Godin xtSA

2004 model xtSA, 22 frets, trans black (smokey sunburst), 5-selector allows for H/SS/S/SS/H pickup settings. Piezo tremlo bridge. Active electronics, mahogany neck and body with maple top. Finish is slick, very nice. Body kind of like a Les Paul. Locking tuners. Med jumbo frets with ebony board.
Comes with soft case.

This thing will do everything. I play through a VG-88 and POD, so I can get most everything I need acoustic, clean Twin, Crunchy Marshall, roaring rectifier, etc. The piezo controls are nice, but with the VG-88 doing the acoustic modeling, I don't use them much.
Although it's not a Les Paul and not a Strat, it comes close to both,
plus acoustic simulation. I love it so far. I plan on getting a GR-33 in the near future.

The guitar came set up from the factory very well. The tech at the store said he could lower the action a bit, but I haven't taken it back to him yet. Finish is very nice. Quality guitar for the money.

So far the guitar seems very solid. I have had no problems with it yet, but have gigged with it only a few times. Strap locks were an extra bonus because I already had the strap for it from my Les Paul.
I'll give a nine here since it's new.

Haven't needed support yet. I did email the company before I bought the guitar and they did promptly answer my question.

I have been playing for over 35 years. I own a 76 strat, 78 Les Paul, a Taylor 414CE, VG-88, POD, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I had the chance to play a friends xtSA before buying this, so I knew a little about them. I have been using my strat and les paul with GK-2A pickups into the VG-88, but this thing knocks the socks off the GK-2A. If this guitar were stolen, I would definately buy another. I can't keep my hands off of it. At first I thought the frets were too high and neck too thick, but I've grown used to it very quickly. In fact, I've not played my other guitars since I bought this thing in December. I love it!

Just bought it so it's an 04 model. It has the same features as all the other xtSA's rated below. If you need more features, you're going to need more than one guitar.

I play classic rock, blues, country and pop - cover type tunes in several bands. I use it with a Mesa-Boogie Subway , Fender Vibrolux and a Badcat Cub, which is my main amp. I use a basic pedalboard with volume, tremolo, wah, sparkle drive, and chorus/echo unit. It covers all the humbucker electric sounds, including a sort-of single coil, notch position Strat emulation. The stock Godin pickups sound good to me. As one of the other reviewers said, maybe some well matched Duncans or similar pu's might sound a little better. I'm happy with the Godin pu's and will keep them. The acoustic voice is ok, but it's not going to fool too many people into thinking you're playing a D-28. It's fine at a club gig, though, to fake an acoustic tone. The piezo output sounds great to add a touch of sizzle or edge to the magnetic sound when blended.

Basically the mag and piezo tones sound good by themselves. More importantly in a gig instrument, they cut through a band mix - not too muddy, especially from a humbucker equipped guitar. Anyone who gigs will know what I'm talking about.

It came with 9's, which I changed to 10's. I didn't have to adjust anything. The intonation was spot on, and the tremolo didn't even need to be tightened up any. I haven't found any defects on my guitar. It came beautifully setup - the only guitar I've bought that I haven't needed to tweak some. The only thing I'm fussing with is the tremolo arm - can't get it to seat solidly. I just haven't adjusted the set screw properly, at least, that's my guess at this point.

This is my second Godin, so I'm expecting no problems. I've gigged it twice, and did recently noticed a loose front strap button. I repaired the slightly too large screw hole, so I don't anticipate any other problems. Just mentioned it in the interest of full disclosure. Otherwise, it seems very solidly built, with good components. I'll downgrade it a bit because of the strap button.

Oh yeah, speaking of strap buttons. It comes with strap lock buttons, but did not include the "female" portion that you attach to the strap. You have to buy them, or negotiate with the dealer to have them thrown in when you buy the guitar. I went through the same thing with my other Godin. This time, I knew better, and had the dealer include them in the deal. I'm going to complain to Godin about that little ommision - fat chance it'll do any good, though.

