Godin pup swapping question

[GTM]

I'm thinking about swapping out the stock pups on my Godin XTSA. Has anyone done this on their Godin 3 voice guitar and if so did they encounter any problems?

[thamayor4242]

i changed the bridge in my godin lg. ok i paid someone to change it. i had no problems. i know mine didn't have the synth access and all but thought i would let you know something.

[GTM]

I took a close look under the rear control cover on my XTSA last night. BTY, mine is 3 voice, magnetic pickups, piezo and synth. Godin has hard wired the magnetic pickup's volume and the synth volume pot directly to a huge PC board. The pots are actually attached to the PC board. So are a couple of switches. This probably saves them time and money when mass producing these guitars. The down side is that for guys like me who like to experiment, it's a big pain in the butt. I noticed the stock pickups are 4 conductor. Godin is a tuff company to speak with. They don't have a phone number and it takes days/weeks to get and answer by e-mail. I have a couple of emails into to them and am waiting for a reply on how to wire their pickups to split. I'll try calling the local dealer today and see if their tech has any idea. I'm sure either wiring their pups to split or swapping can be done, it's just not as simple as it would be if I was working on a strat.

[GTM]

[Bruce Bennett]

 

There is an easy way to swap pickups in these guitars and make it even easier to swap LOTS of pickups..

 

We are a Godin dealer and I swap pickups in these all day long.

 

 

Just remove the pickups from the front, and clip the leads about 4 inches from the pickup, now solder a connector onto the wire going to the control cavity. you can find lots of connectors out there, just pick a small one with at least 4 wire connections.

 

solder the proper mating connector to the new pickup and VIOLA!

instant pickup swap. and you don't HAVE to shorten any new pickup leads... only the stock pickup leads will be short and even then not too short to put connectors on them as well,

[GTM]

Thanks Bruce for your reply, it a good idea.

The problem is my Godin XTSA isn't wired to do coil splitting. They say in the literature that this guitar does split but what it actually does is;

POS 1 = BRIDGE HUMBUCKER

POS 2 = BRIDGE HUM (both coils) & MIDDLE SINGLE COIL PICKUP

POS 3 = SC

POS 4 = SC & NECK HUM (BOTH COILS)

POS 5 = NECK HUM

 

I want to be able to play just the bridge or neck humbuckers in split mode as single coil. When I looked in the control cavity 2 on the 4 wires coming from the humbuckers are just soldered together and bundled. I can use your idea about splicing into the original wiring but I still need to add a split switch. Right now with the way the Godin is wired to the PC board I can only guess which wires do what. If you have time please take a look at a XTSA and see if you can figure it out. I'll keep checking back here to see if you follow up. Thanks!

[PolyFmorf]

 

Originally posted by GTM When I looked in the control cavity 2 on the 4 wires coming from the humbuckers are just soldered together and bundled.

Shouldn't you be able to take the bundled pair on each pickup and pull them to ground to do a coil split? A DPDT switch will work for both pickups. Frankly, I have tried coil splitting on buckers and have never really liked it that much.

 

Run a temp wire from each bundle to a ground point and see how it sounds.

[GTM]

PolyFmorf,

I was thinking about doing that and will try it tonight. That's assuming thats what the 2 bundled wires are. I don't know if it will be that simple but it's worth a try. I know what you mean about splitting humbuckers. I've done it before with varied results. There are good humbuckers on the market that do split well, I have a Rio Grande Tallboy, a set of Lace Drop & Gain's and a pair of Pearly Gates on three of my guiatrs that sound pretty good when split. I'm planning to install a set of Lace Gold Duallys on the Godin once I figure how to wire into it.

[PolyFmorf]

I'm guessing that should work. Then, all that is left is figuring out the hot from each pickup which may be self-evident by looking where they run.

 

Good luck, and let us know if that works.

[GTM]

 

Originally posted by PolyFmorf I'm guessing that should work. Then, all that is left is figuring out the hot from each pickup which may be self-evident by looking where they run. rks.

 

 

Ummm, what do I do with the hot? I was thinking that all I needed to do was to touch the 2 bundled pairs to ground and that would short one coil. If that worked I could wire in a switch to do the same thing. What do I do with the hot from the pup?

[PolyFmorf]

My bad for not explaining. No, I meant the hots on your NEW pickups. Matching them up to your existing wires. Not needed for coil cuttin'

[GTM]

Ahhh yes the new pickups. Yes that should be easy. You had me worried for a second.

[GTM]

Godin is a tuff company to have a live correspondence with. They only give out their e-mail address and it's hit or miss with the response time. I e-mailed them yesterday without a response. I e-mailed again this morning and they just got back to me (it's about noon). The guy there says the pickups on my XTSA can not be split. I mentioned about the 2 bundled wires and again he replied that shorting them to ground will not split the coils. He said flat out that my only option if I want coil splits is to replace the pickups. He did say he would mail a schematic to my house which I'm hopping will help me wire in the new pickups

[Sausagetime]

Originally posted by Bruce Bennett There is an easy way to swap pickups in these guitars and make it even easier to swap LOTS of pickups.. We are a Godin dealer and I swap pickups in these all day long. Just remove the pickups from the front, and clip the leads about 4 inches from the pickup, now solder a connector onto the wire going to the control cavity. you can find lots of connectors out there, just pick a small one with at least 4 wire connections. solder the proper mating connector to the new pickup and VIOLA! instant pickup swap. and you don't HAVE to shorten any new pickup leads... only the stock pickup leads will be short and even then not too short to put connectors on them as well,

 

That sounds like a great idea.

