On 2004-11-01, Sammy Linton rated this Godin SD a 4...(10461)


Purchase: I previously to buying this amazing guitar, had a Fender Squier Stratocaster Affinity Series. The Squier was a beginner guitar, so I knew it was time to upgrade after a couple years. I bought my Godin SD flame maple top at Jay's Musik Shoppe in Rothesay, New Brunswick, Canada, for $574.99.
Pros: I like the large amounts of sustain this guitar gives out. That was what caught my attention to it. Also the neck was set up really well, so the action on it was perfect. I have never been able to play scales so fast on any other guitar I have played. I also like the fact that the guitar is North American made. This guitar gives great kick with distortion, and a nice smooth tone when clean.
Cons: The tuning pegs on it seemed to, at first, continuously slip. But after I got the tuning pegs fixed, it has barely gone out of tune yet.
Quality: The nack is bolted on to the body firmly with four bolts. Also the volume and tone knobs are made of metal. The body of the guitar is lightweight and easy to hold and play.

Review Summary: I would recommend this guitar model to anyone who has just advanced from the amatuer level to the semi-professional level.

On 2004-10-27, Bas rated this Godin SD a 5...(10430)


Purchase: I paid 375 euro for this guitar (new). The local shop here had it for 420 earlier, and I almost bought it, but now it was one sale,I've been playing an acoustical Simon & Patrick which I really like. Electically I played a Rickenbacker 420, which I liked for it's looks and history, but the possibilities are limited. I wanted to buy a cheap guitar and when I saw the Godin I liked it right away. When I saw later that it comes from the same manufacturer as my Simon and Patrick, I know I wanted it! so it took me 5 minutes to decide.
Pros: It's a simply a great guitar! It looks wonderful, feels great, plays really smooth and sounds just fantastic! I'd recommend it to anybody. The action is great, it is well in tune all the way to the high end of the neck. I just love the shape of the body. Actually (for now..?) I can't understand why anybody would want to buy a more expensive guitar (well, maybe except for a Godin with MIDI pickup.. ;-) ). Oh, and the gigbag that came with it is great as well.
Cons: Not a lot. There was a small rattle when I started to play, turned out to be one small screw in the tremolo mechanism.
Quality: The finish is great, the pickguard looks great. The knobs are great, the neck is beautiful, the tuning mechanism feels solid but light. It's just a good guitar.

Review Summary: If you're looking for a great electric guitar for a good price, buy this guitar! (and if you want an acoustical one; buy the Simon and Patrick, sounds as good as a Martin at 1/3 of the price).

On 2004-01-20, Darren is a mullet man rated this Godin sd a 1...(7570)


Purchase: I acquired this piece of crap from a music store in stockton. I paid 300 pound for it
Pros: I didnt like anything at all about this unit it was a load of crap and broke 2 days after i bouught it. if anybody is planning to buy this guitar DONT u will regret it.
Cons: EVERYTHING The strings were made out of fishing line. and the neck out of plywood that turned to ash after i set the crap on fire.
Quality: BOLLOCKS !!!!!!!!!!

Review Summary: DONT BUY THIS PIECE OF SHIT !!!!!!

On 2003-12-27, Ben rated this Godin SD a 4...(7156)


Purchase: I bought this guitar at the local music store in Mechelen, Belgium.I think there aren't many stores in Belgium that sell Godin, that's a shame. I paid 499 Euros for the guitar (about 500 dollar). The guitar came with a padded gigbag.
Pros: I absolutely love the feel about this guitar it really plays great. The neck feels really really good, and is pretty fast. It has lots of different sounds because its a single-single-humbucker set up. This guitar is really good.
Cons: The fact that the high notes get lost if the upper snares are still ringing, but a little twisting of knobs can fix this. The tone knob is starting to get loose to, which is quite anoying.
Quality: The construction is fantastic.I really can't believe that it didn't cost more. The shape looks like a mix between a fender telecaster and a gibson les paul. It has a sparkly black finish with a cream pickguard and black pickups. A really nice guitar.

Review Summary: When I walked in the shop that day I had my mind set on a Epiphone les paul of SG, and I played them, but then the shop keeper said I should try this brand, and said it defenitly could compare to fender and gibson. I didn't know the brand and I really was pleasently surprised because it did sound much much better than the les paul and SG, and was cheaper. At first I thought it wouldn't fit my style because I mostly play metal and hardcore, but it adapted well, and gives a nice hard sound most of the time. This guitar is really fantastic, If I lost it, I would defenitly buy it again.

