Godin Mulitac Nylon SA

mine is the standard neck size (not the slim)...really nice feeling neck,built well,gig bag it comes with is good-to me, it's a 21st century kinda guitar,but in a good way.

i don't know how the 'real' classical/nylon string players feel about an instrument like this,but it is certainly a cool design and works well-when plugged straight into a PA or mixer in it can be bright,but the EQ on there is pretty powerful,plus i'd imagine most would do at least a little bit of outboard processing(i do).
-i'd say it's amplified sound is a bit snappier/sharper than the gibson chet atkins model(somewhat similar concept),but a LOT more comfortable to play due to it's lighter weight...it can be dialed in to sound less 'piezoish',you just have to get used to how the controls work. i did mess around with the synth out and it seems to work/track well,but that's not really what i bought it for.

...playing it unplugged is nice,as well-just enough sound to hear yourself,maybe a bit more than your average solidbody electric.

it's tight-i like the neck joint design a lot...action is great, a bit lower than another one i tried-i am not sure what would happen if it got too low,as the saddles are individual and probably can't be shimmed underneath? the finish is low gloss,actually very nice to look at and touch/play.
-the intonation on mine is a bit flat past the 12th fret,mostly on the bass strings... it isn't a deal breaker,but i wonder what can be done about this - it has a cutaway,so shouldn't it play in tune up there better?

i had a problem with the D string saddle,it was lower output than the rest-godin had to ship a new saddle to the store i bought this from,but the install was pretty easy from what i was told...i guess the worst that could happen is something else electronically,but it seems a little simpler to fix than some other things(as long as parts are available).
-all the other hardware and finish seems very sturdy.

overall a great playing instrument-i think it was designed as a nylon string guitar for people who normally play electric,sounds good with fingers or with a pick...the hard tension strings seem best,btw.

Features well-covered by over reviewers.
Chose the model for its piezos and 13-pin output.
Got this for USD550, shipped to Europe for USED170. My model is the "natural" finish. It feels nice and heavy in the hand, good and solid, but smells and looks plastic-like: I'm hoping this is just an effect of it being new.
The tuner mechanics are great: it takes a great big turn to get any change, which is quite essential when the guitar is linked to the Axon AX100 guitar synth. The tuning knobs themselves, though, are chap and tacky, and let down the guitar.

Not a bad sound acoustic sound through the piezos, but if I was recording solo acoustic guitar, I'd be using a real acoustic with some microphones.
The synth access, though, is darned fine. High notes track beautifully, harmonics (at least with the new Godin strings that it came strung with) are captured perfectly, and are true in tone all the way up the neck. Amazing workmanship has gone into this cheap little beast.

The action may be a bit high for some, but suits me and my variety of styles - 25-years experience of everything from bluegrass, delta blues, chicago blues, rock'n'roll, bebop, speed metal. It is actually possible to get some quite good two-hand tapping out of this guitar, which is not something I had counted on, but is a nice bonus for synth recording.
Again, the finish on the instrument feels cheap, and I hope it improves with age.

It's a day old, I can't comment on durability, but it feels solid.

No need to contact them yet, but Godin have dealers in my home towns of London and Budapest, their website is informative, and I'm confident.

A great synth access instrument for the price, though the finish is more artificial than I'd like.

The ACS SA is a refined version of a standard classical guitar with variations more suited for all styles of music: 648mm scale (25.5") rather than 650mm (25.66"), a tad smaller 50mm (1.9") nut width, 16" board radius instead of a flat radius to better adapt chording. The very slightly smaller neck dimensions allow for faster, more complicated chording and legato styles. The thinner, more ergonomic body, with slight top tummy cut and deep cutaway further address the needs of an electric guitarist. The six individual piezo string transducers, and the supplied topside EQ controls, allow for a wide spectrum of usable tones from very classical nylon renditions to more electric inspired tones. I haven't used the synthe access - I may never need it.

The six individual piezo string transducers, and the supplied topside EQ controls, allow for a wide spectrum of usable tones from very classical nylon renditions to more electric inspired tones. I haven't used the synthe access - I may never need it.

