Godin xtSA

2008 model,assembled in u.s.a., Black-trans finish, slab body unlike my
black LGXT which has the nice contoured front.This has the better RMC system fitted, neck more chunky than the LGx, I definitely do not rate
the p/ups as fitted, though the tuners are fine,standard of build also.
one output jack socket has gone faulty so the mix-out only gives piezo.
E-mailed RMC and Godin for spare, NO REPLY!! what is it with them?
I mailed Brian Moore with a small prob and they were on it in a flash.

As said,the p/ups fitted do not live up to the guitar,I spoke with a Godin guy who said as much, so I swapped them for a matched-set of Seymour-Dunc's, sh-2n and jb'hot rodded , Thats more like it! now it sounds like it should do for the money. I do miss the mid-position sound of two HB's though ,for the classic Gibson/Tele' sound if you get me. Tracks like a B***H on synth,piezo sound ok.

Action and build,spot on,Trem, never a problem,don't get these guy's who rant' about not staying in tune etc.It aint rocket science to sort out bits of wood and metal,J.F.D.it

you could go to war with a Godin and club the enemy into the ground,I alway's take two along cause I am a flash old sod and I can!

Pretty poor on the help side,I am a builder and repairer,yet they will not supply me bits ? and the import guy's are a joke,don't even know what a guitar is made of when you ask for help.PLEASE, use pro's not 'accountants.

I own two Godins as w/horse synth guitars,several of my own ANGELLO_CLASSIX's (the best) used through t/lab se.-Atomic set up,and soon a Fractal AXE-FX unit (gotta have one guy's).Mainly I like the
Godin's for their solid build,features,playability and quality.I swapped this for another guitar so as to have two similar ones to alternate, works great.

I have a 2009 version of the xtSA. I run the synth out to a Roland GR-20 synth. The electric guitar out goes to a Zoom G7.1ut Multi-effect and the acoustic out is plugged into a Digitech Vocalist Live 4. All of these are plugged into 2 keyboard amps. Many of the sounds generated by the synth cannot be handled by a conventional guitar amp. I also play dobro, mandolin, and some keyboards.

In terms of guitars, I now play almost exclusively the xtSA and a Godin Multiac. I leave my Les Paul, SG, Stratocaster, and Peavy at home and seldom use them.

The synth out is only as good as the synth you will be plugging into. The Roland GR-20 is adequate but other options exist.

The Humbucker-Singlecoil-Humbucker setup is great and you can dial in any sound an electric guitar can generate.

The acoustic pickup is something of a gimmick. It does not sound like an acoustic guitar, in fact I can make it sound more like a Telecaster. It is nice to have the extra output and you can shape the sound to your taste.

I bought this on E-Bay from a Vancouver dealer. The guitar arrived in 2 days. It was in tune. The action, fit, finish, look and features are impeccable.

The guitar is durable and reliable. The 13 pin out is a bit loose. I play without a backup.

I have not had the need for support. The Godin has a lifetime warranty.

I still have several acoustic guitars but I think that I will be selling the balance of my electric guitars and keeping just the 2 Godin electrics I have.

I won't list the features...I think xtSA owners and fans know this info. I bought mine in 2006 online (American Musical Supply) and paid $899, the same guitar lists for $998, mine is the tranparent black model.

I love the variety of sounds I can get from this guitar. I've play for 40 years and have owned many guitars from Fender, Gibson, Kramer, Aria Knight Warrior II, (an unknown favorite that was stolen),etc. This guitar is versatile and plays well. I use Crate D212, Fender Cyber-Twin and Behringer ACX 1000 amps and various effects. This guitar can get sounds ranging from a strat, LP Gibson, Jazzbox timbres ...anything you'd need. Love the acoustic voice and synth capabilities. I use a Roland GI-20 MIDI interface and hook it to an Korg Triton Le keyboard and a Roland D-110 module. Tracking is sweet and I'm spoiled because this my first synth capable guitar.

