Godin LGXT

OK, I traded this guitar so this is from memory. I got a Pearl Black model in a French-fit (tight, no space) hardshell in '98. At the time, there was nothing like it (Parker and Brian Moore have come up with similar) and is still untouchable at the price. It can drive anything with 13-pin hex, magnetic (SD Jazz II neck + Custom Custom Custom bridge--not a typo), and piezo outputs. It has versatile controls for the various pickups: 5-way magnetic + volume + tone, 3-way output selector, 3 band piezo + volume, and S1 + S2. The ebony fretboard is amazing--puts maple and rosewood to shame. Drop in tremolo arm is good. It comes with three different allen keys.

I think it rules in variety but. . . I don't like the SD's. They are shrill. I tried it with a '65 Gibson Skylark, a Fender Princeton 112+, and also a Tech 21 GT2 and it's disappointing. It sounds decent on a Peavey Audition Chorus but everything sounds good on that--really! It's good for metal sounds on an ARTSGX2000. Using a VG-8 is where it shines. Even the GR-33 was disappointing--you have to play precisely with very little room for error. This is not its fault because it tracks well--sloppy players just get exposed--can't hide behind distortion, baby. ;^> I have acoustic guitars and you won't mistake this for any decent solid top.

Great setup, amazing fit, and perfect finish. No flaws. Nothing is close in its price range. Amazing craftsmanship at any price!

You have three different outputs but two of them are kind of tied together. The magnetics will always work but had problems gigging because the circuit board inside refused to stay seated for too long. This disables the piezo and hex. It's easy to fix but you need to remove the screws at the back.

Lasido never returned 2 e-mails. But Steve's is good about it.

I don't like the neck dimensions (flat, narrow, skinny). I don't like the back-of-the-neck finish--sticky. I prefer my strat and LP. Some people love the neck though so try it before you buy. It's a cool guitar and if you have a VG-8 (or VG-88) this is its soul mate. But let's be honest here, you won't really mistake it for a Martin, an LP or a strat when you're actually playing it.

Built at Godin's New Hampshire factory in 2001, maple body and neck, beautiful ebony fretboard. Body style would be closest to a Les Paul type. The finish on my guitar is an awesome black pearl. It has 22 frets, dual Seymour Duncan Humbuckers, LR Baggs piezo saddles in the trem bridge which provide the "acoustic" output, which also drives the synth output I believe. Controls include Humbucker Volume, Humbucker Tone, 5-way toggle for the Humbuckers, Piezo Volume, 3-Band Piezo EQ, Synth Volume, S1&S2 for the Synth Output and a 3-way toggle to select Humbuckers/Piezo, Humbuckers/Piezo & Synth, Synth. Nice locking-type tuners. The neck is thin with medium frets, very fast and smooth playing. Came nestled in a very Godin case.

I play mostly worship music, but this guitar can do ANY style, from acoustic praise to acid rock. The possibilities are limitless. I play through a Roland GR-33 synth, a Boss ME-30 multi-pedal and an Ibanez tubescreamer distortion pedal into an Ampeg Jet II, as well as through whatever house system present at different venues. This guitar tracks quickly and accurately using the GR-33 like no other! I am truly impressed with it's capabilities. I own a '69 Gibson SG and a Custom ESP Eclipse w/EMG's, but I may never play them again!

My guitar was set up perfectly. The action was set very low like I like it, also intonated very accurately. The Humbuckers were set at a height at which their output matched the acoustic piezo's output perfectly when switched. Very nicely done. I honestly couldn't find any flaws in either the finish or the hardware. A beautiful handcrafted guitar.

I haven't had this guitar long enough really to know about it's durability. I can only guess, but it seems very solid, a nice thick finish. My only complaint would be about the strap buttons, which seem very small. Another reviewer stated that they are part of a strap-lock set. If that's the case, it would've been nice to have the strap side of the hardware included. Anyway, I replaced those with some Fender strap-locks...would hate to drop such a beautiful guitar!

Covered by a 1 year warranty from Godin. Haven't had to deal with them, don't foresee any problems due to how well the the instrument seems to be built.

