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Godin A4/A5.

B

Blapto

May 27, 2006
61
0
38
London, UK
#1
A Godin A5 fretless over here is about $1600. Add to that a new strap and case and we're probably getting closer to $1800.
It's a lot of money for me. If I saved a bit, I could afford it in 6 weeks time, but it's still a lot of money no matter when I buy it.

I've been playing for 6 months now and I'm playing my current bass (4 string P bass copy) for about 2 hours a day, 1 hour of which is proper practice. I'm 99% sure I'm going to play this instrument for a long enough time to justify owning second bass, especially when it's such a different one.

I've played the A5 and there was nothing I didn't like about it in the 20 minutes I spent at the store. My intonation was a little off, but it wasn't too bad, I could play chords without them sounding terrible.

Well, it's mainly a thread for me to ramble about the pros and cons of dumping a months salary on a lump of wood and metal that I've fallen in love with, but I would appreciate your input. Most of you have been in this position before, I'm sure.

I'd also love to hear from any Godin owners. What was good, bad, if you needed it repaired/serviced how was Godin, etc.

Thanks

Martin.
 
#2
Godins are adored by most of the bassists who are able to get them. The company is well-liked and the quality is very good. I've never even seen one, so this is only based on what I've heard.

As far as your financial dilema.. I get the same thing. We all do. My advice is think like this: Is there anything you'd rather have then an awesome new bass? I think you should get it if you really like it.
 
#3
I think they're some of the most underrated basses on the market. The A4 that I owned was a very nice, very responsive, and very well-made instrument. Never dealt with their service people...never needed to.

Since they seem to go for anywhere from $400 to $650 USD used here, I'd think you could get one for much less by buying here and having it shipped to you.
 
#4
I used to have a godin nylon-electric when I was a guitarist. I loved it. Definitely great craftsmanship. I dont think those semi-hollow body basses will endure as long as say a jazz or p-bass though.

If you've only being playing for 6 months are you sure you want a fretless? Maybe get a godin fretted and buy a fretless copy (sx). This way you are not spending a ton of cash on something that you may change your mind about later. Also, I am guessing that it would be harder to re-sell a fretless.

Another idea is to see if you can rent one for a month. Hopefully, by the end of a month you'll know if you *definitely* want it or not. Sometimes the sparkle fades after we've had the new thing for awhile.

I guess the ulitmate question is do you really need it? Can you really afford it? These are the things I ask myself when confronted with GAS. If the answers are both yes, then buy it.
 
#5
I haven't seen a used A5 pop up in ages. You can add about 25% to the price once shipping and tax have been factored in when buying abroad also.
I don't need it, I can still make music with the 4 string, I just really want it :D.
After 6 months I'm fairly sure I do want to play fretless, having played the bass itself I didn't do too badly and it was the sound I liked.
 
#6
I played an A4 fretless in a store recently and really liked the nice growl it had. If I didn't already own another fretless I could see myself getting one.

Godins are common here in Canada and the price is much lower than what you mentioned. I have a Godin SD5 solid body bass (they don't make them anymore) that is well built buy doesn't have that great a B string, kind of muddy sounding below the low D. The pickups are OK but could be better. Mine are passive, the active version may be much better.
 
#11
I had a Godin A4 fretless.

I was a fool to sell it, but I felt I had to sell something when I bought my Sadowsky.

I could get a fantastic thumpy tone out of it. Excellent bass for the money. I see them sell all the time for under $700 used, and sometimes for only a little over $500.
 
#12
I love my Godin A-4 fretless. After years of playing upright bass and neglecting my Fender, this bass has made playing electric bass fun again. I use LaBella nylon tapewounds on it and I can get anything from an amplified upright bass type of sound to a tone reminiscent of a fretless Music Man by just changing my right hand attack and placement. The A-4 sells for about $899 new in the US but I found a floor model on eBay last year for $650 that was mint and came with a nice Godin gig bag and warranty.

I use my Godin for jazz gigs when I can't bring my upright bass and for an acoustic pop/world music band I play with. You can hear a sound clip of the Godin on my web site (link below...see "bass gear" page). If you are sitting on the fence regarding these basses I say go for it. A fretless solidbody bass with magnetic pickups just can't compare and I think the Godin sounds as good as the coveted Rob Allen MB-2 at less than half the price. If you do get an A-4 or A-5 allow me to recommend the LaBella tapewound strings and Schaller straplocks, the latter being essential due to the single-cutaway body.