The factory set up was ok...I did a slight adjustment lowering the action to suit my tastes...Love the results. I think the look of the guitar is tight. I am not a purist when it come to the woods and such...It looks great to me. I also reset the pickup height levels ...works for me. Not bookmatched, but still beautiful. The workmanship is top notch in my book no flaws, the ebony fretboard is sweet and easy to play

This guitar is well built and I haven't had any problems with it for two years. I travels well and I like the gigbag, but I have purchased a hard case for future use. This guitar is reliable as well as versatile. I would only use a backup for broken strings...this very quickly became my #1 axe!

I haven't had to deal with Godin...so... no comment.

Once again I've played for 40 years and have performed and recorded for years. This is my all-time favorite guitar. I love the whole pacl, I read other reviews critical of the pickups...works great for me. I don't know if I can compare this to other guitars because it does so much more. I belive if more people knew about this guitar more would want it. I think Godin should advertise this instrument more

French Canadian made Guitar. This is a 3 sound guitar comprising standard electric, synth 13 pin, and accoustic. The pickups are Seymore Duncan Design.. 2 humbuckers and a single coil with a trem bridge

I use it with a Roland GR-20 synth and a Mesa Boogie MK 2 I also run a GT-6 Boss processor, freq maximizer, and the great WireX system which sounds better than a cord. Not sure why.

The guitar was sent to me by mail order because nobody seems to sell them anywhere near me. I live in NE PA and work in the NJ/NYC area. The guitar was shipped to me in horrible condition. Altho the signed slip said all these people had checked it out before shipping it..nevertheless it arrived in a condition I have never seen before. The Guitar was un-freakin-tunable. Couldn't bring it up to tune...not possible. Why? the trem bridge was not correctly setup at the factory. There was a spring missing from the trem mechanism. Everytime I would tighten the tuner the bridge would arc up and the action got horrendis. Since it was mailed from Indiana I could not send it back for the "free 1 year adjustment". (More below) The pickups were also in like condition. The neck pickup was hitting the strings when played and the other two were low. Easy to adjust myself because I have played 51 years. Wondered how a novice player would react.

Since I haven't gotten it back from my own Luthier who is fixing it at my expense.. I can't say. I do/did intend to use this guitar with the synth along with my PRS Custom 22 which "really" screams.

Customer support doesn't exist with this company. I emailed them to ask what they would recommend I do and to tell them what I experienced upon delivery of their Guitar....i.e. untunable, bridge issue, etc. I also told them that there was NO Maual with the guitar to tell me what the dials did or HOW TO access the accoustic sounds or how to blend the sounds together or how they would suggest I start out trying some settings> NOTHING. They told me about their free adjustment for a year warranty. I just would have to ship it somewhere. They told me they don't send manuals with the guitars anymore and gave me a website to download one after I download "Adobe". My computer can't get past the download for some unknown reason. I will try a friends later. No, you can't read it online... you must download the thing first. Make sure you can fix this guitar yourself or know somebody who can because this company IS NOT GOING TO HELP YOU. Now I know WHY not many dealers sell them. Evidently, the company sucks for them to deal with...... my guess. The lowest rating is not low enough.

I have been playing 51 years this year. (I am 59) I own some really nice guitars. I bought a custom built for me Mesa Boogie Mark 2 around 1980-81. I have a Gibson ES335TD 1963 I bought new in tobacco burst color. Really nice instrument. And I sold more great Guitars than I want to remember... early Hagstroms, Melody-makers, Les Paul Juniors, Gretch country gentleman, etc. I wish I could have purchased this guitar from a reputable dealer close by so I could try it first and have them work on it if needed. Fortunately my good friend is also a very good Luthier so I am OK. But I caution you. I like the flat 16" radius on this neck. I know Fender makes a Strat with the 13 pin setup but their necks have too much curve. In the 1960's a Fender Strat was considered to be a crap guitar and now they are popular. Nobody wanted them then. I think some have a 9" neck radius. Crazy to try to bend the strings. The Godin guitar seems OK if you get one with a straight neck. My PRS is my favorite and my friend put a compound radius on the neck for me. A 12 to 14" compound. I wish it was flatter but it's good and low now. I am hoping another guitar maker begins putting synth features on their guitars and also I would like the manufacturers to listen to players more than they do now. Flatten the necks, lower the actions, make everything adjustable and put some freakin hi-tech in them. The old players are dead, get with the program a**holes. Thanks