Don't know. I did go on line and found a fairly informative manual. That was cool. I had an issue with my other Godin, and got reasonable help from the company when I called them. So, I'll use that to base my opinon.

I've been playing for over 35 years, gigging actively off and on during that time. I have too much equipment to even begin to list. My main electric guitars are a Gibson ES345, a Hamer US Strat, and the Godin. I have a Godin Multiac Grand Concert SA (nlyon string 2-voice), which I also use to run a Rolan GR-33 synth. I've only owned it for a month, yet the Godin has beaten out the others as my main gig guitar. (Hopefully, by gigging with it, I should have uncovered anything to detract from my initial "honeymoon" opinion of the guitar). It is not too expensive to use in a club setting, but still looks cool and like a much more expensive instrument. It covers most of the sounds I need when playing out, and with a minimum amount of fuss. The synth tracking is very good. I've read Godin's are the best in the business. Both of mine track great - faster than I can play, unless my playing gets sloppy.

You could do much worse than this guitar - and of course, that will ultimately depend on what you want to do with it. I was initially going to pop for the more expensive LGX-SA, but after playing the xtSA, decided to save the extra $500-600. If you need a well built, easy playing ax with a bunch of tone options, give it a try.

My xtSA is a brand new 2004 flame-top. It's a 22-fretter (I wanted a 24 but caved because of all the other greaet features). They are all made in Montreal, Canada. It has tons of electronic features. The pickup configuration is H/S/H with a coil tap. I still have the stcok Godin pickups in, but plan to change the humbuckers for DiMarzio ones as I find the Godin's a little dull. The neck is Mahogany and the fretboard is ebony which I find gives it a great playing feel and also enhances the tracking for the on-board synth pickup. The acoustic system isn't the LR Baggs one like on the performance series but it still sound great. I have even started recording with it. It is also a floating bridge with locking mechanisms on the machine heads. It's partially shaped like a Les Paul body solid body which definately gives it more of a rock sound. Also there is threee band EQ for acoustic and blend and program change for the synth. However I generally find th synth useless as it is 13 pin and only works with the one Korg guitar synth. But you can buy a G-20 to convert it to MIDI.

As I said the stock pickups are dull but the acoustic quality of the instrument is great. Quality woods and craftsmanship went in to this and it shows. It is very quiet and full so I can't wait to get some better pickups in it.

Action is great, perfect right off the shelf. Works best with 10 guage strings. I didn't bother adjusting pickups because i'm going to replace them. But the actual guitar itself is flawless. Pity about the pickups.

This guitar is solid, and comes directly from the factory with straplocks installed. I use it for gigs all the time without back-up. It is very dependable, always stays in tunes and feels great. Finish appears solid and I expect it to last.

I emailed the company once but they never emailed me back.

Great guitar. Wish I had a fleat of them to go on the road with. If you want versatility without compromising tone, buy this guitar!

New Godin xtSA (just shipped to shop) Setup by "A sharp" Music in Renton WA (outstanding ownership, staff, product lines. Can't say enough about using a good local shop vice online purchase). Visit Godin website for details on guitar specifications. General single cut solid body (mahogany) with maple veneer top, set in neck with ebony finger board, 1 11/16th nut width. "3 voice" Guitar with H/S/H 5way switch volume/tone for electric "voice" RMC piezo electric saddle for acoustic/electric "voice" with volume, treble, mid, bass, slider switches (think EQ setup), and Synth Access thru the RMC setup for the 3rd "voice" also provided with volume control and micro switch for changing "Synth voice". All three of the outputs can be blended, paired, or singled depending on the players selection on the excellently place controls. Has tremolo. Pickups on "Godin" based on Semour Duncan. Again check out the Godin website for details. I am a home recording "sound" freak and this guitar is just what the doctored ordered.

