The Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin is a hollowbody electric guitar that brings you back to a time when the archtop acoustic guitar reigned supreme. With the soul of a 1950s archtop, the 5th Avenue guitar has the true vintage spirit of yesteryear with today's level of modern playability. With more projection and volume in the low and mid tones than traditional archtop acoustic guitars, the dynamically rich tone of the 5th Avenue guitar this sophisticated guitar a dream to play, but not a nightmare to pay for. From alt-country to Delta blues, slide and jazz to rock, the 5th Avenue is a guitar that can really deliver both acoustically and electrically. The Godin Kingpin P-90 single-coil pickup delivers all that classic, vintage tone with presence, clarity, and a little attitude thrown in for good measure.
Made from Canadian wild cherry, the body of Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Guitar features a molded arched top and back. Also features an adjustable GraphTech Tusq bridge, classic f-holes, contoured high-gloss headstock, floating pickguard and cream binding. The rustic beauty of its custom polished finish creates a gorgeous satin sheen reminiscent of 19th century French polish.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options. Case sold separately.
Canadian wild cherry archtop
Canadian wild cherry back and sides
Silverleaf maple neck
Contoured high-gloss black headstock
Custom polished finish
Rosewood fingerboard
Adjustable GraphTech Tusq bridge
Cream binding
1 Godin Kingpin P-90 single-coil pickup
1 Volume, 1 Tone control
16" fingerboard radius
24.84" scale
1.72" nut width
Case sold separately
This beautiful guitar has a sound to match. Order today.
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If Godin hadn't made a left-handed version, I never would have looked at the 5th Ave. Kingpin. A rule-of-thumb for buying an archtop is to only consider solid tops. I'm glad I broke the rule. Tone is king, and the Kingpin has it.
She's all Canadian, down to the strings and the P-90 pickup. The wood is cherry, which I find tonally similar to maple (bright, pointed). The cognac burst is unusual and beautiful. The guitar weighs nothing. The 3-in rim slips right under your shoulder. The neck is full and has a tall rosette.
She sounds great unplugged or plugged in. The P-90 sounds like a humbucker but has a single coil's lower output. An ideal choice for this design. This is a hollow body with F-holes, so you get spank and air. While quieter than a dreadnought, the sound is so full that I rarely plug in when practicing alone.
The tuning heads are a little narrow, but they turn smoothly. After a while, you adjust by pinching from the center.
The Kingpin ships with Godin nickel wounds (EJ21). I had a Frequensator tailpiece installed and strung the guitar with D'Addario chromes (ECG23). It sounds more like a jazz guitar now. I also paid a tech (against manufacturer's advice) to move the neck strap button to the heel (floor side).
The TRIC case is novel. I'm glad I went with it.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.This guitar has quickly become one of my favorites. I purchased mine in the Cognac Burst and it looks spectacular with the archtop, floating tortoise shell pick guard and cream binding. It has a vintage vibe that is really cool. It sounds good either plugging in or not. It is very easy to play and just the right thickness for playing comfort. I highly recommend this guitar.
This guitar has basic features for a acoustic/electric consisting of a single P-90 single coil pickup, volume and tone controls, and an adustable bridge. It has a floating neck that allows the archtop to ring out.
The build quality is very good for the price and the satin finish gives it a vintage look.
When you look at the build quality and the for the money it is unmatched.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.This is the sound I've been looking out of a acoustic guitar.If you like the sound out of the old department store guitars without all the fancy bracing I like to refer to it as the cheap sound and I mean this as a good thing this is your guitar.Most flat tops sound about the same and I always hated dealing with the bridge pins this plays more like a electric in which you can bend strings to play leads.I know a few jazz riffs and this guitars nails it but it also nails blues, White Stripes, and Setzer.I know this review is a little different from the typical review but these are the things as a guitar player I would want to know and it is a very well made instrument.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.I purchased the Godin 5th Avenue King pin as I did not have a guitar of this type in my collection. I have always wanted one, but really wanted to get one made in the USA, but could not afford the price tag. This is a great compromise. It's made in Canada and I think they did a terrific job for the price. It's pretty basic...no fancy inlay, binding or extras, but the build quality of the guitar I received is very good. The guitar is beautiful. The intonation is great. I am very happy and would definately buy or recommend Godin. I also own a Taylor 314ce and in the latest issue of Taylor's magazine, "Wood and Steel", Bob Taylor suggests Godin to a customer who wanted a type of guitar Taylor does not make. I think that's a pretty good recommendation.
