Godin Session HT, Is It as Good as The Internet Says?

Summary

In this video, the host explores the Godin guitar, a Canadian-made instrument known for its quality and affordability. Featuring a matte finish, offset body design, and carved back, the guitar boasts Godin-branded pickups, a maple neck with an Indian laurel fretboard, and 22 medium jumbo frets. Priced competitively below a Fender Player series, the guitar offers versatility with a five-way selector and a push-pull switch for coil-tapping. Despite initial setup challenges, the reviewer finds the guitar to be light, comfortable, and a great playing experience, suggesting it's worth considering for those seeking a well-rounded instrument.

Takeaways

• 🎸 The video features a Canadian guitar manufacturer called Godin, based in Montreal with a factory in the United States.
• 📹 The reviewer has heard positive reviews about Godin guitars and is curious to test one.
• 👍 The guitar has a matte finish, offset body, and nice carves, including a string-through-body design.
• 🎼 It is a hard-tail guitar with Godin-branded pickups, a maple neck, and an Indian laurel fretboard.
• 🔄 The guitar is equipped with 22 medium jumbo frets that are polished and rounded, offering a good feel for the price point.
• 💲 In the United States, the guitar is priced at approximately $749, which is about $100 less than a Fender Player Series guitar.
• 🔄 The guitar is lightweight, weighing a little over six pounds, making it suitable for long gigs without causing strain.
• 🔊 The video includes a demonstration of the guitar's tones through a five-way selector and a push-pull switch for coil-splitting.
• 🎶 The reviewer plays the guitar in a mix to showcase its sound, including clean tones and the humbucker's coil-tapped single-coil sound.
• 🛠️ The reviewer had initial setup issues with the guitar, such as high string action, which required adjustments.
• 🔄 Despite initial issues, the reviewer decided to keep the guitar as it grew on him after resolving the setup problems.
• 👍 The reviewer concludes that the guitar is great to play after the setup issues were addressed, emphasizing playability as a key factor.

Q & A

What is the name of the Canadian guitar manufacturer featured in the video?

The Canadian guitar manufacturer featured in the video is Godin.

Where is Godin's main manufacturing base located?

Godin's main manufacturing base is located in Montreal, Canada.

Does Godin have any manufacturing facilities outside of Canada?

Yes, Godin also has a factory in the United States.

What type of finish does the featured guitar have?

The featured guitar has a matte finish.

What is special about the body shape of the guitar in the video?

The guitar has an offset body with nice carves, making it visually distinct.

What is the bridge type of the guitar discussed in the video?

The guitar features a hard-tail bridge with block saddles.

What type of pickups does the guitar have?

The guitar is equipped with Godin-branded pickups, including a single coil and a humbucker.

How many frets does the guitar's fretboard have?

The guitar's fretboard has 22 medium jumbo frets.

What is the selling price of the guitar in the United States as mentioned in the video?

The guitar is selling for approximately $749 in the United States.

What is unique about the guitar's tuners and nut?

The guitar has branded tuners with an 18 to 1 ratio and a Graphtec nut.

What issue did the reviewer face with the guitar when they first received it?

The reviewer had to adjust the string action and work on the nut due to high string action when they first received the guitar.

What was the reviewer's final verdict on the guitar after resolving the initial issues?

After resolving the initial setup issues, the reviewer found the guitar to be great playing, with a good feel and light weight.

Outlines

00:00

🎸 Overview and Introduction to Godin Guitars

The video begins with a nod to Canadian neighbors, introducing Godin, a guitar manufacturer based in Montreal with a factory in the US. The presenter shares curiosity about the brand due to positive reviews and feedback. Before diving into the guitar review, the presenter requests likes and subscriptions from viewers.

05:00

🎨 Detailed Review of Godin Guitar Features

The presenter describes the guitar's matte finish, offset body, and carved design. It features a string-through body, a hard tail, block saddles, Godin-branded single coil and humbucker pickups, a branded pickguard, a maple neck, and an Indian laurel fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets. The guitar is praised for its polish and build quality, especially at its price point of around $749 in the US, which is about $100 less than a Fender Player Series guitar. It includes 18:1 ratio Godin-branded tuners and a Graph Tech nut, weighing a little over six pounds, making it comfortable for long gigs.

