Played one the other day, and it felt good. Any opinions about the Godin A4 (fretted or fretless) from anyone who owns (owned) one?
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Godin A4 opinions?
- Thread starter RustyAxe
- Start date
They're Fantastic.
Note of interest... they will sell you an extra neck be it fretless or fretted, so you could have both.
At some point I'll do that when I finally break down and buy a Godin A5.
Note of interest... they will sell you an extra neck be it fretless or fretted, so you could have both.
At some point I'll do that when I finally break down and buy a Godin A5.
I've been doing some research here and on other sites, and it seems the A/4/5 gets great reviews across the board. I'm gonna get one after the holidays, I think.
I've got a fretless. I'm mixed about it. Mine is from circa 2002, I'm told. It has dots at every fret position, bigger ones at G, A, B, C#, Octave, etc. but it's terribly confusing - they aren't that much bigger. I took a Sharpie and drew a little slash at each "normal" dot position.
The bigger issue for me is that I don't have a place to anchor my thumb. I'm trying to get over it, but it's not easy.
Other than that, the preamp gain is too hot (I haven't looked for a trim in the control panels yet). At the highest positions it has a small flaw where the note won't sing out anymore. Not a big deal. A bigger deal is that it's got the equivalent of a 20 fret length, so there's no high E on the G string, but still not a huge deal.
Over all? I haven't sold it yet. The two biggest issues to me are the amount of gain it puts out and (the huge one) no thumb rest. I really thought I could get over that, but I'm having a difficult time of it. I like playing my solid body Noguera five string a lot more, so I'll probably end up getting rid of the Godin eventually.
KO
The bigger issue for me is that I don't have a place to anchor my thumb. I'm trying to get over it, but it's not easy.
Other than that, the preamp gain is too hot (I haven't looked for a trim in the control panels yet). At the highest positions it has a small flaw where the note won't sing out anymore. Not a big deal. A bigger deal is that it's got the equivalent of a 20 fret length, so there's no high E on the G string, but still not a huge deal.
Over all? I haven't sold it yet. The two biggest issues to me are the amount of gain it puts out and (the huge one) no thumb rest. I really thought I could get over that, but I'm having a difficult time of it. I like playing my solid body Noguera five string a lot more, so I'll probably end up getting rid of the Godin eventually.
KO
They even sell them. I contacted Godin and got that response. The question is how you attach it onto a thin top without access to the under (in) side.
Some days I love the Godin, some days I'm ready to let it move on to someone who loves it every day.
KO
I have owned and played one for about two years. It's seeing less use now that I am also playing upright.
Lack of a thumbrest doesn't bother me, I play floating thumb technique. Agree, preamp gain is a little hot.
The location of the controls (on the upper bout) I find a problem sometimes. My right forearm can sometimes brush against them.
Other than that I think it is a very nice instrument. Mine is fretless and with flatwounds and the right touch you can get that warm, woody tone that emulates an upright. (Though, in the end, only an upright sounds like an upright).
I would recommend it.
Lack of a thumbrest doesn't bother me, I play floating thumb technique. Agree, preamp gain is a little hot.
The location of the controls (on the upper bout) I find a problem sometimes. My right forearm can sometimes brush against them.
Other than that I think it is a very nice instrument. Mine is fretless and with flatwounds and the right touch you can get that warm, woody tone that emulates an upright. (Though, in the end, only an upright sounds like an upright).
I would recommend it.
I used to have one. I didn't care for the "no spot to anchor your thumb" either, but everything else about it was great. (I use the floating thumb technique also; but I like to sit my thumb on the pickup when playing on the E string.)
I used to travel a lot for my job, and it was a great bass to take on the road. It's not as bulky as most ABG's, so it's about like carrying an electric bass with you. You could play it acoustically in your hotel room without an amp.
Tone-wise, I really liked it. I had a couple Epiphone El Capitans before getting the Godin; and I preferred the Godin to them.
I used to travel a lot for my job, and it was a great bass to take on the road. It's not as bulky as most ABG's, so it's about like carrying an electric bass with you. You could play it acoustically in your hotel room without an amp.
Tone-wise, I really liked it. I had a couple Epiphone El Capitans before getting the Godin; and I preferred the Godin to them.
I've got a fretless A4. I love the acoustic tone and barely plug it in my amp. I don't think it cuts through the mix very good in a (rock) band setting. It's either too boomy or too thin sounding for my taste. Still looking for a solution on that one.