The specs for the xtSA have been covered more than adequately in previous reviews. That said, I'd like to make a few comments on the construction techniques used rather than restate the features. I think any guitarist who's a gearhead, at some point, designs his ultimate guitar either in his head or on paper even if he can't afford to buy it. In my case, I would have had to win the lottery and have my dream axe built for me by a luthier had I not run across the Godin xtSA in a buyers' guide. Although it lacks the fancy wood I would have used and the features and construction vary a little here and there, I was amazed at how close the xtSA came to my requirements, especially for such a reasonable price. Three outputs and versatile hybrid design aside, the basic construction of this guitar is cutting edge and we will no doubt see more use of such innovations in the future.

I wanted to combine the benefits of a Les Paul's sustain with the resonant tone of a Fender. A Les Paul requires that thick top of expensive maple to brighten up the dark tone of it's predominantly mahogany composition, but the mass of the mahogany and the set neck gives the Paul its sustain. A Strat or Tele has a much brighter sound mainly because lighter, more resonant woods are used, usually alder or poplar. Other similarly-designed guitars are made from basswood which also has a bright tone.

I reasoned that sustain can be had in two ways: either by using a massive, heavy wood in conjunction with a set neck or by making the neck and the central portion of the body from a single piece of lighter weight but more rigid wood, like maple. I came up with the idea of "neck-thru-bridge" construction only to discover that the technique is already used in some of Gibson's more high-end guitars and in custom-made instruments. It's called a "deep neck tenon". The xtSA compromises by having a massive mahogany neck bolted to a hard maple body block rather than a maple neck bolted to a soft resonant tone wood. I would never claim my xtSA has as much sustain as a Les Paul but it definitely has more than your typical Fender.

The body is filled out with "wings" made of poplar. Poplar is used on Fender's imports and is considered a less desirable wood because it has a complete lack of grain (it's plain vanilla) and is inexpensive because it's so common. I have two strats, an older Tex-Mex made of poplar and a Deluxe Plus made of alder. The cheap strat has a brighter, more complex, livelier tone. I consider poplar to be a very underrated tonewood. Godin makes the best use of it by using another idea I came up with independently: a thin veneer top of fancy wood and a single-color sunburst that's opague by the time it gets to the edges so you can't see where the two woods meet. Who cares what the sides and back of the guitar look like anyway?

The xtSA's construction gives you the best of both worlds, and in a way that reduces cost. Extra sustain and superb tone. And where else will you find an ebony fingerboard on a guitar costing under a grand?

I'm an original progressive rock artist, which is much different from playing cover. I needed a guitar sound so unique that people would know it was me from hearing one note. That's a tall order so I did a great deal of homework into what makes an electric guitar sound the way it does from the wood and the electronics to the shape of the body. I also had to have a very clear idea of what I wanted my guitar to sound like. I don't have a lot of money so I had to get it right the first time.

One of my favorite guitarists is Allan Holdsworth. He has a gimmick and I figured it out. I played sax in the school band from 5th grade through High School and one day I realized that Holdsworth plays his guitar exactly like a mainstream jazz alto sax player. He lays down patterns on the fingerboard then shifts them around chromatically. He also has one of those distinctive guitar sounds, which I thought was kind of nasal. Again, one day it clicked and I realized it wasn't nasal but "reedy". His sound and playing style are no accident. He makes his guitar sound like a sax, too. I thought that was a pretty cool idea. I decided I could use the same method to find my own sound and it would be much different from his since jazz isn't one of my main influences. I could choose a different instrument and make my guitar sound reminiscent of that.