I run the guitar through the following set up; electric output thru Korg AX100 processor, acoustic output thru Korg G2 Acoustic Guitar processor, Synth output thru Roland GR-20. These processors are patched into a Beringer 602 mini-mixer and then routed to a Boss BR-532 digital recorder. The sound(s) are amazing. Clear, consise, distinctive. No matter whether I'm blending all 3 "voices" or any of the three in dual or single mode. I can influence the sound via the guitar controls, processor controls, mixer or recorder. I play blues, jazz, rock, and world music. This guitar with this set up lets me get any sound I desire with almost no effort. When mixing all three voices there is a requirement to "tune" the sound with a combination of mixer, processors, and instrument to "highlight" and "separate" the distinctive sounds within the overall sound being produced or sought. For me this is line fine tuning a good acoustic instrument when using alternative tunings. You have to "listen" closely and experiment to find the most effective "tuning" mechanism between the mixer, processors, and guitar. All in all the guitar performs flawlessly throughout this evolution.

The Action is superb as delivered to me by "A sharp" Music store. Don't know if it came right out of the box that way or if the shop set it up. I believe the shop checked it and did some basic tweaking to get it just right. I haven't touched the basic pickup adjustment. Like it just the way it is. The fit and finish appear excellent. I really like the satin finish on the neck. Painted finish seem to cause my hand to "stick" to the neck. It took me a day or two to get use to the ebony fretboard and the 16 inch fretboard radius (vice 9.5 inch radius on my Fender American Deluxe Strat) The ebony fretboard "feels" very hard and "slick" after playing rosewood fretboards although my Fender was not so different with it's maple fretboard. I'm now getting use to the Godin's ebony fretboard and I'm really starting to like it for its speed and it clarity of sound when doing "lefthand" techniques like bend, trems, and vibs. Very sweet although it does seem to require a high degree of accuracy and technique from the left hand. In addition when using the Synth Voice I have be somewhat surprised by its ability to pick up both nuances and mistakes. It requires more precision in picking and fingering technique. But on the other hand I have quickly discovered some unique voicing capabilities/opportunities that will require some fun "additional researching". The only real fit issue I have so far is getting the guitar to "sit" and stay "still" in my lap while I'm playing. I usually sit down in front of my homemade board while playing/recording and don't usually use a guitar strap. In this position the guitar has a tendency to slide off my lap when playing for long periods of time. I will probably start using a strap to preclude this.

The guitar appears very solid and well put together. Although I don't currently gig I have in the past and I think this guitar would hold up well. If I was to gigg with this instrument I would definitely add strap locks and would be very concerned with keeping an eye out for "fowling" of the three cords (electric, acoustic, Synth) and would probably have a setup to hang the guitar vice putting it in a stand.

Nothing to report here regarding Godin support. I would trust the shop (A sharp Music) where I bought it to "take care" of any issues.

I have been playing over 30 years. I currently own a Fender Deluxe American Fat Strat. I have owned Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, ES-335, J-200, Taylor 810, Ovation electric acoustic twelve string, Martin 12 string, Kawai solid body electric, Epiphone SG double-neck, Fender 12 string...to name a few. I researched this guitar very carefully and had considered Gibson LP, Brian Moore i2.13 or i3.13, other Godins, PRS SE series, Ibanez Artist series, and a few others. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would be PISSED!! I would attempt to ide and remove thief from reality with extreme prejudice and immediately order another one via A Sharp Music. I love this guitar for it's versatility, playability, sound, workmanship and the way it works with my home recording setup. If you are into experimenting with sound and music but don't play keyboards or other instruments, this is the guitar/instrument for you. Right now I feel like the possibilities are endless. I'm now enjoying actually playing the music at the time I'm playing vice reaching/searching to the "end of the rainbow". For those guitarist that are still searching...I highly encourage you to get a "3 voice" guitar like a Godin or Brian Moore, or hook up you favorite axe with a quality Synth (GR-20, GR-33, whatever) and "open your head up". Reality IS. Not what YOU want it to be...enjoy the moment. Every moment of every day, rain or shine, is a blessing. Ciao.