On 2003-12-10, Kirk T. rated this Godin SD a 5...(6801)


Purchase: I purchased a new model from a local musical instruments dealer. I decided to go with this model (my first electric guitar) because of the versatility and sound quality and the price ($325). I also wanted to purchase a guitar made in North America. I looked at a couple of Mexican Strats and was not too impressed with the feel of their fret boards. I also looked at an American Strat which I was leaning towards. After playing them back and forth I decided that the Godin was comparable in sound and flexibility, plus it beat the American STrat in price, hands down.
Pros: I like the feel of the fret board. It is smooth with no sharp edges. The pick-up arangements provide not only a tradiatioanal strat sound through the first four settings, but also a gibson sound on the fifth setting.
Cons: I have no complaints with the unit at this time. Since this is the first electric guitar I have ever owned, I guess I'll discover over time some of the high and low points of this model.
Quality: The SD feels and sounds solid. The fret board is solid Maple and as I mentioned earlier it is smooth with no sharp edges. The guitar seems to be well balanced.

Review Summary: For price and quality I believe this is the best guitar to purchase, especially if it is your first one. The feel of the fret board and the variety of sounds this can produce, coupled with the right amp (I purchased a 'like new' Fender Princeton 65) means endless possibilities. I looked at and messed around with the cheap Asian packages that come with the cheapo little amp and sold for $249 - $299, but could never get excited about any of this gear. After talking with my guitar instructor who is a phenominal blues guitarist, he recommended I would be much happier going beyond the basic packages. Paying a little more has big dividends in the long run. He was definetley right. I feel more motivated to play and practice, and am more satisfied with the purchase I made. In the end I spent just under $700 for the guitar, amp and hardcase, but I believe it will be well worth the investment. Now all I need to do is convince my 42 year old fingers they are not too old to learn to play.

On 2003-11-28, michael LZ rated this Godin SD a 5...(6513)


Purchase: i found this guitar sitting on a stand in seaford music in delaware. this was the only one they had. it looked great i paid 425.00
Pros: the neck is fast, with easy string bending. the finish is beautiful. the pickups sound good. man , there's no issues with this guitar. its a real find for me! 24 frets i want another one! the playability of this guitar is far above any strat i've ever had. and it sustains for dayz i love this guitar.
Cons: there is no issues
Quality: custom shop quality, i like my action low and theres not a buzz anywhere.string bends just sing and sustain. the neck is tight (no gaps) string spaceing is dead on. and the frets so good. this guitar was done right! a real blessing to me.

Review Summary: i've had a hard time finding a guitar, even at three times the price, that would let me play my heart threw.fender? well lets not go there. the sd even at over a thousand would be a great deal. been playing 30 years now , and not since the early 60s epiphones have i found anything as good as the godin sd . figure that?

On 2003-07-20, Godin new fan rated this Godin SD a 5...(5303)


Purchase: I purchase this guitar in a local music store in my country (Chile). I paid US$320 for it.
Pros: I buy this guitar mainly for its grat look, it has a "sunrise" Finish (like a sunburst but ligther). It also sounds great, a very warm tone and excelent sustain.
Cons: I own this guitar for three weeks now and i donīt have any dislikes yet. I donīt think that iīll have any dislikes about it soon.
Quality: The general quality is amazing,the best that i have seen in this price range. This is my third guitar (I previously own a squier and a ibanez RG), and this one is by far the finnest. Solid construction and a beautiful finish, it makes me wonder about the price tag. I donīt think the guys at Godin are making any money.

Review Summary: If you are looking for a guitar around US$500, donīt look any further. Itīs simply the best bussines you can make. Youīll get all those guys playing epiphones and ibanez dying of envy.

On 2003-03-16, Tan Halen rated this Godin SD a 5...(4556)


Purchase: I bought this guitar almsost a year ago from the Music Pro in Barrie, On. I got it on sale for $530 with a nice padded gig bag, patch cord, and strap.
Pros: I really like the sound range this guitar has. The humbucker at the bridge allows you to play fairly heavy with solid bass, while the two single pickups have nice clean tone. With this guitar, along with a kick-ass Boss effects unit, I can get the sound of almost any bands' guitar settings. I also love the tranclucent red finish on my Godin, and the ease of playing it, even with heavy guage strings!
Cons: There are only a few problems I have had with this guitar. One is that the truss rod seems to screw up a fair bit, probably because of me taking it everywhere with me. Another is that high notes can sometimes not be heard while lower strings are ringing, but I'm sure that throwing a Seymour Duncan humbucker in there would fix that right up! I would also prefer a black pickguard over the cream stock colour, which is not hard to change.
Quality: This axe is made of Silver Leaf Maple with a rock maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It was handcrafted in Canada and constructed in the U.S.