I've been playing guitar for 21 years. I own a '69 Gibson SG and a Custom ESP Eclipse with EMG's installed which I may not play again for awhile :-) I love this guitar! My favorite feature would have to be the ability it gives me using the GR-33. I had a GK-2 pickup on my ESP, but I could never get it to track well at all. Pretty much made the GR-33 unusable due to stray notes popping in all the time. The LGXT is a marvel at tracking, even piano chords sound awesome! This is the finest, most versatile instrument I have ever played. If it were lost or stolen I'd cry :-( but I'd definitely get another asap!

Godin LGXT 1999 22frets, electric guitar volume & tone, synth volume, 2 switchs (like S1 & S2 on gk-2 midi p.u.), acoustic volume & 3 band e.q., seymour duncan humbuckers, tremolo bridge. Pearly black "Silver leaf Maple" body, mahogany neck/ebony fingerboard. Case (molded interior) included. Strap-lock studs factory installed (the reason why these are so small...). Miss only the strap part of the strap-lock...

Perfect, especially considering the cost! Blues, Rock, Hard rock, country, ... Name it!
Plugged in a rocktron voodu valve or chameleon either plugged directly in PA. Also tried in a TOL 100 tube amp / 4*12 cab. Very impressive in all cases. Using the various p.u. combinations, it produces a large diversity of sounds, from bright to fat/full tones.
Very effetive tone control giving interesting sound variations instead of killing the sound. Very resonant instrument.

Impressive acoustic sound. Rich tone and very useable e.q.

Synth capabilities very interesting. Good tracking. Using simultaneously electric and/or acoustic with synth gives really extended possibilities.

Surprisingly, the circuitry don't allow the use of the 2 p.u. in the humbucking mode simultaneously. This combination seems interesting so i'll ask my luthier to make a little modification...

Action is really good and low. Nice intonation. Set-up was o.k. Some noise problems with the 5 way p.u. selector. Seem to have a cold weld in the bridge p.u. circuitry cutting the sound. Under warranty anyway... Would give a 9 without these annoying problems. I hope Godin will enhance the quality control on the electronic circuitry.

Seems very durable... Since repaired, no problem at all... Fell very confident with it. Never bring a back-up... Good finish too.

Never dealt with Godin. People at the music store gives really good service.

Nearly 18 years of guitar playing now... Finally found a really polyvalent instrument at an interesting price tag...
I'll buy another identical one if it is stolen. It's a valuable instrument and seems a real workhorse.
I hope Godin will enhance the quality control on the electronic circuitry. It can be interesting if the instrument comes with COMPLETE strap-lock assembly and not just the studs...
I give it a 9 instead of a 10 because of these little desagreements...

LGXT came with 22 frets, two Seymour Duncan pickups(H-H), L.R.Baggs tremolo and piezo saddles. It has 3 outputs, one for the pickup sound (wich I connect to my amp, A Mesa Boogie triaxis with a 2:90 power stage and Roland GP-100 for the effects) other one for the acoustic sound (wich I connect live direct to board via a D.I. box) and a 13 pin output(synth).

I play in something like a cover band here in the Basque country (Europe), I play every style from Folk to modern Heavy metal. As said, I play my LGXT trough a triaxis... and it sounds amazing no matter what the kind of sound is...
The piezo output is superb, When played with bands with acoustic guitars (Martin, Yamaha, Takamine) everybody told that LGXT sounded really acoustic (it goes direct to board via a DI box).
with the guitar connected the way I do, you can switch from ultradistorted guitar sound (near Sepultura...) to acoustic sounding like a choir of angels in a second (An without changing the guitar or even the position!!).
I don't have a synth (planning to buy one soon) but when tried with a Roland the tracking seemed very accurate and fast.

Finished in traslucent red...Wonderful...
When first came to me, the volume knob used to make a lot of noise,
sent back to the importer and came back in perfect condition... no more problems (..OK, have to remember to take a 9V battery...)

I have sold my IBANEZ RG-470 (IT SUCKS!!!) with active EMG pickups, and I use it without backup... I can rely on it...but... planning to buy another guitar. I play near 100 concerts a year and nobody knows what can happen (Strings...)

When I had the problem with the volume knob, repaired without any problem.

I have been played for 8 years, I have owned Ibanez, Lag and epiphone guitars, and have to say this one is the best. If it were stolen or lost I will run to my nearest store to order a new one.

