Godin 5th AvenUe Uptown Custom Havana Brown

first play
27
november 2019 Guitarist
GODIN 5TH AVE UPTOWN CUSTOM HAVANA BROWN & A6 ULTRA DENIM BLUE FLAME
GODIN 5TH AVENUE
UPTOWN CUSTOM
HAVANA BROWN
PRICE: £1,449 (inc TRIC case)
ORIGIN: Canada
TYPE: Single-cutaway, hollowbody
electric
BODY: Canadian wild cherry laminate
NECK: Silver leaf maple, glued-in
SCALE LENGTH: 631mm (24.84”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech
Tusq /44.2mm
FINGERBOARD: Richlite, pearloid dot
inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
FRETS: 21, medium
HARDWARE: Roller saddle tune-
o-matic-style bridge, Bigsby B-30
vibrato, ‘High-Ratio’ tuners (18:1 bass
side, 26:1 treble) – nickel-plated
BRIDGE/STRING SPACING: 51.5mm
ELECTRICS: Godin Kingpin single coil
(neck), Seymour Duncan SH-1B ’59
humbucker (bridge), 3-way toggle
pickup selector, volume and tone
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.76/6.1
OPTIONS: The 5th Ave Uptown
T-Armond with dual TV Jones
T-Armond single coils and the same
finish also costs £1,449
RANGE OPTIONS: Also new is the
non-cutaway 5th Ave Nightclub Indigo
Blue with single neck-placed TV Jones
Classic (£1,599). The 5th Ave range
starts at £675
LEFT-HANDERS: Only the non-
cutaway Kingpin P90 at £709
FINISHES: Havana Burst – all
satin except gloss body front and
headstock face
440 Distribution
0113 2589599
www.godinguitars.com
GODIN A6 ULTRA
DENIM BLUE FLAME
PRICE: £1,349 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: Canada
TYPE: Single-cutaway, chambered
acoustic electric
BODY: Chambered silver leaf maple
with flame maple veneer top
NECK: Mahogany, bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech
Tusq /42.8mm
FINGERBOARD: Richlite, small dot
inlays, 406mm (16”) radius
FRETS: 22, medium
TUNERS: ‘High-Ratio’ tuners (18:1
bass side, 26:1 treble) – nickel-plated
BRIDGE/STRING SPACING:
Richlite with compensated Tusq
saddle/53.5mm
ELECTRICS: Godin GAHN1
humbucker (neck) and under-saddle
transducer. Acoustic and electric
volume, 3-band EQ (acoustic), 2-band
EQ (magnetic). Dual outputs
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.86/6.3
OPTIONS: The Ultra is also
available in Black and Cognac Burst
(both £999) and Koa (£1,375)
high-gloss finishes
RANGE OPTIONS: The A6 Ultra
starts at £899 with the Natural
(cedar top and satin finish). There are
also baritone (£1,149) and 12-string
(£999) versions
LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model, but
the A6 Ultra Natural SG costs £1,025
FINISHES: Denim Blue Flame –
all gloss except neck back
PROS Competent build, very classic
vibe; in-tune Bigsby and quality
sounds to match; TRIC case
CONS The unrolled ’board and
vintage frets won’t be for everyone
PROS Innovative design and
excellent build; electric-like neck;
dual voices; feedback resistance
CONS Nothing really – in the right
hands, this is quite an instrument
8 9
spike and makes moving into more Western
swing or rockabilly really easy, not least
with a little colour from the Bigsby. It may
feel a bit functional, but sound-wise for the
older suggested styles, especially with a
little amp grit, it’s an engaging piece.
Verdict
The A6 Ultra is a hard guitar to pigeonhole,
but for anyone wanting to combine both
acoustic and electric worlds it’s a seriously
good place to look. Godin specialises in
two- and three-voice instruments – this A6
Ultra is more electro-acoustic-like first and
foremost and, even at some volume, used
sensibly, feedback just isn’t an issue. The
money, however, lies in mixing the outputs,
the potential of which is only limited by
your imagination. It’s a very creative tool.
The 5th Avenue fits perfectly within the
Godin range: a contemporary hollowbody
‘jazzbox’ of some potency. The problem is,
there’s no shortage of similar styles at quite
diverse prices from the likes of Ibanez,
Guild and Gretsch, not to mention more
classic ‘jazz’ brands such as Peerless and
Eastman. Competition aside, however,
Godin’s effective, fit-for-purpose and
good-sounding build is not to be sniffed at.
Make sure you audition one.
6. These dual outputs
allow mixed mono
operation or the ability
to send both acoustic
and electric voices
to their own amp/
effects setups
6
GIT452.rev_godin.indd 27 02/10/2019 22:55