Godin SD

The headstock says it's assembled in the U.S. with parts made in Canada. H/S/S passive pick ups, black pearl color and it came with a really cool gig bag. The neck is just right for me. Its slim and fast but you'd have to give a little more effort to reach the higher frets(you'll get used to it). The tuners keep in tune well. Now the bridge is a trem style bridge like the standard one on a fender strat. The low E string goes out of tune every time I use it(im thinking about replacing it when i get the money)

This guitar is very versatile. The pickups give me a variety of tones that would fit my style. I play some blues, Hard rock(G'n'R, Velvet REvolver), metal and some acoustic as well. I use it with a line6 spiderIII and an EHX metal muff. I would probably replace the entire pickup set for some seymour duncans later but for now they would just do. It has a very bright sound though and could easily be compared with a fender strat(MIM or american) which is way more expensive. The only thing i dont like is the bridge. A floyd rose or a tune'o'matic fixed bridge would be a couple of options. But ,like i said, it would do for now. Overall this guitar sounds really GREAT!

The action is nice and the finish is great because i love the color(pearl black). It was flawless when i bought it. It tends to look boring as time passes by, but you'll learn to love it.

It's a pretty solid guitar. You can depend on it. I've gigged with it a couple of times without backup, i just make sure I'm prepared with what i need(new strings, good straps ETC.)About the bridge AGAIN, the screws on the saddle for the low E string started to rust(after 6-7mos) due to the sweat on my palm when playing. Other than that its fine.

I don't need it.

I've been playing for awhile and this guitar is my 2nd electric. I really make sure that I'm happy with what i pay for and this guitar is not expensive considering its quality. The one thing i lovge most about it is the feel of the neck. Once i played it in the store i knew it was the one! It fits perfectly in my hand and it has improved my playing a lot. I just wish it came with a better bridge and better pickups. But then again, it would do for now.

Bought it used. HB/S/S - but the HB had been changed out for a Seymour Duncan

I had had an LGX a few years ago and rated it highly. Bought this one cheap on EB

Play all sorts of things. SRV, Dire Straits, bit of fingerpicking.
The SD humbucker pickup is good - no idea what the Godin original was like. The single coils are OK.
To be honest - I have not seen much difference between single coil pickups anywhere. My 78 Strat ones aren't that good.

Godin certainly finish their guitars well.
Action is OK. Certainly not low, but OK.
One thing I'd say is that compared to my strat - the distance between the strings and the body is quite small - I find myself hitting the pickups with my pic sometimes. Probably my crummy technique but an annoyance.
Machine heads v good.
Hate the tremelo - but immediatly took it off like I have on my strat.

Very solidly made. If you go to a gig with only 1 guitar - you better be able to do acapella

GOod S/H buy for sure.
New - there's a lot out there in this sort of bracket - but you probably wouldn't go far wrong.
Really I'd say it's a decent 1st guitar - but it's not a professional standard.
I bought it cheap for an experiment and I'll probably move it on soon.
I currently have a US Strat which is decent (although not as good as a previous strat I had). A Taylor T5 - which is the best guitar I've ever played - and is the closest to a genuinely multi-purpose guitar I've seen. I had a Gibson Les Paul - which was great - but sold it to get the T5.
I had a Godin LGX - which I thought was really good.

Canadian built guitar, bought new but may have been used as a display. Probably recent manufacture. 24 fret, short scale neck. Body maple-poplar, quilted maple top with a tobacco stain. S/S/H Godin pick ups with strat style 5 way selector. Single volume and tone controls, positioned like strat but with tele style metal knobs. Rosewood fretboard. Bridge and trem similar to standard strat. Nut and tuners also std strat-like. Locking strap buttons factory fitted. No coil tap.

Body shape is the signature Godin style, used on most of their electrics. Obvious elements of strat (eg contouring), tele (top horn) and LP. Distinctive. Came with a good quality rectangular case, which is very sturdy (and therefore heavy).

I play mainly blues and country at a high energy level, plus some jazz. I use a 1968 Vox AC 30 or an Orange Tiny Terror. I don't use a huge amount of gain (Tiny Terror set on full vol, gain on 4), and light with effects (all Boss): mid boost or Overdrive set to 2-3 for solos, slap back and tremelo. I gig 2 to 3 times a month. I also use a US std strat, a tele (open G, set for slide) and a Hagstrom Swede Reissue.

The two single coils are quite powerful, whilst the neck humbucker is relatively quiet. This makes for very well balanced pick ups. Sound cleans up by rolling off volume, but the lack of coil tap reduces versatility. Sound is good. Mainly use bridge pick up, and its a great blues tone, far from blues-shredding; responses well to variation in strength of pick action. Sound is kind of a tele/LP hybrid. Drives but cuts through, with good note definition, even at higher drive levels. Sounds very like Wilko's early Dr Feelgood stuff (which was a Tele with Humbuckers-a Deluxe) Could use it for a whole gig, in all of our various styles, without problem.

