Godin ACS-SA Slim, Nylon String Acoustic-Electric Guitar - Natural Semi-Gloss Reviews

Beautiful guitar, excellent playability.
Beautiful sound both connected directly to an acoustic amplifier or through the GR-55.
My new favorite!

Great guitar I was wanting a midi pickup with minimal latency this guitar delivers. Having small hands slim model makes playing really comfortable, nylon strings much easier on the fingers than steel strings. Sounds and tones of guitar just plugged into a powered speaker are awesome. I use this guitar with a Roland gr55 and a ketron sd90 in a one man band. Very glad I purchased this guitar and sweetwater sales team Todd Cotten always great to deal with!

I've been playing steel-string dreadnoughts for 49 years. Arthritic hands, and a pesky torn left bicep led me to try nylon strung guitars a couple years ago. Standard nut width classicals are too wide for me. Until now, the Cordoba Fusion was the most comfy nut width I had found… and I still like it.
But, this Multiac slim is like going from a dreadnought to a Telecaster! Actually, the learning curve is definitely there, but in a great way. The 1.715" nut width is so narrow that it's the biggest challenge.
I think finding the hardest tension strings, like D'Addario XHT Pro Arte EJ44 is a good game plan for acoustic steel string players transitioning to nylon.
The other adjustment is going from an acoustic to a shallow body electric. But, if you already are used to electrics, you've already managed that!
The only thing I'd caution anyone about is not to confuse the chambered body to mean you can expect any acoustic projection at all. But the under saddle pickups are capital "I" Impressive. I've been playing through a Fender Acoustic100 amp, and a Roland Mobile Cube. Sounds great through both. Go for it!

This is the best guitar at this price on the planet! The playability is amazing. It sounds so nice through an amp. I own many high-end guitars and this has become my go-to instrument! I can't put it down.

So this is my second Godin the 1st being a XTSA Koa. I did my homework and decided to go for this model. Loved the thinner width of the neck,and reall like to use the neck position markers. I use both outs as I always use 2 amps. One is connected to Roland's GR-55 the other connected to a Line 6 240watt (stereo model). The other connected to a Fender I00 watt ( this also has 2 -12's) that utilize the synth.
Haven't played out with this set-up yet but I'll update soon. Being a stereo amp It really makes this guitar sound remarkable. Godin really outdid themselves with this Slim model. No mis fire notes at all with the GR-55. Not to bad with the XTSA either but out of Fender my Rick, other Godin This is me favorite. I'll try to send out a you sample soon. A no brainer price the intonation is spot on. I will get a hard case for this soon.

We use this guitar in our studio and for live shows.
We finished a small tour of Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. The Guitar was left at my house in Chicago and needed in Los Angeles for a recording session. The overnight freight was more than $600. I called Aaron at Sweetwater and a new Godin is permanently at the studio in LA. Crazy good guitar for either studio or live. No feedback while competing with drums and bass on stage. Live this guitar.

Now i own two godin guitars. My favorite is the nylon. Didnt plan on getting the one with synth access, but it just worked out that way. I dont care about synth but if i ever want that capability its there. This guitar sounds amazing just by itself. I put hard tensions on it and ran it thru compression pedal and reverb. This guitar is so worth the purchase. I still like my taylors but for the price this plays as good and sounds as good.

Firstly, what an amazing store! The persons that assisted me on my purchase both online and at the store were really great and knowledgable. They permitted me to try out several Godin ACS slims that they had in stock so I could pick out the one that felt right for me.

The quality of the guitar is excellent; from the satin finish, fret job, action (this particular one) and components. This nylon string electric sounds great amplified. Not really an acoustic instrument (you're not buying this for that). Neck shape and action is pretty comfortable for me being mainly an electric guitar player. Super satisfied with Sweetwater and this instrument!

I enjoy playing this guitar as much as any I own. Harmonics are spot on and a pleasure to play. I have other nylon string guitars. However, this is the one I play the most. My Sweetwater sales rep said I would love this guitar. He was right. It is just a lot of fun to play.

I have bought numerous items from Sweetwater including this guitar. The process for purchase is easy, swift and the customer is always right. The packaging is very protective for shipping and the guitar arrives without any damage. The multi point check as always covers all aspects and the guitar was ready to use right out of the box. The "slim" is a very unique guitar, easy to play and with the multi faceted outputs provides a world of sounds when used with GR-55. I absolutely love it. Godin makes a quality product and I have no trouble recommending it to anyone. My customer service rep, Josh Estock, was helpful, informative and always quick to respond to my questions and inquiries. Have purchased items from other "online" dealers, but none compare to the service I have received from Sweetwater. Give Josh a call, he knows his subjects and can answer almost any inquiry you pose.

UNIQUE I did not know what too expect I could not find one in any music store to play.Went to my Sweetwater and its home!The combination of solid body nylon strings eq synth. WOW if your a creative person your going to love this beautiful crafted guitar. It sounds unbeliveable pure tones. I use my Roland GR-55 synthesizer perfact match for the ACS-SA slim.

