 4. Now for the good stuff. There needs to be some type of law against getting this good an acoustic sound out of a solid body electric guitar. Now it may not replace a Martin or a Taylor but you'll never play that Ovation again. I would give the sound a 10, except I would have liked a little more EQ controls on the guitar, like some of their other Godin models, and a good quality acoustic really does better. Give it a 8. Although I don't own a Roland processor (Yet!) I have been fortunate to play it for a reasonable length of time through both a GR-30 and a VG-8EX. I found absoolutely no tracking problems with the LGX-SA. With this Godin and a VG-8EX you can get any guitar sound you want. I give it a 10+.

This is another area that has been difficult for me. The fit and finish on this guitar is phenomial. Godin has really taken the time to make this a beautiful instrument. The top is bookmatched flamed maple in a sunburst finsih. The finsh on the body is a high gloss thats looks like it's about an inch thick. Put a PRS and a Godin side by side and you can't tell the difference. The bolt on neck has recessed holes. The back of the neck is a satin finish so it doesn't get sticky in humid weather. The fit of the components is excellent with no gaps around the neck pocket and all recessed/routed out areas finished in a flat black. The bridge has gold accents. The tuning knobs are a black plastic. One of mine arrived split but I got a replacement in about 3/4 weeks. This is a poster guitar and hs the looks and hardware to match. This is a 10 in anybody's book. The action is a real love/hate situation. It is so comfortable. Perfect weight, no sharp edges and the neck could not have been designed better. I have a mid-sixties Guild archtop, a Gibson Les Paul, a Rickenbacker 360, and an American Strat (Actually my son's). The LGX-SA is the nicest of all those guitars to play. I simply love to play this guitar. Okay, now for the hate part. From day one I have had a problem with fret buzz. I was not able to get my Godin to duplicate the action of any of the guitars listed without getting an appreciable buzz. As it eventually turned out, the neck was uneven, and the frets had to be glued in and levelled to cure the problem. Unfortunately that was $200.00 down the road. Ouch!!! I have come to the conclusion that this instrument has the ability to be a great playing instrument if judged against acoustic guitars. Against electric guitars, the action just won't get there. Final analysis, the best action I could muster out without buzz on the LGX-SA was .080 string gap between the top of the 12th fret and the low "E" string. Fender's recommended gap is .062 at the 14th fret. I don't know how to rate it. If it were .010 lower it would flat out scream. For an acoustic it would be a 10, but for an electric... For the sake of arguement... overall a 7.

The guitar seems to be very well made. All of the components seem to be high quality and durable. Because of the extensive electronics, there is a possiblity that it might have a problem. Right now it is only a little more than 6 months old and I gig without a backup. I won't give a rating because I think it is stupid to guess how it will hold up over the years. Kind of like those guys who have the guitar for a week say... "Hey dude, it looks and sounds great, it'll rock forever." The next day the neck falls off.

Ah, I really don't want to go here. When I sent in my warranty card I wrote a letter about the problem of fret buzz and stapled it to the card. The store where I bought had already made some truss rod adjustments (They said the neck was a little high at the third fret). Still having a problem and I took it to another Godin dealer and a luthier. At first look they said that the neck had a wave in it. They said that they couldn't contact Godin and that they weren't an authorized repair shop (Everyone but Godin). When I went to pick it up all they did was tweak the truss rod and suggested I change my style of play (I guess to their level of workmanship). And to think I had been playing my other guitars the wrong way all these years. I started sending emails to Godin. Still no word from Godin. So I decided to find someone to do authorized repair work. Even though a number of people sell Godin (Seagull, etc.) products no one was authorized to repair them. I took it back to the shop where I bought it. They worked on the frets, now I was told the first one was high, but they weren't authorized either so out comes the wallet. I finally get an email back telling me that they will work with me. Still no authorized repair shops, phone numbers, telling me where to take the guitar. Now I'm just overjoyed about the situation and the fret work hasn't held up and I'm getting fret buzz with .085 string gap and I'm not real pleased. So I find a real repair shop, they tell me the neck's got a hump in it the size of Texas. I pull out the wallet. So I send Godin an email and let them know what I have gone through. They proceed to tell me how they would have done this and would have done that. I would have expected that from Fender or some other mass producer but not from a company with the market share that Godin has. In the end, I was told that there are 2, yes count them, 2 shops authorized to do repairs in the US. One on the west coast and you guessed it, one on the east coast. And although all I asked for was the names and phone numbers of them in case I had a future problem. They said said no and that I would have to go to a dealer and ship the guitar to Canada first. They were quick to point out about my using an independent repair shop. They were responding to my emails, of course I did tell them that I had already fixed the guitar. By the way, I did tell them I would be submitting a review of their guitar. I'll have to rate them a 2, one for each repair shop. Buyer beware!!!

