Godin MultiAc Nylon

This is a 'standard' Multiac with synth access. Features are presumably the same as in previous reviews. Excellent design, good playability. The 'slim' neck is very nice for playing pop, jazz and fusion, not as great for classical guitar music.

Personally, I really dig the excellent portability of this guitar. It's no bigger than a solid body, but weighs a lot less. The carrying bag is great, as long as you don't put heavy stuff on top of it. It's just too easy to carry around to where ever you need.

This guitar sounds great, period.

I use it for solo fusion playing, in jazz sessions and in theaters with an African band. It holds it's own in all circumstances. Naturally, it's not as crystal clear as a well miked classical guitar: piezo never is. The overall sound is very usable however. The instument responds very nicely to different playing techniques and exhibits a pretty wide range of tonal colors. I don't need any excessive EQ settings to get a good sound. The onboard EQ gives some nice capabilities, however, e.g. adding some extra mid for soloing in a band.

I usually play this through a small but powerful AER amp, which sounds just fine. Recording through multieffects or DIing into the mixing console all give great results with little effort.

One thing I really like is the good balance between strings. Many piezo guitars exhibit big differences in signal output between strings, with mostly the bass strings sounding weaker. Non of this here.

Synth access works just fine. The only gripe here is lack of sustain. This can't be helped, it comes with the nylon strings. It means, however, that you have to use long decay times or a pedal or some other external trick to get long, sustained notes from a synth.

As a final note, the instrument is very much in tune over the whole length of the neck. Quite a feat, considering this is a nylon strung guitar (However, this was not always so, see below).

Unfortunately, Godin's production facilities seem to have spun out of control. This well designed guitar, as well as another that I had returned, exposes some serious flaws in workmanship and assembly.

For one thing, the lacquer on the top is bulging somewhat near the neck joint, and there's a tiny piece of wood missing just beside the neck. These flaws are hardly noticeable, but still highly unwanted in a 1000$+ guitar.

Much worse, the neck had been set incorrectly in the factory. There was a space of about 1 mm between the foot of the neck and the top of the body. As a consequence, the guitar was rather badly out of tune when playing in higher positions. Ricardo, a brilliant and very experienced guitar tech, redid it in about an hour. He had to drill new screw holes in the neck and excavate the joint somewhat. He says this kind of sloppiness is typical of American workmanship :) He also says, most players don't even notice the bad intonation :( For me, everything is fine now, but leaving this kind of serious flaw in an expensive instrument is really off limits.

After one year, no problems. Just one piece of advice: don't step on it.

I had one Godin sent back to the importer and a new one returned, no questions asked.

This is a great and versatile instrument, that I may have to buy again if lost. It's a shame the sloppy workmanship (from the American assembly line, I gather) spoils the overall rating. If you're looking to buy one, make sure it meets essential build quality standards.

I'm the guy with the feedback problem. I finally stuffed the body with soft foam. I bought a 15 inch square at an upholstery shop, cut it into three inch strips and pushed it inside.

It stopped the feedback dead.

The acoustic sound of the guitar is clearly muffled.

There is no noticeable decrement in sound quality when played amplified. Well, there probably is some, but I don't notice it.

Problem solved to my satisfaction.

Factory guy was no help.

My D string binds at the nut too.

Somebody said it's rough on batteries. Mine last so long that I forget about them. But I only play it amplified a few hours per week, perhaps 8.

Not helpful on the feedback issue. Otherwise I don't know.

Nothing to add. Mine is the synth model.

There is a problem with the sound. A few people on the Yahoo godin group reported a similar problem. Most don't. The company denies it's a problem.

The problem is feedback.

This thing will feedback played a level below ordinary conversation if you face the amp to it.

Of course, when playing with a group, I face the amp away. But, it doesn't help. This thing wants to howl.

I've taped the sound holes, I place the amp so that my body shields the guitar. I've tried different kinds of amps. Turning the bass down works, but it does so by eliminating the good sound of the instrument.

The factory has been unhelpful generally, although they recently acknowledged that stuffing the body with foam might help.

Frankly, if anybody knows any more about why this might be worse in my guitar than others of the same model, please send me an email. Also, if you know how to solve the problem, please share.

Action was too high. I spent $250 getting the action lowered with a neck reset and a plek (a computer asssisted fret mill).

The lower bout is rather short, so the guitar seems to want to be held on the left leg, cocked up in classical position.

seems durable

They'll respond, but they won't really say anything helpful.