This is a follow up to my previous review. Through extensive research spanning 4 continents, conducted in obscure archives and sound chambers, I have since learned more about this particular guitar.

A little background first. I have trained for many years under great masters who taught me first to purify myself that I might be worthy to undertake a Quest. At last I was deemed ready and began my search for the Grail of Guitars.

For decades I wandered the nation, visiting every guitar shop I came across, large and small. I purchased many guitars, always wondering, Is this it? Is this the grail? The Ibanez Jem wasn't. The Buddy Guy Strat was sacred, but it was not the Grail. The Brain Moore, the Nashville Custom Tele, the Parker Fly Mojo...all false promises, misleading imitations designed to baffle and discourage the faithful.

Thus I wandered long through dark forests of confusing shapes and sounds. Then...

I came upon the Godin. It bore strange markings, runes that my training enabled me to recognize disguised within the beautiful Maple flames of its surface. An ancient linguist with whom I consulted interpreted them as a series of mathematical equations; an raving genius lunatic transposed these into a map. Thus I found the archives in which I unlocked the mystery.

My Godin xtSA is The Grail.

It was carved from the wood of the table at which our Lord dined with his disciples on the eve of his betrayal (interesting avenue for future research: how was it that the table was made of Canadian Maple? The Lord worketh in strange ways). St. John hewed the body during his long years of exile on Patmos. Athanasius laboriously crafted the electronics from within his cloister. It was played by the early popes (not the rock band of that name, but the actual popes), who further refined the setup that it's action might draw even nearer to Godly perfection.

Then, about 545 AD, the guitar disappeared from sight. For several centuries it is referenced in rarely read documents, and alchemists of the 17th century speculated as to its actual existence, many insisting that it was a myth, while others held to the belief that it was in fact the philosopher's stone.

Thus it disappeared from the record. However I was able to detect a pattern of oblique predictions and vague prophecies among the archives. I fasted and prayed and ate prodigious quantities of mushrooms--and the meaning of the prophecies became clear.

Following the insights I had gained from my long struggle, I journeyed south to the fabled land of Roseville, where at last I discovered the Grail hanging on the wall of NorthRidge Music. I fell to my knees and worshipped in the light that softly emanated from it, while angelic music wafted through the air (strangely, it sounded like some kid shredding over there in the amp room, but who can explain the ways of angels)?

To my surprise, no feat of combat was required to gain possession--or rather, stewardship--of this holy relic. I just had to dish out some cash and they threw it into one of those crappy Godin Gig Bags, and it was mine.

I am so blessed. And glad I had a good Brian Moore gig bag at home.

Oh oh---Governator 3, rise of the machines just came on the tube, gotta go...

Excellent selection of features, exactly my wish-list: h-s-h pickup configuration, black hardware, flamed maple top, excellent piezo with great eq available, simple whammy, great machines, neck just right, and synth-ready. Wow. This is an incredible mix... but wait, there's more...

Talk about rich array of sounds. I am amazed by the variety I can get. Besides the mag pups, which are great (I normally play duncans, and these sound a little different but totally satisfying), the piezo is very good. I'm comparing to a Brian Moore I had before, this Godin kicks serious ass over the Brian Moore. It's so nice to be able to tweak the sound by fading the piezo into the mag and fiddling with the eq sliders. Great design. Plus! SUSTAIN... I mean, this baby's got it... amazing for a trem bridge...the neck joint is set very well so the notes just ring and ring. And this makes for some very rich harmonics in cords and double-stops. I love this axe!

About the synth, in the store I tried it with the Roland GR-20 and it tracked very well, much better than my Brian Moore with the Roland GR-33. It feels like a whole generation of improvement in the technology.

