![Lerxst Grace [left] and Godin 5th Avenue TL Gold Foil: Grace is a red HSS S-style with a mirror pickguard and a Vega tremolo system. The 5th Avenue model to its right sits beside a houseplant and is an arch-topped hollowbody with f-holes and gold-foil pickups.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6w2NUh4RxvR5ajrc52sFCB-1920-80.jpg.webp)
Guitar World Verdict
Judging by this disparate duo, and in answer to our original question – just how good are Godin guitars? – we have to say, very good indeed. Always functional and fit-for-purpose, these contemporary models possess another level of quality.
Pros
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The TL is a crisply made hollowbody archtop construction.
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Excellent neck shaping; fretwork and setup.
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Lollar pickups provide superb old‑school sounds.
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Grace has inspired HSS design with plenty of neat tweaks.
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Superb fretwork, neck shape and setup.
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Vega-Trem has wide travel and very good pitch stability.
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Very considered sounds and switching.
Cons
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Archtop doesn't have great high-fret access
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Watch your onstage volume with the hollowbody.
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Grace has collector’s-only price (if only this were a production model!).
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What is it?
Godin makes a colossal number of models that really span the diversity of the guitar: acoustic to electric and beyond! It’s also only one brand in a Canadian manufacturing empire that includes Seagull, Art & Lutherie, Norman, and Simon & Patrick, not to mention the innovative Tric cases.
Another brand that Godin is more recently responsible for making is the latest venture of fellow Canadian Alex Lifeson, Lerxst.
So when we got the chance to take a look at one of Godin’s latest 5th Avenue models alongside the second highly limited Lerxst edition, we couldn’t resist. Just how good are Godin guitars?
5th Avenue TL Gold Foil
Godin’s roots might lie in the acoustic guitar, but innovation – in both manufacturing and style – has long been its calling card, and electric models have been on the increase for some time now. Our 5th Avenue model illustrates that progression.
Originally a single non-cutaway acoustic archtop that was introduced in 2008, some 17 years later it’s grown into a 12-strong mini-range of archtops with non-cutaway and cutaway models, with and without Bigsbys, and a variety of pickups that include its own range, Seymour Duncan and, as we have here, Lollar.
This new ‘Thin Line’ (TL) model launched in 2024. It has a thinner-depth body (the rim measures 45mm, the same as a Gibson ES-335 as opposed to the 76mm depth of the original), and it’s also a little narrower across the body, measuring 381mm (15 inches) and not the 406.4mm (16 inches) of the original 5th Avenue.
So less ‘big ol’ archtop’ and more akin to Godin’s Montreal Premiere in size by design. It’s still a hollowbody, though, with two longitudinal spruce braces supporting the top, instead of the ‘Breathe-Through’ centre block of that Montreal Premiere.
As you’d expect with the style, the body, arched front and back are constructed from laminated wild cherry with attractive bookmatching to the outer layers on the front and back.
Godin’s roots might lie in the acoustic guitar, but innovation has long been its calling card
The edges are cleanly bound with a single-ply dark brown binding that does get hidden by the sunbursting of the almost light grey-to-dark brown gloss finish in places. The two f-holes are nicely stylised, and you can clearly see the classic thinline construction with thin sides and kerfed linings to increase the glueing area. It’s a very tidy job.
The archtop style is referenced here by the neck, which glues to the body at the 15th fret but then extends above the body to the neck pickup. This means that section of the neck, and the pickups, sit quite high off the body.
The neck itself is silver leaf maple, again with a similar ’bursting as the body, but here it’s satin. The ’board is ebony, unbound, with simple dot inlays reflecting the unshowy style. In fact, only the headstock face has a fancy pattered three-ply plastic facing, hinting at a bygone style.
The pared-back aesthetic is reinforced by the absence of a pickguard, and the biggest visual statement is the pickups themselves. The Lollar Gold Foils are placed inside cream ‘dog-ear’ covers that sit on quite thick dark-brown height-raising spacers.
The standard tune-o-matic sits on a synthetic (not wooden) foot that appears to be firmly pinned. And while the Stratocaster-style plastic knobs seem an odd choice, at least they’re brown with a gold lettering, so they fit the theme rather well.
Lerxst Grace
Another illustration of the diversity and quality of Godin’s manufacturing capability, it’s more than a feather in the brand’s cap to work with Alex Lifeson in creating contemporary versions of his classic Hentor Sportscaster (various modded Fender styles from back in the day) under the Lerxst brand.
As we’ve mentioned, this metallic red version is the second run, which follows on from the Limelight, and aesthetics aside, the Grace we have here is the same guitar.