Is there a color code scheme that needs to be paid attention to? If so, could you post which wires are what?

I have an XTSA. I've worked on my other guitars but I wouldn't touch this one.

I'd want to replace the pups if they were truly awful but they're not, so I work with how the guitar sounds naturally.....as I do with all my guitars. They all have their own sound.

However, if I ever do, that connector idea would be the way that I'd go on this instrument. But it doesn't matter to me to be able to split coils.

[GTM]

Originally posted by Sausagetime That sounds like a great idea. Is there a color code scheme that needs to be paid attention to? If so, could you post which wires are what? I have an XTSA. I've worked on my other guitars but I wouldn't touch this one. I'd want to replace the pups if they were truly awful but they're not, so I work with how the guitar sounds naturally.....as I do with all my guitars. They all have their own sound. However, if I ever do, that connector idea would be the way that I'd go on this instrument. But it doesn't matter to me to be able to split coils.

 

Sausagetime,

The pups on my XTSA aren't bad, not at bad at all. In fact I like them but for the kind of music I'm using this guitar for I need more of a strat sound. Godin doesn't make a 3 voiced strat styled guitar. I have a bunch of guitars like my LP, 335, Explorer, that are sort of one trick ponys. In other words, very good at what they do, just not that versatile. I also have a couple of strats, HSS and HSH with coil taps. These guitars are extremely versatle. I'm using the XTSA in my working band. It's a commercial dance band. We do a big mix of styles and the XTSA with the piezo and synth add a lot of sound. However the humbuckers are to "heavy". I need the single coil sounds as well as humbuckers from this guitar. So, when the schematic arrives from Godin, if everything looks in order I'll be replacing the stock pups with 2 Lace Gold Dually's (taped) and a Lace Silver single coil in the middle. That will open up the magnetic pickups sounds on this guitar.

[PolyFmorf]

I'm still curious on why they would expose one pair of wires if they weren't meant to be coil cut, or put in parallel? I wonder if the guy knew what he was talking about?

[GTM]

I'm not going to screw with them (the wires) for fear of possibly blowing a chip on the PC board. I'm going to wait until I get the schematic in the mail. I'm also bring the Godin back to where I bought it next week for a free setup (part of the sale). I already spoke with the tech there and he said he'll take a look at the wiring.

[Bruce Bennett]

pickups are BEFORE any input to the board so there is no fear of blowing up anything.

 

that bundled pair are the external connection between the two coils and IS the coil tap point.... ground it and you get a true single coil.

Godin is always changeing things and what you've described is not something I see often.

 

but you can add a spst switch to that bundled pair and you have a coil tap thats switchable.

[Sausagetime]

Originally posted by GTM Sausagetime, The pups on my XTSA aren't bad, not at bad at all. In fact I like them but for the kind of music I'm using this guitar for I need more of a strat sound. Godin doesn't make a 3 voiced strat styled guitar. I have a bunch of guitars like my LP, 335, Explorer, that are sort of one trick ponys. In other words, very good at what they do, just not that versatile. I also have a couple of strats, HSS and HSH with coil taps. These guitars are extremely versatle. I'm using the XTSA in my working band. It's a commercial dance band. We do a big mix of styles and the XTSA with the piezo and synth add a lot of sound. However the humbuckers are to "heavy". I need the single coil sounds as well as humbuckers from this guitar. So, when the schematic arrives from Godin, if everything looks in order I'll be replacing the stock pups with 2 Lace Gold Dually's (taped) and a Lace Silver single coil in the middle. That will open up the magnetic pickups sounds on this guitar.

 

I hear you, GTM.

You may want to look into getting something like a used VG8, since the XTSA does have a 13pin connector. Unlike pitch to voltage midi, the VG8 has all the expression of a guitar and without any delay or glitch because its not operating as a midi device. You can model yourself a real super-duper glassy sounding strat guitar that you couldn't even get with the "real" thing.

 

[GTM]

Interesting, I'll look into it. Thanks!

[dhoochie]

I don't usually try to perform my own maintenance on my XTSA but the pots are starting to scratch pretty bad and I figure cleaning the them is a 10 level fix. Can I access the pots by removing the back cover on my XTSA? They appear to be part of a circuit board and I don't want to damage that board.  Are the knobs pull off or do they need some special disassembly?

Thanks.

[mrbrown49]

I don't have an XTSA, but those type of knobs usually have a set screw.  Loosen the set screw and the knob should pull right off.

The pots will be accessible through the back cover.  Use contact cleaner with a lubricant like deoxit fader lube.  

[Grant Harding]

I played a Godin with a sparkly finish once. Berry berry nice.