🔊 Sound Test and Tone Demonstration

The presenter performs a sound test using the guitar's five-position selector. The test includes tones from the neck pickup, neck and middle pickups, humbucker with a push-pull tone knob for single coil sound, bridge and middle pickups, and bridge pickup alone. The demonstration showcases the versatility of the guitar's sound, from clean tones to more 'Strat-like' sounds.

💭 Final Thoughts and Conclusion

The presenter shares positive aspects of the guitar, including its light weight and comfortable satin neck finish. Despite initial setup issues with high string action and nut adjustments, the guitar eventually grew on the presenter. They decided to keep it despite considering returning it initially. The guitar's uniqueness in having single coil pickups among the presenter's collection of humbucker-equipped guitars is noted. The video ends with gratitude towards viewers, promising a potential update video in the future.

Keywords

💡Godin

Godin is a Canadian guitar manufacturer based out of Montreal, known for its high-quality instruments. In the video, the speaker is reviewing one of Godin's guitars, highlighting its features and performance, which is central to the video's theme of exploring and evaluating a specific brand of musical instruments.

💡Matte finish

A matte finish refers to a non-glossy surface treatment that gives an object a flat, non-reflective appearance. In the context of the video, the guitar has a matte finish, which is one of its aesthetic features that contributes to its overall look and feel.

💡Offset body

An offset body is a type of guitar body shape that is not symmetrical, often having a waist that is narrower than the body's widest point. The video mentions this feature, indicating that the guitar has a distinctive body shape that is part of its design appeal.

💡String through body

A string through body is a guitar construction technique where the strings pass through the body of the guitar to the bridge. This is mentioned in the script as a feature of the Godin guitar, affecting its sustain and resonance.

💡Hard tail

A hard tail is a type of guitar bridge that is fixed and does not allow for adjustments in the action or intonation. The video describes the guitar as having a hard tail bridge, which is an important aspect of its design and playability.

💡Pickups

Pickups are electronic devices that capture the vibration of the guitar strings and convert them into an electrical signal for amplification. The script discusses Godin-branded pickups, indicating the brand's contribution to the guitar's sound quality.

💡Fretboard

A fretboard, also known as the fingerboard, is the part of a stringed instrument where the player presses the strings to change the pitch. The video mentions an Indian laurel fretboard, which is a type of wood used for this part of the guitar, affecting its playability and tone.

💡Frets

Frets are the metal strips on the fretboard that divide it into sections, allowing the player to play different notes. The video script notes that the frets on the Godin guitar are polished and rounded, which is important for the guitar's playability and comfort.

💡Tone selector

A tone selector is a control on a guitar that allows the player to switch between different combinations of pickups to change the sound. The video describes the use of a five-way voice selector, which is a key feature for exploring the guitar's tonal capabilities.

💡Push-pull switch

A push-pull switch is a type of potentiometer that can change a guitar's pickup configuration, such as turning a humbucker pickup into a single coil. The script mentions using this feature to alter the sound of the guitar, demonstrating its versatility.

💡Setup issues

Setup issues refer to problems with the initial configuration of a guitar, such as string action or intonation, that may require adjustments. The video discusses the reviewer's experience with setup issues, which is relevant to the guitar's playability and the reviewer's overall impression.

Highlights

Introduction to Godin, a Canadian guitar manufacturer based in Montreal with a factory in the United States.

Positive reviews and curiosity about Godin guitars lead to the review.

Invitation to like, subscribe, and support the channel.

Description of the guitar's matte finish and offset body with carves.

Features of the guitar including string-through body, hard tail bridge, and branded pickups.

Maple neck with an Indian laurel fretboard and polished medium jumbo frets.

Price comparison to Fender Player Series and mention of Godin branded tuners.

Lightweight guitar suitable for long gigs, weighing a little over six pounds.

Demonstration of the guitar's five voice selector and various pickup configurations.

Use of a push-pull switch to toggle between humbucker and single coil sounds.

Tone and sound quality assessment in a mix setting.

Initial setup issues with string action and nut adjustments.

Personal attachment to the guitar despite initial issues, deciding to keep it.

Mention of potential for an update video in a few months.

Final thoughts on the guitar's playability and feel after resolving setup issues.

Appreciation for viewers' time and support, and sign-off for the video.

