Radiator
SD
SDxt
Exit 22
LG
LG HMB
Performance Series
Congratulations and thank you for choosing a Godin
guitar. Each Godin guitar is meticulously crafted from
the finest materials to provide you with an instrument
worthy of a lifetime of music making.
Our goal with each Godin guitar is to find the perfect
balance between the finest traditions of guitar crafting,
the new design concepts that we are developing and
the integration of the latest developments in related
electronics. From the selection of the wood to the final
adjustments to the finished instrument, each Godin guitar is designed and built by people who love guitars.
Enjoy your new guitar.
General Guitar Stuff
Acoustics
Electric guitars are actually acoustic instruments. Perhaps
not particularly loud, but the point here is that if a solid
body guitar does not sound good un-plugged then it won't
be saved by a great set of pickups and a nice amp. There
are many factors that contribute to the un-plugged sound
of a solid body guitar but most of the response of the
instrument comes as a result of the wood used along with
fit and finish.
Godin guitars are made using only solid wood, guitars
made from plywood or particle-board tend to lack sustain
and can be somewhat muffled sounding. Here is a brief
list of some of the tone woods used in key parts of Godin
guitars.
Bodies
The bodies of the SD, SDxt and Radiators are made from
a blend of two tone-woods. Acenter of silver leaf maple
serves as an anchor for the neck and is flanked by poplar
sidepieces.
Exit 22 and LG bodies are made of mahogany.
Neck Fit/Pitch
The angle of the neck attachment—called pitch—has a
huge impact on sound, a slight tilt forward will cause the
guitar to sound boomy, a slight tilt backwards can make
the guitar sound tinny. Equally important is the fit of the
neck into the body. Godin guitars are renowned for tight-fitting neck attachments that support excellent neck/body
energy transfer and precise neck pitch.
Rock Maple Necks
There are many grades of maple available, rock maple is
the term often used to describe the particularly hard variety
of the wood that grows in colder climates. Rock maple
necks produce excellent sustain, stability and feel. Rock
maple necks also work well with either Rosewood or Maple
fingerboards.
Note: Arosewood fingerboard will emphasize a little more
mid-range and produce a more aggressive sound. Amaple
fingerboard will have the opposite effect and sound a little
more 'acoustic'. These are generalizations however, not
rules. Always choose your guitar based on feel, sound and
looks. Not what it’s made from.
Rock maple necks are used exclusively on the following
Godin models; SD, SDxt, Exit 22 and Radiator.
Mahogany Necks
Honduras Mahogany has a long history as the tone-wood
of choice for acoustic guitar necks. The same properties
that give mahogany its appeal in an acoustic guitar namely
a warm harmonically rich sound have a similar effect in a
solid body electric guitar.
Mahogany necks are used on the LG-SP90 and LG HMB
models.
Ergocut
Every Godin neck features an Ergocut shaping technique
which bevels the edges of the fingerboard and frets back in
towards the center of the fingerboard providing an
extremely comfortable worn-in feel.
Pickups
Godin pickups are designed to be dynamic, responsive and
transparent. Whether you play lightning fast country licks
or big fat power chords you'll appreciate the versatility of
these pickups as they were carefully chosen for their ability
to compliment the natural tones of the guitar.
* Throughout this manual we refer to humbucker and/or
single coil pickups as magnetics.
As mentioned earlier, great pickups won't save a bad
sounding guitar, but they are an essential component
nonetheless. On the following pages you will find descriptions of the various pickups used in the Godin Performance
Series by model, as well as the pickup selector settings.
Tone tips
Getting the ideal sound is very subjective and there are
many factors that affect the overall tone. Your amplifier,
playing style, and of course the guitar itself including the
wood selection, pickups and set-up are just some of these
factors that affect the tone of your guitar. Taking this into
consideration, we decided it would still be fun to give you a
couple of suggestions that can help you on your way to
finding your favorite sounds on the guitar. In general lowering the guitar's volume slightly will clean up your tone when
the amp is in overdrive. You may also want to experiment
with the tone control, which can accentuate different frequencies depending on the pick-up switch position and give
the guitar a different tonal character. Unless otherwise
noted the volume and tone control for the examples were
set to 10. See individual models for some suggestons to
get you started.
Care and Maintenance
The easiest way to keep your guitar clean is by simply
using a polishing cloth without using any polishes at all.
However if you are going to use a polish please use a nonabrasive non-wax based polish. Apply the polish on a cloth
first. Do not spray it directly on to the guitar. After you have
polished the area you are working on turn the cloth over to
a 'dry' side and remove any excess residue.
