So I REALLY want to pick up an acoustic electric fretless 5-string - something to bridge between my fretted electric and upright - but I'm torn between these two. I got no way of playing either before I buy. Anyone got any opinions? Good points, bad points, sound, feel, neck dive, etc.... Any input would be appreciated!
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A-E Fretless comparison: Warwick Alien 5 vs Godin A5 Ultra
- Thread starter MTBassMania
- Start date
I have a Godin A5 fretless and I love everything about it. I have a friend with an Alien fretless and he loves everything about it. both are high quality, and it's hard to find a flaw with either. With the Godin I like the thinner body, the flat neck, and the the controls setup (I know some people don't like the slider placement on it though...)
Here is the standard TB response - your best option/choice should be a Rick Turner Renaissance RB5-FL. 
Isn't the Godin more of a chambered piezo only electric? Whereas the Alien is an actual acoustic bass. Two basses that sound and feel very different.
I assume he wants to plug in his AEB as they are pretty useless acoustically, anyway, except when sitting on a couch with no one else around. 
They are both excellent basses, with great reviews. I find the Godin interesting in that it can be interfaced with a guitar synth controller if you ever wanted to sound like a flute or whatever.
I considered both until I decided to go with the Carvin AC40 fretless. I have been happy with it. Go with tapes, by the way, due to their more uprightish tone. I think the Godin comes with Chromes, which is a great combination as well. I wish you well whichever you choose.
I considered both until I decided to go with the Carvin AC40 fretless. I have been happy with it. Go with tapes, by the way, due to their more uprightish tone. I think the Godin comes with Chromes, which is a great combination as well. I wish you well whichever you choose.
They're not 5 string, but the Takamine TB10 and the Toby Channel Arco Acoustic Bass would be the "bridge".
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
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Never tried an Alien, but I did have an A-5 fretless... that was a great bass. Totally different from everything else, including my Turner Renaissance fretless.
I tried a fretted Alien bass, not even the german one. I think it's a rock-bass series and it played and sounded nice. Not a huge sound when played unplugged but nice for practice. It wouldn't be loud enough to play with an unplugged formation. Plugged-in it sounds crisp but not brittle. Nice and responsive. Good fit and finish for the price point. Kind of a big instrument for my taste.
About the Godin, I've played many of their nylon guitars. The single saddle piezo transducers are very acurate and 13 pin midi capabilities is a useful gadget, if you like that. Being a mostly solid instrument it will be less prone to feedback. It does not sound unplugged, it does just as much as an electric bass unplugged. And it also comes with a magnetic pickup for a different feel, or to blend with the piezo. Fit and finish is flawless on their nylons, basses should be the same. I would put tapes on it.
Both should do the job well, I'd go for the Godin. Less bulky, more versatile, and you have a nice acoustic bass sound covered with your upright.
Best wishes.
About the Godin, I've played many of their nylon guitars. The single saddle piezo transducers are very acurate and 13 pin midi capabilities is a useful gadget, if you like that. Being a mostly solid instrument it will be less prone to feedback. It does not sound unplugged, it does just as much as an electric bass unplugged. And it also comes with a magnetic pickup for a different feel, or to blend with the piezo. Fit and finish is flawless on their nylons, basses should be the same. I would put tapes on it.
Both should do the job well, I'd go for the Godin. Less bulky, more versatile, and you have a nice acoustic bass sound covered with your upright.
Best wishes.
Just traded with a TB member for an A4 Ultra fretless.
The neck profile is very similar to a '60s Jazz Bass. Very thin. The fingerboard radius is flatter than an old Jazz, so it's not exactly the same, but close.
The body is surprisingly heavy. The plus side is that there's no neck dive, even with the Asat-like body.
Mine has bridge transducer, magnetic pickup, and 13-pin output. The magnetic pickup (a Lace Sensor) is very neutral. I haven't been able to try the 13-pin output since I don't have a VBass or anything to plug it into. The real magic is the bridge transducer. More lively than the typical piece bridge. No harshness at all.
The neck profile is very similar to a '60s Jazz Bass. Very thin. The fingerboard radius is flatter than an old Jazz, so it's not exactly the same, but close.
The body is surprisingly heavy. The plus side is that there's no neck dive, even with the Asat-like body.
Mine has bridge transducer, magnetic pickup, and 13-pin output. The magnetic pickup (a Lace Sensor) is very neutral. I haven't been able to try the 13-pin output since I don't have a VBass or anything to plug it into. The real magic is the bridge transducer. More lively than the typical piece bridge. No harshness at all.
vs
Draw - I practice at home with an unplugged solidbody, so the slight bump in volume the Alien likely has over the Godin is negligible for me.
Godin - I've never liked Florentine cutaways, preferring the smoother look of a Venetian cutaway.
Warwick - Warwick does have good manufacturing practices (green, politically correct, carbon neutral climate partner etc), though Godin's aren't too shabby TTBOMK.
Godin - I like light instruments, every Warwick I've ever picked up weighed a ton. I've played both the Godin and Warwick models in question in store, but not back-to-back ... IIRC Godin felt lighter (but that's a long time ago and LanEvo says it's heavy)
Godin - overall aesthetics: well that big ol' hole in the Alien is plain fugly to my eyes... Kudos to Warwick for other styling on the Alien (bridge, headstock, angled tuners, but I'll have to stick with the Godin's aping all-too-familiar Fender-like style trappings.
Godin - Good Godot Godin is crafted in Quebec, whereas Warwick is Geared up in Germany. Gotta go with Godin.
Godin - Versatility: Potentially Synthing it up on a Godin beats out any Alien invasions.
Yeah... Nothing wrong with either, but Godin would be my choice.
Just to clarify, it's not that the bass is heavy. But it's not the featherweight you'd expect based on its looks. It's a chambered solid body rather than a true hollow body.
I'd expect the Alien to be significantly louder than the A4 unplugged.
I'd expect the Alien to be significantly louder than the A4 unplugged.
The Godin has a braced acoustic top. The back and sides are essentially a bowl made by hollowing out a solid body.
To me it's the best of both worlds. And a very high quality instrument in general.
The deal-breaker for me on the Alien is the thickness of the body. Acoustics that thick dig into my forearm when I play.
On top of that, it'll never produce gig-level or even rehearsal-level volume on the B string. Why bother with the hassle of a body that big if you're going to be plugged in 100% of the time?
That's not just the Alien, though, it's all ABGs.
Thanks everyone for all the input! I went with the Godin:
After doing a little more investigation, I learned that ALL the Aliens are made at the same China facility (RockBass or no), and I already have 2 Warwicks: A Rockbass Corvette $$ and a German made Streamer $$. The China built - even though it's made with the same parts (supposedly) - doesn't even come CLOSE to matching the tone of the German built (again, supposedly all the same woods and pick-ups et al). And I was a little worried about the string spacing on the Godin. I really like the thin 16.5mm on my Streamer for fingerstyle, and I kept looking at the Godin and thinking it's got to have 18-20mm spacing, but the other threads I looked at said its about 17mm. Plus the newer models fixed some issues with the previous model (note the thumb rest and extra saddle over the E & A string at the tuning pegs). Plus its made in Canada, and I like my canuckel neighbors to the north. Again, thanks to all!
If and when I ever take the fretless plunge, there is a very good chance that this is the bass I'll be going with too...