Review Summary: I think this is a great guitar for anyone who wants to upgrade from their first electric. It is a well made, great sounding guitar. If you're a guitarist who's on a low budget and need a loyal axe this is a great guitar for its low price!

On 2002-06-12, Brandon Chandler rated this Godin SD a 5...(2280)


Purchase: I got this guitar for $495 at Dreamcatcher Guitars in Roswell, Georgia.
Pros: This guitar is excellent. Hand made in Canada, my trans. blue finish gets complements from professional musicians who have more expensive finishes. My tone is unbelievable, I get complements on that as well from the same people. But the tone isn't the original tone, I wanted to add a little more kick to the neck pickup so Godin suggested a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail, excellent pickup. This guitar is very easy to play, I have played on friend's guitars and they don't come anywhere close to my Godin.
Cons: I don't really have anything to say that is bad about this guitar, but maybe about guitar shops that can't ground out a pick-up that I paid them $30 to put in.... Mars Music almost screwed my guitar, but Thank God for independant repairshops that care more about customer satisfaction than how many people they get there.
Quality: I think I already covered this...

Review Summary: Excellent guitar. Let's recap shall we?: great look, great tone, great playablity, and that's all you should need to go out and buy you a Canadian guitar eh?

On 2001-12-10, Bob Williams rated this Godin SD a 5...(1112)


Purchase: I picked up the Godin SD at Campbell's Music in York, PA for around $395 US, the exact price is hard to nail down as I bought a couple of amps and accessories at the same time for a packeage price. I chose the SD because I was looking for a solidly built guitar for a relatively low price.
Pros: I love the feel of the neck and frets, very comfortable. It has a nice sweet sound and holds its tuning very well. The setup done by Campbell's Music was excellent.
Cons: I have nothing negative to say about it, but I am an amateur so there may be something I'm missing, but I don't think so. It it were stolen I would definitely replace it.
Quality: My SD is well crafted with solid construction and good balance. The black pearl paint job on mine looks great and I can't find any sloppiness in the finish.

Review Summary: I love this guitar. It's easy to play, sounds, feels and looks great. I think it compares quite favorably with some much more expensive 'name' guitars.

On 2001-11-28, Mike Matthews rated this Godin SD a 4...(888)


Purchase: I bought this guitar new from Gigsounds in London, England for Ģ400.00, which included a hard case, a couple of extra packs of ernie balls, and a few tab books. I was actually looking for something just to thrash around on, and maybe use for a back-up guitar. The guy in the shop showed me this baby, and as soon as I plugged in, and had a play around I was sold.
Pros: This guitar is made superbly! It is hand-crafted in Canada from the finest quality silver leaf maple (neck & body) and rosewood fingerboard. This guitar just stinks of quality. Now because it has the two single-coil pick ups, plus the humbucker, the range of sounds this instrument can get is phenomenal. It is well balanced and it looks great. Excellent value for money.
Cons: The major problem with this guitar is the whammy bar/tremelelo system. The guitar goes out of tune very very easily when using it. For me this is not a problem as it is not something I wanted to use with this guitar anyway, so I removed it and did a bit of tinkering and it is fab. Another very small criticism is the fact that it takes a while to adjust to where the selecter switch is positioned. At first I kept switching positions by accident, but once you get used to it, it's fine.
Quality: As mentioned before, the guitar is hand-crafted silver-leaf maple neck & body (transparent, pearlescent blue with cream scratchplate), with a rosewood fingerboard. The style of guitar is almost like a cross between a Les Paul and a Strat. It has two single-coil pick-ups and a humbucker at the bridge position, and it has 24 medium frets. There is a 5 way selecter switch to change between the pick ups. It comes with Godin pick-ups, which are OK, but my advice is to get some Seymour Duncan fitted asap. It comes with Gotoh non-locking tuners which are quite sensitive.

Review Summary: There is little more I can say about this guitar. If you are looking for a high quality guitar at a reasonable price, then I don't think you need to look much further than the Godin SD. They come in a range of colours and it is an exremely versatile guitar. If you are looking for that full Les Paul sound it is not be the ideal choice, but get in a shop and play one - you will be very pleasantly surprised! Iwould like to give it a rating of 5 just for the excellent value, but it would be unfair to rate it as high Gibson and Fender's greatest models.

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