Godin A8 piezo Vs emando with pick up

[hhold]

Hi

How does playing a Godin A8 compare to playing to 'real' emando? I understand the former is equipped with a piezo so as a result qualifies more as an electo acoustic mandolin. Am playing in a rock formation at the mo so am shopping around for emando. Godin appeal to me but I wonder if a mandolin with a pick up eg Harmony 'batwing' would not do a better job.

[Verne Andru]

I have a Godin Multiac ASC with RMC piezo's, which I believe are the same as the A8's I've seen. The RMC electronics will give you one of the better acoustic tones available and is far more feedback proof than most other solutions. If you're playing at any level of volume and need to bring out an acoustic mando sound, the A8 is probably your best choice IMHO.

Up until a few years ago the A8 bridge didn't allow for any adjustment for playability. A few years ago they introduced a bridge with thumb-wheel screws, like most other bridges, solving that issue. This becomes important when shopping used.

[hhold]

Thanks for that. Things is am trying to figure what sound would suit best a rock sound and which would blouder a piez or a pick up.

[Tom Wright]

Thanks for that. Things is am trying to figure what sound would suit best a rock sound and which would blouder a piez or a pick up.

As to loud, there is no question that a solid-body, magnetic-pickup instrument wins. A rock sound is another question---an acoustic-but-loud tone might be good. The band Eagles of Death Metal use a Godin, at least they did in the video for "I Really Want To Be In LA". In the jam band String Cheese Incident, Michael Kang uses a custom solid-body 5-string.

Unfortunately, there are no reliable cheap solid-body mandos that will play without some tinkering, but I think the GoldTone is a good start. If you have a round sound-hole style (e.g. Buchanan) it is easy to adapt a magnetic pickup for that, and I find that a great sound, with the right tone controls.

If you want easy string bending and plan to use overdrive, single-string is your choice, and that likely means solid body. There should be several Almuse instruments wandering around the Isles, maybe you can snag one used. You would not regret it.

[EdSherry]

The Godin A8 sounds like an acoustic mandolin, only louder. An entirely different kettle of fish from an e-mando with a magnetic pickup. If you want a rock sound, I wouldn't recommend an A8. I have a Schwab 5-string e-mando and one of the new Fender MandoStrats for that.

[Steve Lavelle]

I have an solid body 8 string Eastwood Mandocaster with 2 magnetic pickups and my Acoustic Flatiron F with a Piezo. Most often I am playing the Flatiron with 2 acoustic guitars and an electric bass. Occassionally, I sit in with jamband friends playing electric guitars and bass, along with the full drum set, and I bring both. My ears tell me that when I play the Mandoscater with the rock band, it's not much different than having another electric guitar in the mix, but when I play the Flatiron, the mandolin seems to ocuppy a more distinct place in the mix.

Feedback doesn't seem to be a problem with the acoustic mandolin when it's going through a 200W powered 10" speaker for amplification when I'm playing, and I have a mute switch on my preamp that always gets used when I am not playing.

[hhold]

I see the emando.com carries a Harmony batwing so that's an 8 stringer with a magnetic pickup. Would that be a happy medium between a piezo A8 and a solid body 5 stringer. I am afraid the Godin might sound too 'folky'

[mandroid]

Godin doesn't need Magnetic ferrous-nickel strings.

yea , a single string 4 string Fender-'Mandocaster' would be like a high soprano guitar
sound ..

Godin A 8 is an 8 String , as is the 8 string instrument also adopting the name 'mandocaster' ...
which one you got?

BTW I had an A8, the neck is a bolt on , there is where it is adjusted ,
By shims under the neck..

I loosened the screws and put 4 flatwashers around them between the neck and body.

tightened the screws, took 0:15' and worked fine.. raising the fingrboard lowered the action.

[Barry Wilson]

I play a Godin. It was finally an electric mando that sounded like a mando to me and not a tin box. Never have worried about lowering the action with washers. I might have to experiment

[buchrob]

Typical of the A8 tone out of the box:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b61BVCRnEXw

Not really do-able with a mandocaster, but solid-bodies will take effects pedals all day long without being the skunk at a garden party.

Any guitar tech who has worked on a Fender electric (about 99.9% of them) will be well-versed in setting the action to your taste with shims at the joint.

[Ron McMillan]

I tested a Godin A8 in a store in Bangkok last month. It was a pleasant instrument, but clearly designed to provide an amplified acoustic sound - something it seemed more than capable of doing, and doing well. Because of this, I feel that direct comparisons to solid-body mandocasters seem a little misplaced.

My much-modified mandocaster isn't very good at giving me any kind of acoustic sound, but that's not why I bought it (nor why I spent money replacing several of its key parts). Perhaps the Godin attracts customers who want that acoustic sound nicely amplified, because even with the use of effects pedals, the Godin isn't really going to compete with a solid-body electric mandolin's sound.

ron

[Dave Greenspoon]

Totally different sounds between the piezo and the magnetic pickups. IMO the bigger difference is playing style; the Godin's dual courses more readily make the "mando" sound than a single course electric. OTOH, bending strings, etc is far easier on my solid body 4-string.