It turned out to be a trumpet. I like classical music with a bright, clear trumpet sound, like Aaron Copeland's compositions. I always did like bright, open guitar sounds too, like that little bridge in the Hollies, "The Air That I Breathe". I decided I wanted a traditional mid-gain, "singing" sound as is typical in prog and fusion, but with a tight peak in the upper-midrange that's very pure, without too many harmonic overtones.

The shape of the guitar is the key factor. Symmetry at the "waist" between the upper and lower bouts gives a Gibson it's clear, open sound. The left-side, upper-bout "lobe" of the xtSA (or a telecaster) provides that upper-midrange peak, and the more wood you have in the upper bout "horn"(s) determines the amount of treble. The right-side upper bout horn on the xtSA is larger and thicker than the tiny little horn on a Les Paul and makes the sound brighter and much better balanced. BTW, it's very important that the lobe of the left-side upper bout be cut away, even a little. It allows that whole mass of wood to vibrate more freely. A Les Paul isn't cut away at all, resulting in a more subdued, mellow upper-midrange. I wanted it more brassy.

xtSA for the win, though the pickups had to go. The stock pickups on mine were the Godins, which have hot ceramic magnets and are wound hot AND in PAF fashion so that they generate a ton of harmonics. They freakin' scream. If you play modern rock/hard rock/metal, they're gorgeous. Better than any others I've heard, in fact. But for the kind of music I play they were totally wrong.

Can't slight Godin for not reading my mind. The guitar is otherwise perfect for my purposes.

The guitar was nicely set up from the factory and the fit is solid. I got my first ding in it and it does seem as if the finish is just a tiny bit delicate. No big deal. The maple veneer top is not bookmatched but they do seem to have made an honest effort to line up the grain of the two sides. I got the black one because I already have a red strat. It's prettier than I expected. It's not the usual jet-black. It's actually more of a dark, charcoal gray. The maple has a very subtle gold cast to it, so when they put the black sunburst finish over it, the center of the top almost has a hint of tobacco color.

I would have liked a more detail owners' manual. I did something boneheaded. I pushed the trem bar into the synthetic bushing (I have the pre-screw in model) and adjusted the tension with the little screw. I didn't know you had to loosen that screw to take the trem bar off and the first time I did it, I tore the bushing and scraped the chrome off the trem bar. I almost puked. It's like buying a new car and having a rock come up and give it a ding 5 minutes after you drive it off the lot. All the damage was below the surface and didn't affect the function of the trem but still. I knew it was there.

Everything else seems good and I got the damage repaired (see below). As for playing it at a gig without a backup, I don't have a choice since it's my main guitar, but I'll only be using it on the songs where I need the synth access and I'll be sitting down because my feet are going to be awfully busy.

This is a retraction of some comments I made in a previous review. Time to eat some crow. I'm sure someone here has mentioned that Godin is a manufacturer and it's not their normal policy to deal directly with customers; that they prefer you deal with them through your authorized dealer. Well, when I damaged the trem I went to my friendly authorized Godin deal where I ordered the guitar to try and order the parts to repair it.

What the salesman at the store gave me was a real crock. He told me there was a $100 minimum on special orders, including parts (and since you only need $20 worth of parts you'll have to come up with $80 worth of other stuff to buy). He also told me that Godin was a pain in the *** to deal with and that they're all French and nobody there even speaks decent English.

I'm afraid I echoed these horrible sentiments in my previous review. When I emailed them, they immediately gave me the phone number of their customer service department. I called them and the very polite fellow who answered the phone spoke perfect English with only a slight Canadian accent even though French is his first language. He even offered to call me back to save me the cost of the phone call.

We had quite a nice chat, during which he gave me some good advice, stearing me away from laptops and softsynths because "zero latency" only applies to monitoring of the input signal and the term is just a marketing gimmick. He steered me instead toward AXON's AX100MkII, which looks a lot better than the Rolands.