If you would like to take a look at the detailed specs, I'm sure the other entries here have them listed. I'll just let you know some of the specifics that came with mine. I bought a 1999 LGXT, with Seymour Duncan humbuckers, and translucent blue for my choice in color. Canadian made (yeah baby!), 22 frets, hard maple top, 5 way switch, tone, volume and the synth output. Locking machines heads, ebony fingerboard, mahogany neck, etc. Mine came to me resting in its custom Godin case.

Now being a student on a tight budget, I was looking for a guitar that could work with my various mood and jamming swings, but not break my pocket book. I heard a lot of good things from various salespeople regarding the LGXT but I wasn't all that interested until I got a look up close. I tried one out with the Roland synthesizer and I knew that there would have to be some amazing guitar to beat what the LGXT did for me in that store. Funny, I still haven't found one that can do it all like the LGXT.

I enjoy playing jazz and worship music and so using a highly distorted sound wasn't high on my table of priorities. I went with the LGXT because it had the option of going acoustic which was useful in a worship setting. Did the acoustic sound good? Honestly, it was only alright at first. Why? My strings were 9s and were very twangy and didn't give my acoustic pickups much bass response. After snapping my 9 on a bend I decided to change to 11s. "WOW!" is all I have to say after that modification. It sounded very balanced and warm.
The humbuckers were very good right off the bad. Can do a comparable jazz sound with just the neck pickup on and with the tone all the way down. It gives a great variety to work from and paints an extensive range of moods. BTW, I run my LGXT straight into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (b/c it's got a very nice clean tone). So what's my verdict for sound? 2 thumbs up.

Set up wise.....I think my guitar was an anomaly. The volume knob was VERY crackily and I tried to spray it with compressed air to remove it. I didn't want to go any further because of the complex hardware and electronics built into the guitar. I have yet to contact them but that's something I would like to have fixed. Other than that, the guitar came well set up and I did some intonation work myself and it works well as long as I stayed away from adjusting my volume during playing....

This guitar is heavy but I'm guessing it's due to the good wood Godin uses and the fact that there's a ton (not literally) of electronics. The finish is beautiful and it seems that it would last a long time. I've heard a lot of complaints regarding the strap buttons being too small but I'm using some lock nuts so they haven't given me any problems.
Gig without a backup? Of course. I just bring a spare battery for the acoustic pre-amp in case.

I've emailed them once before buying regarding the color of hardware (knobs, tuners, etc) and they responded quite quickly. And for those of you who aren't Canadians, many Quebequois speak and write English quite well as evidenced by the support I received from them.

I would rate this guitar a solid 9. It would be close to a 10 if it came set up with the volume knob problem. Great finish, even better sound. It's got better versatility (AND QUALITY VERSATILITY) than any other guitar I know out there.
If it was stolen, I would buy it again. Either the LGXT or the LGX-SA.
I've tried strats before buying but they didn't strike me as being original. Les Paul's were great but at quite a higher price. PRS, I guess I would have to sell an arm to get one of those. But can those 3 do what the Godin can? That's up to you to decide I guess huh?

The standard setup for the LGXT is: 22 frets, dual Humbuckers(mine has the Seymour Duncans), LR Baggs piezo saddles in the tremolo bridge which provide the "acoustic" output, as well as, drive the synth output. Controls include Humbucker Volume, Humbucker Tone, 5-way toggle for the Humbuckers, Piezo Volume, 3-Band Piezo EQ, Synth Volume, S1&S2 for the Synth Output and a 3-way toggle to select Humbuckers/Piezo, Humbuckers/Piezo & Synth, Synth. The 5-way toggle provides the following pickup combinations: 1-Neck Humbucker, 2-Inner Coil of Neck Humbucker, 3-Inner Coil of Neck Humbucker & Outer Coil of Bridge Humbucker, 4-Inner Coil of Bridge Humbucker, 5-Bridge Humbucker. Note that this is slightly different than the Godin LGX-SA in which position 3 is the Neck & Bridge Humbuckers together - same as the middle position on a Les Paul. I do not know why Godin opted for this configuration on the LGXT, since the "Les Paul-Both Pickups On" is a very useable sound...have you ever listened to Dicky Betts of the Allman Brothers? Anyway, I have been playing Paul Reed Smith's for 10 years (Had 3...sold 1 to buy the LGXT) and they don't have this combination available on their 5-way rotary configuration. I own a guitar and amp repair shop and I have modified lots of PRS's with a push-pull tone pot to add the "Both Humbuckers On" capability. Needless to say, within 8 hours of purchasing the LGXT, I had added the push-pull tone pot in order to gain this capability. As a result of the modification, I now have 3 extra pickup combinations on the 5-way toggle with the push-pull switch in the up position. They are as follows 2-Inner Coil of Neck Humbucker and Bridge Humbucker, 3-Both Humbuckers, 4-Inner Coil of Bridge Humbucker and Neck Humbucker. It's interesting that, while this guitar cannot exactly produce the "quack" sound of positions 2 and 4 on a Stratocaster, positions 2 and 4 with my modification are much closer than anything available with the stock setup...Godin are you listening?