Now, Godin isn’t new to creating electric guitars based on the good ol’ Stratocaster, and currently its Session T-Pro is a stylised take on that blueprint. What is new, however, is the frankly colossal price tag of the Lerxst Grace in comparison: the production Session T-Pro is $1,399/£1,749; the limited-edition Grace is considerably more.
But pulling this one from its classy hard case, it’s a very good advert for the detailed Godin quality. You can’t see the body wood under the deep-red metallic gloss, but the spec sheet says it’s swamp ash.
And along with what appears to be a slightly modernised outline, it’s not as contoured as the Fender classic, especially in the forearm area. It’s not a particularly lightweight guitar, either: our sample is a little weighty for the style.
Obviously, here we have a longer scale length than on our 5th Avenue, measuring 648mm (25.5 inches) as opposed to 631mm (24.84 inches). We have a bolt-on neck, and while the neck heel is round-nosed, it’s not as contoured as modern HSS Stratocaster models such as Fender’s Ultra II, for example.
You’ll also notice that the two controls are effectively like the two tones on a Stratocaster in terms of their placement, with the volume removed
The standard slab-sawn maple is pretty plain in appearance (some would even say bland), and like the 5th Avenue it features a dot-inlaid ebony fingerboard with a 305mm (12-inch) radius and mirror-polished stainless-steel frets that match the mirror (plastic) scratchplate.
The Vega-Trem UltraTrem and the staggered-height rear-lock tuners all keep the quality high, and the pickups are specifically designed for these guitars by Mojotone. The wiring is pretty simple with just that three-way toggle switch – which voices neck, neck and middle, and bridge – and a master volume and tone.
Oh, and the dished jack socket cup is reversed and sticks out from the body, as per Alex’s original apparently. You’ll also notice that the two controls are effectively like the two tones on a Stratocaster in terms of their placement, with the volume removed. Plenty of artist-specific idiosyncrasies, then, but the craft is seriously good.
Specs
Godin 5th Avenue TL Gold Foil
- PRICE: $1,899/£2,099 (inc gigbag)
- ORIGIN: Canada
- TYPE: Single-cutaway, archtop electric
- BODY: Laminated Canadian wild cherry
- NECK: Silver leaf maple, glued-in
- SCALE LENGTH: 631mm (24.84”)
- NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech/43.95mm
- FINGERBOARD: Ebony, pearloid dots, 406mm (16”) radius
- FRETS: 21, medium
- HARDWARE: Graph Tech adjustable Tusq bridge base with tune-o-matic bridge, trapeze tailpiece, Godin logo’d enclosed-style tuners
- STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 51.5mm
- ELECTRICS: 2x Lollar Gold Foil single-coil pickups, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, master volume and tone
- WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.44/5.37
- LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model, only the non-cutaway 5th Avenue with neck P-90 ($/£999)
- FINISHES: Vintage Burst HG (as reviewed) – gloss body, satin finish to neck
Lerxst Grace
- PRICE: $,3999/£5,499 (inc hardshell guitar case)
- ORIGIN: Canada
- TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody electric
- BODY: Swamp ash
- NECK: Maple, bolt-on
- SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
- NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech/42.5mm
- FINGERBOARD: Ebony, 305mm (12”) radius
- FRETS: 22, medium stainless steel
- HARDWARE: Vega-Trem UltraTrem vibrato, Godin logo’d rear locking tuners – chrome/nickel-plated
- STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
- ELECTRICS: 2x Mojotone overwound single coils (middle and neck), double-blade humbucker (bridge), 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, master volume and tone
- WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.96/8.7
- LEFT-HANDERS: No
- FINISHES: Red – metallic gloss body; satin natural neck back
- CONTACT: Godin Guitars
Playability and sounds
It’s doubtful whether we could have selected two more different guitars if we’d tried, and so it’s little surprise that not only do they vary in feel, the sound is contrasting, too. Let’s go back in time and start with the 5th Avenue…
You can’t help wondering what this TL would sound like with a volume control for each pickup
The reduced size here proves very comfortable, seated or strapped on, and although the neck, pickups and bridge do sit quite high off the body, there’s no problem or struggle.
The neck has good width, it’s slim in depth in lower positions and fills out nicely by the 12th fret. And yet because it joins the body at the 15th fret, upper-fret access isn’t that easy, and there’s a sharp corner under the neck heel.
But the main shaft of the neck is very well shaped (a classic C), the fingerboard’s edges are lightly rolled, and the fretwork, from a medium gauge, feels a little more contemporary than the style might suggest. The setup is pretty standard, but it ships with 11s, which certainly gives it some fight.
With its hollow body you get plenty of unplugged volume, all with that hint of quick attack and shorter-sustain ‘archtop’-like response. You could easily put a mic in front of this one and capture a pretty good swing-era rhythm sound.