The materials, build, fit and finish are all top shelf. The bolt on neck is a blessing in that minute changes of the neck angle can refine the action and playabiity to one's needs perfectly. Easy access to the electronics and bridge.

Superbly built, made for the hard usage of gigging.

N/A

Playing since '55, I'm a luthier/tech. The ACS SA is simply an electric modern version of a classical guitar, with refinements that allow any style of music from pure classical to rock/bebop - and probably beyond (metal? hey, who knows?). IMO, of all the Multiac versions, this model satisfies my fingerstyle guitar needs to a "T" and I'd get another if I had to.

Well covered in other reviews. I bought it in the UK for about ??750. Was interested in the synth capability and have had fantastic fun with it. Feature rich and very unique.

I preffer to play classical guitar style but also play electric - as one reviewer said - all over the place in terms of style. I was interested in the classical/electric mix and have been delighted with this instrument.

I got the blue one - looks very classy in the flesh with the mahogany neck.

Sound is excellent - lots of variation availible in the guitars EQ and the mid filter switch offers a simple quick adjustment.

This guitar is a unique instrument - it dosn't have the sweet warmth and expression of a good classical guitar - but the versatility is unparalleled. You can create a passable classical guitar tone and using the GR33 you can become an orchestra. Although - you need to get used to co-ordinating a whole stack of things at the same time.
The key to this instrument is versitility of sound.

I am playing it through a Behringer Ultra Acoustic 1000 and have played it through a range of other amps including a friends AER. The best sound is the AER - but the Behringer is pretty good too.

I play a kind of latin/jazz/classical concoction. This guitar would probably be a bit quacky and lack tonal complexity for the purists. Again - this is a unique instrument - I love the versalitlity.

I bought this guitar new and at first the neck was like the leg of a chair - grainy and rough. However - after a few weeks the oils had flowed between us and now it feels close to perfect. The fret board is has a very slight radius and actually I find that this forces me into a more technically correct playing style - don't really know why. I just feel less sloppy playing this neck.

I had to lower the action a touch as it was just a bit too high which involved a but of truss rod adjustmet but worked out fine. Heads are very good quality - although the plastic knobs could have been metal to reach perfection.

The saddle/pick up combination is very robust - and as somebody else said - these have to be the hotest peizo pick ups on the planet.

I did get a slight scratch on top and felt that the finish was a bit soft but other than that this is a very well made instrument. If you have this kind of guitar - your probably pretty careful with your instruments.

Asked a couple of questions on the support website. Lacked a bit of elaboration in the response - must have been busy.

Been playing for more than 25 years. Had all sorts - this is a keeper. My favorite thing is the versatlity and the feel of the neck. Other reviewers have comented on the synth tracking. I have an Ibanez SV470 that I put the GK2 PUP onto - but I am taking it off again because it dosn't track as perfectly as the Godin which just becomes anoying.

Technically this is a fantastic bit of kit - I have grown to love it - but individual reaction depend on what you want to do with it.
Great job by the guys at Godin - they make excellent instruments.

I first saw this guitar live at the Coach House, at the Jesse Cooke show a couple of years ago, wondering how the lush synth sounds were coming from a stunning sounding nylon string. I purchased it brand new in 2004, after a down-payment and a trip to Vegas, that landed me an $800 jackpot on the "Wheel of Fortune" slots! The features have already been nicely covered by previous reviewers, and I'm sure they're right on the money. Comes with a nice gig bag, which I use for my other guitars also because I'm too lazy to keep getting the hardshells on a frequent basis.

Musically, I'm all over the board and this guitar rekindles my growing love of nylon strings with every picking moment. I've recorded this guitar directly into my Mackie board. The sound of a great nylon string guitar is faithfully reproduced, and can sound stunning when properly EQed. Using a couple of plug-ins in Cubase SX really made this guitar come to life. I had the GR-33 outputs plugged directly into the board also and an example of this can be heard on my webspace on the tune "Cosa Nostra" (www.soundclick.com/wolfstatic). The entire track (minus the dialog clips), is an acoustic guitar tribute to the Godfather movies and was done entirely on the Godin Multiac Nylon.