By the way, the TRIC case available for this guitar is really light, and strong. It's very different from any other case I own. I really like it
This guitar is very well built and finished.
Nothing else comes close in this price range in North America.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.Good looking guitar with a great pickup. A few things you will need to do to make it better: Bone nut instead of the plastic and a Wood or Bone bridge instead of the plastic. There is a common problem with this model, when you move your fingers on the pick guard, it causes static in the pickup. To solve the problem you need to ground the pick guard. Great price Great value
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.I play 90% acoustic guitar, but I've always hated the sound of acoustic pickups. I love the sound of this thing, both acoustically and via the p90 with my blues jr amp. This is my favorite guitar. I find it the most versatile and playable that I have (breedlove passport, alvarez regent dred, mim strat, gretsch boxcar), w the exception of upper fret shredding. It just sounds fantastic for the money. I play blues in styles of lightnin hopkins, mississippi john hurt, bb king, and a bit of Cream or allman bros., and this is the guitar that suited my style heads above any other in this price range. This Godin gives that mellow, mature sound that a hollowbody affords... for those who can't (or won't) afford a Gibby. Don't expect much response from an overdrive pedal, as the pups seem underwound for mellowness, but that's not what this one's for. Get the cognac finish, she's handsome.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.I found myself un-obligated, bored and holding a fist full of cash one Friday afternoon, so I wandered into my local guitar shop. With a new found love of single coil pickups I had been eyeballing the Gretsch and Guild hollow bodies unfortunately too poor to actually buy one. On this afternoon, however, I played the Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin. It was love at first strum. Mine is called Cognac Burst. The satin finish on these instruments is beautiful, and give it a vintage, played look. This guitar has a really nice feel in terms of the neck and the thickness of the body. I have fairly long fingers and the neck is comfortable to play. It feels to me, a bit like the thicker necks on the Les Pauls of the late 50s. When I got the guitar, the shop said they'd dial it in for me for free, but frankly, I have no complaints as it is. With the classic style floating bridge you can drop the action impossibly low before you start to get fret buzz. After I brought mine home, I did just that and it plays like a dream. The frets are finished well and there is a bevel on the edge of the fret board and frets that keep them out of the way if you're in the habit of sliding your hand up and down the neck quickly. The Kingpin has a warm mellow tone when unplugged that is perfect for playing jazz and blues. I also enjoy the lower volume of the guitar since it has f holes when I play later in the evening. Plugged in, the P90 kills and sounds good clean and driven. It also retains that warm, mellow tone when played without distortion. I haven't had any trouble with feedback as I tend to keep the volume a bit lower for small spaces. All in all, this guitar is a great choice and plays as well as my Gibson Les Paul and my buddies Gretsch 51… whatever
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.The Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin is pretty darn amazing. I play a lot of blues, and while the upper fret access is somewhat limited by the lack of a cutaway, the tone is perfect for that edge-of-breakup grit that P-90 pickups are known for. As with any single-pickup guitar, you will utilize the volume and tone pots like never before, but to me, that's part of the fun -- making a simple, straightforward guitar run the gamut of tones. And make no mistake, this thing will rock if you put a little gain on your amp -- that Eric Clapton "woman" tone is easy to find -- but also be aware that, being a full hollowbody, you've got to watch where you stand or the feedback will overwhelm you. This is a very lively, resonant guitar, and is truly unique among today's cookie-cutter design mentality. With its floating bridge, F-holes, and trapeze tailpiece, this guitar has its feet firmly in the world of jazz; but there's nothing stopping your from squeezing out great rock and blues tones except your imagination.
It's a very simple instrument: one floating P-90 in the neck, one volume and one tone control. That's why I wanted it, but you have to understand going in that this isn't a do-it-all, Swiss-army-knife guitar. It does several things very well, but it's not feature-laden by any means.