The playability is one of the best I've tried. That's probably the reason why I'm keeping it.
The playability is one of the best I've tried. That's probably the reason why I'm keeping it.
hey
i owned a late 90's godin a4 fretless with the lr baggs preamp.
i mainly bought this bass as i also have a godin bg 4 from '96 and i love this bass ( in spite of having a zon sonus, warwick neck through streamer and a stingray this is the one bass i take if i'm taking one bass ) and unfortunately godin never made a solid body fretless ( why i do not know ).
i believe all of the a4's are 35" scale which is a consideration for a fretless if the player doesn't have large hands as they may have trouble playing with the one finger per fret rule lower on the neck.
the necks, as on all godin basses and guitars are a dream.
i sold this bass not too long ago as i had too many basses and wanted to clear a few out. the only problem i had with the bass was that the bridge started to pull up from the body, which i told the fellow about before he bought the guitar. after i had sold the bass the fellow that i sold it to emailed to tell me that he had noticed that the top was distorting as well which may have contributed to the bridge lifting.
i liked the bass well enough but i think if i had the decision to make again, i wouldn't buy an a4 fretless.
i also owned a fretted tacoma thunderchief with the fishman piezo and preamp system and this was a much better sounding bass than the a4.
i hope this helps, if you have any more questions please feel free to drop me a note.
i owned a late 90's godin a4 fretless with the lr baggs preamp.
i mainly bought this bass as i also have a godin bg 4 from '96 and i love this bass ( in spite of having a zon sonus, warwick neck through streamer and a stingray this is the one bass i take if i'm taking one bass ) and unfortunately godin never made a solid body fretless ( why i do not know ).
i believe all of the a4's are 35" scale which is a consideration for a fretless if the player doesn't have large hands as they may have trouble playing with the one finger per fret rule lower on the neck.
the necks, as on all godin basses and guitars are a dream.
i sold this bass not too long ago as i had too many basses and wanted to clear a few out. the only problem i had with the bass was that the bridge started to pull up from the body, which i told the fellow about before he bought the guitar. after i had sold the bass the fellow that i sold it to emailed to tell me that he had noticed that the top was distorting as well which may have contributed to the bridge lifting.
i liked the bass well enough but i think if i had the decision to make again, i wouldn't buy an a4 fretless.
i also owned a fretted tacoma thunderchief with the fishman piezo and preamp system and this was a much better sounding bass than the a4.
i hope this helps, if you have any more questions please feel free to drop me a note.
Maybe some A4's are 35" scale, but my 2002 is definitely a 34" scale. I agree that the necks are a dream.
I pointed out a lot of negatives in my previous two posts about the A4. I point them out so the OP can make an informed decision. I still think it's a pretty cool bass and wouldn't want to talk anyone out of getting one. I'm really glad I've got the fretless. It's the way to go, as far as I'm concerned.
KO
kraigo is right about the scale length. it is now 34". however mine was from around 1996 and was most definately 35", i measured it myself. this would be something to clarify before purchasing for sure. i remember thinking about the bass and one thing i forgot to mention is that i foound i had to wear it lower on a strap than any of my other basses. this was a result of the where the tele style body sat on my body and the longer scale. i found myself reaching a lot more than usual when i played the lower portion of the neck.
i have had a number of fretless basses over the years and am currently playing a zon sonus fretless 4 string.
the nicest thing i found with the bass sonically was to ambient mike the acoustic sound and blend it with the piezo for a rich singing quality sound ( this is pretty much the only way i found the amplified sound to be any good ). the piezos alone i found dull, and i had my fretless strung with roundwound strings. it needs to be equed carefully and even then sounds dull. i find most acoustic bass guitars anathema so i guess it is a telling thing that the only 2 i found to be acceptable were the tacoma and the godin. ( and i played some expensive ones )
i liked it for the most part while i had it, but i'm glad it's gone and i haven't missed it, not even once. but that's me and i'm not really an acoustic bass guitar guy.
overall the build quality is very good ( i assume the problems with my bridge are an anomaly ) the neck is incredible. the electronics i had were acceptable.
in my opinion, plug and play, if you like the sound and feel then buy the bass. if you have questions about the sound, re-evaluate because what you see is what you get and it is what it is.
regards
i have had a number of fretless basses over the years and am currently playing a zon sonus fretless 4 string.