Overall, my recommendation in buying this guitar is to play it first. And not just any one, play the actual guitar you are buying. If there is something wrong make sure it is fixed before you take it home. Although Godin has a lot of dealers I have not seen any of their guitars in the shops I have visited. I think that they rely on getting customer orders. This makes it tough to try one out first. And I can't tell you if I just got a bad one, or if my expectations are too high. I can say that in comparison with my other guitars I really don't think I have been unreasonable. I believe that Godin does make a good product. I think that they need to improve their customer service as too much is left up the a dealer to provide the right guidance and service after the sale. So how do you rate a good, not great, guitar and a not so good company? We'll split the difference...5.

Made in Canada, early 1998 model. 22 frets, medium jumbo. Has a bolt-on mahogany neck, mahogany body with bookmatched flamed maple top. This model is an earlier version than the current one, has a four bolt neck joint with metal neckplate; the newer version has countersunk bolts and no plate for easier access to the upper frets.
This is the LGX-SA, Godin's ultimate guitar, so it comes with the works. Magnetics: two humbuckers (Godin's own tetrad design, although it is available with Duncans) which are splittable (5 way switch) and have a passive mid-cut filter. Piezo: L.R. Baggs saddle transducers (in the schaller tune-o-matic bridge) for piezo output, with active 3 band EQ. MIDI: a 13-pin jack carries the piezos as individual strings for midi gear, 2 switch functions mimicing Roland's GK-2a pickup, and a selectable mix of the magnetic output with piezo. Tuners are non-locking schallers with ebony (looking?) knobs, ebony fingerboard on the neck which is wide / thin but no too thin or too wide. Came with the custom-fitted case.
Overall, an easy 10 for features... has more features than any other guitar I've ever seen.

I play blues / rock styles and this guitar suits them very well. Sound of the tetrads is quite clear and refined, but the output is quite high and you'll need to tweak the amp a bit if you are used to lower output pickups. The high output can sound muddy if you don't back off the volume a bit. The mid-cut is supposed to provide "strat" sounds but doesn't really sound like a strat to me. Probably close enough for live use, but you'd want to use a strat (or a VG-8, as I do) for recording if you needed *that* sound.
The guitar is resonant and sustains quite well (strings go through the body, which is supposed to help), and you can hear some complex overtones when playing clean that are very nice.
The piezos sound great through a full range PA or the like, quite "acousticy" and warm without that brash, harsh sound I associate with most under-the-bridge piezo pickups. No feedback at all, and enough string-scratch to make it sound like a flat-top. The active EQ makes it easy to get nice tone in no time.
I have to admit that the reason I bought this guitar was for the synth access jack, as I use it mostly with a Roland VG-8 processor. So, when using this output, sound quality comes mostly from the processor and not the guitar. The guitar is excellent, though, in that it seems to drive the VG-8 very well... better than my GK-2a on the strat that this guitar replaces.
Gets a 10 because you can play any of the above sounds individually, or any mix of them, and this versatility simply blows my mind.

