A TOP ARCH TOP
Aimed to ‘make the affordable North American arch top a reality’ the 5th Avenue Uptown GT is  a cutaway guitar with some nice looking woods. A flamed maple top with Canadian wild cherry back and sides and a silver leaf maple neck. The top is a beautiful gloss which brings out the lovely grain whilst the back, sides and neck are a semi gloss which looks like more of a rubbed sort of matte finish. It’s a nice contrast that looks and importantly feels good. Cream binding, black top hat style knobs and a Bigsby tremolo system again mean that the Uptown looks the goods with classic stylings and still shows Godin’s refinements in shape and features. In the hardware department you’ll find two of Godin’s own custom hum buckers, a 3 way toggle switch, volume and tone controls and a roller saddle adjustable bridge with Tusq base made by Graphtech.

UPTOWN GIRL
Again, I like the combination of the gloss top and semi gloss sides, back and neck but I also like the feel this gives. It’s not fully worn but isn’t the super slick gloss and almost gives you a little something to hold onto. Then factor in that the neck isn’t shred machine pencil thin and you’ve got a player. The GT’s hollow body design resonates nicely with sustain and volume that could sit in with blues, jazz, rockabilly or rock. Of course the bigsby looks cool but it also works a treat on this guitar and the combination of it and the roller saddles seemed to hold the tuning in good stead, and could probably withstand a fair amount of abuse.

YOUR LATEST TRIC
I also need to make mention of the included TRIC case which at first might look like a big,  foam case. In fact it’s Godin’s own designed case giving you the protection of a hard shell case with the weight of a gig bag. A cool addition that seems to do exactly what you need.

THE GOLDEN ARCHES
Nothing cooler than an arch top guitar in my books and the Godin 5th Ave Uptown GT has looks in spades. The fact that it plays well and carries a good range of tones makes it a winner. Again, yes this will do the warm round jazz and blues tones but you can also spark up some howling rock sounds making it more than a one trick pony. If vintage hollow bodies are a bit out of your price range, but you want a quality axe, Godin have your answer.

By Nick Brown

Price: RRP $1899
Distributor: Dynamic Music
Phone: (02) 9939 1299
Website: www.godindirect.com.au

ARE YOU MY TYPE?
The Icon Type2 Convertible is at once familiar and exotic. Depending on the angle you view it from, it can look something like a Tele, an Ernie Ball/Music Man Edward Van Halen model or a Les Paul, but I guess the closest thing to it really is the long-discontinued Starfield Cabriolet. The angles are sleek and curvy with just the right mix of traditional and modern. The body itself is made of chambered mahogany with either a carved mahogany top, like the version I reviewed, or a carved maple top if you go the sunburst route. You can hear the effects of the chambering immediately when you pluck a string unplugged. There’s a lively midrange and airy low end that hint at what’s to come.

The mahogany neck features an ebony fretboard with 22 frets and a flat-but-not-too-flat 12″ radius. It features a Graph Tech TUSQ nut, while down at the bridge end you’ll find a Graph Tech Resomax bridge. The headstock is a tad boring for my tastes and to be honest the mix of typefaces and font sizes doesn’t quite do it for me. (My better half, who is a graphic designer, commented ‘Type2? More like Type6 because there are like six different typefaces going on.’ Zing!). The neck profile is a very comfortable and fast D shape, with nice big frets, although the dot position markers are a tad boring too. Playability is great, although the neck isn’t quite shredder-fast. You can really dig into the notes though.

CHECK OUT MY SWEET CONVERTIBLE
Electronics comprise of a volume control, a tone control and a standard three way pickup switch, but that’s not all, and here’s where it gets really interesting. The Type2 brandishes a pair of Seymour Duncan’s unique P-Rail pickups, as well as two mini 3-way toggle switches and Godin’s own High-Definition Revoicer (HDR) switch. The P-Rail pickups are so special because they can function as either a single coil, a humbucker or a P-90.

First up: bridge pickup. The humbucker mode is warm but not too woolly, with a nice natural tone. The single coil mode has a great zing and sparkle, with lots of ‘string noise,’ while the P-90 mode is almost like a midway point between the humbucker and single coil sounds. Kick in the HDR and you’ll hear a huge jump in gain which really gooses the humbucker in particular. It gives the single coil some great toothiness, and really makes legato techniques stand out in P-90 mode. The neck humbucker has more of the bridge unit’s warmth, while the single coil is great for Jeff Buckley-type chordal work, and the P-90 is a killer gritty lead pickup. Turn on the HDR and all three settings are killer lead voices. The humbucker in particular has a great 80s Vai edge, with a pleasant upper-end sizzle. This is also somewhat present in the P-90, while the single coil screams with articulation and definition. I chucked on some headphones and jammed along with some Faith No More, using the various pickup selections and HDR in various combinations to, in effect, take the place of all sorts of pedal and gain settings. It’s utterly uncanny how very much you can alter and morph the tone, and it takes all of ten minutes to get used to flicking the switches to achieve whichever sound you’re after. Once you pass that point, you’ll never need to think about it again.

TRIPLE THREAT
The Icon Type2 Convertible is an extremely well built guitar with a lot of character, and what I especially like is that the pickups emphasise the guitar’s own qualities rather than impart their own. Its natural sustain is quite impressive due to the set neck construction, as is the bloom and dynamism of the notes thanks to the chambering. As I said, I’d like a smidgeon more visual flair from the neck and headstock, and maybe the neck could be a little less sticky, but it’s an awesome guitar for stage or studio.

