CANADA · MULTIAC · 5TH AVENUE · A-SERIES · MULTI-VOICE · GODIN FAMILY
Godin
Robert Godin began building guitars in Québec in 1972, and Godin developed into a large Canadian manufacturer whose family also includes Seagull, Norman, Art & Lutherie and Simon & Patrick. Godin-branded instruments range from conventional electrics to archtops and stage-oriented nylon / multi-voice designs. The important identification lesson is to separate the Godin company family from the Godin name on the headstock: a Seagull is part of the same manufacturing family, but it is not a Godin-branded guitar.
MODEL SEARCH
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OVERVIEW
What to know quickly
Outputs can identify the mission of the guitar. A Godin with magnetic pickups, piezo output and a 13-pin synth connection may look like one electric guitar but function as several instruments at once. Photograph the jack panel as carefully as the headstock.
IDENTIFY YOUR GUITAR
Which Godin do you have?
Start with the model name, then count outputs, pickup systems and string type.
- Read the full model name. Multiac, ACS, A6 / A-Series, 5th Avenue, Montreal Premiere and xtSA / LGX-style names point toward very different instrument categories.
- Check whether it is steel-string or nylon-string. Some thin stage instruments can be mistaken for conventional electrics in small photos.
- Photograph every output jack. Piezo, magnetic and 13-pin synth outputs are central identifiers on many Godin hybrids.
- Separate Godin from the family brands. A Seagull, Norman or Art & Lutherie should be researched under its own badge even when built by the same company group.
- Record the product / serial information. Godin has produced many closely related versions, and electronics packages can change while body shapes remain familiar.
SERIES & MARKET GUIDE
Godin is easier to understand by function than by silhouette alone
Godin reuses concepts across generations and electronics packages. A body shape alone is rarely enough; the output panel and exact suffix can be the quickest route to the right model.
USED VALUE GUIDE
Electronics and model family often matter more than age alone
Godin’s used market is broad. Straightforward solidbodies, archtops and complex Multiac / synth-access instruments should be compared within their own families.
- Test every output separately. A multi-voice guitar can partially work and still hide an expensive electronics fault.
- Identify nylon versus steel-string variants. Similar-looking Multiacs can serve completely different players.
- Inspect the bridge transducer system. Uneven piezo string response is worth checking before purchase.
- Do not price a Seagull as a Godin model. Related ownership does not merge the used markets.
- Search the exact suffix. ACS, SA, xtSA and other letters may be the difference between ordinary and specialized electronics.
CURRENT USED MARKET
See what the market is doing now
Use the exact family plus its electronics clue—“Godin Multiac ACS,” “Godin xtSA 13-pin,” or “Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin II.” “Godin guitar” is useful for browsing but too broad for pricing.
COMPARE
What else lives in this neighborhood?
Use comparisons to understand construction and market position—not to assume two brands share a factory, specification or value.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Before you buy—or price—one
- Family-brand collapse. Godin manufactures several brands; the logo still matters.
- Hidden electronics differences. Two similar bodies may have radically different output systems.
- 13-pin assumptions. Verify the actual synth / MIDI-related output and electronics rather than assuming every SA-looking guitar has the same system.
- Piezo condition. Test string-to-string balance through the correct output.
- Model-name truncation. Sellers often omit the suffix that identifies the useful part of the instrument.
HISTORY & COMMENTARY
A Canadian maker that built an ecosystem rather than one famous shape
Godin’s development is unusual because the manufacturing story extends across multiple branded families while the Godin badge itself became known for hybrid instruments that solve stage problems. The company states that bodies and necks are made in La Patrie, Québec, with assembly in Princeville or Richmond.
The Multiac is the clearest example of the company’s design approach: instead of asking an amplified nylon-string guitar to behave like a traditional classical onstage, Godin built a thin, feedback-resistant platform around pickup and output systems. The same problem-solving mentality appears in piezo / magnetic and synth-access models.
WHAT PLAYERS LIKE
Why a Godin can be worth picking up
- Stage-friendly acoustic voices. Multiac and A-Series instruments are designed around amplification rather than merely adding a pickup later.
- Canadian construction. The company maintains a clear Québec manufacturing identity.
- Useful electronics. Piezo, magnetic and 13-pin options can make one guitar cover several roles.
- Wide stylistic range. Jazz archtops, nylon hybrids and conventional electrics coexist under the Godin badge.
- Strong research payoff. One look at the jack panel can often tell you more than a glamour photo of the front.
CURRENT RETAIL & REFERENCE
With Godin, photograph the outputs. The connector panel often identifies the instrument’s real job faster than the body shape does.