Action from the factory was pretty good, but intonation was 'way off. It came with .009s and I changed them to .010s, adjusted the intonation and it plays wonderfully!
The finish on the body is simply flawless; I have never seen a better looking top than the flame on this guitar! Yes, I am including PRS guitars in this comparison, and no, I am not exaggerating. The finish is a mile deep "Mahogany" colour, and I cannot find a flaw on the body or neck. I am a bit dissappointed with the headstock though... it has a birdseye maple veneer that is not stained as dark as the body and looks a bit "pinkish" compared to the deep mahogany red of the body. And while we are looking at the headstock, I have to comment that the Godin and LGX logos are a bit cheap looking for a guitar over $1000. Still, the body is so gorgeous you really never move your eyes up to the headstock. Is this a bit Freudian?
Overall fit and finish are great: no misalignments, no burrs, etc. The ebony on the neck is a bit uneven in a couple of spots (light reflects off it a bit funny, but you can't feel anything); I think good ebony is getting hard to find as they have since discontinued its use on the LGXs and are now using Rosewood.
Give it a 10+ for the body, neck and fit/finish, the headstock gets a 7.

Seems to me that this guitar would withstand live playing, but if you smash it around don't be surprised if you crack a PC board (complicated active electronics on board!) and lose your sound. This isn't a simple electric by any means.
Still, I plan on keeping this thing for a long, long time and expect it to hold up since I'll treat it with respect.

N/A I've not contacted them, since I've had no problems.

I give it a 10 overall: flexible, good looking, great playing. I may never have to buy another guitar, and I've bought lots in the past! This does it all for me, and with the VG-8 it gets any sound I want.

The reviews of the LGX elsewhere are very full, so I have nothing to add on the excellent Tetrad and acoustic pickups (other than the fact that I have recently seen an LGX in a store with Seymour-Duncan humbuckers, so Tetrads may be an endangered species). The SA version adds a divided pickup for connection to a Guitar-to-Midi converter or a Roland VG8. I went for this option because I wanted to connect to MIDI. To be quite honest, a guitar of this quality doesn't really need to run into a COSM guitar model, although it is, of course, equally questionable whether you want to give up the tone in order to work with MIDI. Fortunately, using the various pick-ups you really can get fabulous effects, such as playing the guitar live along with MIDI strings for example. I also find it useful to be able (ignoring the divided pickup for a moment) to overdrive a low string with an E-Bow and then still get good voicing on the transducer when playing over it. Basically, anything that you can imagine doing with three simultaneous pick-ups can be done with this guitar.

It's unfair of me to criticize the sound here, because I simply DI the guitar using a Zoom, which is enough to make any guitar sound slightly dodgy. Nevertheless, given the broad range of the guitar, it's sometimes difficult to find a satisfactory blend. The acoustic pickup is pretty much perfect. The Tetrads sometimes sound lacklustre, and I've recently gone from heavy strings to light ones in search for more life - to little avail. Raising the Tetrads below the strings still didn't provide the oomf I was looking for either.

Pretty excellent here, although in retrospect I find the neck slightly slow due to the varnishing and would go for a satin/matt finish if I had my time over.

I don't play the guitar live, and it's generally regarded as a studio guitar because of its high technical specification, but I don't see any problem with the durability. It's a heavy, solid beast, so there shouldn't be any problems. And obviously having the divided pickup in the body of the machine means less danger of catching an external device such as the Roland or Yamaha divided pickups. Tuning stability is, by the way, excellent.

I registered the guitar by Email and never got a reply, which can't be good.

I would think twice before buying this guitar again, because I already have synth access on a more "loveable" guitar - the Godin Multiac. The LGX is actually a bit overspecified for my uses - it's designed for someone who wants to use one guitar that has *everything*. But, having said that, there is no guitar I have my eye on as a rival. Really, the LGX has everything I every wanted in a guitar, and I'm hoping to solve any remaining doubts about the tone by adding a Flextone amp to my set-up.