Can do a decent twang or jangle, but will do a dense rock scream as well. Wouldn't suit a metal player. In an ideal world, totally happy with humbucker, single coils a bit too powerful for my taste.

I took this off the wall because its such an nice looking guitar. It is flawlessly finished, high quality workmanship, astonishing in a cheap guitar. Much better finish and preparation than the average Gibson, for example. However, what made me buy it was that plays so well. The neck is incredibly comfortable, everything is easy to reach, awkward positions (eg high barre chords) are easy to maintain. Short scale neck makes bends easy, 24th fret usable (if that's your thing...not me). Controls are easy to find without looking. Body not too heavy (similar to strat), guitar well balanced.

This is a fine player's instrument BUT...Spiderman Dave told me he had to set it up before putting it on the wall because the action was set unplayably high. Consequently, when I bought it, it was beautifully set up. Can't understand how they sent it out with a bad set up: everything else is done so well. Point off for this.

Finish is hard and good quality, tuners work well. Not sure about the tone pots and the selector switch. A bit crackly on receipt, had to clean them, ok since. Cheaper guitar rarely have good quality pots and switches, but time will tell. Holds in tune in the case, generally a good sign, average for holding in tune at gigs (my old tele is the only instrument that I've ever owned that is really reliable for staying in tune, which is mainly due to lack of trem and well positioned string trees).

As above, general quality of instrument is excellent, and this usually translates into durability. However, there is a significant design fault. The trem system is generally ok, but the arm neither clicks in place, nor screws in. It slides in and is loosely held by a tiny screw at the side. This arrangement works well after adjustment in so far as the arm goes in and out easily, and doesn't fall out when you throw the guitar around (as I'd feared). But its a fiddly, miniscule and awkward screw, and I'm pretty certain that a sharp blow at the wrong angle would pop the screw and cause real problems.

At a push I would gig this without a back up, but only a fool gigs without a back up.

No idea, I never contact manufacturers. Generally buy guitars from Frailers in Runcorn, who are good as gold for after sales service, even when problems arise years later.

I have never liked Godins, although I've always known that they are nice instruments. What's put me off is the multiple pick up systems, synth capability, too many controls, all too prog rock to me. This guitar is nothing like that. It is a well made, simple, ergonomically thought through work horse.

Despite misgivings over the electrics, the trem and no coil tap, this guitar scores heavily for being comfortable to play, sounding good and for looking good. Does anything else really count? I don't think so. I got this at a price set by the old exchange rate, helped by the fact that it hadn't shifted for a few weeks (it was originally on the wall for ??500). I like this guitar a lot. Money well spent!

i think that mine is a 2003 mod. sweet 24 frets. has the original PU's, everything is godin. it came as a gift w/ gig bag. it plays pretty good, better than most strats i've played, but not like a ibanez wizard 2. has maple body w/ pop wings. looks soooo sexy, has orange flamed finish. neck and fretboard are maple, really nice guitar, i need a back-up, i gig all the time, if i could get it in the blue, i'd buy it!! bridge is strat-style, the nut pinches too bad for me to use it very much, as well as the screw on the side for the trem bar blew out of its hole on one of my gigs, and i've not found a replacement yet, turns out, its a custom piece.

i play metal, rock, blues, and i play in church, it mostly suits me needs, it does not like to be played metal on for long hours, slight hum on single-coils, not bad, nice full tone, all the electronics are sooo good. i use a pod xt live and a digitech rp150, as well as a bunch of other REALLY nice mod-ed pedals, sounds great through them all. the only thing i dislike is that i cannot replace the PU's, b/c every other humbucker in the world has 1 set screw on each side, godin has 2! i've not found a PU com that does that yet!

i had to get the action re-adjusted , and i got the PU's re-adjusted, they were just too low, everything else is fine, except the nut, like i said before, is too tight to use the trem.

everything on this guitar is solid, is gig w/ it, and w/o a back-up, its tough, real tough, everything holds up real well.

don't know

this is the only electric guitar i own, but my friends have gibson', prs', fender' , agile' just to name a few, and i play all of my friends guitars. i've only been playing guitar for a few years, but i know what makes a good guitar a good guitar. i would get it again, if i could get it w/ 24 frets and a finish like the one that is on it. compared to my friends guitars, i give mine a 9-1/2. the only thing that i wish it had is a floyd rose, but i'm getting over the fact that it does not have one, or is getting one. it does not have the output of a lp, but is getter than a strat, not as thick as a lp, but thicker than a strar, or prs. just right for me.

