Hello one and all. Please excuse me if I break any rules or protocol here but I'm new to the site and see that there can be some sharp responses to anyone who misbehaves. I don't know if anyone has covered this already but I just bought a used Godin SD4 in pristine condition for around 150 dollars (I'm in Iceland so guessing there's no point telling you it was 20,000 Kronur). Thing is, it's great and I love playing it but the shape of the body and pickguard is a bit odd. I was actually looking for a P Bass but this seemed like a great bargain and they seem to get some love on this forum and elsewhere. I was considering buying a reasonably priced P Bass body and transplanting the neck, bridge and electrics. I recently rebuilt and replaced pickups in a Squier Tele and have a background in cigar box guitar and dulcimer building so have a grasp of the principles. Any thoughts? It's in such good condition I'm wondering whether I should just sell it and buy a P Bass. Was considering a Squier CV 60's but was afraid I might be trading down? Maybe the Godin is too good to tear apart.
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Godin SD4 P Bass body
- Thread starter david oldfield
- Start date
Thanks for the reply. I seem to remember someone on this forum saying they'd done it with a P bass body but can't find the thread. It's a lovely instrument, and I'd be happy to sell it to someone who would cherish it, or maybe I'll just keep it and learn to love it despite its strange looks, like I did with my wife. Joke, she's gorgeous.
Thanks for the replies and advice. Any suggestions as to what it's worth? If I had the money i would have bought an American P bass from the get go, and it seems like if I sell it I might make enough to get a Squier but not much more. The pickguard idea is great, and something I'd already considered. It's a black body with cream pickguard, was thinking a plain black pickguard would look better. Could also go all out and repaint the body Olympic White. Would be unique and potentially quite cool.
I had a black Godin SD-4 with the passive pickups and really regret selling it to a friend. I got it new around 2003 for $179, the shop was an authorized Godin dealer and marked it down for noisy electronics. As the owner of a Godin Core electric guitar that also had noisy electronics, this is where Godin cuts corners to keep prices down - cheap, small pots/switches/wire, no shielding - which is a shame because they use first-rate pickups. Anyway...
The SD-4 stood up to every bass in the shop tonally - including top of the line Fender Victor Bailey and Flamed Maple Top Jazz basses! That was with the stock roundwound strings. When I took it home and strung it with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flatwound strings through the back of the body it sounded even better, to my ears it had one of the best Precision bass sounds I've ever heard - rich, thick, chocolatey, deep, clear and singing all at once. Again, its tonal quality with TI Flats was every bit as good as the Pedulla, F-Bass, Peavey Cirrus, Conklin Groove Tools, Fender, and Stambaugh basses I had at the time. After I sold the SD-4 I bought and returned a $1200 Fender American Precision because it just didn't sound as good as the Godin.
But as you note the body is a weird shape (vaguely like a rounded version of the USA) and the ergonomics with the short upper cutaway make for less than great balance on a strap, and a longer reach to the lower frets. However IMO the tonal magic comes from the soft maple body (with a large rout under the pickguard) and the through-body stringing with the metal block in the back. I played other SD-4/5s with factory active pickups (I think EMGs), and later Freeway models without the pickguard, and didn't find any of them had the same tonal richness - but those were with the stock roundwound strings.
So you won't replicate the tone by putting the neck on a different body. I would suggest selling it and finding a bass with a nice 1-1/2" nut width Jazz bass style neck. Best of luck on this great-sounding instrument!
The SD-4 stood up to every bass in the shop tonally - including top of the line Fender Victor Bailey and Flamed Maple Top Jazz basses! That was with the stock roundwound strings. When I took it home and strung it with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flatwound strings through the back of the body it sounded even better, to my ears it had one of the best Precision bass sounds I've ever heard - rich, thick, chocolatey, deep, clear and singing all at once. Again, its tonal quality with TI Flats was every bit as good as the Pedulla, F-Bass, Peavey Cirrus, Conklin Groove Tools, Fender, and Stambaugh basses I had at the time. After I sold the SD-4 I bought and returned a $1200 Fender American Precision because it just didn't sound as good as the Godin.
But as you note the body is a weird shape (vaguely like a rounded version of the USA) and the ergonomics with the short upper cutaway make for less than great balance on a strap, and a longer reach to the lower frets. However IMO the tonal magic comes from the soft maple body (with a large rout under the pickguard) and the through-body stringing with the metal block in the back. I played other SD-4/5s with factory active pickups (I think EMGs), and later Freeway models without the pickguard, and didn't find any of them had the same tonal richness - but those were with the stock roundwound strings.
So you won't replicate the tone by putting the neck on a different body. I would suggest selling it and finding a bass with a nice 1-1/2" nut width Jazz bass style neck. Best of luck on this great-sounding instrument!
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Thanks, winston, for your comments and input. I've just copper-foiled the rout and am now thinking of just having a pickguard made to order in plain black and leaving it be. I think I'd regret it if I sold it and am beginning to understand why people end up with so many basses, guitars or whatever. Any tips on companies making pickguards? Was there ever an SD4 with a black Pickguard? I just realised that the body shape is really similar to the Gretsch Jet short scale.
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Dangit, you're really making me miss mine!
I've had good luck with Chandler pickguards in the past.
Here's an SD-5 (5 string version).
IIRC the SD-4 and the SD-5 have the same body size, but different neck and bridge.
If you sent a tracing of the current guard they can probably match.
There may well be a European/Scandinavian company who'd do the same.
Curious, does your bass have routing for a battery on back?
Mine didn't, but I've heard that other folks with passive pickups had the battery rout.
I've had good luck with Chandler pickguards in the past.
Here's an SD-5 (5 string version).
IIRC the SD-4 and the SD-5 have the same body size, but different neck and bridge.
If you sent a tracing of the current guard they can probably match.
There may well be a European/Scandinavian company who'd do the same.
Curious, does your bass have routing for a battery on back?
Mine didn't, but I've heard that other folks with passive pickups had the battery rout.
It's actually the shape of the pickguard I dislike, not just the colour. 
I'm going to order a cheap 1 ply black P bass pickguard and get creative. I think it might just work. I'll post pictures if it doesn't suck. My plan is to be able to restore it to original at a later date. Yes, winston, there's a battery pack and the wiring goes through to the cavity ready to go active. It just feels like such a quality instrument every time I pick it up. I'm torn.
I'm going to order a cheap 1 ply black P bass pickguard and get creative. I think it might just work. I'll post pictures if it doesn't suck. My plan is to be able to restore it to original at a later date. Yes, winston, there's a battery pack and the wiring goes through to the cavity ready to go active. It just feels like such a quality instrument every time I pick it up. I'm torn.
Remove your pickguard and trace its outline, screw holes and potentiometer holes on a large sheet of paper. 11"x14" might be big enough. Use a pencil to retrace the outline to a shape to your liking. Buy a sheet of pickguard material, tape the new outline to it, and cut it out. Drill holes and mount. It's really not that hard.
Thanks, abarson. You're right it's not that hard, except for cutting the hole for the pickup which is tricky to make neat. Also, I want a different shape, not so curly, and I think the P bass guard will work if I shorten it a bit at the top and reshape the lower bout side. It will be black so any imperfections will be less obvious (or maybe tort).
So I ordered two P bass pickguards and the pickup cutouts and neck shape fit better than I could have dreamed. some reshaping and tinkering to but thinking the tort might look pretty good. That or make the black matte.Thoughts?
Hey! It looks like you did an amazing job! I have the same Godin SD4 and want to switch the pick guard to plain black. I'd be good with the original cut just in black.
All I can find online is a version for the SD5. How did your journey end?