the nicest thing i found with the bass sonically was to ambient mike the acoustic sound and blend it with the piezo for a rich singing quality sound ( this is pretty much the only way i found the amplified sound to be any good ). the piezos alone i found dull, and i had my fretless strung with roundwound strings. it needs to be equed carefully and even then sounds dull. i find most acoustic bass guitars anathema so i guess it is a telling thing that the only 2 i found to be acceptable were the tacoma and the godin. ( and i played some expensive ones )
i liked it for the most part while i had it, but i'm glad it's gone and i haven't missed it, not even once. but that's me and i'm not really an acoustic bass guitar guy.
overall the build quality is very good ( i assume the problems with my bridge are an anomaly ) the neck is incredible. the electronics i had were acceptable.
in my opinion, plug and play, if you like the sound and feel then buy the bass. if you have questions about the sound, re-evaluate because what you see is what you get and it is what it is.
regards
Whoa; are you kidding???
Is this thread a TRAP!!??
I bought a fretted four A4SA 'bout two weeks ago, and literally have not put it down...
Hold on- it's gonna get better...
Build is excellent, this is a real hybrid instrument, not an ABG, not a solid-body- but a well-made chambered semi-acoustic bass guitar.
I was worried- I like low action, and I like to adjust my bridges- This is a different bridge set-up for sure, what with saddle-transducers-
Okay, I can't wait-
I put on TI Bronze Phosphor strings and was very happy with the instrument itself. Very.
It has a great organic, phat tone, good feel, even the fretted version has an amazing acoustic tone, but the very fine LR Baggs 3-band pre-amp, through a good set-up (shall we say a Wizzy M-Line and a Neo-Pak) make this bass sound wonderful. Then I played it through my new LMII which is temporarily sitting on top of Ampeg Classic 4x8 & 15-
Sen-Sational...
Ok, I can't hold out any longer...
The SA model, for synth access is about as cool as it gets-
Well, I dropped another $600 on a Roland GR-20, and the fun is unbearable!
I wanna get back to the bass, because playing this "hybrid" through a great amp/cab combo as I mentioned and the amazing GR-20 is one thing...
As to the bass itself- and I apologize for my diversion-
I've owned a Turner Renaissance fretless, certainly one of the best builds in the world.
While the Godin is not as exotic as that or the Rob Allens, the spruce top, which is de rigeur (cool, huh?) for acoustic guitars and such, and the nicely chambered silver maple body are some fine work.
The neck profile is great, tuners are tight, double string retainers at the nut, altogether, Godin is really under the radar for the quality of these instruments.
The electronics, with or without employing the synth access- very nice and tight.
Good scoop of mids, bass/treble boosts, and back to the synth, capability of mixing volumes /tones between synth patch and bass guitar, which is so cool, words fail me--
The possibilites of the Godin in a rhythm section are pretty amazing too- It can be an "unplugged" type of vibe, or do a great job in a jazz approach, and also gets some pretty straight up attack as a regular old electric bass.
With the synth added-
I'm just starting to explore; it's amazing what I've laid in with a very simple project I'm involved with- Jaws do drop when you voice a bass line like a horn section, or a piano, or the vocal and rhythm patches-Holy &*&^!
But even unplugged, without all the bells and whistles- VERY sweet instrument.
I like it.
Is this thread a TRAP!!??
I bought a fretted four A4SA 'bout two weeks ago, and literally have not put it down...
Hold on- it's gonna get better...
Build is excellent, this is a real hybrid instrument, not an ABG, not a solid-body- but a well-made chambered semi-acoustic bass guitar.
I was worried- I like low action, and I like to adjust my bridges- This is a different bridge set-up for sure, what with saddle-transducers-
Okay, I can't wait-
I put on TI Bronze Phosphor strings and was very happy with the instrument itself. Very.
It has a great organic, phat tone, good feel, even the fretted version has an amazing acoustic tone, but the very fine LR Baggs 3-band pre-amp, through a good set-up (shall we say a Wizzy M-Line and a Neo-Pak) make this bass sound wonderful. Then I played it through my new LMII which is temporarily sitting on top of Ampeg Classic 4x8 & 15-
Sen-Sational...
Ok, I can't hold out any longer...
The SA model, for synth access is about as cool as it gets-
Well, I dropped another $600 on a Roland GR-20, and the fun is unbearable!
I wanna get back to the bass, because playing this "hybrid" through a great amp/cab combo as I mentioned and the amazing GR-20 is one thing...
As to the bass itself- and I apologize for my diversion-
I've owned a Turner Renaissance fretless, certainly one of the best builds in the world.
