Godin a-8 owners

[Tim2723]

Hello Godin owners,

I'm thinking of getting an A-8 to replace my mashed Ovation MM-68 and my failing MK FS-E. I've never tried one or even heard it.

How would you describe the plugged in tone? Is it very electric (like a Mandobird) or reasonably acoustic sounding (like an Ovation)?

Is there a hard case available? Where to buy?

How does the battery mount in the instrument? Is there a hatch on the back or something?

Any problems with reliability? Is it roadworthy?

Thanks!

[mandroid]

Ex Godin User, Instrument OK [group vaporized]

A8 uses 4 RMC piezo inserts on top of the bridge ,
and an onboard preamp.
with Volume and 3 tone sliders.

body is routed out mahogany with a spruce top, so has some acoustic resonance ,
but no sound hole.

Piezo [like ovation], So bronze strings will be fine, and it fits into plush lined F style case.

with enough room to pack instrument's cable behind it.

[deadend3]

I have an A8 and I love it!

I had major issues with feedback on my old setup and that has been completely eliminated. The sound is typical piezo which is fine with me because I feel it really cuts through without needing to be loud.

I bought mine through Musicians Friend but Elderly sells them as well. One thing you may want to enquire about is the bridge. Mine came with an adjustable bridge however some do not. I have read complaints about the action on the non adjustable models and the inability to easily adjust the string height.


Good luck!

[mandroid]

Of relative ease, with thumbwheels, yes, though,
with a bolt on neck, even the non adjustable i.e. fixed bridge version,
offers the ability to adjust the action.
I found that shims, placed between the neck and body, worked rather well.

[Tim2723]

Thanks guys! Would you describe the tone as being 'amplified acoustic' or more 'solid-body electric'?

[mandroid]

It >IS< an amplified acoustic. the body is not solid.

there are chambers created out of the of mahogany machined
out of body .

Though, the only holes in the spruce top are slots for the 3 H-M-L tone sliders, and one more
for controlling volume.

4 piezo elements sit under each pair of strings,
wired together at the circuit board with the sliders on it.

a 9v battery powered, preamp.

[Pen]

I'd get another MM68. I've played 3 Godin a-8's. Although a decent instrument - imo, they don't measure up to the Ovation. The MM68 is a much sturdier instrument too (you asked if it was road worthy).

The Godin has an average at best unplugged sound (similar to the Ovation). Obviously, both are made to be used plugged in. I'm just curious, what didn't you like about the Ovation? I've used one on stage for 2 years and absolutely love it. For me, it was a way better choice than the Godin. If my Ovation died, I'd just replace it with another.

[Tim2723]

Hi Pen,

I have decided to get a new Ovation. As nice as the Godin sounds, I think the Ovation is a better fit. I played mine for ten years until it met an untimely doom on the barroom floor. I replaced it with an Michael Kelly FS-E two years ago, but that has not held up at all. That was a mistake, as I've had a very poor return on investment with it. There's nothing that I didn't like about the Ovation, I was just looking at options. I figured in 12 years something else had come along.

Thanks again everyone for the information and replies.

[UKSam]

I think its horses for courses..

I tried the Ovation and didn't like it at all. Tried an A8 and fell in love with it.
IMHO they have the most "natural" acoustic sound of all of the electro-acoustics, and closest to the sound of a well mic'd A-style (and some F's at a push)

Mine came with the adjustable bridge - I think all the new ones do now. I took it over to a pro guitar tech who (although not cheap) is just about the best there is - he did a simply amazing job on it.

Interestingly the neck isn't too low (lots of ppl talk about shimming them) - its actually normally at the wrong angle. He reset the angle, set the truss rod correctly for the strings I prefer, adjusted the intonation, dressed and levelled each fret and did a bunch of other stuff.

Its just about the easiest playing mando I've ever tried now... I think its well worth the money even with the additional cost of the setup.

I now have a consistent 2/64" action at the treble and 3.5/64" at the bass end and the bridge is about half way up the adjusters..

Just my 2 penneth!

Sam

[Christian McKee]

Welcome aboard, UKSam! What does "horses for courses" mean? I've never heard that before...

Christian

[UKSam]

Welcome aboard, UKSam! #What does "horses for courses" mean? #I've never heard that before...

Christian

Hey - thanks for the welcome!

"horses for courses" is a horse racing term which basically means that individual horses run better on different surfaces, whether thats firm, soft etc..

In modern usage it basically means that people feel more comfortable with different things - what is good for one may be bad for another.

Definitely seems to be the case with Mandolins

Sam