Archtop guitars offer an aura of ambiance and tradition that leaves large numbers of guitarists yearning for their very own. But for flattop-oriented players who cannot afford an acoustic guitar to accommodate every single impulse, they can be impracticable from a tonal and financial perspective. Even though archtops have been around ever since the 1890s when Gibson pioneered the design and were popularized by early jazz and country greats such as Eddie Lang and Mother Maybelle Carter, the genuine acoustic archtop has had much less impact than its flattop cousins. There has been a variety of well thought of archtop luthiers through the years, including John D’Angelico, Jimmy D’Aquisto, and Bob Benedetto. And a period of time during the 1950s and early 1960s saw companies like Gretsch, Harmony, National, and Guild produce some prosaic but easily affordable instruments. Typically, however, the acoustic archtop’s tremendously high price level and dry, barky tonal signature have made them a luxury or novelty instrument over and above a small coterie of addicts.
Though with the development of the Godin 5th Avenue, the low-cost, superior quality acoustic archtop’s stay in limbo may be over. Godin Guitars’ founder Robert Godin-whose first instrument was an archtop-has long thought of producing a low priced version for modern day players. And with a $520 street price, quality build quality, coupled with a voice which will fascinate different types of guitar players, this acoustic guitar will be interesting to anyone that harbors hopes for archtop ownership.
While the 5th Avenue is also accessible in natural and black finishes, the orange-to-red hued cognac burst that ornamented our test instrument brilliantly presented the wild cherry laminate used for the top, back, and sides. The pressed top is arched nicely, having a consistent radius from one side of each f-hole to the other. A cream binding accents the burst on the back and top, and combined with a rosewood fretboard and adjustable bridge, black peghead overlay, and satin finish, the entire effect is classy but understated.
The high level of care and workmanship that goes into the 5th Avenue’s engineering is clear throughout. And with the exception of the very small opening between the back of the heel cap and the body (which was more of an aesthetic issue than a design one) fit and finish were fantastic.
The look is not without any quirks that will motivate double takes among archtop neophytes. The floating fretboard is located on a portion of neck that bends upwards and away from the body at the 16th fret and the neck alone narrows on the 15th fret, creating a fretboard overhang of about 1/16th inch on both sides. This permits the pickguard to easily tuck in under the fretboard on the treble side.
The 5th Avenue’s sound wouldn’t make acoustic archtop diehards desire to trade in their vintage L-5s, but it does possess a classic archtop’s trademark chunky midrange honk in addition to a little more high end that offers balance and nice tones in all registers. Generally, the 5th Avenue responded better to a gentle touch rather than a heavy hand. With light strings it makes a great swing rhythm guitar in a tiny group setting-of violin and voice, by way of example. A switch to medium strings (.013-.056), however, boosted the guitar’s volume enough to cut through a big band in the style of Freddie Green.
Fantastically, it’s not hard to think about the 5th Avenue excelling in settings other than swing and jazz. It sang with authority when playing full, open-string chords, which undoubtedly aren’t the first thing I am inclined to try when presented with an archtop. It gives a sexy bluesy vibe to simple Travis-style fingerpicking and will make an outstanding midrangey partner for a soprano voice. Flatpicked melodies, though somewhat quiet, are sweet and singing, most definitely on the treble strings up the neck. This is a guitar that’s prone to record nicely too, because there are no overamped peaks to worry about, and so it remains warm and full when played delicately. Need to add a jazzy lead sound to a track? Here’s your ax.
The neck is cut in a cozy U-shape that, with its 1 11/16-inch nut width, 2 1/8-inch string spacing on the bridge, and short 24.84-inch scale, will be suited to smaller hands as well as players who make use of a pick. I left the adaptable bridge where it was when it arrived in the Acoustic Guitar office, since the action was set for trouble-free fretting in all positions without buzzing.
The 5th Avenue is going to catch the attention of a great deal of players who’re struck by its fine look; hooked on its silky, easy playability; and lured by its almost-too-good-to-be-true selling price. But players stoked over finally discovering a cost-effective “jazz box” shouldn’t restrict themselves to extracting jazz chords from this guitar. Certainly, you’ll have a blast with a few standards or swing tunes. But the real joy of the 5th Avenue is experiencing what its unique voice can lend to the music you commonly play.
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