If you ask for a guitar with a five-way selector on a reasonable budget you get a Mexican Strat. Ask for a Humbucker instead of a single coil at the bridge and that it be made in North America AND be sculpted into a beautiful shape not before seen and you will be spending over a grand.Or you can buy a Godin SD. Nothing more special to be said so if you are expecting a cure for Cancer (I think there are too many Star Signs anyway) you won't find it here.

This is where you tell NOONE what you have because you will find yourself writing Feature Introductions full of Superlatives and Hyperbole. Ergo: BLUES-above average, ROCK-instead of buying expensive PRS guitars to play songs through the ages in piss stained pubs buy ten of these.ALTERNATIVE/CREATIVE-stop reading and start buying.OBOE RECREATION-you MAY have to buy into the woodwind market.

Action needed adjusting...Now this is the first guitar that I have spent money on adjusting, not due its action being bad (although it wasn't perfect) but because if it sounds this good I should realy Percy Veer. Has the original serial number for those that really want to know how old my guitar is. Here's Aspel...

As I am in a music project that cares more about the reliablity of sound during its creation/output than its aesthetics. [. . .] then this is my Sherman Tank..................

As I have never dealt with this company i'm going to assume that they are average if not poor with occasional outpourings of good.

like all godins it was made in Canada/U.S. It has 24 frets. one volume one tune and a five way selector for its s/s/h/. i got this used so i really don't know more than by observation. bat it seems to be labled as the SD Lacwood Hazel RN. Its got a strat style tremolo.
it came with a gig bag.

the sound is amazing, the singles are a bit buzzy but if its clean they produce sound of the gods.

every thing was set up good except that the tightener for the push tremolo was at an odd angel so its extremely hard to tighten.

the only problem i've had is the tremolo getting loose and swinging every which way but i would trust it for live playing if i was to put higher gauge strings.

this guitar is my baby if it was stolen or lost id just use my epephon but i would get another one of thees.

It's a flame maple top finished in a gorgeous trans blue. I think it's a 2004 model, since it has the cream pickups and pickguard and 24 fret neck. Made in USA from part handmade in Canada. Still have original Godin pickups (H/S/S) in there, and they have sounded great. Godin's rock maple neck is awesome! I've played other Godins and they all feel great in your hand. 5-way pickup selector, volume, and tone controls are responsive, but set a little too close to the strings.

This guitar can handle anything. Rock, metal, jazz, blues, classical...wow. I use it through a Fender Frontman 25R most of the time, but have tried it through a Digitech multiple effects pedal and a Fender FM 25 DSP. It doesn't matter, though, since it sounds great no matter what setup you have. Crazy variety. However, it is a little noisy when set to my neck single coil and middle single coil.

Everything came perfect on this guitar, and you don't see a lot of better finished guitars out there. This guitar is beautiful.

Everything has been solid for the last 3 years. The only problem I have had was with the tremolo. It caused the strings to be in tune at the lower frets, but as you played up the neck, the strings were out of tune. A couple of trips to the local music store fixed that and I haven't had any problems since. This is my only guitar (soon to get a Godin Freeway Classic), so I kind of have to rely on it. I would use it without a backup.

No problems other than the tremolo, mentioned above.

This guitar is an absolute steal for it's price. I wish they still made it with a 24 fret neck, however, because the Trans blue with a black pickguard and pickups with a rosewood neck looks sharp. So does this, however, so I am content. If this guitar was lost or stolen, I would definitely buy another SD or Godin...I think they are truly an incredible company!

Specs as noted elsewhere. Mine's a 2002, the body's solid maple. (The later versions are, I think, maple with "polar wings" to lighten 'er up.) Minor quibble: the 5-way switch and volume control are set a little too close up and can interfere with agressive strumming. You get used to it, though....

R & B, soul, classic rock, some jazz. I play through a Vox Cambridge 15: great clean sounds! Lots of depth and range, slinky to punchy to biting depending on how you dial it in. To dirty things up beyond what overdrive might deliver at low volumes, I move it through a cheap-o distortion pedal. Suits my needs: I play at home or with friends. (Recently got an Ernie Ball SUB 1 and am liking the crunch and heat I'm getting from that bridge pickup --so I might later swap the Godin bridge PU for something a little more agressive.)

Great guit., especially at $138.00 USD! Can't comment on the factory set-up as I got it used, but this thing is cleanly/solidly put together and finished. The neck is sooooo smooth and comfortable (C-shape), fretwork meticulous. No problems with tuners and hardware (don't use the whammy though, so hard to say how that might affect the tuning.) Overall, a pleasure to play. (The rating below here, considers the price point, even for a new one at... what... 350.00?)

