I realize I'm a little late to the party, but I'd like to relate my experience. I recently bought a Godin Multiac Encore nylon, in their Burnt Umber finish. Mine came from the factory with (IMHO) a PERFECT set up. Yes, the action (string height) is a little higher than my electrics, but very acceptable. Intonation is almost spot on. (two other "electric" nylons I have, a Yamaha SLG 200 N and an Angel Lopez solid body nylon wouldn't intonate properly above about the fifth fret.... even with compensated saddles) The SOUND of the Godin is much better than my other two, even the Yamaha. I recently started doing a solo (voice/guitar) act, and the Godin is perfect for this. I've only done two gigs so far, but at both, I received some very nice comments and interest about it. I even had to do a brief explanation for the audience as to what the Godin was......even non-musician audience members could tell it was a little unconventional. I play somewhat "subdued" arrangements of pop/folk/rock songs, with a pick, and my voice. People seem to like it, and have expressed appreciation that I'm not bombarding their ears with loud volume. My ears are grateful as well. I can't say enough about how much I love my Godin. Thanks for this demo.
I just got one yesterday April 11,2022 and agree that the action is unbelievably high, especially saddle wise Called my Luthier to soon lower the action and gonna change strings too and put some high tension carbon nylon- since I like playing one full step lower, (It does take lower tuning quite well.) thanks for your review and I subscribed to your channel too.
thanks Matt, I love the story you tell at the beginning of the video and it´s obvious you´re a dedicated musician and a great guitarist. I´m thinking of buying a used Godin and this video helped me prepare for a few possible issues. Thanks and keep up the great work!
I have the same model. Action is 3/64 treble to a soft 4/64 bass. Most Fenders are not this low. It's quite easy, all I did was sand down the base of the saddle and then wasn't quite satisfied with the pitch of the strings higher up the neck, so I shimmed the heel side of the neck pocket with a piece of sandpaper. You can get away with much lower action than people think with acoustics, or any type of guitar. You need extra hard tension strings to play with this low of action though. Most likely your lighter strings have a wider vibe radius and will kiss the frets and buzz a bit. I don't have a single dead note on this fretboard, a credit to their crafstmanship. Really solid company, and they've gone and invented a whole new type of guitar, which is wholly its own thing and not a gimmick. Your playing is quite good, the tone is great, and that is mainly due to your playing I think. Many people with these guitars don't account for the nature of them, being that they are just chambered electric guitars that happen to have nylon strings. The result is often a kind of buzzy nylon sound against the frets that almost sounds like a subtle gain/distortion. Ideally for me these sound like a less full, more punchy and bright classical guitar, so it works best for the various country styles if you want to go more warm and less twang, and some types of jazz, anything staccato in nature. Flamenco styles work too to a good extent, especially given that it's a fast and agressive style and this is more playable than a Fender imo.
The factory action heigh is actually lower than classical guitar. My luthier was able lower mine to 2.25 mm on the low E and 1.75mm on the high E. For a nylon string instrument is very low. I would start with the shim on the neck, first. Mine plays wonderful. It handles lower tunings amazingly. I tune mine to C# standard. Godin make amazing instruments.
I have owned the MIDI version twice. The first time I returned it within days because the pickups seemed to pick up so much noise from my fingers, I just found it too distracting. Years later I purchased a Roland Strat with the GR-55, and shortly after found another used Godin Multiac with MIDI and bought it to play with the GR-55. It was pretty awesome for that purpose - layering the strings or pads with the classic sound was great. But I gave up on the GR-55 and all of the cords and connections and sold all of it. I have been tempted since to buy another, but I have to remind myself that I've had two and chose to let them go...
I would not mess with the saddle. You can have a Luthier make a custom wedge shaped shim for the entire neck pocket that will ensure proper full neck contact and lowere the actions to as low as any acoustic and - if you can get the neck straight with proper "fall-off" on the upper frets - it could be lowered to (dare we say) shreder territory! Still a better option than not bolt-on necks where the neck must be reset, or the bridge drastically adjusted!
I ended up taking the saddle down a bit a few years back and everything went great! I've been doing tech work for a little over a decade now so it was a simple measure twice and sand a bit off the bottom -- very much improved the playability greatly!