41 years. I have a yamaha silent guitar and some steel strings. The yamaha doesn't sound as good, but, on the other hand, it doesn't feed back.

My Multiac is a 2002 model. It's a lovely guitar with a Tele-shaped chambered mahogany body, mahogany neck, and spruce top. On my guitar the finish is satin, though more recent ones sport a glossier transparent finish. It has active electronics with volume and three-band EQ built around the Baggs Duet transducer system. The neck is designed for someone accustomed to playing electric or steel-string acoustic guitars, being narrower than a "standard" classical guitar's and having a slightly radiused fingerboard. It comes with a capacious and very useful gig bag. All in all, it's a very well appointed guitar. My one gripe is that the tuners are rather stiff and low quality for an instrument of this caliber, but they're easily enough replaced.

I play arty fingerstyle folk music, and for my purposes the Multiac is ideal. I tried it out at the music store (A# in Renton, WA) through a Fender Twin, used it at first through a '60's Gibson Scout, and wound up getting an Ultrasound DS3-50, and have gotten an exceptionally warm, full, rich sound through all of them. I haven't tried a more conventional acoustic / electric (such as the Takamines and the Taylors) that amplifies with such a natural acoustic sound. The active electronics allow you to compensate for the quirks of whatever amp or PA you're running through. For recording, it's unbeatable. I've gone direct to the board on three different DAW setups and gotten a great sound each time.

Also, while it's designed to be amplified, it has enough of an acoustic sound to be a great guitar for quiet practicing.

This is a very easy to play guitar. I originally tried it out because I was suffering from RSI symptoms in my left hand. None of the other guitars I tried out was so easy to play as the Multiac. Even with low action, you can play it hard without fret buzz. My one gripe about the setup is that the D string tends to bind in the nut, though that might be partially due to modifications attempted by the first owner. Also, the battery holder is a little tweaky--it's easy to mount the battery less than all the way in, but once it's there, it's locked in securely.

I would, and have, used this guitar at gigs without a backup. Everything about it is solid. The strap buttons are standard Schaller straplocks. If I were worried at all about anything crapping out during a gig, it would be the 9v battery for the electronics, but if I were really worried I would use the XLR connection on the guitar through a mic preamp.

I've emailed the company a couple of times with questions and gotten prompt and pertinent replies each time. I have no real basis for judgment here, though.

I've been playing guitar for 27 years in everything from coffeehouse solo gigs to loud club rock bands and have a small collection of really nice, pro-grade instruments and amps. Even so, the Multiac is the one I reach for 99% of the time. My only reservation about it is that the bridge is compensated for use with the D'Addario J46 set (hard tension), so you can't really play around with other string brands unless you're willing to get the bridge recompensated. Even so, I'd buy another one without hesitation.

I bought this guitar used, after having played a new one at the music store. I had fallen in love with: 1)very sleek, fast comfortable neck; 2)Baggs dual source pickups, that is, the under saddle piezo coupled with a condeser mic; 3) the onboard eq; and finally, 4) extremely cool good looks . Mine did not have synth access, a feature I would never have used. After owning and performing with it for over a year, the features that continued to matter to me were the neck and the very unique appearance. This guitar handles like a Ferrari and is a joy to play.

I play jazz and world music, with a strong Flamenco influence. I was very unhappy with the pickup system and eventually sold the guitar because I could never, and I mean never, get the guitar to sound right. Played by itself in a music store, this instrument doesn't sound all that bad. But I play in a group with other very good Spanish made guitars, and in that context, my Multiac sounded like a plastic toy. It stuck out like a Naugahyde seat cushion in a Rolls-Royce.
I could never use much of the mic at all before it would feedback horribly, and the mic sound was far too thin and brittle anyway. The undersaddle p/u sounded very mid-quacky, like the worst qualities of piezos. This, by the way, is in stark contrast to most of my experience with Baggs in general and with the Duet system in particular. I ran the xlr out straight to a Baggs Para Acoustic DI, to a very good Soundcraft board, with really superbly warm and accurate EQ. The only effects used were very sparing reverb from a Lexicon MPX-100.
When I got rid of it, I found a Spanish made Rodriguez Flamenco with solid sitka top, and solid Cypress back and sides. Put a simple, cheap Martin thinline pickup in it and it sounds like a million bucks. I got a good deal admittedly, but the total cost with pickup was a bit LESS than the Godin.