Godin isn't set up to accept orders from customers but they worked with me to find a solution and advised me of the difficulties of shipping things across the border due to National Security restrictions. All the problems were surmountable and dealing with Godin's personal was a pleasant experience all around.

I'm glad things worked out as they did since my "friendly" authorized Godin dealer is now out of business. I can't imagine why... Godin gets a 10 in this catagory because they went above and beyond to help me despite their policy.

My parts arrived UPS this afternoon.

I'd like my xtSA better if it was made of black limba and had a spalted maple top but you can't have everything. Maybe when I hit the lottery. Until then this is as close as I can imagine coming to my dream axe.

Features as described in other reviews: Midi output, piezo output, and conventional HSH output, with five-way selector for neck bucker, single coil from neck plus middle single coil, middle alone, middle and single coil from bridge, bridge humbucker alone. Master vol, master tone. Active piezo preamp with vol, bass, mid, treble. Vol control for midi output, Selector for piezo plus mag output, piezo plus mag plus midi, midi only. Midi control switch for changing mode and patch bank on guitar synth. Locking machine heads.
Sort of a hybrid tele/paul body shape. Not the most vibe-y look, but smart nonetheless. Very attractive transparent finish over good flame maple top. Supplied only with gig bag, but a good quality one. Hard case required really for a guitar like this. Overall, loaded with features, making it a stunningly versatile instrument. If there's something I'd like to add it would be an out-of-phase switch, but I can't begin to imagine the complications of wiring that into this circuitry.

The versatility of sound you can get with this guitar is exceptional. Starting with the conventional pickups (Godin's own, though I think they are designed in conjunction with Duncan), the humbuckers cover a lot of the expected territory, from bluesy, jazzy tones to edgy classic rock attack. The basic sonic character of the body/neck is important here. The neck is quite wide and the fingerboard is pretty flat for me anyway (takes a little getting used to, but great feel). The ebony board is unusually warm and smooth feeling, and I think combined with the mass of the neck and the very good nut (Tusq-type material?), it contributes to a big, buttery fatness to the basic 'shape' of each note. The response under your fingers is the same: rich and full of goodness! You get big, piano-like chords that sustain beautifully, especially for a guitar with a bolt-on neck and trem bridge/tailpiece. So that brings me to the single coil sounds: can they emulate Strat/Tele type sounds, given a rather different acoustic basis of this guitar? I think the answer depends on what kind/vintage of Strat or Tele you have in mind. To my ears the basic full-bodied tone out of this instrument puts it more into fat-neck fifties/sixties rosewood Fender sounds, rather than the lighter, flutier sounds you'd get from a maple-necked Strat or Tele. Anyway, they are good sounds, and it's great to be able to switch between them and the humbucker tones on the same guitar. At first acquaintance, the pickups seem a little 'civilised', and not too endowed with top-end, but with a little judicious tone-shaping (from an overdrive or treble-booster for example) you can get some great snappy, cutting spank out them. For me, this guitar covers Strat/Tele territory pretty well, even if it isn't exactly the same sound.
So now, the piezo output. Great! I can't get over the convenience of having a pretty convincing acoustic sound, AND a raunchy lead tone out of the same guitar, with just a half-turn of the master volume knob. That is SO useful in a gig. You can put the piezo output out separately from the mag output if you want, to send the acoustic sound to the PA, or combine them into one output. That can work better than you might expect, with a bit of care over the settings. I just did a gig using a Fender Blues DeVille and got a clean-enough acoustic sound with overdriven mag sound on the same amp settings (using an overdrive to give the input signal a big clean boost into the preamp stage). Like this, with the mag vol on zero and the piezo output on 1 out of 10, you are not getting distortion on the acoustic sound, but a very usable level (the piezo output is pretty big), and then you can wind up the vol on the mag pickups and overdrive the input valves for a nice singing lead or rhythm crunch. I just think that's amazing out of one guitar.
There's another aspect to the piezo/mag mix. By mixing in some toppy piezo sound over an overdriven mag sound, you can give a rich, dirty sound some real edge and bite. You could probably go on tinkering this for a long time, finding new combinations and sounds.
Midi output: you know what midi sounds are like. If you want your guitar to sound like a Hammond or a didgeridoo, this is one way to go about it. It's never going to be a convincing imitation because you don't play a keyboard the same way as a guitar, but that's sort of beside the point. Again, judicious mixing of the sounds is probably more rewarding in the long run. A subtle mixing-in of a midi sound can really give the basic guitar tones something extra, without necessarily being identifiable as synth sound. If you've seen the 3 DVD set by John McLaughlin (This Is The Way I Do It), he's using a Godin and has a very full synth-enhanced sound on some of the sections.
I'm not sure I'd ever want to use the synth output live, but I've enjoyed laying down tracks into the computer with midi sounds to fill out an arrangement - saves me having to expose my keyboard incompetenc