LGXT's have a 25 1/2 inch scale length. The body consists of a Light Maple back with a Hard Maple top. The neck is Mahogany with an Ebony Fingerboard. Finish on the guitar is what Godin calls "Cognac Burst" and the top has lots of quilting. It is truly stunning when viewed under certain lighting conditions. My experiences with Ebony fingerboards are that they are as bright or brighter than Maple and feel very "silky" when bending strings. The tuners are a "Sperzel-copy" locking type. The neck dimensions are similar to the "Wide-Thin" neck on my PRS Standard, but a little wider, with a 16 inch radius.

When not being played, the LGXT lives in a nice rectangular hard-shell case with Gold hardware and a big gold "Godin Guitars" emblem on the side.

I've been playing for 35 years and have done almost every style imaginable. Also, I've owned lots of instruments over the years. As mentioned above, for the last 10 years I've owned 3 Paul Reed Smiths and didn't think I'd ever find anything that played or sounded better...until I met this baby! Currently, I play mostly in a Praise Band at our church and have to cover styles ranging from Rock to Blues to Jazz. My typical sounds are in the Larry Carlton/Robben Ford area and this guitar will do the job. However, one of the principal reasons I bought it is that I have a Roland VG-8 and a GR-1. Prior to this I had used one of my PRS's with a Roland GK-2 pickup for the synth access. I had heard differing reports in various internet user groups about the tracking ability of the Godin LGX-SA's and LGXT's. My experience with this LGXT is that it tracks wonderfully! I have had no problems with the synth tracking. In fact, both PRS's will probably get very lonely in the future, as I will choose this as my primary instrument.

From a "sound" standpoint, this axe will cover essentially everything except a perfect copy of the Stratocaster 2 & 4 "quack" sounds, but as I mentioned earlier, with my modification, which can be done by any competent luthier for about $30, it comes pretty close. Then again, I have a VG-8 and those of you who have them know about the SRV patch!
The Seymour Duncan humbuckers are really nice...especially the one in the Bridge position. It has a wonderful bold, but not harsh sound. The neck humbucker is nice and "smoky". The overall sound in "humbucker mode" could be compared to a bright Les Paul.

When using only the piezo's in the bridge, the sound is very close to an acoustic-electric. The 3-band eq gives you good control over the tonality. In a mix, I don't think I could tell it apart from my Alvarez-Yairi acoustic-electric(and it has superb sound). Hey, one less guitar to carry to a gig.!

In addition to the VG-8 and GR-1(soon to be replaced with a GR-33) I use a Digitech RP-7 and occasionally a GSP-7. These days I don't even own a guitar amp. I also play keyboards and have found that running the various boxes I have, along with my keyboard into a small mixer on stage and then into the PA works great. I usually use my Fender KXR-100 keyboard amp on stage running off one of the monitor feeds for local sound. Yeah...I know...there's nothing like plugging straight into a good tube amp. But several years back I sold all my tube amps (all vintage 60's Fenders) and started using the pedals mentioned above directly into the PA. You won't believe how much better your back feels not having to lug around all those heavy amps!

The fit and finish on this guitar are flawless. The bolt-on neck almost looks like it is a set-neck guitar. The guys at Godin really know how to match a neck up to the body.

