The 40th Anniversary
Acousticaster commemorates
the instrument that put Godin
on the map. It still uses the 18
tuned metal tines under the
bridge to get its unique tones,
but it’s now available with a koa
(shown) or rosewood top. Sales
and marketing manager Mario
Biferali wanted to reissue the instrument
as is, but “Robert was
like, ‘No man, let’s slap a new
pickup in there—let’s bring it
to the year 2013!’ Even when
we do something historical,
we crank it up a notch.”
“He was getting more sound out of it,” says Biferali, “but it was hard, because everybody would say, ‘Man, I love your guitars but, dude, finish that thing!’ It wasn’t shiny—it wasn’t even semi-gloss. It was literally satin [finished]. They’re walking into a guitar store, trying to sell what people thought was an unfinished guitar—but after the dealers heard the guitars, they’d be convinced.”
Those seemingly plain finishes were an early hallmark of Godin’s Seagull brand—that and the trademark narrow, tapered headstock that makes them easy to spot from a distance. Like the satin finish, the headstock shape was a practical decision: Godin chose it because it facilitates straight string pull and purportedly minimizes neck torque. He felt the latter was a particular boon due to the growing interest in alternate tunings.
Another early breakthrough was the Godin Acousticaster, which has 18 tuned metal tines mounted under the bridge to create its unusual sound. “There were a bunch of electric players that wanted an acoustic sound,” says Bifareli. “That’s how the Acousticaster differentiated itself. Here’s this thin, Telecaster-looking guitar with an electric guitar neck. But wow, it sounds acoustic when you close your eyes!” The company recently released a 40th Anniversary version of the Acousticaster that includes either a rosewood or a koa top.
Godin’s acoustic-electric Multiac
Inuk Ambiance HG features 11 strings, including
fi ve unison pairs, is derived from the
popular Multiac Multioud Ambiance Steel—which is based on the Middle Eastern oud.
Its chambered mahogany body is mated to
a solid spruce top, a mahogany neck, ebony
fretboard and bridge, and a Fishman Aura
Pro system with 3-band EQ, tuner, blend
and volume knobs, and four selectable
sound images.
Like the plainly finished and unadorned Seagull tops, the Godin Multiac series took some time to catch on among players and music-store owners. Today’s Duet Ambiance models feature Fishman Aura electronics driven by an undersaddle transducer. And the SA (synth access) models utilize an RMC Poly-Drive pickup and transducer-equipped saddles under each string. Producing a wide range of tonal options, the instruments are easily identifiable visually by the sliders and controls on the upper bout.
“Even the Multiac—one of our biggest success stories to date—wasn’t, like, an immediate ‘Okay, I get it,’” says Bifareli. “It was something that had to be explained. We did a lot of product training on it. But with the sliders on the face, that’s just logic. Why put the knobs closer to the bottom when you can keep your eyes on the knobs and the neck if they’re closer to the top?”
Over time, Multiacs have gained a solid following and are some of Godin’s most well-known guitars. And locating the controls on their upper bouts has carried over to numerous other Godin models. The design has proven so successful, in fact, that there are 23 nylon- and steel-string models in the Multiac range, including the brand’s innovative take on ouds and ukuleles.
Mondo MIDI
Today, the Godin brand arguably might
be most well known for its extensive use
of MIDI-compatible technologies and
components. Once again, this characteristic
grew out of Robert Godin’s insatiable
hunger for innovation and doing
things differently. He experimented with different woods and setups, identifying what worked well and what didn’t. For
example, the harder density of an ebony
fretboard made the fundamental note
emerge quicker, allowing it to track and be detected by the synth more efficiently. Bolton necks also proved to be more effective because they yielded less resonance—which
can often confuse a synth that’s trying to
accurately track a pitch.
The LGX-SA appeals to both
traditional S-style and LP-style fans with its
25 1/2" scale, maple-on-mahogany wood
complement, and dual Duncan humbuckers,
and to that already-potent mix it adds undersaddle
transducers and switching that yield both
impressive acoustic sounds and the ability to tap
into limitless synth-powered tones.