Can't fault it. Arrived perfectly set up. Feels great - really good neck, once you get used to the width and the flatness. Action superb. A joy to play. Slight reservation if I can be bothered, about the pickups 'floating' and not being located in a fixed position relative to the strings. I don't think the XTSA is really a work of art - but from a playing point of view, the build quality on this one is superb.

It feels very solid and well-built. No qualms about gigging it. I suppose in the back of my mind I'm thinking there's a lot to go wrong on a guitar loaded with this much technology. Are the piezos going to be fragile if mistreated? I don't know, but I suppose I'll try not to mistreat it, so maybe that means I'll look after it more than, say, my old Les Paul. That means it's got to have a hard case - carting it about in the supplied gig bag is asking for trouble.
I'd never use a guitar with a floating trem without a backup. Tuning hell if you break a string.

No experience, other than that I asked a few questions about setting up the trem, via email. Response was prompt and helpful. Local dealer (Rose-Morris, London) seems helpful too. So a 9 so far.

I've been playing since the 1970s. I own a few other guitars including 61 Gibson SG Custom VOS reissue, 72 Les Paul Deluxe (a delight), 94 Fender Robben Ford Ultra (sublime), various jazz boxes, an oud and a saz both made in Turkey. Must get a ukelele sometime! I use a little Fender Blues Jr and a Fuchs ODS. So the Godin covers a lot of ground not covered by the other guitars I have, and as I said, I'm knocked out by the versatility, which has already meant being able to tackle gigs with two guitars instead of four (and if I didn't play open tunings for some numbers I could get that down to just one). I'm not really crazy about floating trems and all the tuning hassle they give you, so I suppose I could do without that (I looked at the fixed-bridge Godin LGSA but decided the HSH layout of this one was what I needed). But I get a lot more enjoyment out of playing this than at least one of my other guitars that cost more than double the price. That, combined with the midi possibilities (I use it to drive a bit of sight-reading software, for example) make it very good value in my book. It does take a bit of adjusting from the width of the neck on this to, say, the Fender, which has a superb but quite slim neck, and I'm just keeping an eye on tendonitis, which I think I might need to be wary of - possibly a slightly more correct technique is needed for a neck like the Godin's. But - well what can I give it but 10? I'm verging on elated with it.

Already covered by other reviews.

The 3 voice system is very versatile.
Ebony fretboard plays wells.

I use the guitar as my main axe along with a variax. The variax has more tonal range due to its modeling, but the godin is a much nicer playing guitar, the finest I have. I play mainly fusion/prog rock and use the Godin's magnetic output into an xt live straight into a PA. I run the piezo output directly into an old yamaha fx500 for processing and then to a PA. Additionally I use the midi output to go into a gr33. That adds up to a very big sound if desired.

H-S-H Stock pickups cover a nice range, close to an LP sound.
The piezo output coupled with built in pre-amp and eq is perfect. Can quickly dial in a very nice ovation-like acoustic sound.