I've been on the fence about getting one of these guitars, and this is easily the most helpful video I've seen so far in actually showing off what the guitar does. Thanks!
Thanks for the great video! How much are these new vs. used? You mentioned a significant price difference. Thanks, and I look forward to watching more of your videos. Just subbed!
Hello Matt. Do you think the godin encore nylon strings i can play some blues, jazz, pop, etc or it is more to flamenco, latin music?. I want it to study and play that styles. Thanks
Hello! Absolutely you can play those styles with this Godin Multiac -- it's a very versatile guitar, comfortable and easy to play and I very much love playing jazz on mine.
Very nice playing man! But does it sound like a classical? I was a little disappointed of the sound here. Maybe it is a matter of balance mic-transcducer, how did you blend?
Honestly if you're looking for a traditional classical tone I don't think this guitar quite does it. You aren't going to get that airy, crisp miked up classical tone from it because construction-wise it's a completely different beast. In this video I kept the setting dead-center; a 50-50 blend between the transducer and piezo. You may be able to get closer using just the transducer , but I find it rather bland sounding without a blend of the two options. I think what Godin has made here is a very convenient and playable guitar for live work without the worry of bringing out your high dollar classical to the gig; it's also a more versatile instrument and will work better for other genres beyond traditional music. In addition, on high volume stages you won't need to worry about feedback near as much as you would a miked up cedar or spruce topped classical without electronics. So in the end I think if your primary genre or playing style is classical guitar there are a lot better options out there, but for me and what I do live this guitar gives me a myriad of options quickly, simply and efficiently. I hope this helps!!
@@MattTheGuitarGuy Thanks mate for a quick answer. To be mentioned that I do have a Multiac Ac model. Plays like a dream, with the best neck possible, real ebony fretboard on the old ones :). Though the setup was horrible when I got it. So I had to file down wood at he bridge and also compensate the saddle myself (some important woodwork), as the first model did not have compensated bridge (!). The intonation was off as hell. What I miss is some more natural sound, I thought the Encore might be a better solution soundwise. Maybe I have to save up for a Grand concerto model 🎸
Great playing and review. I've played one of these at a shop. In addition to the high action, I found the guitar to be pretty unbalanced -- that is, quite a bit of neck dive. Is this another issue with these guitars? Thanks.
Did you ever consider getting a job with a guitar magazine? This is the first of your videos I have ever seen outstanding job on the vid very comprehensive.
Thank you for the kind words David! I actually did reach out to a pair of magazines in the not-so-distant past with a submission but never received any response. I imagine they receive a metric ton of resumes and unsolicited submissions every day...all the same I would love an opportunity to actually put my Bachelor's in English to work sometime!
Awesome playing Matt! I too have one but looking to get another one more new. Same kind of course. Are you selling any btw? I really love these guitars. The first one i got was belonging to "Mark Anthony" the singer of P.R 15yrs ago. Awesome display!!
Amazing guitar. Excellent review! How did you find the volume balance between strings? Overall, is it even, or are some strings louder? I've had this problem with piezo pickups...
The piezo pickup on mine seems fairly well balanced in output across the strings -- nothing has ever stood out to me as noticeably out of balance volume-wise. Now this being said, I nearly always use this guitar live at stage volume with an LR Baggs Session D.I. and keep a little compression on at all times. I'm sure that helps keep the string volume in better balance as well.
Amigo me han dicho mucho que esta Guitarra tiene el mastil muy Largo y que si se le quitasen 2 Trastes que tiene de mas se veria mas Estetica. Me gustaria saber su Opinion?
I have a problem with my Multiac nylon sas. when i play chords with strumming (with a pick) tjere are a lot of noise . when i turn down the treble on the guitar and the amp ist s more or less ok. is this ok?
Hey Bill! I do keep my nails long, though I also use a bit of my fingertip as well when I play. I had difficulty keeping mine long for a while until my wife convinced me to use her clear coat nail polish one time years ago. It only lasted on my nails for about a week, but ever since they've continued to grow a lot thicker than they ever had before. I don't know what exactly is in that stuff but it definitely helps keep nails stronger!