More recently, I plug directly into my Top Hat Ambassador amp with the reverb engaged for a more ambient sound. The synths and the natural sound of the nylon string are rich, full and leave me scratching my head as to how and why it sounds so good! I can't wait to unleash this fine piece of craftsmanship live, especially aftet seeing Steve Stevens tear up an unaccompanied solo on this guitar at the Billy Idol show this year!

This is where the guitar really shines! I freaking love this thing! The Godin rep told me that this was the perfect nylon string designed with the electric player in mind. He was so right. Fingerpicking, speed picking, strumming and even tapping is a breeze thanks to the nice, low action on a beautiful neck. The guitar's weight is just right and I have no trouble playing it with a strap like any other guitar. The tracking is great for the most part, but it does struggle a little bit here and there on some patches (which I hardly use, so it doesn't matter either way!).

No problems so far!

Haven't had to call them YET... need a few questions answered on the on-board channel switching used in conjunction with the GR-33... perhaps one of you nice readers already know can shoot me an email?

I've been playing for 19 years and I'm very choosy about my gear. GUITARS - 2 Ernie Ball MusicMan Axis (1 blue, 1 red), Taylor 612CE, US Fender Thinline Tele, Ernie Ball Silhouette Special (on order).
AMPS - Bogner Ecstasy 101B, Top Hat Ambassador T35, Roland KC-500
FX etc. - TC Electronic G-Major, Pedals by Fulltone, Keeley, Barber and Carl Martin. Roland GR-33 Guitar Synth

I had to wait for the beginning of a Multiac SA production run. That run started three weeks after I put down my cash. I would have liked it better if my retailer had told me that this was going to be the timeline. I waited two and a half months to get my Multiac.

Upon delivery it would not stay in tune and it had some buzzes. Changing the strings seemed to fix the tuning issue. I used D'Addario EJ45.

Buzzes still come and go. Next effort will be to follow the advice of above posters and try heavier strings.

I will put some strap locks on this guitar too. The stock buttons are just not big enough for me to believe in them. I have to make a special effort to see that my strap is actually past the button. It needs attention.

Finish is just delicious. I liked that the neck is a satin and the body is high-gloss. The neck is probably less sweaty with the satin.

The Multiac has a quacky kinda voice. It happens to sound good to me. But I can hear other guitar players saying that it is a bit quacky. Unplugged its voice is surprisingly nice and large. They must have slaved away nights trying to make a routed-out hole sound like a guitar. But here it is.

My multiac is plugged into a Fender Acoustasonic JR acoustic amp. I couldn't be happier if my wife's poodle ran away. I can plug in a mike and yodel just like I want. If you're looking at buying a multiac , you are probably the target audience for an acoustic amp and I'd encourage you to check 'em out. If I was any happier with my little Fender amp , I'd be standing in a puddle.

The multiac responds beautifully to the effects patches in my amp. It can be surprisingly bad-boy and then totally angelic without touching any settings. You most certainly don't feel like this is a classical guitar. It is a classical guitar but other dimensions in the multiac open up as you change your touch. Its been fascinating to open this little bundle...

I bought a Roland GR20 to more fully use the system offered in this complex ax. But as the guitar had tuning problems my experience with synthing wasn't wonderful. I was disappointed by the limitations in the synth brain. The first thing that you have to do is to set your individual string touching dynamics. You have to give the machine a sample at whatever you feel is your 'average' picking event.

I thought that that was a bit persnickety. What IS an average pick-hits-string event? This affects the way that the brain understands the guitar information and there is a lot of room for misinterpretation. I took it back and now I simply use the effects that are built into my Fender amp. A nice guitar modeller would be a fun next thing to dream about for this guitar ; they make cool sounds and aren't as fussy as a synth brain. For this disappointment (which still ended well) I have to yank a point off Godin in the sound department. I still don't think that guitars will ever be as competent as keyboards in making synth music.