Plugged in, though, and bringing up the volume of the neck pickup, there’s a very evocative, thick chocolatey voice that just needs a late-50s jazz combo to fit right in. There’s a slight softening as you pull back the volume (which suggests we don’t have a treble bleed circuit), but full up there’s just the right amount of clarity.
With both controls full up, the mix nods more to classic Gretsch – it’s bright but with depth and a hollowed middle. Back off the volume and a little tone and it’s a wonderfully softer, yet clear, jazzy voice. You can’t help wondering what this TL would sound like with a volume control for each pickup.
Flick over to the bridge pickup and we’re now in the 60s, with bite and quite a bit of honky depth that could be useful for any beat-band pop hit of the era.
There’s a little ‘vibrato’ if you push the neck, too, and if Godin hasn’t considered a TL with a Bigsby then it should. But the quality of sound here is really something, and the volume and tone control provide more than useful shade. We’re really loving this sound – and we’re still on the clean channel with no effects.
Adding some dirt doesn’t ruin the fun, and we’re into an old-school ride with the bridge proving surprisingly aggressive. It gives a Mod classic voice that does an earthy rock ’n’ roll twang nicely – great sound! Things get a little fruity at the neck, with instant swampy slide, and fuzz tones implode. Here comes the feedback… Hold on tight!
By design, of course, our Grace is a very different ride. Although it is a little weighty, it’s an absolute pleasure – very good looking with a neck and fingerboard that disappear under your hand and fingers.
It ships with 10-gauge strings, but with the different-tension supplied springs for the vibrato, you can go lower or higher gauge.
The neck reminds us of PRS’s Wide Thin in its profile with a nicely relaxed C section that’s pretty slim in depth (20.7mm at the 1st fret, 22.6mm by the 12th), albeit it with a more regular nut width of 42.5mm and string spacing of 35mm. The fretwork (2.4mm wide by 1.25mm high) is exemplary, as is the perfectly cut Graph Tech nut.
But it’s the voicing that’s really well considered here. The neck pickup very subtly leans into a humbucker with what sounds like a subtle high-end roll-off – a little less sparkle than a lower wind, perhaps – but that’s where the middle position comes in with more high-end detail to those bouncy, funky sounds we’ve heard hundreds of times before.
These are three very strong sounds that cover a wide range – one reason why a good HSS guitar such as this is a function player’s dream
Then there’s the bridge ’bucker that has a little more kick; it’s rounder and thicker, but it doesn’t lack clarity or presence. These are three very strong sounds that cover a wide range – one reason why a good HSS guitar such as this is a function player’s dream. The guitar plays beautifully with those super-smooth frets, which make for effortless bends.
Speaking of which, there’s quite a large range of bendability on the UltraTrem, too. The supplied arm does sit a little high in playing position compared with our vintage-spec Strat reference, but the up-bend is huge, easily five semitones on the G string and down to very slack.
Don’t forget there’s no locking nut here, but even with the strings barely stretched the tuning stability and return-to-pitch is superb
Don’t forget there’s no locking nut here, but even with the strings barely stretched the tuning stability and return-to-pitch is superb. Of course, the wide range won’t suit everyone, but it’s here if that’s your style. The very smooth-feeling vibrato only uses two springs.
You find three additional spring sets in the case: high tension, low tension and extra low; our fitted springs are normal medium tension. If you thought Godin only did lower-end ‘functional’ guitars, this might make you think differently. We certainly did.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★½
The TL is a superb evolution of the original 5th Avenue that retains its archtop style without the physical bulk. The Lollar Gold Foils combine to produce hugely evocative jazzy, bluesy or garage-rock swamp tones. We just can’t say enough how good this guitar sounds.
We can only hope that, with or without Alex Lifeson’s input, this style becomes a mainstay of its line-up
We don’t usually review a guitar like the Lerxst Grace because, put simply, it’s a limited collector’s piece and is priced accordingly – just look at Fender, Gibson and PRS who milk this market.
The ‘but’ – and the point of this feature – is that this Grace vividly illustrates that Godin should be taken very seriously, and we can only hope that, with or without Alex Lifeson’s input, this style becomes a mainstay of its line-up at a more real-world price.
Guitar World verdict: Judging by this disparate duo, and in answer to our original question – just how good are Godin guitars? – we have to say, very good indeed. Always functional and fit-for-purpose, these contemporary models possess another level of quality.
Hands-on videos
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![Lerxst Grace [left] and Godin 5th Avenue TL Gold Foil: Grace is a red HSS S-style with a mirror pickguard and a Vega tremolo system. The 5th Avenue model to its right sits beside a houseplant and is an arch-topped hollowbody with f-holes and gold-foil pickups.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6w2NUh4RxvR5ajrc52sFCB-1280-80.jpg.webp)