Had the same issues two years ago with the one I ordered. I contacted Godin, and was told it needed neck shims. I was extremely disappointed. I returned mine. I thought perhaps my experience was isolated. But now I wonder.
I tried a shim before I ultimately sanded the saddle down -- it definitely had a negative impact on the tone of the guitar so I took it out and went with lowering the saddle, which helped quite a bit.
@@druchumley4571 Yeah that's a tough call. I've owned a couple Godins over the years and this one was unquestionably the only one that needed considerable work out of the box just to get it to reasonable playability -- so they make excellent quality instruments, they're just hit and miss. Best bet is to find one locally if possible, play it, and give yourself a better shot at getting a good one.
What I did in a friend's guitar was to first adjust a little tighter the trust rod and then sand about 2 mm or less (one step at a time) in the saddle until the action became electric guitar type. I started with the truss rod. Well this is a hint to a way to take this. I hope guides a little.👍
Great video! But why on earth would you release a guitar with such an extreme high action? This certainly witholds me to buy a Godin online (which I was planning to)
I just bought one of these and I feel the action is very high..I took it to the local shop and the guy said he couldnt do anything without creating buzz..did you have this issue?
The action on mine was sky high when I first received it -- it needed a neck adjustment, but I also sanded down the saddle a little bit to get it where I really wanted it and now it plays excellent. If yours is buzzing badly at reasonable string heights and proper setup it likely needs a fret level as well...and if I were you, I'd probably return or exchange it for another one.
@@MattTheGuitarGuy Thanks for the reply, Ive already been through so much with it, one of the adjustment handles broke off the first time I used it, the repaired it under warranty...got it back two weeks later and realized the action was too high for me. The shop guy is either not confident or just doesnt want to try making any adjustments to it. Afraid to even ask for an exchange at this point.. I want to love this guitar but in this state I just cant ✌️
@@Jeffrey.Patterson Damn man that sucks. I really believe that as long as the neck is straight and the frets are level enough, a competent tech should be able to get it playing great -- everything else on the guitar can be relatively easily adjusted in some way, shape or form. I hope you find a tech that will set it right for you!
@@MattTheGuitarGuy So I did a bit of playing around and I got the action a bit better..Could I trouble you for the height measurement you get on fret 12? I have read 4mm is acceptable for classical and curious where yours is ✌️
@@Jeffrey.Patterson Just measured mine, and it measures exactly 2mm string height at the 12th fret on both the low and high E strings. Strings ring out clearly with no buzz at that height on mine. 4mm is an acceptable string height for a nylon string guitar, but for me at least, that would be challenging to play.
@@DeutschlandGuy I'm not sure exactly what the issue is -- granted, this was how I received it from the factory, but it seems that every stock photo I see of this guitar is strung identically to this one!
My Godin was unusable for recording. Buzzed all over and with high action, the intonation was off so I send it back to SW. Will not buy off the internet again for a two thousand dollar guitar with a zipper bag.
I realize I'm a little late to the party, but I'd like to relate my experience. I recently bought a Godin Multiac Encore nylon, in their Burnt Umber finish. Mine came from the factory with (IMHO) a PERFECT set up. Yes, the action (string height) is a little higher than my electrics, but very acceptable. Intonation is almost spot on. (two other "electric" nylons I have, a Yamaha SLG 200 N and an Angel Lopez solid body nylon wouldn't intonate properly above about the fifth fret.... even with compensated saddles) The SOUND of the Godin is much better than my other two, even the Yamaha. I recently started doing a solo (voice/guitar) act, and the Godin is perfect for this. I've only done two gigs so far, but at both, I received some very nice comments and interest about it. I even had to do a brief explanation for the audience as to what the Godin was......even non-musician audience members could tell it was a little unconventional. I play somewhat "subdued" arrangements of pop/folk/rock songs, with a pick, and my voice. People seem to like it, and have expressed appreciation that I'm not bombarding their ears with loud volume. My ears are grateful as well. I can't say enough about how much I love my Godin. Thanks for this demo.
This guitar is a dream, it plays like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Thanks for the review and fine playing.