- Steve
 
#13
I've had an A5 fretless for about a month and have had the chance to record and gig with it. The more I play it, the more I'm happy with my purchase.

The tone is surprisingly flexible. I originally thought it would be a little one-dimensional and considered buying some of the TI Acousticore strings right off the bat, just to steer the tone more towards an upright thump. But when I plugged it in with the stock Godin High Performance strings (flats), I was surprised at how rich and deep the recorded tone is, even just going direct. You can add some highs for snap, or roll them off for a huge fundamental. I originally thought this bass would be a one-trick pony but I'm using it more and more for all types of things.

I bought mine new, and the Godin gig bag is very attractive and seems to have very good protection (including neck support).

Even though it's an unlined bass, the fretline markers on the edge of the board are more than enough to keep my intonation in pretty good check. I had experience with lined fretless before and it was an easy transition.

The bass is 34" but is actually a lot larger than it looks in pictures; the bigger body makes it so that when I wear it on a strap, the D string tuner is at the very end of my reach. I have a small frame so it probably looks bigger on me as opposed to most people. Of course, the bass is super-light though due to the semi-hollow body.

It all depends on what kinds of music and gigs you'll be playing - the Godin probably won't get much use at Top 40 / wedding band type gigs, because I have more appropriate axes for those. But for acoustic-electric type jams, folk gigs, pickup jazz dates, etc. it's a very flexible bass and IMO you probably wouldn't regret your purchase.
 
#14
I like my A4. I am still not used to having the frets so close to the board, but it is still good.
I only had one issue with the bass, and that was the E string was too boomy compared to the other strings! Since I do not gig with it, I have not had it fixed, so I am not sure how much it will cost. Other than that, great bass, great sound, great quality, and it's Canadian eh!

If you love it, and will be happy with it and get years of good use, then save up and buy it. Do not put your self into a financial hole for it. Nothing is worth that hell.

Al
 
#15
spliffnriff said:
I am still not used to having the frets so close to the board
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by that.:confused:

BTW one thing I did to my Godin A-4 was saw the bridge saddle in half. Originally the string-to-string balance was uneven with the G string being about 50% as loud as the other three strings. Removing the saddle and sawing it in half in between the A and D strings fixed this problem. This is why some nicer acoustic-electric guitars come with individual saddles for each string so that adequate pressure can be applied to the piezo element. There are other solutions to balance problems on piezo equppped guitars and basses (which is not a problem unique to Godin) but this is the one that worked for me.

- Steve
 
#16
As an alternate source, I just bought a Godin A12 guitar a few weeks ago - musiciansbuy.com usually has really good prices on Godin stuff and are great to deal with. (I bought a Tacoma there before, so I have a history.) I'm not sure if they'll ship to the UK, though.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] - this is one with synth access, which you may or may not want.
 
#17
I have a Godin A4 fretless and love the tone. I did have a problem when the inner terminal of output jack suddenly broke off. When I contacted Godin they weren't very helpful. I figured they would at least send me the part, but they just kind of blew it off.

I had it professionally repaired with a stereo plug (which is needed to cut the battery circuit when it's not in use) and it's fine now.

I don't use the A4 much anymore since I switched to upright. It's actually listed for sale now on Craigslist San Francisco. Check it out to see some pics of the sunburst finish which I don't think is sold any more. (Hope this is ok to say on this forum).
 
#18
I can only speak of their guitars...

I have a Seagull Artist acoustic (Seagulls are made by Godin, and the Artist series is their high-end line), and it's everything I could possibly want in an acoustic guitar. Flawless finish, great sound, and beautiful woods. Made in a little village in Quebec.

I'm buying an electric guitar soon, and it's definitely going to be a Godin. The build quality is superb. Birdseye maple fingerboard, quilted maple top, honeyburst finish. As cliche as this sounds, the guitar I'm going to buy is $535, but it sounds, plays, and looks as though it should cost a thousand dollars. Made in Canada and assembled in the USA.

Graeme
 

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