Fingerboards
For Rosewood fingerboards we suggest removing the
strings and applying lemon oil to a cloth, then working the
oil into your fingerboard. Let the oil soak in for a few minutes before wiping off the excess. This should be done at
least once a year. Doing so not only cleans and avoids
cracking it also keeps your fingerboard from losing its lustre.
Generally, maple fingerboards are pretty much maintenance free. However if the neck starts feeling sticky you
can use a slightly damp polishing cloth without any guitar
cleaner on it followed by a dry cloth.
Strap pins
Every Performance Series guitar—with the exception of the
Radiator—comes standard with Schaller locking strap pins.
Having locking strap pins prevents your guitar from accidentally falling off. If you do not have a strap with the corresponding "male" lockers you can purchase these at any
music store.
*Specs subject to change without prior notice.
Double-action truss rod
The neck on your Godin guitar is reinforced by a double-action
truss rod system, the truss rod provides for easy adjustment
when the neck reacts to changes in relative humidity. Truss rod
adjustments should only be made by a qualified guitar technician.
Model :
Radiator
......................................................................................... see page 5
SD
....................................................................................................... see page 6
SDxt ................................................................................................... see page 7
Exit 22
................................................................................................see page 8
LG ........................................................................................................see page 9
LG HMB
.......................................................................................see page 10
Radiator
Top Nut: Tusq by Graphtech
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale: 24 ¾"
Radius: 12"
Tuners: Godin high ratio sealed tuners
String gauge: Godin Nickel electric strings 9-46
Frets: Medium nickel frets
Pickups: Godin Low-Noise single coil pickups
The Radiator's silver leaf maple chambered body adds a
unique "hollow body" timbre to the overall sound. By removing
the selector switch and wiring the pick-ups to individual volume
controls the Radiator is capable of a wide variety of tones. By
simply experimenting with different degrees of output from each
pickup you'll be amazed at the different tonal qualities you'll be
able to coax out of the Radiator. Here are a few suggestions:
Surf tone
Jazzy Country
Neck Vol : 3 Neck Vol : 10 Neck Vol : 4-5
Bridge Vol : 10 Bridge Vol : 3 Bridge Vol : 10
Tone : 2-3
Blues/Rock tone
Blues Lead Funky/R&B
Neck Vol : 8 Neck Vol : 10 Neck Vol : 0
Bridge Vol : 10 Bridge Vol : 8-9 Bridge Vol : 10
Master Tone
Volume B
Volume A
“A”
“B”
Radiator
Godin low-noise Single Coil Pickups
SD
Top nut: Tusq by Graphtech
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale: 24 ¾"
Radius: 12"
Tuners: Godin high ratio sealed tuners
String Guage: Godin Nickel electric strings 9-46
Frets: Medium Nickel
Pickups: GS1 (Neck) GS1 (middle) GHB1 (Bridge)
The SD is loaded with one Godin GHB1 Humbucker and two
Godin GS1 Single coil pickups and a five-way switch for maximum sonic power.
Bluesy/Full/dark tone
Position: 1
Tone 8-9
Retro/Rich tone/Crunch Rhythm
Position: 2
Funky/R&B/tight sound
Position: 3
Country/Pop lead/snappy
Position: 4
Classic rock/bright
Position: 5
Godin GSN-1
Godin GS-1
Godin GHB-1
“A”
“B”
“D”
“C”
Pos.“1”
Pos.“5”
Tone
Volume
SD
Custom Godin Pickups
Pos. 1 - A
Pos. 2 - A,B
Pos. 3 - B
Pos. 4 - B,C,D
Pos. 5 - C,D
SDxt
Top nut: Tusq by Graphtech
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale: 25 ½"
Radius: 12"
Tuners: Godin high ratio sealed tuners
String Guage: Godin Nickel electric strings 9-46
Frets: Medium Nickel
Pickups: GHN1 (Neck) GS1 (Middle) GHB1 (Bridge)
The Humbucker-single-humbucker pickup configuration (Godin
GHN1, GS1, GHB1) and five- way switch makes the SDxt
extremely versatile. Instead of splitting the humbuckers in
positions two and four we augment the sound by adding the
middle single coil to the humbucker already selected.
Bluesy/Full body tone/smooth
Position 1
Vintage/Chord solo tone
Position: 2
70's style/Funk
Position: 3
Lower your tone to create a filter affect for more "Funkiness".