I just got one yesterday April 11,2022 and agree that the action is unbelievably high, especially saddle wise Called my Luthier to soon lower the action and gonna change strings too and put some high tension carbon nylon- since I like playing one full step lower, (It does take lower tuning quite well.)
thanks for your review and I subscribed to your channel too.
thanks Matt, I love the story you tell at the beginning of the video and it´s obvious you´re a dedicated musician and a great guitarist. I´m thinking of buying a used Godin and this video helped me prepare for a few possible issues. Thanks and keep up the great work!
I have the same model. Action is 3/64 treble to a soft 4/64 bass. Most Fenders are not this low. It's quite easy, all I did was sand down the base of the saddle and then wasn't quite satisfied with the pitch of the strings higher up the neck, so I shimmed the heel side of the neck pocket with a piece of sandpaper. You can get away with much lower action than people think with acoustics, or any type of guitar. You need extra hard tension strings to play with this low of action though. Most likely your lighter strings have a wider vibe radius and will kiss the frets and buzz a bit. I don't have a single dead note on this fretboard, a credit to their crafstmanship. Really solid company, and they've gone and invented a whole new type of guitar, which is wholly its own thing and not a gimmick.
Your playing is quite good, the tone is great, and that is mainly due to your playing I think. Many people with these guitars don't account for the nature of them, being that they are just chambered electric guitars that happen to have nylon strings. The result is often a kind of buzzy nylon sound against the frets that almost sounds like a subtle gain/distortion. Ideally for me these sound like a less full, more punchy and bright classical guitar, so it works best for the various country styles if you want to go more warm and less twang, and some types of jazz, anything staccato in nature. Flamenco styles work too to a good extent, especially given that it's a fast and agressive style and this is more playable than a Fender imo.
Excellent thoughts. When you say go with " flamenco styles " ... what are you thoughts and suggestions ? thanks.
Thank you for your review and advice!
Hi from the UK.
Excellent review. Many thanks 👍
The factory action heigh is actually lower than classical guitar. My luthier was able lower mine to 2.25 mm on the low E and 1.75mm on the high E. For a nylon string instrument is very low. I would start with the shim on the neck, first. Mine plays wonderful. It handles lower tunings amazingly. I tune mine to C# standard. Godin make amazing instruments.
Much love to ya from SC. Good to see you in a news vid!!
Thanks for another great review Matt. Great editing too. Peace
Hey thanks for the kind words Mark, very much appreciated!
I have owned the MIDI version twice. The first time I returned it within days because the pickups seemed to pick up so much noise from my fingers, I just found it too distracting. Years later I purchased a Roland Strat with the GR-55, and shortly after found another used Godin Multiac with MIDI and bought it to play with the GR-55. It was pretty awesome for that purpose - layering the strings or pads with the classic sound was great. But I gave up on the GR-55 and all of the cords and connections and sold all of it. I have been tempted since to buy another, but I have to remind myself that I've had two and chose to let them go...
Gracias amigo mio fantastic, Iam thinking to buy this cain of guitar for 1 year but I still learning to play the guitar tanks for your information
Superb playing and a very helpful review!
I would not mess with the saddle. You can have a Luthier make a custom wedge shaped shim for the entire neck pocket that will ensure proper full neck contact and lowere the actions to as low as any acoustic and - if you can get the neck straight with proper "fall-off" on the upper frets - it could be lowered to (dare we say) shreder territory! Still a better option than not bolt-on necks where the neck must be reset, or the bridge drastically adjusted!
I ended up taking the saddle down a bit a few years back and everything went great! I've been doing tech work for a little over a decade now so it was a simple measure twice and sand a bit off the bottom -- very much improved the playability greatly!
MORE, Give us more.... you are an awesome musician
Great job! Thx!
I've been on the fence about getting one of these guitars, and this is easily the most helpful video I've seen so far in actually showing off what the guitar does. Thanks!
Thanks for the great video! How much are these new vs. used? You mentioned a significant price difference. Thanks, and I look forward to watching more of your videos. Just subbed!