As far as setup, the guitar was very good from the factory. However, being a guitar & amp repair guy, I'm pretty fussy about everything being "perfect". I did a minor adjustment on the neck relief, lowered the action slightly and tweaked the intonation. But, for most folks, the guitar would have probably been perfect right out of the box, but...hey...I'm fussy.

I did encounter one problem with the guitar which I think to many folks would be a BIGGY. I had heard lots of discussion in some internet user groups about this problem. In fact some of the discussion had been severe enough to recommend people NOT BUY the LGXT simply because of this problem. What was it? In short, the guys at Godin did not do a very good job with the nut. Any use of the whammy bar resulted in the guitar going way out of tune. As the bar was moved up and down, you could hear the strings popping loudly in the nut slots. Being a luthier, to me, this is not a big problem to remedy. It only required a few minutes of polishing the nut slots and a little powdered teflon. But, hey you guys at Godin...this instrument lists for $1875. The average buyer should not have to take a brand new instrument of this value to a repair shop and pay to get the nut slots polished! WAKE UP!!!

Rating of "8" in this category because of this problem.

The LGXT seems solid as a rock. Everything on it is top-notch. I'm used to the large strap buttons on PRS guitars and the LGXT has some rather small ones. I've seen what happens when the strap slips off the upper button on a guitar and the resulting fall ain't pretty...can you say...broken headstock. I will probably replace these with some larger ones because I would sure hate to have the strap slip off and see this wonderful instrument damaged.

I've been playing PRS's for 10 years so the concept of a backup instrument at a gig is foreign to me. From what I've seen with this Godin, I don't think I'll have to change in this area.

I had a minor problem with the instrument interfacing with the Roland GR-1. My opinion is that the GR-1 was at fault, but I called Godin anyway. They immediately put me through to one of their techs and he was very eager to assist me in diagnosing the problem. So, my experience with their customer support has been good...and they talk good English!

As mentioned above, I've been playing 35 years. In addition to the LGXT I own a PRS Standard and a PRS EG with the Roland GK-2 synth pickup mounted. For acoustic music I have an Alvarez-Yairi acoustic-electric.

If my LGXT was stolen, my first impulse would be to grab my Glok 40 caliber pistol and go thief-hunting. However, being a Christian, this just wouldn't be very cool. So, first impulses aside, I would head straight to Majestic Music and order another one just like it.

If I could only keep one of the guitars I own, this would be the one I would keep...and I sure do love those 2 PRS's.

The only negatives I see about the instrument are the nut-related tuning problem and the lack of the "both Humbuckers on" pickup configuration. GODIN...ARE YOU LISTENING????

I'm still going to give it an overall "10". It is truly a fantastic instrument.

99. Made in Canada and US. 22 Frets. It has an Awesome transparent Red Color. Ebony Fret board. Plays wonderfully. Two Seymore Duncan humbuckers and one L.R Bagg Acoustic pickup in the bridge. Has three outputs on it. One for just the Duncan pickups one for the synth access and one for the acoustic and Duncan pickups. Has many more features than this.

This has a the best sound ever. Words can not describe it. You need to try one out. This can play any style of music. I mostly play worship stuff snd it works just perfect for that.

Only had it for a few months and no problems yet.

Have not had to deal with them.

If this was stolen I would definately buy a new. That is if I had the money to buy a new one. I would deffinitly recomend it to any one.

My guitar is a '98, made in Canada. 22 frets. Solid body, light maple back with hard maple top. Volume and tone for humbuckers (sey- mour duncan custom-custom(with alnico 5's instead of 3's)in the bridge and SH-2's(jazz) in the neck. 5-way switch: full-single-both configuration. Volume for guitar synth, as well as volume and 3-band e.q. for fishman acoustic x-bridge (and synth tracking). Mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. Black finish. Les Paul shaped body for the most part. Bridge also is whammy-type, floating. Sperzel locking tuners. 25 1/2 inch scale, 16 inch radius (relatively wide and thin). Came with case, whammy bar.

