Godin Core CT P90 Carve Top SF Sunburst

For 2015, Godin gave their popular Core line a refresh with a new glossy carved maple top, and lighter weight chambered Spanish Cedar body. Still an outstanding value, the Godin Core CT P90 is the perfect way to experience what a great P-90 guitar has to offer.

This is a Godin "SF" factory second, which means the guitar contains a small cosmetic defect. These are typically extremely minor blemishes that most people will never notice. So you get a new guitar with full factory warranty at a nice savings.

Refreshed for 2015 the Godin Core CT delivers great sound and looks:

• Chambered Spanish Cedar body
• Carved Canadian gloss maple top
• Mahogany set net, 24-3/4" scale, 22 medium frets
• 1.7" nut width
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Seymour Duncan SP-1 neck pickup
• Seymour Duncan SP-3 bridge pickup
• 3-way pickup switch
• Individual volume and tone controls for each pickup
• Graphtech Resomax adjustable wrap bridge
• Schaller strap lock buttons
• Dual action truss rod
• Godin Deluxe padded gig bag
• Made in Canada
• List price: $1095

We've always been a fan of the Godin Core line, both in terms of sound quality and value. For 2015 Godin upped the cosmetics with a nice carved maple top, a slightly sharper cutaway shape that in terms of profile is less "signature" Godin, and smoother more substantial feeling tuners. In addition they swapped out the chambered mahogany back for a chambered Spanish Cedar back (which is really a variety of mahogany). But it's lighter in weight than traditional mahogany, and shaves a little mass off an already comfortable guitar.

In all other matters, the Core is essentially the same as the previous version, which is just fine with us. The maple/mahogany (cedar) combination is a tried-and-true formula to impart a warm mahogany midrange with the additional upper end snap provided by the maple top. The addition of a chambered body imparts a clean, open tone that is the signature sound of the Core series. Regardless of which Core model, they possess a balanced, open midrange and a level of clarity that is a cut above most set-neck mahogany guitars. To our ear, the Spanish Cedar sounds a little brighter than the previous mahogany body, opening up the tone a little more, but with maybe just a touch less punch.

The Godin Core is the perfect guitar for players who "don't like" P-90 pickups. There are many uninspiring P-90 guitars out there, but the Core is not one of them. The Duncan SP90-1 neck pickup is commendably clean without any mud or swampy sounds on the lower strings. Playing up the neck it was nicely glassy with a little bit of Strat® scoop to it. The maple top and chambered body probably helps, and it was certainly more detailed and open in the middle than many P-90 guitars. In certain situations we actually found ourselves rolling off the tone for a little added warmth. This is not something you could say about every neck P-90. Neck pickup resistance is a bout 7.8K.

The bridge pickup is certainly hotter and thicker, and the SP90-3, is wound to 14.4K, which is kind of a scary value for any single coil pickup. But it surprised us with good string-to-string clarity and jangly clean tones. Adding some gain brings out more of the midrange bark you'd normally associate with a P-90. With mild amounts of overdrive -- like our Sparkle Drive -- it's bright and soulful. But pump it up with our Love Pedal Kalamazoo and it packs are real gut punch that will rival a humbucker.

A key feature of the Core is the individual tone and volume controls for each pickup. Guitarists who have played Strats all their lives have really missed the flexibility of individual volume and tone controls. The best way to experience the tonal range of the Core is to use both pickups together and explore the all the nuances that individual volume and tone controls offer. Just the simple arrangement of keeping the bridge pickup on full, and adjusting the neck pickup to control the level of warmth is a very powerful tool. And there are vastly more tone possibilities beyond that. In our opinion, four knobs is how this type of guitar is meant to be.

The neck is a medium "C" profile, measuring around .840 at the first fret with a very mild taper up to the 12th fret. It's a cinch to play, and the traditional 24-3/4" string length provides comfortable action and easy bending. Like all Godin electrics, the medium sized frets are highly polished with very smooth fret ends, and the fingerboard has rounded edges that feel broken in from day one. Dialing in the setup is a snap, no doubt aided by Godin's dual action truss rod and a fully adjustable wrap tailpiece.

For players who felt the previous Core lacked a little pizzazz, the new carved top is a welcome addition. But Godin knows a good thing when they've got it, and thankfully the new CT retains all the tone and character of its flat-top predecessor. The Godin Core CT P90 checks off just about every box, and if you've shied away from P-90 guitars because you thought they lacked sparkle or personality, the Godin Core CT is a breath of fresh air, and a great value.