Finish was flawless. Not a thick layer of goopy polyurethane, but an obviously thin coat of nitro. Really remarkable Sitka top, very tight grained, gorgeous piece of mahogany for the body. Note: the body is a solid chunk that's been routed out for the sound chambers. The neck on this puppy is a dream: sleek, fast, comfortable, and just perfect. Action just couldn't be better, and still be able to hit it hard.

The guitar seems very well put together, and would, I think last a lifetime.

I attended last year's NAMM show in Anaheim, CA and spoke to the Godin people about this issue. They maintain that even if I had no use for the synth access, the six individual pickups used by that system are superior to the Baggs Duet system, and I should have purchased that one if I was going to be that picky. Frankly, they seemed miffed that I didn't love their instrument. By the way, when I was at their booth I played one with the synth access and six individual p/us, and found virtually no difference in sound.

I've been playing almost 30 years, and have owned some good stuff. I play in restaurants, bars and church. If it were lost or stolen, I would not replace it, obviously, since I sold it and got something else. IF, and this is a big if, Godin ever gets this guitar to sound as good as all the other reviewers think it does, I would hock my house to buy another. A very cool instrument that I tried way too long to get a warm, acoustic sound out of, and never could.

I bought this guitar from Guitar Center in "store-worn" condition because it was the only one in the DFW (Texas) area. I purchase the instrument because it is well suited for a classical player with a slightly wider nut and an ebony fingerboard. (I'll never understand why manufacturers promote Rosewood fingerboards so much!) This is the synth-access multiac and requires the use of a Roland Guitar interface for Midi processing - I use the GI-10. The synth feature works nominally fair. I rarely use it because, while it performs well, it's no more useful than Midi keyboard. Maybe more useful to a guitar only musician.
This is also the solid wood model - not the plastic back. The best non-sound feature of this guitar is its neck and fingerboard.

The sound of the Multiac is the main reason for buying it. My bother's guitar teacher heard one recording of this guitar and went right out and bought one. There's nothing like this sound for recording especially if you are a fingerstyle player. There is a crispness that cannot be described.
The electronics are absolutely quiet. You can hold the guitar right up to a computer monitor and there is no sound coming through the electronics.

I read another review here that complained about the intonation. I have had no trouble. Too bad for that reviewer. I would yell until I got some recompense. The action and general workmanship is top notch. The guitar has a chambered mahagonny one-piece back with a spruce top. Very well finished. Again, the neck and fingerboard have a superb feel. I can't say enough about the play-ability of this instrument.

No problems with any hardware aspect. I don't think I would like playing this instrument in a gig setting though but that would depend on the style of music of course. This doesn't feel like an instrument that you strap on and it becomes a part of your body - like a strat. It's more like a classical. I would worry about damaging it - but that may just be my own take it since I'm a classical player.

Never had any dealings with the Canadian company.

If I had to choose one guitar out of my 10 guitar arsenal - this would be the one. And that includes my $6000 Bird-eye maple Rosas. But let's not think about having to choose - it was only for illustration purposes - you know what I mean. The Godin Multiac is the most usuable recording instrument I have ever played. Sometimes I almost feel like it gives me an unfair advantage. People that hear recordings with it ask "What is that?". And the always say "Multi-WHAT?". Multiac as in "Access". Strange name - fantastic guitar.

The 2002 Duet I have is made in Quebec Canada. I bought this guitar from my guitar dealer after she mentioned that she was getting a couple of seconds from the company. It had a buckle mark on the back and that was all. It is a satin finish Duet with a very good hard case designed for the guitar. It travels well and has already taken a couple of hits travelling with no damage to the guitar.

The guitar has the following configuration:
Mahogany neck
Rosewood Fingerboard
16" fingerboard radius
25 1/2" Scale
1 7/8" nut width
Chambered Mahogany body
Solid Spruce Top
Custom LR Baggs I-Beam Duet electronics with under-saddle transducer & internal condenser microphone
Natural Semi-Gloss

I have many different influences but could be best discribed and Atkins with a jazz background. I usually use the balanced XLR connection through a mixing board. I do not need any effects as I get the sound I want right off the guitar. The sound is incredibly clear, rich and bright. Using the onboard mixer and the two transducers, I-beam and under-saddle, I can change the sound from a nice mellow sound to a very bright and lively one. The one thing that I have had problems with is feedback if I am going straight to an amp. Usually I have to come in early to a gig and work a little longer on setting up the feedback controls that work through the sweepable notch settings. Once you figure this out it does seem to get easier every gig. I would give it a ten but the little control pots are just that - little. Maybe adding a bit more grip would help these out.

