Godin A6 Ultra Semi-gloss Semi-Acoustic

I was looking for a thin-bodied acoustic guitar because a shoulder injury makes it too painful to play my full-bodied acoustics. After doing a lot of research online, I decided to give the A6 Ultra a try. I went to a local music store and gave one a good workout for about an hour and was amazed at its playability. Through a Fender acoustic amp, although it didn't sound exactly like a good full-bodied acoustic such as a Martin or a Gibson, it had its own sound, blending its under-the-saddle piezo with the humbucker. It also had a real acoustic guitar feel when finger-picked. At the same time, it had the playability of an electric guitar. I've tried finger-picking my Strat and my LP but that has always felt weird, not at all like picking my favourite Armbrust custom-built cutaway. A bonus is that the Godin is surprisingly loud when played unplugged. The A6 Ultra incorporates both a piezo and a humbucker pickup wired through a pre-amp/EQ with volume and tone controls for both pickups. When using the "blend" output jack and playing through a good sound system, by fiddling with these controls, I was able to get a sound that literally blew me away! Okay, not a true acoustic sound like my Armbrust of Gibson SJ25, but a warm round full sound with all the definition I hoped for with chords strummed or picked and with individual notes just sparkling at the high registers and yet well defined at the bass end. It is possible, using both output jacks, to have the output from the piezo going to one amp while the output from the humbucker is sent to another amp, handy for recording, I would think, but that's not something I'm into right now. Still, nice to know that option is there. I've got the natural satin finish model. I love the fact that there's nothing hiding the natural good looks of the real cedar top. I've never liked gaudy acoustic guitars. The shape of the body and headstock are classic in their simple yet aesthetic lines. Basically, this axe feels like an acoustic when finger-picked and yet plays like a well-set-up electric such as a strat or tele. The best of both worlds. Feels good and solid overall although I've read that some have had problems with the tuning machines. Haven't had mine long enough yet to give an honest opinion. A well-made (Canadian, eh?) guitar which fills my needs admirably. Worth every penny I paid for it. I'd almost given up playing my acoustic guitars (my first love) because of this shoulder injury. This guitar has made it possible for me to get back to doing what I love best, finger-picking folk/folk blues and open/modal tuning instrumentals. Can't put a price on that!

Just bought this guitar and have played it very little, but it fits my style in that I have both acoustic tones and the solid electric sound when need it on stage. I feel like I will own this guitar for a while.

No sense in reinventing the wheel here. I will embellish what Andre has so well put below. It seems that the hybrid guitar is a concept other manufacturers are now exploring. I believe these are more well suited for the stage performer who switches between acoustic and electric guitars in a typical set. The neck is wide enough for finger picking as was stated earlier but has the feel of an electric guitar neck. There in lies the conundrum-the guitar is a COMPROMISE between the two different types of guitars, electric and acoustic. Keep that in mind. As most of us who have played guitar for years know-Repeat after me-THERE IS NO PERFECT GUITAR-THERE IS NO PERFECT AMP. THE FIRST LAW OF GUITAR PLAYING. Those considering this guitar-there are several vids on youtube that demonstrate the sounds you can get out of this guitar. When looking for a hybrid they helped me. I ordered mine w/o playing it-found one for a great price on the internet. Here are my thoughts: Godin craftsmanship-superb!! Size and weight-perfect for me as I am a smaller person. Tuners-stock and seem to stay in tune very well. No problems for me with this. Neck-fast -no buzzing (mine was factory set and perfect action out of the box for me.) Electronics-work perfectly-nice configuration Neck-scale feels more like 24.5 rather than a 25.5 as stated in specs. I can get some nice bends on it. Two output jacks-one can be run to an acoustic amp, the other a electric guitar amp. One of the output jacks is acoustic only-the other can be used to mix the two signals together. See the Godin vids for an explanation of that. Matter of fact, go to their site and read up on it there. The woods, build and quality is fantastic-the chambered body eliminates touchy feedback issues one can have with a true acoustic. electric players:You will not get a true ES-335 semi hollow sound-but you can get close. Mine came in a padded bag-but it is adequate for me as I am not a performing musician. The bag is one of the best for a padded case-several compartments for accessories and should protect the guitar in average situaations. The humbucker is in the neck position and has good power for a passive one. For those playing jazz you can get that nice, warm sound. It can be overdriven and distorted through a regular guitar amp. The piezo saddle pickup does give you a nice acoustic sound. With some tweaking between the guitar tone controls and an amp you can get a good palette of sounds. Those are all pluses-my only real cons/concerns are as follows: If you are primarily and electric guitarist I strongly rec you try this out before you purchase. I am not a metal player-but I would suggest trying one of these out on your rig to see if the metal sound from the one pu would be close to the sound you desire. This one would work well for a folk rock, pop, jazz type sit. My jury is out on this being a great hybrid for a hard rock player. Again, a hybrid guitar will be a compromise on both the electric and acoustic side. Overall I am well pleased and satisfied with this guitar. If you are an acoustic player who occasionally needs to play electric this should be perfect. If you are an electric player who occasionally plays acoustic on stage I strongly recommend you try this out out a store where you can try it out on an amp similar to your own. Final comments-the quality of the woods, the electronics ,the pickups, the build/construction and the hardware are top notch. The tuners seem to be the one thing some have trouble with-but that is not an issue with mine. I hope my comments have been helpful for you. I have had mine since September, 2013 and play on it more than any other guitar I have. W/O a sound hole or running through an amp it is loud enough to hear for practice without disturbing others. The big thing is the sound-is it the one YOU need for the music YOU play? I will repeat one more time-a hybrid guitar is a compromise and there are no perfect guitars. However, of all the hybrids I have played thus far, this one is the best, particularly for the acoustic player. (The Taylor TR### is fine-but very expensive. For Under $!000 this guitar can cover the same ground.) Final thought -as another reviewer has said-This is more of an ACOUSTIC-electric than an acoustic-ELECTRIC.

I don't know how many times I have purchases a guitar and found that the workmanship to be less than perfect until now. The Godin Ultra A6 was perfect right out of the box. I have owned more expensive guitars that where not even close to the quality of this axe. I did have to replace the strings to a lighter gauge (my preference) and only had to shave the saddle slightly to accommodate the lighter gauge but in less than and hour I had one of the nicest guitars I have ever owned. This guitar compares equally to my $2000.00 Martin for playability and quality and I paid less than $1000.00. Thumbs up to Godin on this one.