While the Godin is not as exotic as that or the Rob Allens, the spruce top, which is de rigeur (cool, huh?) for acoustic guitars and such, and the nicely chambered silver maple body are some fine work.
The neck profile is great, tuners are tight, double string retainers at the nut, altogether, Godin is really under the radar for the quality of these instruments.
The electronics, with or without employing the synth access- very nice and tight.
Good scoop of mids, bass/treble boosts, and back to the synth, capability of mixing volumes /tones between synth patch and bass guitar, which is so cool, words fail me--
The possibilites of the Godin in a rhythm section are pretty amazing too- It can be an "unplugged" type of vibe, or do a great job in a jazz approach, and also gets some pretty straight up attack as a regular old electric bass.
With the synth added-
I'm just starting to explore; it's amazing what I've laid in with a very simple project I'm involved with- Jaws do drop when you voice a bass line like a horn section, or a piano, or the vocal and rhythm patches-Holy &*&^!
But even unplugged, without all the bells and whistles- VERY sweet instrument.
I like it.
I've also owned a fretless A4 and I agree with everything Kraigo and Hauge are saying here - which is why I ended up letting mine go. The preamp was uncontrollable.
A wonderful instrument for playing on the couch, though...!
A wonderful instrument for playing on the couch, though...!
That's funny because I think it's the most expressive bass I've ever played. The nuances of your playing really come shining through with it. It seems far more sensitive to right hand placement than anything I've used and left hand work really speaks, too.
I've never had a chance to try a fretless Tacoma Thunder Chief. I've liked all of the fretted I've picked up in shops, but with this style instrument I _REALLY_ want fretless.
KO
I've still got the A5 in my avatar. the newer ones have an improved pre and pickup setup, but I don't like the hue of the top wood as much. I wish they used the same machine heads as my Lakland, but since it doesn't affect the playability or tone, I've left well enough alone.
Oh: Mine's fretted. Very different sound to the f/l, but you can still get a warm woof with the right strings. I keep mine punchy sounding with Elixir strings.
Oh: Mine's fretted. Very different sound to the f/l, but you can still get a warm woof with the right strings. I keep mine punchy sounding with Elixir strings.
Wow, I sure don't see the"one tone" aspect-
(And I'm not even gonna get into what's up with synth access-that's a whole different thing...)
I used today, at a session, ONLY the A4SA-Mine is a fretted four, strung with Thomastik Acousticores- I really like the gauge, feel, and tone.
Through my rig- a 3-PRO and a 4x8/15 cab set-up I was able to eq tones ranging from earthy acoustic to slammin' funk finger-style- Even slapped- judiciously- Obviously the bass is not a slapper, but, hey, I can do it!
The LR Baggs pre is a great tool- very toneful and real sensitive.
The bass matched very well with my Ampeg rig; I've been using it primarily with synth with a Neo-Pak/wizzy, and it's super-defined.
But using the A4 as a straight-up working Bass Guitar, almost irrespective of it's ABG-type characteristic (it's not a TRUE ABG)- No, it wasn't my Steling or $$, but I gotta say- It had LOTS of tone, growl, and major presence.
I see the point about the sorta lackluster spruce top; it's very generic- But it IS a good piece of wood, and that's one factor that keeps the price point below a RA or Renaissance- and the Godin can stand among those on it's own too.
Very cool bass, IMO.
(And I'm not even gonna get into what's up with synth access-that's a whole different thing...)
I used today, at a session, ONLY the A4SA-Mine is a fretted four, strung with Thomastik Acousticores- I really like the gauge, feel, and tone.
Through my rig- a 3-PRO and a 4x8/15 cab set-up I was able to eq tones ranging from earthy acoustic to slammin' funk finger-style- Even slapped- judiciously- Obviously the bass is not a slapper, but, hey, I can do it!
The LR Baggs pre is a great tool- very toneful and real sensitive.
The bass matched very well with my Ampeg rig; I've been using it primarily with synth with a Neo-Pak/wizzy, and it's super-defined.
But using the A4 as a straight-up working Bass Guitar, almost irrespective of it's ABG-type characteristic (it's not a TRUE ABG)- No, it wasn't my Steling or $$, but I gotta say- It had LOTS of tone, growl, and major presence.
I see the point about the sorta lackluster spruce top; it's very generic- But it IS a good piece of wood, and that's one factor that keeps the price point below a RA or Renaissance- and the Godin can stand among those on it's own too.
Very cool bass, IMO.