My musical style is constantly evolving; guitar has a seemingly chameleon-like nature, yet subtle and identifiable characteristics IDENTIFY it on it's own: perfect! Bridge pick-up is formidable. Bold character without being harsh. Splits for tele-sound. Both pick-ups together produce ultra-pimp, funk sound ala-fender. Neck can be seductive and/or smokey. Excellent acoustic sound, e.q.'s kick it out. Synth tracking superb even though I've personally had trouble with glitching on the low string, g# and below, with certain patches.
As far as variety this fucker is the king AND queen.
YOU supply "THE TONE", get it ?
If you want "THAT DISTINCT TONE YOU HEARD ON YOUR MOMMA'S 8-TRACK" then go pay your $2000.00 plus or so some where else, get it ?
Go on girl.

The guitar was ready to play out of the box. I stuck 11's on it though as well as made the bridge "Psuedo-Fixed", dives only. Excellent workmanship except for natural-wood color showing through at the e.q. slots.

I've had it for 6 months, has'nt broken yet, and I have dropped it twice (or maybe 3 times). Good finish, headstock logo needs an update however. Very dependable, loaded with circuit boards so do not play underwater. No back-up (smashed it), shows confidence in it does'nt it? The rest I'll have to wait and see.

French Canadians, go figure. But really - they do speak English, very helpful. Warranty is pretty much standard - whatever that means.

I've been playing various things for 15 years, serious guitar for about 6 or 7. I'm very discerning and not easily satisfied, this thing's gotten me 99% there. A mahogany ParkerFly would do that, but at what cost ? ((gotta have my fun)). It's different, that alone is good enough. My next would be red with the 3 stacked single coil option.
The point ? The motto ? The jist ? Lesson learned ? It's simply...
BE YOURSELF FOR CHRIST'S SAKE - ORLANDO, FL. HAS ALREADY PRODUCED ENOUGH SIGNED CLONES. BELIEVE ME, I WAS ONE OF THEM ******* NOW I'M FREE, HEE, HEE, HEEEEEE !!!!!
It goes for guitars too ..................... Peace, THE WING.

New LGXT with transparent blue finish; Canadian parts (well, maybe not the Seymour Duncans), U.S. assembled. 23 frets with an unusual acoustic guitar/Les Paul meets Tele shape; 6 individual Piezo bridge pickups with Seymour Duncan humbuckers specially selected for the guitar, 5-way pickup switch. Roland synth connector jack. Switch for changing synth programs, switch for selecting guitar, synth, or both. Volume and tone for guitar, volume for synth. Special volume and EQ section for Piezo pickup. Separate jacks for guitar, Piezo, or combined output. Active electronics require 9v battery. Special tuners with lock-down fasteners. Wide neck with a thin feel.

Extremely wide range of sounds. This guitar was designed to cover any and every style imaginable- acoustic, jazz, country, electronic, rock, blues, etc. The guitar leans towards crisp and bright tonalities, but can surprise with a capable jazz sound on the neck pickup with the tone rolled back. A little noisy in single coil pickup selections, but then, aren't they all? Not sure if this is the dream metal axe, due to its tendency towards clarity. Fingerpickers will be delighted.

The action was a little high, and could not come down quite as far as I prefer, although very servicable. Interesting feeling to the instrument, hard to define, almost like a cross between an excellent acoustic neck with a good electric. It feels as good to strum as play single note runs.
The guitar seems extremely well crafted, although it's a bit of a hefty sucker. It has a hard to pinpoint feeling of genuine pride in the construction.

Synth access and active electronics means don't beat this guitar on the stage. It feels very solid, has the feel of an instrument that can last for years. You feel like you could trust it alone with your girlfriend.

Well, now, there's the rub. Godin is not an easy company to get in touch with. I didn't get the vibrato with my guitar, and didn't get a response from email requests to Godin for information. I couldn't locate a U.S. service number. Fortunately, my dealer checked with Godin and they acknowledged receiving my messages. It seems like everything will work out, but hey, they could have let me know.

I've been playing for decades and have owned over 20 instruments. I love the versatility of this guitar. The quality is outstanding. It plays and sounds differently than anything else I've ever owned, yet it can cover almost any style I desire. The synth feature is well integrated (my main reason for selecting the guitar). I love guitar synth, and this baby gets it done.
Godin needs to work on their customer service.
Still, I'd buy it again.