Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II P90 Hollowbody Electric Guitar - Cognac Burst Reviews

When I first saw this guitar it reminded me of Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf from back in the day. Got it home from Sweetwater and never regretted it. I have had it for a couple years now and the P90's are much to my liking, both pickups deliver excellent quality tones and are very quiet when not being played. I recently decided to make a little change by buffing the body a bit to add a touch of gloss and installed a Bigsby B7 that I had sitting around from other projects. Now I have a wonderful rockabilly,jazz, blues big box. Get one and have fun. Godin is an excellent brand and Sweetwater is the place to get one.

This guitar really surprised me. The cherrywood top creates a tone that is clean and beautiful. It projects surprisingly well without being plugged in. However, plug it in and the humbucker pickups put out a punch but they're super clean and quiet when not playing. The neck feels great and it plays like a dream. Also, I started using the Sweetwater plek service ahead of shipping my guitars and it is totally worth it to start off with a new guitar in perfect shape, and playability. This thing plays like a dream! Really, I cannot get over the value of this guitar as I've paid big bucks for name brand guitars that really don't offer anything more than this. I highly recommend Godin guitars.

This is an addendum to my 5 star review to fix a typo.
There is some hum from the P90 pickups at higher volumes. It is very directional with respect to my amp, and is less with both pickups on in middle toggle switch position. Still a 5 star review, because this is expected with these pickups.

The cherry wood has a unique and pleasing tone. I was very reluctant to try a non spruce top instrument, but it sounds lively and almost as articulate as a solid spruce top, and much crisper than a spruce laminate. Playing with flatwound 12 strings and tone knob dialed back, a warm, clear and hum free amplified sound is achieved. Loud with good note separation unplugged. Light and balanced. Arrived with perfect setup. Stays in tune. Fits well in gator hard case. Made in North America. Amazing finish and build quality for the price. Looks, plays and feels like a more expensive guitar.

out of the 70 plus guitars I own..... this is fun to play. Hughes-Kettner deluxe 20 no efex...... awesome. Thanks Josh.

Awesome fit and finish, sounds great acoustic or plugged in. I switched to a black pickguard and truss rod cover from Godin direct. The switch tip is metric, so the ones from Stewmac or guitar parts factory work fine, going to try black speed knobs and see if i like it. Nothing wrong with the tortoise shell components, just wanted it to look different from the others and i think the black really pops. Have not been able to give any of my other guitars any attention since i got this. Works well for slide, which is partially my intent for purchasing, but i have spent far more time playing acoustic than i ever had anticipated. North American made, not priced. Great guitar for the money. I will be looking at Godin guitars for future purchases. Neck has a nice profile and feel, graphtec bridge and nut. No complaints other than why didn't I buy this guitar years ago (believe its been out since 2009, in various colors)! The burst finish has a satin/worn in feel and look. My particular choice was a little lighter in the center and a little more red in the cognac burst than what else was available to pick from, but i would have been happy with the more prevalent brown/darker finish too. Sweetwater is great, i purchase a-lot from them. When i purchased the Kingpin online, Paul LaFamina, my usual sales rep called to say what a fan of Godin guitars he was. So that extra something goes a long way with me, and speaks to the musicians that Sweetwater employs. If your looking for a hollowbody electric, with P90s (a little hot, which is perfect to me), and a more than fair price tag, please see the other 5 star reviews here, and buy with confidence. There are also several YouTube demos out there, also singing the praises of this model.

Much more than a jazz guitar. I've strung it with TI bebop's (with a wound G) and It immediately boosted the versatility of this guitar. The P-90s on this are wonderful. I did have to tinker just a bit with the bridge height to get the action where I wanted it, but otherwise, the setup out of the box was was pretty good.

I can't recommend this guitar enough. It's perfect for my style of playing (I like intricate chords and finger picking) with occasional soloing. This definitely has a flatter neck than your typical electric and also a "woodier" sound than other hollow bodies I've played, but again, that's what I love so much about this guitar. There's really nothing else that plays or sounds quite like it.