Hello Matt. Do you think the godin encore nylon strings i can play some blues, jazz, pop, etc or it is more to flamenco, latin music?. I want it to study and play that styles. Thanks
Hello! Absolutely you can play those styles with this Godin Multiac -- it's a very versatile guitar, comfortable and easy to play and I very much love playing jazz on mine.
Very nice playing man! But does it sound like a classical? I was a little disappointed of the sound here. Maybe it is a matter of balance mic-transcducer, how did you blend?
Honestly if you're looking for a traditional classical tone I don't think this guitar quite does it. You aren't going to get that airy, crisp miked up classical tone from it because construction-wise it's a completely different beast. In this video I kept the setting dead-center; a 50-50 blend between the transducer and piezo. You may be able to get closer using just the transducer , but I find it rather bland sounding without a blend of the two options.
I think what Godin has made here is a very convenient and playable guitar for live work without the worry of bringing out your high dollar classical to the gig; it's also a more versatile instrument and will work better for other genres beyond traditional music. In addition, on high volume stages you won't need to worry about feedback near as much as you would a miked up cedar or spruce topped classical without electronics.
So in the end I think if your primary genre or playing style is classical guitar there are a lot better options out there, but for me and what I do live this guitar gives me a myriad of options quickly, simply and efficiently.
I hope this helps!!
@@MattTheGuitarGuy Thanks mate for a quick answer. To be mentioned that I do have a Multiac Ac model. Plays like a dream, with the best neck possible, real ebony fretboard on the old ones :). Though the setup was horrible when I got it. So I had to file down wood at he bridge and also compensate the saddle myself (some important woodwork), as the first model did not have compensated bridge (!). The intonation was off as hell. What I miss is some more natural sound, I thought the Encore might be a better solution soundwise. Maybe I have to save up for a Grand concerto model 🎸
Great playing and review. I've played one of these at a shop. In addition to the high action, I found the guitar to be pretty unbalanced -- that is, quite a bit of neck dive. Is this another issue with these guitars? Thanks.
Did you ever consider getting a job with a guitar magazine? This is the first of your videos I have ever seen outstanding job on the vid very comprehensive.
Thank you for the kind words David! I actually did reach out to a pair of magazines in the not-so-distant past with a submission but never received any response. I imagine they receive a metric ton of resumes and unsolicited submissions every day...all the same I would love an opportunity to actually put my Bachelor's in English to work sometime!
@@MattTheGuitarGuy Keep trying I definitely think that you are meant for it!
Great job.
Awesome video. Q: what happened with hum issue? That encore version has fishman setup that has some noise problems.
Good question -- mine has never had any issues at all with hum, even in live, higher volume environments...maybe I got lucky?
Awesome playing Matt! I too have one but looking to get another one more new. Same kind of course.
Are you selling any btw? I really love these guitars. The first one i got was belonging to "Mark Anthony" the singer of P.R 15yrs ago. Awesome display!!
Nice playing.
Amazing guitar. Excellent review! How did you find the volume balance between strings? Overall, is it even, or are some strings louder? I've had this problem with piezo pickups...
The piezo pickup on mine seems fairly well balanced in output across the strings -- nothing has ever stood out to me as noticeably out of balance volume-wise.
Now this being said, I nearly always use this guitar live at stage volume with an LR Baggs Session D.I. and keep a little compression on at all times. I'm sure that helps keep the string volume in better balance as well.
@@MattTheGuitarGuy Thanks for the info!
Amigo me han dicho mucho que esta Guitarra tiene el mastil muy Largo y que si se le quitasen 2 Trastes que tiene de mas se veria mas Estetica. Me gustaria saber su Opinion?
I have a problem with my Multiac nylon sas. when i play chords with strumming (with a pick) tjere are a lot of noise . when i turn down the treble on the guitar and the amp ist s more or less ok. is this ok?
hey Matt. Awesome review. Are you playing fingernails or just fingertips? I can't seem to keep fingernails long enough. cheers.
Hey Bill! I do keep my nails long, though I also use a bit of my fingertip as well when I play.
I had difficulty keeping mine long for a while until my wife convinced me to use her clear coat nail polish one time years ago. It only lasted on my nails for about a week, but ever since they've continued to grow a lot thicker than they ever had before. I don't know what exactly is in that stuff but it definitely helps keep nails stronger!
