Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin or Kingpin II?

[bullpencoach]

I realize these are both hollow bodies with mounted pickups, but I am primarily an acoustic and acoustic-style player, so I think the feedback here might be the most helpful. Basically I'm deciding between the two.

 

Cutwaways are helpful sometimes, but not a deciding factor. It's really a debate between the sole neck pickup on the Kingpin vs. the neck and bridge pickups on the Kingpin II. One reason I often prefer acoustic is because too much tonal choice just gets in the way for me, so the idea of a single pickup is attractive. On solid bodies I often prefer the bridge pickup, though, and only the Kingpin II has one. However, since the bridge pickup often sounds muddier recorded than I think it is, and I have amp settings to work with as well, I wonder how much I need it.

 

Ultimately I make my own choice, but I'm just wondering if anyone here has had a similar debate, and what the results were?

Thanks

[bullpencoach]

Interesting, thanks. I'd definitely be buying this to plug in. I find I'm often trying to "acoustify" my electric playing rather than to electrify my acoustic playing, if that makes sense. I have a couple solid bodies for other styles, including a Godin Progression, which I love--hence my interest in their archtops.

[Etienne Rambert]

 

Interesting, thanks. I'd definitely be buying this to plug in. I find I'm often trying to "acoustify" my electric playing rather than to electrify my acoustic playing, if that makes sense. I have a couple solid bodies for other styles, including a Godin Progression, which I love--hence my interest in their archtops.

 

 

Archtop owners -- help this man out.

 

A magnetic pick-up cannot 'acoustify' your electric.

 

An archtop with a magnetic pick-up plugged-in is an ELECTRIC guitar. It is NOT an acoustic guitar.

 

Compare my arch-top acoustic tone & its electric tone. At about 4:25 you really hear it.

 

Amplified, it sounds nothing like an acoustic. I think that will be even

more true of the Godin with it's P90.

 

Mine has a humbucker.

 

NloqXuE_cdg

[bullpencoach]

Sorry, wasn't explaining myself correctly. When I said "acoustify" I meant simplicity of controls and hollow-body size and shape. Not tone. If I wanted a more acoustic tone I'd be looking at the Multiacs or something (in Godin's stable, anyway). I'm looking for electric guitar tone.

[Stackabones]

I think I'd lean towards the II. Sometimes a single P90 can hum -- and if you can run two at the same time they can cancel out the hum. At least that's how it works on my Tele w/ 2 P90s. Some rooms just have more hum in them and I have to use the two. YMMV.

[Etienne Rambert]

No hum in my K.A. mini-humbucker. I just LOVE it.

[OldGuitarPlayer]

One of my friends has the 5th Ave. single pickup model. He uses nickel wound .012's with a wound 3rd (G) string. He is mainly a strummer and does a little finger picking so these strings feel like acoustic string as opposed to electric strings with the plain 3rd string. It sounds great through an amp and ok through a PA system but the pickup is not a hi-output one. If you plan on going direct I'd suggest you use a DI/pre-amp device like the LR Baggs PADI. If you are using an amp than that's not really needed. It's pretty bassy when played direct through a PA but it does shine when played through an tube amp like a Fender Blues Jr. If I were to buy one I'd get the single P-90 one without the cutaway in either sunburst or natural. I like the looks and don't need the extra pickup or cutaway. I'd also probably upgrade the pickup too.

[Mikeo]

I have a Godin 5th Ave King Pin

 

It's not bad, but here's the deal.

Acoustically it has about 1/2 the volume of a standard Acoustic.

 

Plugged in it's not bad, but you want to run it through an amp.

Too much volume and you're gonna get bass feed back.

 

It's really temperamental

 

The scale is Gibson .

 

All in all I kind a dig it, but I also own dozens of guitars and a dozen amps

 

 

The P90 is ok

 

 

This a pretty honest review

 

[Etienne Rambert]

 

I have a Godin 5th Ave King Pin It's not bad, but here's the deal. Acoustically it has about 1/2 the volume of a standard Acoustic. Plugged in it's not bad, but you want to run it through an amp. Too much volume and you're gonna get bass feed back. It's really temperamental The scale is Gibson . All in all I kind a dig it, but I also own dozens of guitars and a dozen amps The P90 is ok This a pretty honest review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpyWLrxEuX0&feature=related

 

 

That is my impression too. The only way it had enough acoustic volume

was to string it with 12's. And when you did that, the action wasn't very good.

 

I recommend:

 

1. Buy the 5th Avenue w/no pick-up.

 

2. Buy & install a Kent Armstrong floating Mini-Humbucker. ($

 

Problem solved. No P-90 hum. But you get the fat, warm sound

of an arch-top with a magnetic pick-up.

 

Honestly, I don't see any arch-tops by name manufacturers that

have a lot of acoustic volume. Most of them are

and that won't cut it acoustically. Mine is about 5" deep.

It's got volume to spare & I string it with .10's.

 

But music stores don't sell big arch-tops like mine.

That is a real whole in the market right now.