The cutaway Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II makes the affordable North American archtop electric guitar a reality! Its paired Godin Kingpin P90 single-coil pickups deliver classic vintage tone with presence, clarity, and a little attitude thrown in for good measure!
With the soul of a 1950's archtop, the Godin 5th Avenue is a true vintage spirit of yesterday with today's level of modern guitar playability. With more projection and volume in the lows and mid tones than traditional archtop acoustic guitars, the dynamically rich tone of the 5th Avenue makes this sophisticated guitar a dream to play, but not a nightmare to pay for. From alt-country, Delta blues, slide, jazz to rock, the 5th Avenue really delivers both acoustically and electrically.
Crafted from Canadian wild cherry, the body of the 5th Avenue boasts a molded arched top and back. An adjustable bridge, classic f-holes, contoured high-gloss headstock, floating pickguard and cream binding enhance the 5th Avenue guitar's classic looks. Also, the rustic beauty of its custom polished finish gives the 5th Avenue a gorgeous satin sheen reminiscent of 19th century French polishes.
Godin includes a TRIC case that provides a level of impact protection for your 5th Avenue guitar rivaling that offered by many flight cases. The TRIC case is just slightly heavier than a typical gig bag, yet its ability to resist changes in temperature make it one of the finest innovations in guitar protection in years.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
Canadian wild cherry archtop
Canadian wild cherry back and sides
Silver leaf maple neck
Contoured high-gloss black headstock
Custom polished finish reminiscent of the French polish of the 19th century
Rosewood fingerboard
Adjustable Tusq bridge by Graphtech
Cream binding
2x Godin Kingpin P90 single-coil pickups
3-way toggle switch, 1x Volume, 1x Tone
16" (406 mm) fingerboard radius
24.84" (630 mm) scale
1.72" (43 mm) nut width
Includes Godin TRIC case
Order now and get jazzy!
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling
and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a
complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks
Normal wear and tear
Power surges
Dust, internal heat and humidity
Other plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks)
For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax.
Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement
Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold
Plans are renewable on new gear
*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
Displaying reviews 1-10
Back to top
PreviousNext »
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.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.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!
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.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.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.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.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.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.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.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.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.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 Custom Guitar'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.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.I am really enjoying playing this guitar, acoustically and plugged in. Clean the sound is very classic and sweet, great for getting the old pop/jazz/standards/blues tone of recorded music from the 20's to the 50s/60's; and with a little grit/drive it does a cool funky old blues from John Lee, Taj Mahal etc. then you can use the bridge pickup and roll back tone a little for another dimension of bite. The 2 pickups together give just a bit of p90 quack but not too much.
It's very comfortable, the neck is just right and my action is low. The volume and tone controls are very versatile and expressive. If you use the neck pickup with the tone turned down it will sound more like a sweet fat humbucker jazz/blues sound.
To the reviewer lamenting the lack of natural woodiness to the amplified tone, it can get it just fine but the trick is to turn the guitar volume pot way down, maybe to 2, 3, 4, 5, somewhere in that range, then turn your Clean amp bass control way down, and then the amp volume up to where you want, and adjust guitar tone pot as needed. You will get more of the guitars tone and less of the pickups. This is a great setting to get more of the slightly amplified "Gypsy jazz" almost acoustic tone. Unplugged the guitar has that tone naturally.
I recommend this guitar to anyone who likes these traditional genres, and I must say it looks pretty good too. It's also nice to play something made in North America. If you want to play metal I'd do that on a different guitar. My only other wishes are for a couple more side fret markers, and 22 frets would be nice but I really like the comfortable scale length.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.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.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.I've owned a couple of archtop electric guitars through the years (DeArmond Guild X-155, Epiphone Emperor Regent), and this is by far the nicest instrument. The tone and balance across the strings and up and down the neck are excellent. The wider nut also makes it easier to play chords in open position. The matte finish is very nice, and feels especially good on the neck. Once I adjusted the string height a little, it plays so nicely. The Canadian wild cherry produces a beautiful tone, and I believe this is a solid wood guitar (pressed top and back), not laminated like most guitars in this price range. The only thing I don't like is that there are only side dot markers at the 5th 7th, and 12th frets. But I'll get used to that. I don't claim to be a monster jazz player, but I'm an experienced musician, and I know tone and playability. This is not a shiny, glitzy laminated archtop from Asia. This is a quality, Canadian made guitar that is a pleasure to play.
Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II Archtop Electric Guitar Natural
.
English