The guitar appears to be well made and the finish is good. I'm giving it a point off because the pots feel a little wiggly, like they're mounted as tightly as they might otherwise be. The action was acceptable off the shelf, but I lowered it a tad with the supplied tools and it's even better now. A fast neck, has a finger-style feel to it (spacious). Frets are just a hair larger than I like, I may have my tech file them down a bit.

I'll take it to its first gig tomorrow, and I feel totally confident about it. But time will tell. I will have a backup at the gig, but don't expect to have to use it... just something to switch to if a string breaks. In fact, I definitely don't want to switch because the sustain of this Godin works so well for the volume swells that I use in a couple of songs...like it was built for my style of playing. All that said, I'm going to pass on rating this because as I said, time will tell.

No experience yet; I emailed a request for a manual or some kind of instructions (although I've already figured it all out, not that difficult). They don't have a manual posted on their website, which seems a bit anachronistic.

I've been playing 35 years; I don't own a lot of gear, but I've gone through many types and brands of guitars. This is my favorite of them all--fender, gibson, washburn, parker, epiphone. Before buying this I went to several stores and tried a lot of guitars, but none had the right mix of features... I knew what I wanted. And when I picked up this Godin I played about three notes and thought, this might be the one... I went through my checklist with it...and fell in love.

I keep a trusty low-end cort that I've moded somewhat as a backup. I play through a POD XT directly into a PA, no guitar amp. My gigs are as lead player for singer-songwriter acts, and with my acoustic guitar solo progressive folk acts.

I would play this guitar with any style of music.

I've been looking for this guitar for years. all the sounds I need and playable!

Compare to a "popular" brand, much quieter. Sounds have my fellow band members admiring it (and they don't even play). This axe plays EVERYTHING.

3 Guitars.
Electric 2 Humbucker settings 2 Single coils (low noise) and 1 razor sharp split.
Acoustic with adjustable 3 band equalizer
Synth - Midi with any sound your module can produce
Mixer - to combine all three any way you want!

Played GOOD to start, need some adjustment now for my string guage,
Pickups are great.
Top is fine!
Bridge is great
No Flaws. Well assembled.

Oh yeah. It will be fine, already has.
It can fly on its own.

Extremely helpful, very responsive.
About to try to get it adjusted, we'll see.

Playing 30 years +
Didn't have to ask much, staff was excellent.
Not only would I, I AM buying another one just in case.
1) Sound, 2) Playbility, 3) Quality of construction
Compare to PRS (all models up to 513), Fender Strats (all models), G&L all models, Gibson all models, Epiphone all models.
Chose this one because it played right off the rack and had the versatility to reproduce (or so close that only a real player would notice) ALL of the sounds from the above mentioned instruments.
All it needs is a manual and a patch cable designed to carry all three signals away elegantly. I would definitely buy a higher end version of this guitar (like the LGSA with this sound, I tried them all and none could do what this guitar can do).
It will take upwards of 3-4 months to learn all of what this axe can do.

New 2004 model.. Canadian made Solid Body, Silver Leaf Maple center with Poplar wings. Ebony Fingerboard, Mahogany bolt on Neck. It has an H-S-H Godin pickup configuration with synth access optimized for the Roland GR synths. Medium Jumbo frets, locking tuners, RMC transducer pickups and on board 3 band EQ for acoustic sound and the 13 pin synth connector. It's like having three guitars in one.

The sound is exceptionally good, the pickups have a good balance between clean and warm, the pickup configuration is well executed. I find that you can make this guitar wail even with the ebony fretboard compared to a maple one that usually makes a guitar sound a little more on the treble side. I also own a US made fender strat deluxe with a maple fretboard. The xtSA sounds different than my Strat, but it?s ardent and energetic and I was nicely surprised with the sound. You have to hear it, it?s hard to describe. Ample sustain for a bolted on neck. The synth tracking is outstanding and much better than with my GK-2A pickup.