How would this compare to Tim hensons nylon string signature?
Very nice review. Thank you. I have the same guitar and I agree with your comments. You do some good playing too.
Nice playing this guitar can use with normal capo?
Thank you! Yes a normal capo works fine on this guitar.
@@MattTheGuitarGuy Great Thank you
@@MattTheGuitarGuy I already bought it. Thank you for your advice ua-cam.com/video/j33LpwvaanA/v-deo.html
Is it recommended to get an acoustic amp with this, or is my old electric one fine?
Matt I've got a noisy D string what can I do
Had the same issues two years ago with the one I ordered. I contacted Godin, and was told it needed neck shims. I was extremely disappointed. I returned mine. I thought perhaps my experience was isolated. But now I wonder.
I tried a shim before I ultimately sanded the saddle down -- it definitely had a negative impact on the tone of the guitar so I took it out and went with lowering the saddle, which helped quite a bit.
@@MattTheGuitarGuy I thought about getting another one, but I'm still gun-shy. Love all the demos online, but is it REALLY worth it?
@@druchumley4571 Yeah that's a tough call. I've owned a couple Godins over the years and this one was unquestionably the only one that needed considerable work out of the box just to get it to reasonable playability -- so they make excellent quality instruments, they're just hit and miss. Best bet is to find one locally if possible, play it, and give yourself a better shot at getting a good one.
I remember you playing Venezuelan Walzes! You Play very well... Pleas play Antonio Lauro! Thanks!
I was playing El Negrito earlier today! Lauro is amazing! I'll record it and upload the video soon! Thanks for the kind words Antonio!
@@MattTheGuitarGuy You are a great player! And I really appreciate that you played a song from far away from here...
God bless!
What I did in a friend's guitar was to first adjust a little tighter the trust rod and then sand about 2 mm or less (one step at a time) in the saddle until the action became electric guitar type. I started with the truss rod. Well this is a hint to a way to take this. I hope guides a little.👍
Great video! But why on earth would you release a guitar with such an extreme high action? This certainly witholds me to buy a Godin online (which I was planning to)
Just lower the saddle... she’ll be fine
I just bought one of these and I feel the action is very high..I took it to the local shop and the guy said he couldnt do anything without creating buzz..did you have this issue?
The action on mine was sky high when I first received it -- it needed a neck adjustment, but I also sanded down the saddle a little bit to get it where I really wanted it and now it plays excellent.
If yours is buzzing badly at reasonable string heights and proper setup it likely needs a fret level as well...and if I were you, I'd probably return or exchange it for another one.
@@MattTheGuitarGuy Thanks for the reply, Ive already been through so much with it, one of the adjustment handles broke off the first time I used it, the repaired it under warranty...got it back two weeks later and realized the action was too high for me. The shop guy is either not confident or just doesnt want to try making any adjustments to it. Afraid to even ask for an exchange at this point.. I want to love this guitar but in this state I just cant ✌️
@@Jeffrey.Patterson Damn man that sucks. I really believe that as long as the neck is straight and the frets are level enough, a competent tech should be able to get it playing great -- everything else on the guitar can be relatively easily adjusted in some way, shape or form. I hope you find a tech that will set it right for you!
@@MattTheGuitarGuy So I did a bit of playing around and I got the action a bit better..Could I trouble you for the height measurement you get on fret 12? I have read 4mm is acceptable for classical and curious where yours is ✌️
@@Jeffrey.Patterson Just measured mine, and it measures exactly 2mm string height at the 12th fret on both the low and high E strings. Strings ring out clearly with no buzz at that height on mine. 4mm is an acceptable string height for a nylon string guitar, but for me at least, that would be challenging to play.
04:10 Great playing... but oh my... what a horrible job of string winding!😱
@@DeutschlandGuy I'm not sure exactly what the issue is -- granted, this was how I received it from the factory, but it seems that every stock photo I see of this guitar is strung identically to this one!
My Godin was unusable for recording. Buzzed all over and with high action, the intonation was off so I send it back to SW. Will not buy off the internet again for a two thousand dollar guitar with a zipper bag.