The action on the Nylon duet very near perfect right out of the case. Other than the little mark in the back - (This is what gave me the great deal on the guitar) I would say the finish is as good as it gets. The varnish on the cedar front is flawless. The finish on the rest of the instrument is not heavy and is quite similar to my classicals.

The pegs are very good quality and I have no problem when I fine tune. The pegs turn with a firm but smooth feel.

The LR Baggs transducers are impeccable

I used to bring a back up guitar to my gigs but I no longer bring them as I know I can trust the Nylon Duet. The one thing I do bring along with me are some nine volt batteries as some of the systems that I have plugged into do not have power so I must rely on the pre-amp battery. I have run out of power. I do not this that the pre-amp is hard on batteries. I am just forgetful. But you don't want this to appen while you are performing.

The strap buttons are very good quality and no worry.

I lost my manual for the guitar and after a phone call, it showed up in my mailbox two days later. They are very friendly to deal with as I had another guitar made by Godin that was damaged and I had vey fast and professional service.

I do wish that thier web site had the manuals in pdf. The description of the guitars electronic systems are less than satisfactory and they need to pay alot more attension to this. Their Web site was also not accepting mail for a long period over the 2002 Christmas season - that went through the middle of January 2003. This is unacceptable for a company of this caliber. I hope that will be rectified soon.

I have been playing for 30 years and I own two classical guitars, two Jazz electrics (Gibson Archtop and a Godin Flat five,)an old telecaster and J45 steel string. The Godins are very well made and I would get them replaced if they needed to be.

I have also played a Godin Glissentar 11 string fretless nylon. I want that guitar in my stocking next christmas. It is an amazing instrument for the price.

I do like my other guitars and there are many handmades that I would love to own. The Godins are just so well made for their price.

This is a 1999 model that was ordered special for someone at Eastcoast Music in Danbury,CT. But he or she backed out...I saw the guitar hanging there and recognized its potential. And I Got it for a really good price...$800 at cost I was told...this
thing sells at over a $1000 net....it is an ideal hybrid
guitar.....nylon, semi-solid but acoustic enough...a neck that would please a concert guitarist, a folkie and a rocker!!! It has the 2" wide neck but it is very comfy...I tune it to an open G and play slide on it!!!!!! Truly I do....I use a heavy glass slide and it works!! and it records like a dream....it has the RMC system and it almost sounds like an acoustic full body guitar with an expensive condenser mic in front of it...
It is modern and traditional at the same time.....
and the quality of manufacture is impeccable......

the sound is fantastic....what else can I say.....hear it for yourself...check one out...
the sound is authentic, clean, quiet and solid...
I record it to my computer using ACID and run it through a Carl Martin Boost Kick preamp pedal.....and in conjunction with the preamp on the guitar it works fine...

the set up suits me fine.....

this is like any high quality guitar....it will improve with age....
the Red Cedar top ages nicely......and has darkened in just a couple of years.....the tuners hold really well for any guitar let alone a nylon strung guitar...

I have written the Godin Co. just to tell them how I value the guitar...and they responded....other than that I have had no problems....with the guitar....at least...

I have been playing for over 33 years...and I have had all of the great guitars at one time or another.....if I had them all now...I would be rich...rich...rich.....I would have a million dollars....hear that Bare Naked Ladies...?????

The previous review states this info quite well. The features are great; a true innovative modern guitar. Bravo.

The sound is great - acoustically it is alot richer than one would imagine, being a thin bodied nylon string guirat. I have recorded it into my Roland vs-880, and it sounded slightly brittle - until I bought a ART tube pre-amp, which warmed it up, added some bass, and took away the thin sound. It also sounds great with the Roland synth access - as long as you dial in a nice complimentary synth sound, and of course if you play something nice. Listen to J. McLaughlin on "When Love is Far Away" - he has a nylon string, with some synth strings very softly in the backround. Beautiful.

Everything was set up very well - I bought it at Westwood music in Los Angeles. The owner, Fred, saw me playing it and said, "You know, if you buy one of those, it's going to become your main guitar". Well, I ordered one, and he's been right.
There are no visable flaws on the guitar - the action, neck, frets etc. are very well done. MY ONE GRIPE: the intonation. I can't get this thing in tune!!!!!!!!I switched to a wound g-srting, which helps alot - and I had Westwood Music un-bolt the neck and put in a "shim", then take it out. But nothing really helps, and it really bums me out. So much that, I have begun to wonder it it would be better to spend more $$$$$ and get something to stay in tune, as well as have alot of nice features. But as you all know, it it doesn't stay in tune, what do features amount to?