Give the piezo a 9.
The magnetics a 7.

The build quality is very nice. Action with some adjustment is the best on any of my guitars.
I really like the feel of the neck, its slightly wider than your standard guitar, which I prefer.

The guitar seems very solid. I had a straplock pop off (!!!) with no warning and the neck hit the ground. Held up very well. No noticeable damage.

I replaced the strap lock and button and havent had a problem since.
The locking tuners seem sturdy, tuning has not been an issue, and it holds a tune rather well with moderate tremolo bar usage.

I would not use this without a backup, as I cant imagine any situation where I wouldnt bring a backup. This has nothing to do with the guitar, simply you never know what some joker may do at a gig.

None needed.

Overall I give this a 9. Its my favorite guitar to play hands down.
I have about 15 guitars, including strats, variax, agiles, carvin.

If it were stolen or lost I would replace it.
In terms of versatility, its not as versatile tonally as a variax, but is superior in terms of playability.

The ultimate would be a godin with variax electronics.

Transparent black or red finish on a flamed top
SIngle cutaway body style.
Locking Godin Tuners
Neck is a little thicker than a typical Strat with a Strat scale length. Fretboard is ebony.
COmes with a Gig Bag.
Made in Canada.
22 Frets.
Controls: Volume, Tone, 5-way pick up selectory, Acooustic Volume and EQ (sliders on the left shoulder of the guitar) and output and mini toggles for controlling the Roland GI-20.
Pickup:H/S/H, Piezo, Synth. Pickups are branded Godin but I am pretty sure they are made by Seymour Duncan.

I have been using the guitar to record on Pro-Tools, and have not actually played through an amplifier yet. The guitar is very versatile. In on instrument you have 2 humbuckers in the bridge and neck position, a center single coil, a piezo pick up for acoustic tone and a synth pick up. All of these can be accessed at the saome time via three output jacks. The humbucker are quiet and have a tone that tends towards midrange that I like. It cut through a mix well and is not muddy at all. Adding in the center single coil (using a 5 position switch) gives you more high end and harmonics but does ad some hum. Synth tracking is superb. The acoustic tone is bright and quite nice. It woun't sound like your favorite Martin but sounds better than a lot of Ovation's I have played. It can be mixed in to the electric outpu and gives you some high more open tones. I used for rythm on one track and it worked well.

Factory set up was a bit high. The guitar was more comfortable after I lowered the action. THe scale of the guitar is the same as a Strat so if you are comfortable on a strat you will enjoy the Godin. Pick ups were adjusted well and the tremolo bridge weoks well and stays in tune. Tuning machines are locking Godins and work well. The guitar comes with Schaller locking strap peg so you need to get Schaller strap locks or replace the peg. Finish is quite nice - I got the transparent black overe a veneered flame maple top. Not a spectacular Les Paul type of flame finish but very good looking (sort of understated and classy) in its own right. Neck is bolt on. No production flaws.

I haven't played it live but I feel it would be a great instrument for that application. It is very solidly built and can give you a variety of tones without having to change guitars. It has it's own buitl in back up - if the electric guitar fails you could always plug it in to the acoustic jack or the synth if you have the gear and keep going!

Have not dealt with the company.

I bought this guitar because of it's versatility and workmanship with an affordable price tag. I have been playing about 20 years. I also own a custom built Strat with active EMG pick ups and an Epiphone Sheraton. I would definately buy this guitar again.

2006 xtsa - features on Godin's website. I bought this primarily for use as a midi guitar in a home studio. It has a great number of features - would have gotten a 10 if it had active PUPs.

I play/write mostly acoustic and alternative music. Most of my stuff has a strong acoustic component, but I'll use this axe primarily for driving a Roland Guitar Synth and for its electric sounds. Here's my grading of the various sounds:

Acoustic - very good for a solid body guitar, but I use a Line 6 Variax for most recording and Ovations for performance - both sound better for acoustic.