I used a Fender Blues Junior amp for this review. Out of the box: The strings (12s) sounded dull, the action was just a tad high, and theneck might have been a bit bowed. The neck pickup sounded just a bit less focused and articulate compared to the bridge pickup. The high B and E were piercingly shrill, and the low E was too prominent in the mix. My fixes: I put on fresh D'Addario 11s with the wound G as the guitar comes with. I lowered the pickup pole pieces (screws) for the high B and E strings on both pickups, and the low E pole piece on the neck pickup. I used celluloid guitar picks to shim the neck pickup upwards just a bit. Result: Awesome articulate sound that can vary depending on amp settings from a bell to a bark to a growl. A beautiful envelope of dynamics results from the hollow body. Not as bright as a solid spruce top, but just as pleasing to my ear. This Godin is my go-to guitar for playing unaccompanied, through a tweed-circuited Fender amp. And - the finish is beautiful.

I was a little nervous about getting a demo with a couple of small dents, after ordering this guitar and realizing the new ones were on sale.
Well, once again, Sweetwater and the guitar I was sold, passed all my expectations. This ax has found a new home and is beyond my description, but everything I wanted. The quality is undeniable. These King Pins are extraordinary guitars. I replaced a reissue Epiphone Casino (now china made), with this one, and there is no contest. At less than 6 pounds with one less fret, the guitar is in another league and comes from a different planet. Grab one of these while you can at this price.
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Fit and finish are top notch. Tusq nut is perfectly cut, and the intonation out of the box was literally perfect. A pleasant surprise considering the bridge, while compensated, is not adjustable. Great playability. The acoustic tone is loud enough to be usable. Amplified tone is very versatile, and feedback was not an issue. Another nice surprise considering the top is not blocked like a semi-hollow. If you are looking for a true archtop for jazz, rockabilly, blues, etc., this is certainly one to consider. And Sweetwater's communication and service were excellent throughout the sale process.

Really fills a spot in my tools.Running through a 64 Gibson Falcon amp, just classic tone. Into a Mesa Rectoverb 25 limitless. N.A. built guitar without the U.S.A. price!

I received this a while back, I was looking to buy my first hollowbody guitar and after looking around I decided on the Godin. Love the guitar, great sound and feel with a great look. The pick-ups put out a great sound, it was just what I was looking for. I didn't want to spent a ton of money. Very happy with this purchase.

Beautiful, simple finish over fantastic wood grain. Adjustable bridge yields wonderful action. The P-90s are so versatile I'm in awe! This is a high quality instrument that sounds beautiful unamplified. Big shoutout to Trey Stemen for helping me sort through iollowbodies.

Been blessed to won several guitars that I consider to be "instruments". From PRS Wood Library to a vintage Martin and everything in between. I was looking for a warm tonal guitar that not only looked good, but would sound even better. This is a very nice guitar and for the money, it is an excellent guitar. Thank you Josh Sackett for helping me...again!

I have owned 3 several moderately priced archtops and 2 expensive ones and have been tinkering for a while with these.
The Godin is very well made and hard to put down. Only 1 gripe, my pickups are too hot for a jazz guitar and if I turn the volume down too much it hurts the tone. It's not much of an acoustic, but the tone of the guitar translates well into the pickups so they knew what they were doing in voicing the instrument. Not really useable as an acoustic only for practicing.

Hesited two time but not the third time and I've never been so happy with a guitar puchase. My first electric guitar so I was looking for the best crossover from acoustic to electric. Solide and fully adjustable neck that holds open tunings well, and that was a MUST for me. Fingerstyle is a dream on it and the WOW factor with the pickups is definitely there while the electronics offer a wide range of sounds. Just can't put it down so that says it all.

Ordered this amazing guitar and spent the extra $ to have it PLEK'd. First time plugging it in and the tone POT is scratchy throughout operation, horrible scratch every time you touch it. Contacted sweetwater they sent me a can of contact cleaner. Didn't work. Sweetwater said they would pick up the tab for a guitar shop to repair it. took it to a local shop, it was there 2 months and I found out they no longer had a guitar tech employed so I took the guitar back. Now I've had the guitar 6 months and decided the only way to get it fixed is to do it myself. I pulled the pot and ordered a pot and cap from stewmac. Parts should be here this weekend finally