Guitarist - Godin Guitars

godin icon series $2,395electricsPhotography by anthony adamson48 Guitarist

godin icon series $2,395electricsGodin Icon series $2,395The new Godin Icon series offers up some of the mostinnovative stringed instruments currently on the market...by Steve HendersonEstablished in 1972, GodinGuitars has grown into agroup of brands coveringeverything from entry-levelinstruments to superbprofessional models, withfeatures that serve thetraditional player and innovatoralike. From humble beginningsbuilding acoustics and parts forother companies in La Patrie,Quebec, Robert Godin nowoversees a diverse catalogue ofinstruments under seven brandnames that have attracted theattention of some of the world’smost significant players.Acoustics, acoustic/electrics,electrics of every style, hybridand synth-ready instruments…without too much fanfare,Godin has become a majorplayer in the industry andcontinues to create instrumentsthat serve the creativemusician.Godin’s synth-access andhybrid designs are marketleaders and recent solidelectrics, such as the Freewayseries, have shown what theycan really do with a traditionaldesign. So when Patrick Godinshowed up with a prototype ofthis new Icon thingy, we had tohave a look. After that, we werebusting to see the whole range.Godin’s Icon is a set necksolid-body with a familiar vibe,but making a direct comparisonis a little too obvious andsomewhat redundant, sinceGodin have incorporated somepretty cool ideas. It’s light butfeels really solid; the arched(sort of) topped mahoganybody is chambered, whichcreates both a more resonantguitar and a lighter lug. Themahogany neck is a supercomfy ‘60’s-style, with a 16”radius ebony fingerboard thatboasts perfectly chamfered fretends. The electronics aresimpler but actually offer agreater variety of tones.Each of the Icon models differonly in the pickupconfiguration: tappedhumbuckers, P-90s and P-Railsrespectively. And, of course,there’s Godin’s proprietaryHigh Definition Revoicer – aninnovative idea that bringshi-fidelity quality to the humbleelectric guitar and effectivelydoubles the pickup choices. Sortof wide-screen HD for the ears!Type 2At a glance, the Type 2 Classichas a definite Les Paul vibe. Theshape of the body andheadstock are reminiscent ofthe “Big G”, and the hardware,the scale length and the twochrome humbuckers certainlyadd to the impression. But whenstrummed unplugged the Iconhas a loud acoustic quality.The tones are accessed via aTest GearMesa TA-15, Mesa/BoogieMk IV, tweed FenderBassman, VHT Classic 18,Blackstar HT Club 40; BossDS-1 and DN-2, MI AudioCrunch Box, Suhr Riot andShiba Drive, Hermida AudioZendrive.The Godin headstock: reminiscent of the “Big G”?Guitarist 49

godin icon series $2,395electrics5-way, offering classic dualhumbuckertones plus a coupleof split-coil options: (1) neckhumbucker, (2) outside coil ofneck pickup, (3) bothhumbuckers, (4) outside coil ofbridge pickup and (5) bridgehumbucker. Actually, the singlecoils sound great – they havemuch more substance than wewere expecting and, with thehumbuckers, provide that extravariety. The Godin GHN1pickup in the neck has plenty ofbody and warmth inhumbucker mode and a thick,rich tone as a solo voice. TheSeymour Duncan ’59 is a triedand-truechoice that rockswhen you want it to, and it’sclassic sound mates brilliantlywith the resonance created bythe chambered body. The tonalcontrast between the twopickups is really workable – notjust a dark version and a brightversion of the same basic sound.Even without the HDRengaged, the Classic is livelyand toneful. Through any ampwe used, clean or driven, andwith any of the pedals, theClassic performed better thanexpected, delivering fat, richflavours with loads of sustain.The gloss finish produces aslinky feel that’s a pleasure toplay. There’s no drag at all, evenas the neck warms up, and thecutaway is sufficiently deep toallow full access to the wholefretboard.Now, push the little blackHDR button, and the“supercharger” kicks in,providing tones that arenothing short of inspiring. Theclean tones are broader – kindof expanded at each end – andthe drive tones are richer andtighter. The single coils have anextra snap to their delivery andthe treble and upper-mids havean obvious presence. There’smore output now so the ampclips a little earlier, but it’s alsomore dynamic…morecontrollable from the volumepot. If you’re after Les Paultones with a little somethingextra, the Classic will give it toyou and then some.Type 3The Type 3 is such a cool guitar.If you’ve played a good Junior,you’ll know what I’m talkingabout because, when it’s all saidand done, a P90 may just beTHE definitive rock ‘n roll tone.And this Icon has three of them!A P90 is basically a broadsingle coil – the wider magneticfield covers more of each stringand the resultant tone issomething like an organicallyfatter Strat…sort of. The pointis, you put three of them into aguitar, wired as normal to a5-way, and you end up with arock tone machine that seemsimmediately familiar butbigger, chunkier, sweeter in thetreble, defined in the bass (inevery position), but withoutexcessive mids. The output isalso a little less than ahumbucker, so clean soundsstay clean and drive tones havea lower-gain clarity.But when you want somegrunt, it’s right there with asmooth top end and a solidbottom. For stomp boxdistortion, we used a Boss DS-1,a Crunch Box and a Suhr Riot;for overdrive, a Boss DN-2, aShiba Drive and a Zendrive.The Type 3 gave us a gloriousrock attitude through all thedevices and amps, driving thegain stages much moretransparently thanhumbuckers. That’d be enoughbut the Icon gives us even morewith the HDR selected –another version of each sound,harmonically richer andmeasurably bigger that’s likehaving an extra set of pickups.P90s mean that you have towork a little harder to wringthe sound out of the guitar, butthis is great because it makesfor a more dynamic playingexperience. The HDR doesn’tchange this…rather, it justmakes the whole task thatmuch more satisfying. It’s aremarkable circuit and HighDefinition is certainly the bestway to describe it – clarity, witha three dimensional image.Type 2 ConvertibleThe Type 2 Convertible hasGOT to be the most versatileguitar in the Godin catalogue.Or anybody’s catalogue! TheDuncan P-Rails are a realtriumph in design, and soobvious in hindsight. We firstplayed the Convertible at theMontreal Guitar Show when itwas just a prototype. Wethought it was wicked cool and,most likely, dressed toperfection for the show. But thisnormal production instrumentis just as smooth to play, just asbeautifully presented, and justas cool to listen to.The tones are rich and varied, theplayability is infectious, and the HDRfunction makes a great guitar greaterThe Icon Type 2 offers a variety of tone settings with Godin’s proprietary HDR50 Guitarist