By Peter Hodgson

Price: RRP $2395
Distributor: Dynamic Music
Phone: (02) 9939 1299
Website: www.dynamicmusic.com.au

For more information on the Godin range of products, phone Dynamic Music on (02) 9939 1299 or visit www.dynamicmusic.com.au

Godin’s Icon series is the company’s first-ever line of set-neck guitars, and for a company that’s been building axes as long as Godin has that’s a pretty big deal. The company’s bolt-on instruments have always impressed me with their effortless playability and confident tone, but switching construction methods is always a big step. How’s Godin gonna handle it?

ARE YOU MY TYPE?

The Icon Type2 Convertible is at once familiar and exotic. Depending on the angle you view it from, it can look something like a Tele, an Ernie Ball/Music Man Edward Van Halen model or a Les Paul, but I guess the closest thing to it really is the long-discontinued Starfield Cabriolet. The angles are sleek and curvy with just the right mix of traditional and modern. The body itself is made of chambered mahogany with either a carved mahogany top, like the version I reviewed, or a carved maple top if you go the sunburst route. You can hear the effects of the chambering immediately when you pluck a string unplugged. There’s a lively midrange and airy low end that hint at what’s to come.

The mahogany neck features an ebony fretboard with 22 frets and a flat-but-not-too-flat 12″ radius. It features a Graph Tech TUSQ nut, while down at the bridge end you’ll find a Graph Tech Resomax bridge. The headstock is a tad boring for my tastes and to be honest the mix of typefaces and font sizes doesn’t quite do it for me. (My better half, who is a graphic designer, commented ‘Type2? More like Type6 because there are like six different typefaces going on.’ Zing!). The neck profile is a very comfortable and fast D shape, with nice big frets, although the dot position markers are a tad boring too. Playability is great, although the neck isn’t quite shredder-fast. You can really dig into the notes though.

CHECK OUT MY SWEET CONVERTIBLE

Electronics comprise of a volume control, a tone control and a standard three way pickup switch, but that’s not all, and here’s where it gets really interesting. The Type2 brandishes a pair of Seymour Duncan’s unique P-Rail pickups, as well as two mini 3-way toggle switches and Godin’s own High-Definition Revoicer (HDR) switch. The P-Rail pickups are so special because they can function as either a single coil, a humbucker or a P-90.

First up: bridge pickup. The humbucker mode is warm but not too woolly, with a nice natural tone. The single coil mode has a great zing and sparkle, with lots of ‘string noise,’ while the P-90 mode is almost like a midway point between the humbucker and single coil sounds. Kick in the HDR and you’ll hear a huge jump in gain which really gooses the humbucker in particular. It gives the single coil some great toothiness, and really makes legato techniques stand out in P-90 mode. The neck humbucker has more of the bridge unit’s warmth, while the single coil is great for Jeff Buckley-type chordal work, and the P-90 is a killer gritty lead pickup. Turn on the HDR and all three settings are killer lead voices. The humbucker in particular has a great 80s Vai edge, with a pleasant upper-end sizzle. This is also somewhat present in the P-90, while the single coil screams with articulation and definition. I chucked on some headphones and jammed along with some Faith No More, using the various pickup selections and HDR in various combinations to, in effect, take the place of all sorts of pedal and gain settings. It’s utterly uncanny how very much you can alter and morph the tone, and it takes all of ten minutes to get used to flicking the switches to achieve whichever sound you’re after. Once you pass that point, you’ll never need to think about it again.

TRIPLE THREAT

The Icon Type2 Convertible is an extremely well built guitar with a lot of character, and what I especially like is that the pickups emphasise the guitar’s own qualities rather than impart their own. Its natural sustain is quite impressive due to the set neck construction, as is the bloom and dynamism of the notes thanks to the chambering. As I said, I’d like a smidgeon more visual flair from the neck and headstock, and maybe the neck could be a little less sticky, but it’s an awesome guitar for stage or studio.

Price: RRP $2395

Distributor: Dynamic Music

Phone: (02) 9939 1299

Website: www.dynamicmusic.com.au

By Peter Hodgson

From rock to blues to country, the Session is a guitar with tonal versatility, style and value, all in one instrument that won’t break the bank. The Session features a rock maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard, Canadian Laurentian Basswood body, 2x Godin GS-1 single-coils housed in a vintage white pickguard and a Godin humbucker in the bridge, along with a 5-way switch, 1x volume and 1x push/pull tone knob that splits

the humbucker.SPECS:

Rock Maple neck, Rosewood or Maple Fingerboard, 12″ fingerboard radius, 25 1/2″ Scale, 1 11/16″ nut width, Canadian Laurentian Basswood body, 2 X Godin
GS-1 single coil pickups, 1 x Godin Humbucker, Controls: 5-way switch, 1 x Volume, 1 x Tone (push/pull tone knob splits humbucker pickup) Colors: Raw
SG, Blackburst SG, Rustic Burst SG, Vintage Burst SG, Electric Blue HG, Electric Red HG, Lightburst HG

From rock to blues to country, the Session is a guitar with tonal versatility, style and value, all in one instrument that won’t break the bank.

The Session features a rock maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard, Canadian Laurentian Basswood body, 2x Godin GS-1 single-coils housed in a vintage white pickguard and a Godin humbucker in the bridge, along with a 5-way switch, 1x volume and 1x push/pull tone knob that splits the humbucker.

SPECS:

Rock Maple neck, Rosewood or Maple Fingerboard, 12″ fingerboard radius, 25 1/2″ Scale, 1 11/16″ nut width, Canadian Laurentian Basswood body, 2 X Godin GS-1 single coil pickups, 1 x Godin Humbucker, Controls: 5-way switch, 1 x Volume, 1 x Tone (push/pull tone knob splits humbucker pickup) Colors: Raw SG, Blackburst SG, Rustic Burst SG, Vintage Burst SG, Electric Blue HG, Electric Red HG, Lightburst HG

RRP $935

For more information please call Dynamic Music on (02) 9939 1299 or visit www.dynamicmusic.com.au