Everything feels solid. I've had it for two years and no problems.(I don't gig...)

Have e-mailed Godin a few times for general info, specs, and so on. They've always gotten back to me within two days; their people are helpful and friendly.

I've been playing for 35 years, did some minor gigging in highschool and university. Playing now for fun and soul. Other instruments on hand: an Ibanez AF75 hollowobdy, an old but fine sounding Yamaha acoustic and the fairly recently acquired Musicman SUB 1. (Had a no-model Samick solid-body strat-type that was great value....) The Sd's still my main player. I love the neck on this thing!

If it were stolen I'd buy another Godin, no question. Probably not an SD, just to try something new -- but, yes, yes, definitely another Godin.

Finish - metallic blue
Tuners - upgraded to Godin locking tuners for ~$40 USD
Neck - Maple
Made in 2006

This guitar takes the best features from Strat (bridge & 5 way), Tele (shape & small head), & LP (short scale & humbucker bridge) and puts them into a nice looking inexpensive guitar. Kudos!

Sounds great - stock pickups are hot & capable of lots of different tones.

Plays like a dream - great neck. Finish great from the company. Intonation was right on. I usually prefer to see the wood, but the blue finish is nice & resilient.

I own several Godin products & they are built very well.

Here's where Godin REALLY shines. They always anser their email, they are friendly on the phone, and they have always worked with me for my guitar upgrades.

I LOVE locking tuners (somewhat because of tuning stability - mostly because I'm lazy and it makes putting on strings so much easier!), and have replaced all of the standard Godin tuners with their locking tuners - even on my Seagulls - they ship them to me for ~$4 USD each direct from Canada. That's support!

I would certainly buy this guitar again. I've been playing since the early 80's, and have owned many guitars from various manufacturers (Gibson, Carvin, Steinberger, Rickenbacker, Cort, Ovation, Martin, etc.) - I've settled on the Godin family as my guitars of choice. They sounds great, are built well, are reasonably priced, have great features, and the company is easy to work with.

Silver leaf maple body, with hard rock maple neck and a maple fretboard. 22 frets, 1 volume 1 tone control with 5 way selector. Has the S/S/H pickup configuration. Pickups are stock Godin.
Mine came with Schaller locking tuners (same as on the American Strat) and not only look sharp but perform wonderfully. Keeps tune very well! Also came with Schaller straplock on the guitar, but you need the part that goes on your strap.
Came with the best gig bag you can get! More like a case.

Rock - AC/DC, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd. It is suitable for rocking out and for the quiet ballads. The single coils are excellent in my opinion. Through a Fender Princeton Chorus the tones just shimmer, are well defined through the first 3 pickup selections, and give a real varied sound between them. Better than my Godin LG with sp90 p/u's...(IMHO...)
I didn't like the bridge h/b at first, because I was used to the sp90's. After playing for awhile, I realize that while it doesn't have the bite and growl I was used to, it has a more clear sounding classic rock sound. And when the volume is turned up, it starts to growl but without the fuzziness. Very clear.
I am not an authority on p/u's, but I may switch it out with a DiMarzio Fred yet!

I wanted to give a 10 because this is a fabulous guitar and is very fine quality. I give it a 9 because when I bought it I felt it could use a setup as the action was high. Still very playable!
For the price, you can't beat the quality and the quality control on these guitars. The midnite blue paired with a black pickguard (3 ply black white black) and the maple fretboard makes it look dead sexy! And in the sunlight you can see the metallic paint come out! And it is flawless.
Everything is tight, with top quality wood. The neck to body joint is as good as in my LG, which is perfect. I believe the saddles and the nut are from Graphtech(?)

This guitar is real nice maple and is also REAL heavy! But I like that. Lets you know it's quality. The knobs are silver metal and are solid. Turn very well and don't seem like they'd come off easily. Fit and finish is awesome, and very durable.
I would gig without a backup, even though you never should! It is very reliable. Just simply an all around solid guitar.

Never had to send my Godin's in. I know that they are top notch because I have a friend who had 2 of their guitars and he got excellent service. And I have heard good things from other people about them.

Been playing for 12 years, mostly just a Hobbyist. Was a worship leader in our church for 3 years, and have played a few small gigs over the last 5 years.
I doesn't need to be lost or stolen, I want to buy another one!!! I love it! But only in this color, don't care for the creme pickguards on the other colors...maybe a leaftop next time.
I love the color, the overall look, the headstock which is inbetween a tele and a strat (nice) and the overall feel of the unit. I have tried other guitars including an Ibanez that was $600 CDN, and my guitar plays nicer.