Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar 

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

I've been debating an archtop/hollow body for a long time and I just gave in after I finally got to play one of these. It plays awesome, looks awesome, sounds great plugged in, but honestly I don't plug it in that much because its natural acoustic sound is so good. The p90s are nice, but I wish they captured a tad more of the woodiness, but more than serviceable. Plays like a dream - like the best set up acoustic you've ever touched. This guitar has changed my playing habits - I play a lot more around the house. Setup was flawless and my only complaint is the bicycle helmet case. For a 1k guitar, I would have preferred something more sturdy, but we'll see how it holds up.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

Overall this is a great guitar. I got mine used for 1/2 price of a new one, and its in great condition, so that is a good option. The neck is fast, small, and comfortable. The body is a bit smaller in size than an Es-175. It is an easy guitar to play physically, everyone I have shown mine to comments on how comfortable it is. This makes it a fantastic around the house/apartment everyday guitar. Also the acoustic volume is in between a flat top acoustic and an unplugged electric, so you probably won't do any live material acoustically, but it still has a nice acoustic tone, and it won't bother your neighbors or roommates (as much). Nice punchy tone. It has the scale length of a les paul, so the neck feels a little shorter than many acoustics and also fender electrics. it is light weight, and it has a nice balance (not top or bottom heavy). Also the burgundy color is much more impressive than the online photos suggest. It is a visually stunning instrument, and very classy. The pickups sound good although they do hum, I play a vox ac15, it can do aggressive dirty sounds, jazz, blues, Pink Floyd, Beatles and so on. It also sounded great through a fender twin.

Negatives: you should have it professionally set up, as that makes a huge difference in the way it plays, so don't judge just based on playing one in a music store unless someone has already went through it. Some of these have buzz issues, such as parts rattling around inside. My pick up selector rattles in the middle position which is annoying. The pickups can hum through both the tube amps i play, but it doesnt really bother me. Feedback will be an issue if you crank the amp and stand in front of it, but that seems to be able to be avoided so far. also i heard from a friend that a bass amp nearby can create feedback problems so you will have to control the stage volume. Many folks online have figured out fixes to buzzing issues, and I am convinced that with a little bit of dedication and ingenuity, those buzzes can be dealt with.

Overall, it has been a few months and I can't tell you how many times I have looked over at my girlfriend and said "I love this guitar!" Last note: I put thomistik flat wound 13s on it and it feels like a perfect combination. Round wounds work too, but make it feel a lot less like a jazz guitar. Soon I am going to put some zebra strings on it to see if it gets a snappier gypsy jazz tone while still going through the pickups. A guy on you tube put standard phosphor bronze strings 11's on his with impressive results. I love Django. this guitar will allow you to play fast and smooth like him, but the sound of course won't be exactly like a selmer/Macafferri style guitar. Also I don't like supporting companies that exploit poor Chinese laborers and lax environmental regulations so we can have cheap instruments, this guitar is made in Canada so it is more environmentally friendly and better for the human beings who built it. It's not perfect, but I became a big fan of Godin because of this guitar.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

Returned instrument for following reasons: Junction between heel of neck and body on cutaway side was not a smooth transition; body projected beyond edge of neck about 1/4 inch. very uncomfortable reaching upper registers. Neck and action setup was poor out of the box.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

This is a well made guitar with very nice acoustic sound. It has a quality unlike flatop acoustics which gives it a unique twang. I didn't keep it long enough to evaluate the electric properties due to some shipping damage and the neck shape which is too thick for my taste. I am an acoustic player looking for my first electric and this one is just too different from what I play. Thanks to Musician's Friend for your 45 day return policy. The satin finish was well done and many will appreciate it but I am a sucker for high gloss.
A hollowbody archtop with more versatility than typical jazzboxes.
On this example action was high at the nut which of course can be fixed with a proper setup by a qualified luthier. It is as well made as any import I've seen and rivals some US made guitars.
Would give top rating except for the included case which I wouldn't trust outside my closet and gave off a very strong odor when opened. Godin should offer a proper case or none at all.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

I purchased this guitar recently and found the experience with Musician's Friend and the guitar itself to be beyond reproach.The guitar is beautiful, sounds great and meets with all of my expectations. I consider it to be just about the best value guitar out there. The finish and set up were very good out of the box, with only an easy adjustment to the action required (the floating bridge is directly adjustable). It has the seal of approval from my "old pro" teacher.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

just bought this beauty from a Nashville studio guy who set it up cherry. Played it in Nashville and, post show, other guitarists kept asking about it. it's a winner. way to go Godin. everything folks are saying here is true. tone, neck feel, and sharp looking. the p-90's are perfect...just don't expect some sort of ragged rock n roll unless you put an overdrive pedal on her...but why would you? plug into a clean Fender and you'll see what i mean...
got it for sucha great price, it now makes me feel like I nearly stole it!

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

I did my homework on this one. Got my new Kingpin home and wow what a guitar. I play alot of Blues and older Rock and Roll and this thing can handle anything I throw it's way. The range of tone you get from this guitar will not let you down.Sweet crisp highs and in the bacement lows and everything in between.action is spot on(Like Butta)wish I had this guiar 20 years ago.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

Like most players I've been fortunate enough to have some great guitars pass through my hands in my 30+ years of playing. A couple of these were Gibson ES-175s. Steve Howe was a big influence on my and, while I don't profess to have his chops I do share his appreciation for classic hollow body guitars.My main giggin guitars these days are a Custom Taylor T5 and a Gibson 339. I really don't have the need for a jazz box and didn't want to spend two grand on a used 175. Along comes this Godin. Saw it, played it, bought it. At $995 with the case it is a steal. Well made new guitar with that "X" factor feel built in. Gigged with it for the first time last weekend and was surprised at how versatile it was. Put on some .11 gauge strings and it gave me even more possitbilities. Well done Godin! You gave all guitar lovers a real gift with this one.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

I have been playing guitar for 37 years and decided to get a new jazz box. I saw this beautiful guitar and fell in love with it. Bought it, took it home and was very dissapointed with the high action and lack of tone. It played more like an acoustic rather than electric jazz guitar. There is no resonance or sustain, the pickups are a disappointment... weak, not mellow. I've heard alot better P90's. The guitar is just tone dead. The only usable tone I could coax out of it was with the neck pickup and tone set to 5. I have to say the quality of the build is exceptional so I'm having a hard time understanding why it sounded so bad... it may have been the choice of woods used or the pickups... If you're looking for an electric acoustic this might work for you, but you can get a better value with a traditional dreadnot and a built in pickup.

Comments about Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar:

I've played a couple of these guitars several times at a store nearby. I was just looking around and I saw this. I thought of it as a jazzbox and nothing else. It sounded great for jazz and blues, rich sound. The neck was very comfortable, I noticed it right away. I tried out some distorted tones just for fun and was really surprised. The guitar can rip! I got some really good lead rock and blues tones. This guitar is extremely versatile. The p90 pups were surprisingly good, nice and hot but they can mellow out as well. If I get an archtop guitar (which I love) I'd probably get this one.