That was kinda satisfying taking that point away.

Aside from random frets buzzing , this ax has turned me into a guitar god. The pickup upgrades the thing I like best about nylon guitars ; that sudden recoil that nylon gives you is brought to another level playing an electric Multiac. The way that the electrics interpret the physical events is just artful.

So far I can't say that things have gone perfectly but with everything I'd say that it ought to be a lynchin' offence to rustle another guy's multiac. Just take them out and string-em-up and give me back my precious.

My retailer seemed to be very conversant with his rep at Godin. When I expressed regret that this instrument comes with a "GIG" bag rather than a proper case , the retail guy actually took it up with the Godin guy. He looked into the Godin database and figured out that the Vancouver west-coast rep had a half dozen hard cases to fit Multiac.

Sit down while I tell you this part!

When the retail guy told me about this I was very pleased. I happen to believe in the hard-case theory. So when I asked him what the cost was going to be , he told me that this was a free upgrade.

You have to call that good sales support. I'll always be glad I got that case and even more I'll always like it better because it was free. I had expected to pay over a hundred bucks on a custom case and this one was just manna from heaven.

I've had many guitars over the years. Each one had its greatness and its less than great points too. Each has gone to make way for the next and I've liked it that way. But this one I'm keeping. In its free hard case. Forever.

My little glossy precious.

I bought this one used with very little information.

It's the slim line RMC straight saddle version. Got synth access.

I have mixed feelings about the sound. With most amplifiers I find it too trebly. I end up having to cut the highs and mids all the way. Yet, in loud combo playing (samba based jazz) I have found the highs and mids more useful.

Mine feeds back rather easily. Other people playing this model have not reported that, but I find it to be a problem.

At low volume I can usually make it sound great. Higher volumes raise the feedback issue and it's harder.

I'm told that classical players would have loved the action. Presumably they wouldn't have loved the intonation, which was more than 2 hz sharp at the twelth fret.

Gary Brawer of San Francisco set it up both by hand and with a Plek (sp?) computer controlled fret mill device. He lowered the action, apparently by shimming the neck, and made the buzzes go away with the fret work. Since it was sharp before, the intonation got better without difficult saddle work. It's real good now.

Much better now. It plays great.

Looks solid to me.

I've emailed the Godin company and received useful replies.

My only other nylon is a Yamaha Silent Guitar.

I've never had the Yamaha set up perfectly, so the Godin now plays much better. With proper setup on the Yamaha, I think they'd be about the same. In fact, I find the body contours on the Yamaha a little more comfortable. I think the Godin wants to be held in the left knee cocked up position, but I don't like to play that way. I know, I should.

The main problem with the Godin has been controlling feedback and getting it to sound good with a band. I think it's possible, but it's not as easy as plugging a Strat into a Fender amp.

New guitar, case included in the price. Satin finish spruce top, mahagony back & side, ebony neck. Nylon strings, synth access.

This is the Godin with the slightly thicker body (they make a thinner one as well). The thicker body has a much better "dry" (unamplified) sound. When I first brought this to the studio, we got no work done, as everyone was so taken with it they took turns playing it, and had trouble letting it go. This was before we even plugged it in! Through the bridge transducer pickups, the sound is great - that smooth nylon string sound, just louder. Add effects, and it can sound any way you want. And the synth just adds to the versatility (I use the Roland GR-33).

Great guitar to look at & to hold. Fit & finish are perfect, and it has an unusual and attractive style (I'm always drawn to originality).

I haven't used this for live playing, though I would not hesitate to. I always bring it to the studio, sometimes along with an electric (for string bending - nylons just don't accommodate bluesy string bends). This is a very well-built guitar, I am confident that it would withsatnd gigging.

