Godin A5 Ultra questions

[FrogmanCometh]

Hey TBers! I just bought a Godin A5 Ultra fretless used but in mint condition. I really want to love this bass, but I have a few concerns:
* The intonation doesn’t match the fingerboard markings, and the bridge is not adjustable - is there anything that can be done about this, short of tearing up the bridge?
* The design of the instrument puts the strings further out from the body than usual (the bridge is several inches in from the end of the body), so it feels like an extra long fingerboard. Is there a way to make the bass hang further over?
* Access above the 12th fret position feels cramped and strange (made weirder by the terrible intonation here - over half a fret off by the 17th fret)
* The B string does not have clear pitch definition.

My gut feel says that I should just return this bass. But it sounds lovely, looks gorgeous, mostly plays like a dream, is a very versatile instrument, and I got a great deal. Please weigh in, especially if you have one of these basses - all thoughts welcome.

Thank you!

 

[Geepers]

It’s not a “great deal” with that list of issues. Listen to your gut. It’s more reliable than your heart.

 

[FrogmanCometh]

It’s not a “great deal” with that list of issues. Listen to your gut. It’s more reliable than your heart.

Thanks Geepers. If there’s some way to deal with those issues that I’m overlooking, I’d be happy to take those steps, but I think you might be right.

 

[ardgedee]

How straight is the neck? When the action is really high it affects intonation too; you're stretching the strings when you play up the neck.

This is not a solid body. Moving the bridge towards the end of the body would affect how the top resonates, and also change the scale of the instrument. If you're annoyed by the relationship between stops and the stop marks now, moving the bridge without changing the neck or fretboard will make that much worse.

 

[FrogmanCometh]

Great points, ardgedee. There’s a bit of bow on the neck, but it’s not too bad - nonetheless, I’ll try adjusting the truss rod and see what clears up. Much appreciate the comments!

 

[StyleOverShow]

I bought the Ultra 4 this year, have had some success with it but still working on the tone, yup a bit nasally.

To your issues, the neck markings are guidelines, not absolute. Eventually your ear takes over and you kinda forget, ignore and otherwise play the fretless. Getting way up the neck, above the 10th is always squirrelly IMO for pitch. Maybe in a solo, but not generally part of the fingerboard that I rely on.

The Ultra series has a Piezo in the bridge and a regular pup with complicate, again IMO, controls that can be blended together with two quarter inch jacks. That’s great for recording or other concert settings where you have sound tech supporting your on stage efforts.

I’ve found the Fishman Pro 5 band EQ works best with a HPF using the Acoustic output Jack. I’m running higher tension strings, Pyramids, and will prolly change them next month or so back to the floppy La Bella’s.

If I had my way I would gut the electronics and straight wire the Piezo without the SYNTH to a single output Jack and pull off the elongated thumb rest but I’m not modding this bass because I don’t think I’m going to keep it. I really just need a great sounding fretless for a trio that I work with that does lounge type music as an alternative to lugging around an upright.

Good luck on your adventures…

 

[FrogmanCometh]

Thanks, StyleOverShow - it is indeed a great sounding fretless. As you say, above the 10th fret is just for soloing and the occasional Pino-style fill. The shows I’d be doing with this instrument are jazz/jazzy, and would call for soloing, so that area is important to me. Your point is taken, though, that eventually I’d be just playing and not looking at my fingers. That’s in my bag on fretted, but not yet on fretless. More practice needed!

Appreciate the electronics comments - the versatility of the instrument is one of its big draws for me. The thumb rest is a bit annoying, but not a dealbreaker. Your note about strings makes me wonder whether switching those out (it’s wearing D’Addario Chromes) would help with the B string.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

 

[FrogmanCometh]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I ended up putting new tapewound strings on it. This fixed the intonation issue, but exposed some structural problems (very high pitched, almost whistling, overtones on some notes). I decided I’d invested enough time and energy on this particular unit and returned it. Would try a different A5 in the future, but I think this one is a lemon.

 

[Guido Fawkes]

It sounds like it was a lemon and better to return while you have the opportunity.
I have the previous version fretless A5 with piezo only and no bothersome finger rest.
The markers are in the right place, as far as that matters, but I guess if you are going to have them, better they are correct.
Mine is set up with a lovely low action, the fingerboard is relatively flat, not sure of the radius and most people who have tried it have said it’s the best sounding fretless they have ever played.
So I recommend persevering. Maybe try the earlier version of piezo alone is ok.