Transcripts

[Music]

hey just a friendly uh nod to our

canadian neighbors to the north because

today we're taking a look at a canadian

manufacturer this is a guitar company

called godan and they're based out of

montreal they also have a factory in in

the united states as well

i'd heard a lot of good things about

these guitars and a lot of good good

reviews and

so i was real curious to check one out

um

but before we get into all that if you

wouldn't mind uh clicking the like

button

uh on the videos and man i'd love to

have you subscribe and all that good

stuff so

yeah with the sales pitch out of the way

let's get into the guitar

so what we're doing is we're going to

take a look here this is actually it's a

matte finish it's kind of an offset body

it's got some nice carves on you know

nice cards on the back here

it's a string through body

or a string through block here

you know control panel

it is a this one is a hard tail

as you can see the you know

bridge there block saddles are really

good

you've got a

single coil single coil

uh humbucker these are all godan

branded pickups and

the pickguards also branded godan

maple neck with an indian laurel

fretboard

you have 22

medium jumbo frets

that are that are actually i mean

they're polished very well

uh rounded look very nice um especially

for a guitar at this price point

right now in the united states this

guitar is selling for

i got through sweet water i think for

like seven i want to say 749 it's about

a hundred dollars less than what you

would pay for

a fender player series guitar

you've got good and branded

tuners

that are 18 to 1 ratio

and a graphtec nut

the guitar is incredibly light this one

is about

i don't know

it's a little over six pounds

was was the one i chose when i when i

chose it from sweetwater i chose the one

that was like six pounds

eight ounces or something like that so

very light guitar uh great for probably

long

uh you know long gigs and that sort of

thing not gonna really have a not to

break a shoulder playing this one by any

means

or here but uh so we'll go through i'm

just going to run just some real quick

tones through the five voice selector

clean

uh and then i'll you know we'll take a

listen to it in the mix

this is in the neck pickup

[Music]

so then we'll go uh

we're gonna go neck and middle pickup

nice spank there

all pickups and this is what the this is

actually with the the humbucker

[Music]

pull the if you pull the tone knob here

it's also it's a push-pull

switch

and we'll turn the humbucker into a

single coil so you can get that

[Music]

definitely get that more strategy kind

of sound going on

then you've got the the next position

which is going to be

the bridge and middle pickup and this is

with the uh coil tap

or the tone knob pulled out

so

a lot of spank there

[Music]

and then

we'll do the fourth position or the

yeah fourth position with the uh the

tone knob in so that you can get it with

the humbucker so you get the middle and

the humbucker

and then you go uh

all with the

blade selector all the way down here at

the bridge pickup

and this is just the humbucker

[Music]

and then there's a single coil

[Laughter]

[Music]

[Laughter]

so i mean you know you're definitely

getting that

you're definitely getting that strat

strap kind of sound going on but listen

let's take a let's take a listen to it

in the mix and

i'll come back on the other side and

tell you what my final thoughts are

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

so what do i think of this guitar

i think there's a lot of positives here

i think

you know the the body weight is is nice

and light

the neck you know the satin finish on

the neck feels really good um i know

this is indian laurel but as

they say it's indian laurel but man

um

i don't know i i honestly i'm not sure

this might actually be rosewood uh

frets are done very well polished nicely

uh i had some setup issues with it when

i got it um

out of the box the string action was

very high um

i had to do a little bit of work on the

nut

um and

one of the things that's kind of funny

is i almost didn't do this video um

because i was gonna actually i was gonna

send it back um

but then things kind of got things

straightened out

with the uh you know with the guitar and

and it seems to be growing on me

quite a bit so

uh i'm going to hang on to it for now

and

everything i own if you come if you're

in my studio and you look around

everything i own has humbuckers in it i

really don't have

anything that is uh

you know it's single coil so

for now i'm going to hang on to this

guitar

and uh

and and maybe i'll do like an update

video on it in a couple months um but

you know

now that like i said everything that

seems to kind of be straightened out

after you get a little bit of time to

sit and get you know accustomed to the

new environment

but uh yeah it's a it's a really

once i got those things worked out as

far as like the nut and

the action and all that stuff string

height um

it's a great playing guitar it feels

good um

and

that's all you can really ask for and

but anyway listen guys i appreciate you

taking a time to watch the video and uh

as

you know as always i truly appreciate

your support

and until next time take care