We are the Unofficial Godin Core Fan Club, and like its P-90 brother
we just can't say enough about the Godin Core lineup. The chambered
mahogany Core HB features high quality hardware and a fat-but-clean sound that will appeal to a wide range of guitarists.
This is a Godin B-Stock guitar, which has been used a demo, review, or employee use. The plastic is still on the pickguard. It’s a fully guaranteed instrument at a great price!
The Godin Core HB is another winner from Godin and features the following:
- Chambered Mahogany Body
- Canadian Gloss Maple top
- Mahogany set net, 24-3/4" scale, 22 medium frets
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Godin NHN1 humbucker neck pickup
- Godin NHB1 humbucker 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: $985.00
We first got exposed to the Core line via their excellent Core P-90, and we're happy to report that the Core HB
is just as much fun, and a great value. We gave it a quick test spin
using our Fender Bassman Ltd Reissue amplifier with four Jensen P10R speakers.
Like
all guitars in the Core line, it features a glossy maple top and
chambered mahogany body. The maple/mahogany combination has been used
for decades, and combines the fat, warm nature of a mahogany body with
the additional upper end snap provided by the maple top. The addition of
a chambered mahogany 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. It's like combining the more
defined upper end of a semi-hollow such as a 335 with the brawnier low
end of a solid body.
The Godin-branded pickups are medium output
pickups made by G&B from Korea (which supplies a lot of guitar
builders including the PRS
SE line). They are certainly a good starting point, and the neck pickup
combines good upper end string clarity, and commendably percussive low
end that does not get soft and wooly like a lot of humbuckers. It's
capable of jazzy rhythm tones, but it is tight and articulate enough to
get funky when the mood strikes. The bridge pickup is a little hotter,
but still sounds clean and avoids the stiff, harsh upper midrange that
can afflict bridge pickups that are wound too hot. There is a pleasing
level of brightness, and single coil players will easily warm up to its
fat punchy tones that somehow still manage to sparkle.
A must-have 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 joy of individual volume and
tone controls. The best way to experience the flexibility and range of
the Core HB 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 my opinion, it's how
these guitars are meant to be played.
The neck is a reasonably slim Gibson/PRS
shape that is technically a "C" profile, but Godin tends to flatten the
back a little bit. 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 -- especially single coil players -- who want to experience
the fatter, warmer nature of a set neck humbucker guitar, the Core HB is an exceptional value. The Core HB
provides the girth and punch made famous by this style of guitar, but
adds a level of clarity and definition that most guitars of this genre
lack. Even without fancy name brand pickups this guitar rocks, and at a
street price of under $800 it easily deserves a space in your
collection.