? Don't know

I have been playing guitar for many years (I'm no spring chicken). Lately, I mostly work in the studio. I own PRS, Gibson, Fender, Martin and Rickenbacker guitars, and Mesa Boogie and Tech 21 amps. The Godin is a very versatile instrument, even without the synth. However, I bought it in large part for the synth functionality, and it tracks better than any other synth guitar I've ever played. The nylon strings are real easy on the fingers, limiting fatigue. I've recorded all kinds of stuff with this, from power chords and screaming leads to string, organ and keyboard parts, and I like it more and more. This is a unique guitar, and I can't really compare it to other guitars. It is well worth the price, if this is the kind of thing you're looking for.

As described. Mine has the straight bridge. Some are staggered after the 3rd string, apparently. I saw one like that, and it looked stock.

Very "live" for someone accustomed to steel strings. Hard to control the sympathetic vibrations without a lot of attention to string damping. Presumably, that's the nature of the breed.

Mine feedsback like mad with a guitar amp. I have to drop the bass and volume to the point where it's useless to stop the howling. But, when played with a PA, I could crank it up without a problem.

At that point, the sound was gorgeous. However, to my ear, the guitar can make a great many sounds that are harsh. I have to crank back both treble and mids to get what I'm looking for.

I bought it used and I have no idea how old it is or if the settings had been touched. The workmanship is great. The neck is straight. The action on mine is a little higher than I like.

Seems solid enough. Until I feel confident about controlling the feedback, it won't be my first choice for a gig.

They responded promptly, but not particularly helpfully, to emails about the feedback. For example, they told me to turn the bass frequencies down. Doh.

Decades. I have several other instruments but nothing like this. I'm still not sure how usable it is. I'll post again when I've tamed the feedback and would appreciate any comments or advice.

Features have already been adequately described. I give it a 10
because it does what it's supposed to do, though I wouldn't describe
this as "Tons of features".

I think this is a great guitar, but I decided not to buy one. If you
are considering one of these and cannot try one out first, you should
consider the following.

A serious issue for me was that due to the nylon strings, you get
practically no string bend range. This isn't really a fault, its just the nature of the beast. The strings are easy to bend, the pitch just doesn't go anywhere. I had to really crank to get a half-step up. If you feel that string bends are an important part of your style, you should play one of these first and judge for yourself.

The one I tried had very slight intonation problems on the second and
sixth string at the twelfth fret. Normally this doesn't bother me, I
just compensate by bending a little. But with the bend range issue, I found this harder to do. Since the saddles are fixed you can't
correct this by twisting a screw.

Regarding the acoustic sound, I really like it for what it is, but I
think its best for live performance, where you need acoustic sounds to cut through a band. But I don't gig, I record in a home studio. For recording, the sound just isn't as rich as you get with a full bodied electro-acoustic (such as a Godin/Seagull). Again, this isn't a fault, it is what it is.

While playing it, I was occasionally able to get some weird body
resonances. This may have been the synth buttons, or the plastic
grille under the "sound holes" vibrating. I didn't notice these in the recordings though, its just a little annoying when you practice with it without amplification.

Synth tracking is about the best there is, no problems there.

So, if you want great synth tracking, descent acoustic sound
without dragging around a full bodied guitar, and the string bend
issue doesn't bother you, absolutely check this out.

I ended up buying a Godin LGX-SA for synth (with bends!) and will be
getting a full bodied electro-acoustic for acoustic sounds. That
said, I absolutely LOVED playing the Multiac. I love the feel
and tone of nylon strings. If money were no issue I would own one,
it just wasn't the best fit for my needs.

The guitar was flawless, beautiful. The action was good, I would
do what another poster said and get higher tension strings. This
would probably make bending somewhat easier too.

The only thing I didn't like was the ornate metal brackets on the sides of the headstock where the tuning machines mount. I guess they're trying to make it look like a classical guitar. Given that the rest of the guitar looks rather modern, I found this out of place. Frankly, it looks plastic and cheesy so I'm docking a point.

I've been playing on and off for about 20 years. I'm not a pro, I record mostly Jazz-oriented stuff in a home studio for my own emjoyment. As I said before, I would buy one of these in a heartbeat if I had the money, but I felt there were more versatile options for me.