The guitar seems solid - but due to the intonation/tuning problems, I would not consider taking it to a gig.

n/a

I have been playing since 1974. I own 5 other guitars (Gibson, Rickenbacker, G&L, Ibanez, Guild) and 3 amps (Boogie, Fender, Marshall) and a bunch of recording gear and some keyboard stuff. I'm not sure if I would buy this again - due to the fundamental issue of intonation, which to me comes close to ruining this guitar, which has otherwise so many superb features. Does anyone have any suggestions for the intonation problem? I'd appreciate it.

This Canadian-made guitar is a fascinating hybrid. It's a nylon string acoustic, with a 2" standard classical neck and tie bridge. But it's also a 100% state of the art electric, with a radiused fingerboard, cutaway (excellent high fret access), great intonation, high feedback resistance, and the so-good-it's-scary Richard McClish pickup system. Out of the box this guitar is plug and play with Roland GR series guitar synths or the VG-8. (It's rare to get synth support in a nylon string, since the standard Roland synth pickup is magnetic.)
CONTROLS: guitar volume, 3-band EQ (midrange center frequency switchable between 2 presets), and synth volume, plus the two buttons to control a Roland GR or VG-8. BODY: Thinline hollow body, spruce top, routed mahogany back/sides, with an unconventional soundhole in the small bout that sort of surrounds the controls. The body shape is funky-looking but quite comfortable to play seated or standing, although it's a bit on the heavy side. Only feature drawbacks: slider controls are too small and hard to reach quickly; synth buttons are too far away from the strings for convenient access.

This guitar sounds great amplified. No ifs, ands, or buts. You can plug it into anything from a church PA to a Peavey electric amp to an acoustic amp and get a strikingly good tone. You could probably hot wire it to a Mr. Microphone and get a decent tone through an AM radio. Onstage I use a little reverb from a Boss RV-3, and sometimes a touch of delay from a Dan-Echo; no other effects. Killer tone. Every time I play this guitar out I have people come up and comment on how great it sounds.
The electronics are very quiet and predictable, although a bit rough on batteries, and it records great. When I record this guitar I just leave the tone controls in my usual settings, and jack it into a Mackie 1202VLZ with the EQ set flat. It hardly even needs reverb.
I play a variety of contemporary fingerstyle, with a noticeable Chet influence; mostly gospel and folk. The only guitars I have found that rival the tone of this Godin are Kirk Sand's hand-made gems -- that start at about $4,000 with a one year waiting list.
NOTE: There is a big difference in sound between this model and the MultiAc Duet, which has (I think) a Baggs dual source system and no synth driver. The Duet is nice, but if you can afford the extra $$$ go for the synth access model. Even if you never use a GR-30, the guitar pickup in the synth model sounds way better IMHO. I don't think it's possible to overdrive the McClish pickup. Play it hard and it gets loud without compressing. Play it softly and every subtle nuance, brush, etc. is right there. Astounding.

I marked this down a little because it just doesn't exude the outrageous attention to detail of, say, a comparably priced Taylor. However, it's still extremely well made, and I have had no problems with it at all. Factory setup was fine and I have never felt the need to change it. (That's good, because changing the bridge is a job for a skilled professional due to the six-element pickup system.) Intonation is as close to perfect as any nylon string I've ever played, and the radiused fingerboard makes it very fast and comfortable to play.

I've owned this guitar since summer of 1997, and it still looks and plays like it's brand new. The finish is very durable, and all the pieces parts have stayed right where Godin put them. I have frequently taken it out with no backup, and I won't hesitate to do so again. Just don't forget the spare battery.

Warranty is (I think) one year. I guess that's a bit on the short side for a guitar in this price range. I have never had to call them about anything so I have no experience with their support.

I've been playing since about 1970, and I know what I like. (I can't always afford it, but that's another issue.) I've tried Takamine, Yamaha APX series, etc. I could get either tone or feel but not both. he minute I played and heard this guitar, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for in a nylon string guitar for performance.
I was in Nashville for a convention when I bought it, and the dealer had to ship it to me. I received it on a Thursday, and played it for a two-hour Borders gig the following night. If something were to happen to this guitar I'd go buy another one just like it...and play it out that night.
No guitar is perfect, and you can always find something on any instrument that's not exactly right. This one isn't perfect. But it's pretty stinkin' good, and it has been a great value. I wish Godin had more dealers, because people need to get their hands on this thing to appreciate it.