Off the rack there was a slight buzz at the 12th fret, low E string. The store technician fixed that easily and adjusted the action to my exact liking and it?s now a real marvel to play. Aside from that everything else was top notch right off the rack. From open strings to the 22nd fret every string is and stays accurately in tune. The finish of the guitar is excellent, there are NO imperfections. Every part fits flawlessly and I?m amazed at the precision that went into the building of this guitar considering the price. I?ve owned a lot of guitars in my lifetime and many times I was dissatisfied with the construction of guitars 3 times the price of this one.

The way this guitar was put together it should last a lifetime. I don?t think I could play this guitar into the ground even if I spent all my time trying. It feels solid and built to last; since it?s a fairly new model it?s still too early to tell.

Here I have to say that I never dealt with Godin directly. On their web site they stress the fact that they don?t sell direct and to that effect they transact business through their retailers and not the end user per say. Well I have to give them a 10 on the training they give to their retailers. I can?t say enough on the level of service I received from the store staff throughout the sale process, from beginning to end. They answered all my questions and since the guitar didn?t come with documents I was given a detailed explanation of the product?s functions and pick up configurations. The staff was superbly educated on the Godin product. The warranty is handled by the retailer. When it came to the adjustment of the neck to get rid of the buzzing string I was even formally introduced to the technician that did the work on my guitar and he asked me specific questions on what I was expecting of the fret action and went to work on what I wanted.

I?ve been playing for 32 years. I already own a US made Fender Strat Plus (1994). The xtSA is not to replace my strat. I?ve been playing US made Fender products since 1975. I was initially looking for a guitar with a synth access because I wasn?t satisfied with the tracking of the GK-2A pick up in my setup. In the xtSA I found a lot more than great tracking. I actually got an instrument that feels plays and sounds as good as any worth twice what I paid for it. Obviously this instrument is not as visually striking as other more high end models I?ve looked at but what matters to me is when I pick up this guitar I get a superb playing experience and it feels good in my hands. In that area the xtSA exceeded my expectations. If it was lost or stolen I?d certainly replace it.

Trans black, 3-tone ( mix,electric,13 pin ), ebony neck, amazing H-S-H config, this guitar really are fascinating, nice finish and cool shape.....nice medium fretboard...uh..suitable for Asian finger

Cristal clean sound i can easily get from the mixed output, this is cool, i don't have to switch to another guitar on stage...at least i dont have to bring 2 guitars which always makes me asked by neigbour.." hey man...moving from this town..??" hehe...

Excellent finish....good playability, low noise pickup.....no hissing or humming when I get my distortion box on...

Seems to be tough enough....well lets see...i just bought it 3 days ago after waiting the gear shipped fron canada 32 days ago....??

COME ON.....No Warranty letter....no manual book...no wiring diagram...even i couldnt find the manual in the web....ugh...

Yeah...i think i must get GR-33 soon unless i will only look at the 13pin and murmuring....hmmmm

Brand new, 2004. Solid Body, contoured Silver Leaf Maple center with Poplar wings. In a beautiful flamed top with black striping awsome fit and finish like most godens. I was really looking for a three voice guitar with the Roland thirteen pin output.

H-S-H pickup setup with synth access from Godin. has a awsome natyral accoustic sound from the piezo style pickups

great abilty to place all three at one and sound like your own band all alone.

this is what I was waiting for a top of the line three voice with great sound and ease of use the H-S-H gives a almost unlimited sound options very quiet pickups with strong low end and a sharp bright mids and highs more than I was expecting from a guitar in this price range.

beautiful guitar with well matched top overall, this is the only downfallo on godins they don't always match the grain on the tops as well as PRS and others do. Luckily I had several to choose from and got a very tight good looking grain.

seems tough but it's only two months old so durability is still a unknown

N/A heard the nightmares but always been good to deal with i asked for a wiring and control diagram and I had it by e-mail within 24 hours

fourth Godin and everything I expected and then some. Wont replace My multiac Jazz as my favorite but it's a solid second behind a custom PRS i play everynight