godin icon series $2,395electricsThe 3-way switches betweenfront, middle and back asexpected. But each pickup has amini toggle that selects P90(up), single coil (down) orhumbucker (middle) – making atotal of 15 sounds! And folks,that’s 15 good sounds. Engagethe HDR and that’s another 15sounds – bigger, broader andeven more dynamic. Havingsaid that, for the first hour weplayed this guitar weintentionally didn’t touch theHDR and found the experiencecompletely satisfying. Theguitar plays really well right outof the box (bag!) and we coulduse all of these sounds withoutfeeling like any are acompromise (which is usuallythe case with odd pickupconfigurations).The single coils sound a littledarker than Fenders – that’s themahogany doing its thing. Theyhave more of a rounded top endand a sweet midrange, andcombine nicely for that“missing” Strat sound: thesofter quack of the outside coils.The P90s, on the other hand,have that familiar rock tonethat’s thick-but-not-too-thickand bright-but-not-too-bright.The Icon Type 3 comes bearing three P90 pick-upsThey drive the amp into a lowgain honk that’s delightfullychewy. The humbuckingsounds are thick and dark, anda bit louder than the otherpositions. They have plenty ofmuscle to push the ampchannel to a rich overdrive.Best of all, combining the twopickups through their variousmodes yields some new andfascinating combinations – abridge single coil with a neckP90…a neck humbucker with abridge single coil…etc. Thesounds are first rate but theHDR takes them all to anotherlevel, adding sparkle andrichness across the entirefrequency range.ConclusionThe finish on all three guitars isimpeccable, the binding (bodyand headstock) has a classysubtlety, and the hardware istop notch (the machines heads,for example, are smooth as silk).Negatives? Strangely, on everyguitar, the nut is about half amillimetre short on each side ofthe neck, leaving a slight lip onthe mahogany. However, theebony fingerboard is slightlytapered into the nut, as if thewhole thing was intended. Youwon’t notice it when you play itbut still… Another issue is theP-Rails: on each pickup, there’sa “dag” where the bobbin tophas been snapped off the mouldand then not trimmed back –it’s hardly noticeable but thefolks at Duncan are usuallybetter than this… Also, thepaint guys at Godin need tolearn how to sunburst – checkout an old Epiphone, ‘cause theywere the best.Judging by the number ofIcons we saw at Godin’sRichmond, Quebec,manufacturing facility, thecompany is really committed tothe range. And why not?They’ve come up with a guitarthat is delightfully balanced,standing or seated, and not soheavy that it wears you down.The tones are rich and varied,the playability is completelyinfectious, and the HDRfunction makes a great guitareven greater. Actually, the HDRis a bonus (and a REALLY goodone) because the tones are the“real deal” without it. The Iconsare superb guitars, beautifullycrafted and presented, and eachIcon delivering a variety ofhigh-class tones with style.Naturally then, the Icon rangereceives our Guitarist AustraliaChoice award.The Bottom LineWe like: Great tone andplayability. Superlative valuefor money.We dislike: The nut issue isminor but quite odd.Guitarist says: SubstanceAND style – these will makeother companies sit up andtake note.Godin Icon SeriesPRICE: Type 2 Classic $2395(sunburst), $2150 (burgundy) Type 3$2395 Type 2 Convertible $2395ORIGIN: CanadaTYPE: ElectricBODY: Solid mahogany (chambered),carved mahogany topNECK: Mahogany, set and gluedSCALE LENGTH: 629mm / 24.75”TUNERS: Godin, Kluson-styleNUT: Synthetic boneWIDTH of neck at the nut:44.3mm/1.74”WIDTH of neck at the 15th fret:54.8mm/2.15”FINGERBOARD: Ebony, 16”/406mmradiusFRETS: 22, mediumHARDWARE: ChromeBRIDGE/SPACING: GraphtechResoMax (tunamatic-style);51.5mm/2.02”ELECTRICS – Type 2 Classic:Seymour Duncan 59, Godin GHN1,High Definition Revoicer, 5-way,Volume, ToneELECTRICS – Type 3: 2 x Lollar P90,High Definition Revoicer, 5-way,Volume, ToneELECTRICS – Type 2 Convertible: 2 xSeymour Duncan P-Rails, HighDefinition Revoicer, 3-way, Volume,Tone, 2 x 3-way mini toggleFINISH: High glossACCESSORIES: Gig bag includedDynamic Musicwww.dynamicmusic.com.au02 9939 1299Test resultsBuild qualityFeaturesSoundValue for moneyGuitarist rating52 Guitarist