Godin Core CT

Many of you will be familiar with the range of Godin acoustic and electro-acoustic guitars that are becoming increasingly popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Even when they're not actually sold as Godins (think Seagull or Simon and Patrick) they are from the same family and players around the world are starting to wake up to the sometimes stunning value they represent as top quality North American produced guitars that ordinary players can actually afford. Godin's electrics may be slightly lagging behind Seagull in recognition but some of the samples we at GI have seen in the past couple of years suggest that this situation isn't going to last. This new chambered single cutaway Core GT is a good example of why.

This guitar looks cool - familiar yet unique. The body shape is a classic with interesting alterations, such as a deeper scooped-out lower horn and set neck making upper fret access nice and easy. The high gloss sunburst finish, with neat binding and scratchplate coupled with the natural headstock give it a classic look overall. The finish and attention to detail throughout on our sample model was excellent, as we have come to expect from this maker.

Constructed with a chambered Spanish cedar body with a maple carved top, mahogany set-neck and rosewood fingerboard the Godin Core has a solid tone platform, a natural voice, with great tone consistency throughout. With fantastic natural resonance and sustain when unplugged, helped by the chambered body and lightness of the wood, the guitar also felt very well balanced. Godin's own tuners and a Graphtec Reso Max Wraparound bridge system provide fantastic tuning stability.

This is a short scale guitar (a la Gibson at 24 3/4”) with a comfy profile neck. The action was set perfectly and there were no intonation, or fret buzz issues anywhere.

The Core's pickups are an interesting combination. There's a Godin GHN1 in the neck, and a Seymour Duncan '59 in the bridge, controlled by a three way selector switch, with two volume and two tone controls. I was impressed with Godin's own pickup which was warm with plenty of bass response making it ideal for Jazz style tones and scooped Rock leads. The '59, meanwhile, is a classic choice for the bridge and as always does exactly what it should, being bright, cutting and super clear ideal for Rock riffing. If a '59 seems a bit too predictable (and I think I would like to have seen something a little more unique in this guitar) there is an option of a Seymour Duncan Custom SP90-3 if you wish to go down that route.

The Godin Core CT was a pleasure to play and has the potential to be used in a variety of situations making it an ideal all-rounder. It was light, well balanced with a classic control configuration that many will find familiar. Fit and finish were top notch throughout as was the playability and set-up, it really is hard to fault. Especially noteworthy is the price. This is a properly made guitar suitable for professional use, made from top quality materials by people who really know about wood and guitars. As such, it's fabulous value for money costing way less than an equivalent from one of the obvious rival ''big name' makers. If you haven’t played a Godin guitar before this may well be a very good place to start, go check one out.