In terms of playability, the Kingpin excels in every possible way. The frets are level and even, with no rough ends. The action can be dropped ridiculously low without string buzzing, and the neck has a nice carve that's neither too thin nor too bulky. The finish is spectacular; the acrylic lacquer is thin, it repels fingerprints, and the wild cherry wood grain shows some nice figuring without being garish. Nice, tasteful cream binding and a gloss headstock give it a classy vibe.
I simply would have never imagined that you could find a North-American-made guitar of this quality and craftsmanship for $700 in this day and age. Godin should be held up as the model for others to emulate.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
. Overall the 5th Avenue Kingpin is just great guitar with an unbelievable price tag and is made right here in North America. A couple of things I would like to see change would be the Tuning keys (Would like a little bigger keys) and the Case. I wish they would also offer a hard-shell case. One Idea I would like to see would be to add an additional Piazo Bridge pickup to be used for an acousic sound if preferred. Unplugged, the guitar has a "woody" sound, a little different from a flat-top. Very pleasent tones. Every demo I watched on youtube pertaing to this guitar, they recommended no pick. I'm a pick guy, I don't play Jazz I play Country, Southern rock and Blues. The pick works just fine on the Godin archtop and I would recommend it!
The Godin is very light and a joy to play. Works well as an Electric or Acoustic Guitar. Good to play around the house, unplugged. Easy to play neck. Exept for the acoustic strings i use, it reminds me of playing my Strat.
Beautiful Guitar. I consider the Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin to be well made at a fair price. My opinion, this guitar will appreciate in value as the years go by as a fine Gibson or Martin.
I hope I am wrong about this, but I can't see Godin holdong on to such a fair price for such a great guitar. I would love to add another Godin and a Seagull to my collection.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
.This guitar is easy to play and sounds great, plugged or unplugged. It sings and sustains nicely, just like a jazz box should, through my Fender Blues Deluxe. I almost forgot to mention that the top and bottom appear nicely curved and bookmatched. I'll have to buy a dedicated case very soon so I can take it to the gig without borrowing the case from one of my other guitars. I saw that another reviewer recommended a "TRIC olive case" for this guitar, but MF doesn't seem to offer that option. Overall I give my new 5th Avenue an eight out of 10.
5th Avenue Archtop, Cognac Burst, by Godin: my example is visually stunning in its simplicity; one P-90, chrome Kluson-type button tuners, chrome tailpiece, Graphtech adjustable bridge (not wood), the pickguard blends nicely, and the fingerboard is dark rosewood. Neither case nor gig bag was included. At this price I give the Features category an 8 on a 10 scale.
I have one other experience with Godin, having purchased an acoustic Entourage Mini Jumbo Rustic by Seagull a couple of years ago. I felt that guitar, also cherry wood, was overall a decent player, so I expected no less with the 5th Avenue. I am not disappointed; in fact, I feel the 5th Avenue is more professional. The standard sized fret wires feel good and are edged consistently throughout the neck. The volume and tone knobs are smooth and easy to roll with the pinky. The set-up on my example was very good right out of the box. It was detuned for shipping, but once I brought it up to standard pitch, it has held without the need for constant retuning. And the tuning, chordally, is pitch perfect to my ears at every octave. I normally expect to have a new guitar set up by my tech, but I'll skip it this time. The creme binding at the top is perfect; the binding at the bottom near the heel has a small indentation blemish. The rosewood fingerboard is very dark and fools the eye as to whether it is ebony. According to the Quality Assurance card, there were 11 points of inspection by 10 different folks who are apparently very competent. Nine out of 10 here.
I think the MSRP is reasonable, but it's so much better at the street price that MF offers. I really got my money's worth because I got an additional MF Valentine's Day 14% discount, which Godin supported (whereas Gibson and Fender opted out). Before my purchase, I compared on paper the 5th Avenue to the Loar LH-309 (a tobacco-burst non-cutaway with a P-90, open gear tuners, and a hand carved solid spruce top), which retails for a bit less than the 5th Avenue. The 5th Avenue just seemed more unique and classy, and now that I have it in my hands I know I made the right choice in buying the North American alternative over the Asian import. As a side note, I feel bad for our American guitar makers--our complex economic environment (i.e., our nanny-state, over-regulating government) must made it hard to compete in the value category. Anyway, I give 8 out of 10 here.
Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin Archtop Hollowbody Electric Guitar With P-90 Pickup Black
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