Electric - I also have a 10 year old Carvin AE185. The Godin's PUPs are passive with a 5 way switch. The sounds are very good, but I find them a bit more mellow than my Carvin which has coil splitters. You can blend the electric and acoustic signals for a huge variety - but the electric sounds through the 2 HB and one SC P/U is fairly limited...good, but I found most of the PUPs sounded very similar with a fair dose of micro-phonics (some noise).

Synth - Great tracking - MUCH BETTER than using a Roland GK p/u as I had done in the past.

From the factory the set-up needed a lot of work. I like a fairly high action from an electric guitar stand point. I don't like buzzing when I'm doing agressive rhythm work. The guitar arrived with no relief in the neck - possibly a result of shipping. This was corrected in about 10 minutes.

A larger problem was that the saddle was poorly set-up. The fretboard has a 10 or 12" radius (I believe) - the saddle had a curve for a 4" radius.... The 2 E strings were fine, all the rest were several millimeters too high. This took about 15 mins to correct and wouldn't have been good for anyone's playing style.

After the adjustments the guitar plays great, is well balanced both in terms of sound and on a strap around your neck.

The finish, woods, neck, fretwork and everything else was absolutely outstanding. A great value !

The guitar seems very solid and durable.... The electronics (internal) are all neatly installed... Looks reliable.

I did send a few emails prior to purchase. Got one response, other went unanswered. There was no user manual included with the guitar. Don't really know about this.....

I've been playing for the past 20 years and have owned many, many guitars in that time. After fixing the factory set-up I'd have to say this guitar is an absolute steal for the $$$$. It rivals my Carvin for playability and surpasses it in woods, finish and materials.

The guitar probably weighs in at 8+ pounds.... Not a problem, but their website makes it sound like their woods produce a light instrument - not so (my AE185's 6-1/4 lbs)! Also, the acoustic preamp has 4 sliders for control. From L to R you have volume, bass, mid, treble. Backwards from every other guitar I've ever owned or played. When I first plugged it in I thought the pre wasn't working.

Because of these 2 minor gripes, plus the factory set-up, I'll rate it a "9" overall.

If you have further questions you can contact me through http://dogbitemusic.net

Features have been well covered by others. Well made relatively inexpensive guitar for a 3 voice electric and locking tuners

As noted in a previous review the pickups in this guitar take some getting used to... I was playing a Godin SD and wanted the added versitility of an accoustic sound from the piezo. Once I got my EQ sorted out (and that took some time) I was quite happy with the sound. The bridge pickup really kicks and both the bridge and neck pups allow awesome sustain with I pressume is helped by the additional weight of this guitar and the mahogany neck which is kind of a cool option

Excellent fit and finish on my initial inspection however I did notice the covers on the rear of the guitar did not fit well and that the paint finish around the edge of the cavities was poor and in some instances missing

This is where the rubber meets the road. As noted by a previous reviewer... I also went through 2 of these guitars where the "accoustic" side died completely. Basically the jack for the blended output got very distorted and or stopped working altogether... first thought was the battery for the piezo was dead but when replaced it got no better. The sad thing was that this not only happened with 2 Xtsa's but also with a 3rd older model (cant recall the model number off the top of my head) that I tested at the same store. I initially thought it may have been equipment related but after trying various cords, and bypassing effects and using a different amp its definitely a fatal flaw for this guitar. I gig every weekend and rely heavily on the versatility of the accoustic section of this guitar... at least I wanted to rely on it.

I always deal with my local store and they are exceptional! I have only emailed Godin once and they responded in 3 days so I cant really say anything too bad about them

I really do like Godin's. there fit and finish is usually exceptional for the price and the overall value is usually excellent however they seem to have some serious electronics issues with these dual and 3 voice guitars. I need to be able to rely on the accoustic section nearly as much as the electric and I just cant do that. I gig every weekend and I dont have an accoustic right now so it looks like I am going to have to purchase a seperate accoustic and find a new electric as I cannot rely on the Godin 3 voice systems.... unfortunate.