I was playing a Taylor 414 acoustic until shoulder surgery then had to switch to a thinner (ES335) to play. Finally back to the 414. Then saw this Godin on a cruise (go figure) and found it easier to play and softer sounding plus it's a ton thinner even though a bit heavy.
Love this guitar and it's my first nylon string. I would easily recommend this Godin as an extra. Plus, the cost was great and Sweetwater service superb.

Beautiful, beautiful guitar. In both sound and looks and feel. Fit and finish is excellent. Tone felt slightly muddy in the mids at higher volume (read: at gig volume - there was some additional EQ/sound shaping I felt I needed). LR Braggs Powered DI box solved this and kept the tone defined well and crisp - without the muddiness. (note: single note classical players - less of an issue... but bear down hard on chords - you'll hear what I mean). With the additional presence that the LR Braggs brings - this is now my go to guitar for coffee shop gigs and acoustic style recordings. Tried 13 pin access to a GR-55 at a music store... VERY cool - just not sure how practical some of those tones will be in a live setting... so I'm 1/4"-ing it for now :) Backpack case is a nice one - but a hard case would have been preferred. Neck plays very intuitively coming from primarily playing an early eighties Les Paul. Intonation is DEAD ON. VERY, VERY happy I purchased this guitar!

Reason for purchasing: Andy Bitler and the Sweetwater team. Great buying experience.

Setting:
Church. Five piece praise team at a military base chapel. Duty calls members away on a regular basis. This instrument (paired with the GR gear) allows me to cover a lot of ground and thus maintain consistency of sound.

Use:
Guitar/percussion/keys/brass and woodwinds/backing pads

Church music today is essentially "pop" music, so while nothing replaces my HD28, I do appreciate the flexibility my Godin ACS Slim allows me.

Pro: Construction, attractive instrument, well made. Great value for the price.

Cons: She's a bit heavy, suggest a 2.5 inch strap at least.

Comparison:
Have owned and used GK 3 equipped Strat and a GK 2 unit on an Ibanez. Godin tracks much better.

Perfect, nothing to complain about. The only thing I have to say is the 5th string broke by itself after 2 weeks. I wish it lasts a bit longer.

The only reason that I gave the 4.5 rating is that I'm rather new to the nylon string instruments. Someone with more experience in the "world of nylon" will have to weigh in on their thoughts concerning this family of guitars. I have played solid bodied steel-stringed guitars for over 50 years now, and I can honestly give a fair rating to those. This is a different instrument. I can say that, personally, I think this guitar is absolutely perfect for what it is.
Mine weighs almost 7 pounds. Heavy for a classic, normal for an electric. It feels solid, and plays that way too. Tuning is very stable and the action is better than I expected for a nylon strung instrument. My cedar top is darker than the photos indicated, but still very natural for that wood. The guitar can easily be heard if you want to practice un-plugged. Similar to a Telecaster in that form of resonance. The neck responds nicely to truss rod adjustments, so do it in small increment.
The active EQ lets you cover a lot of sonic territory without approaching the amplifier. Keep the guitar's volume at the mid point and save yourself some low end growl, that I'm finding is present in even the better acoustic guitar amplifiers.
The tuners are, as I mentioned quite solid, and they are something to see also. Gold with black etching. The controls are in a convenient position. You can see your settings at a glance without having to re-position the guitar.
One of my concerns over the years, in dealing with piezo loaded guitars, is that the volume balance from string to string was often uneven. The fact that Godin's design gives each string a separate saddle, may have something to do with the fact that each string has a definite voice. The result here is a very rich, acoustic, sound. both for when each string is played individually or when chording. Pretty much what I was hoping for.
I am finding this guitar to be somewhat addictive. It's not been back in the bag since it got here 5 days ago.
Overall, I am enjoying this experience. And, I have to give credit to Greg, my technical adviser at Sweetwater, for his patients in leading me to the right guitar.
Don

Godin may be the most underrated major North American guitar maker. They've been putting our fine solid wood instruments under several brand names for decades. I got my first Seagull acoustic close to 30 years ago, and it still plays and sounds great. Their quality is as good (or better) than the big names, and their line covers a full range of guitars. The ACS is a unique beast. It's a true acoustic-electric hybrid that you can play unplugged (thought a low volume), and get a full range of electric sounds. It uses nylon strings, which adds another dimension. And you probably know it includes a Roland midi pickup, which works seamlessly. I love the feel anf versatility. It's a fine addition to players looking for a broader range in their collection.

The version shipped to me had a defective truss rod (hennce 4 stars rather than 5), but the replacement is fine. Everyone I've talked to believes that was a fluke. I'm looking forward to seeing what this machine can accomplish. Kudos to Sweetwater for the great service in arranging the swap. Everyone here seems to rave about SW's customer service, and it's true.

The first few days with the new Slimline ACS were awkward. Having played steel string low action guitars all my life there was a learning curve involved. That's not a guitar issue but a guitarist issue. The instrument is well made and the fit and finish are flawless. If playing through an amp PLEASE, use a quality, wide frequency range amp or the sound will be muddy, otherwise the instrument comes through loud and clear with good tone and accurate acoustic sound. The slim necki allows nice playability but you must remember it is NOT an electric guitar neck and there are some differences. Out of the box I did have to adjust the action but the truss rod is easy to manipulate and the neck responds quickly. Overall this is a great buy at this price.