Country Lead/clear and focused
Position: 4
Rock/Mid punch
Position: 5
SDxt
Custom Godin Pickups
Godin GHN-1
Godin GS-1
Godin GHB-1
“A”
“B”
“D”
“E”
“C”
Pos.“1”
Pos.“5”
Tone
Volume
Pos. 1 - A,B
Pos. 2 - A,B,C
Pos. 3 - C
Pos. 4 - C,D,E
Pos. 5 - D,E
Exit 22
Top Nut: Tusq by Graphtech
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale: 24 ¾"
Radius: 12"
Tuners: Godin high ratio sealed tuners
String gauge: Godin Nickel electric strings 9-46
Frets: Medium Nickel
Pickups: Hum/single/single Godin pickups
Where many guitars tend to excel specifically for distortion or
clean tones the Exit 22 can handle both with incredible ease and
dynamics. Monstrous distortion tones are easily dialed in via the
aggressive Godin bridge humbucker and stinging clean tones are
also at your fingertips thanks to the Godin single coil pickups in
the middle and neck position.
Alternapop/Full/Round tone
Position: 1
lower tone for a warmer sound
Modern Blues/Bell like tones for chord vamps and fat solos
Position: 2
Lower tone slightly for extra "dirt"
Country Lead/stinging and tight
Position: 3
Funky/R&B/Full sound but still cuts through
Position: 4
Hard rock/Aggressive tone
Position: 5
Godin GSN-1
Godin GS-1
Godin GHB-1
“A”
“B”
“D”
“C”
Pos.“1”
Pos.“5”
Tone
Volume
Exit 22
Custom Godin Pickups
Pos. 1 - A
Pos. 2 - A,B
Pos. 3 - B
Pos. 4 - B,C,D
Pos. 5 - C,D
LG
Seymour Duncan Single Coil P90 - Custom 3
“A”
“B”
Pos.“1”
Pos.“3”
Tone
Volume
Pos. 1 - A
Pos. 2 - A,B
Pos. 3 - B
LG
Top nut: Tusq by Graphtech
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale: 24 ¾"
Radius: 16"
Bridge: Schaller
Tuners: Godin high ratio sealed tuners
String Gauge: Godin Nickel electric strings 10-46
Frets: Medium nickel frets
Pickups: Seymour Duncan P90 Single coil
The LG features a Mahogany neck and body with a rosewood
fingerboard. Two Seymour Duncan P90 Custom 3 single coil
pickups and a three-way selector switch make the LG versatile yet straightforward. The unique recessed bridge on the LG
model allows for greater right hand comfort and the fact that
the strings resonate closer to the body adds to the over all
sustain. You will notice that the bridge features 2 pole pieces
that double as adjustment screws. Since the bridge is
recessed into the body this allows you to adjust the bridge
height with a flat screwdriver without having to remove the
bridge and use the conventional adjustment wheels.
Fat Blues/Rich harmonics
Position: 1
Tone 9-10 (Lower tone for warmth)
Slide/R n' R/Full sounding
Position: 2
Punk/Rock/Tons of Midrange great for solos & riffs
Position: 3
LG HMB
Godin Humbuckers
“A”
“B”
“C”
“D”
Pos.“1”
Pos.“5”
Pos. 1 - A,B
Pos. 2 - A
Pos. 3 - A,B,C,D
Pos. 4 - D
Pos. 5 - C,D
Tone
Volume
LG Hmb
Top nut: Tusq by Graphtech
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale: 24 ¾"
Bridge: Schaller
Radius: 16"
Tuners: Godin high ratio sealed tuners
String Guage: Godin Nickel electric strings 10-46
Frets: medium nickel frets
Pickups: Godin Humbuckers
Thanks to the string through body, recessed bridge and perfectly fit neck, the LG tends to resonate and sustain forever,
and that's before you even plug it in. The LG Hmb is comfortable in a variety of musical settings. It can easily produce
warm clean tones as well as nasty distorted sounds. The LG
Hmb sports two Godin Humbuckers and a 5-way switch
enabling you to not only split the coils in position 2 and 4, but
also access both humbuckers simultaneously in the third position.
Bluesy-Jazz/Plenty of warmth
Position: 1
Tone: 7-8
Clean Ballad/Natural and Soulful
Position: 2
Modern Blues/Fat Rhythm
Position: 3
Tone: 8-9
70's Funk/Tight and focused
Position: 4
Hard Rock/Aggressive and Raw
Position: 5
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