Dannyalcatraz Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Even though I ordered this one on first, I actually got my hands on The Eggplant of Doom earlier because it was in a store only a few miles from my house. Still...worth the wait. I've been wanting a Godin of some kind for some time. I've tried out Sessions, Progressions, SDs, Kingpins and more. Even though each one I tried impressed me, there was always a good reason not to buy: timing was bad, not enough money at the moment, etc. Never the guitars' fault, though- liked every last one of them. One I had looked at many a time was the Richmond* Belmont. But I kept passing on them...and now Godin has discontinued them. So I started scoping them out on eBay and Reverb. Then I saw one unlike every other one I had seen: it had a black pickguard, not white. It was also cheaper than almost any I'd found. I was worried it was someone's home-made copy or some such, so I contacted Godin. They said that black pickguards were a legit option, but one not commonly chosen. So I looked at it with its Trans burgundy finish and black pickguard, it REALLY captured that SG vibe...for under $400. ...and here it is: http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s593/AJA1967/image.jpg1_zpsgnktves2.jpg http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s593/AJA1967/image.jpg4_zpsutocg0ja.jpg http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s593/AJA1967/image.jpg2_zpslzelbcw3.jpg It's essentially the lovechild of a SG and a Fat Strat. From the SG, it gets the 24.75" scale, 12" fingerboard radius, the overall bodystyle (in mahogany), and a hard tail.** From the Strat, it gets a rock solid bolt-on neck plus a 5-way selector hooked up to a SD '59 in the bridge and matching SD Lipsticks in the middle & neck positions. The neck is relatively slender, with a satin finish. VERY friendly. Kluson tuners, too. The '59 is my favorite SD HB, and it does not disappoint here, either. Very nice rock tones in positions 5 & 4. Meanwhile, the Lipsticks deliver familiar singlecoil tones, but- to my ear, at least- with a bit rawer sound than you get out of your standard Strat pickups. More jangle and edge, perhaps? Which is great, because I bought this guitar to learn and play slide (in Open G?). I want some grit & edge. And this guitar is just rude enough to play nice...until its time not to be nice. * Richmond was a subsidiary of Godin that eventually just got folded into the company. ** there is also a version with a Bigsby. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 When they were in production, the hardtails were @$800, and they come in a translucent burgundy or black wash finish. The Bigsby equipped ones- all in Laurentian white with a black pickguard- were @$850-900. Right now, I'm seeing the NOS ones about $100 off new, and used ones between $350-650, depending on a variety of factors. The cheaper ones seem to be mostly from more-motivated sellers...IOW, guitar hoarders like myself. For example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Godin-Richmond-BELMONT-LAURENTIAN-WHITE-High-Gloss-PROTOTYPE-One-Of-A-Kind-/221989747340?ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F0%2Fe11021.m43.l3160%2F7%3Feuid%3D83bbeeef366b4225a6cf485398195c04%26loc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.com%252Fws%252FeBayISAPI.dll%253FViewItem%2526item%253D221989747340%26srcrot%3De11021.m43.l3160%26rvr_id%3D0 https://reverb.com/item/1183409-richmond-belmont-burgundy http://www.ebay.com/itm/GODIN-RICHMOND-Awesome-BLACK-WASH-FINISH-DUNCAN-PICKUPS-BEST-OF-NAMM-SHOW-A-Buy-/151943785327?hash=item23608e2b6f:g:LsIAAOxyF0pTgeuA Honestly, for Canadian/US-made guitars of this quality, that's theft. And yes, this is one of those that I'm seriously considering picking up a duplicate of. And despite my hoard, I don't often do that. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Congrats! I suspected you were a hoarder LOL! It should make a great slide guitar and I definitely like the black pick-guards the best! Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Thanks! Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Nice score! And yeah, I bet she makes a great axe for slide, especially if you string and set-up for Open-G. I also think that this guitar looks much better with the black 'guard than a white one. Are you going to set 'er up for both slide and fretting, or for mostly slide? I highly, HIGHLY recommend a custom mixed-gauge set of DR Pure Blues for your Open-G stringing and set-up (round cores, pure/solid nickel winding). To arrive at good gauges, look at those of a set you'd use for Standard Tuning on that axe, and go up a gauge or so for the 1st, 5th, and 6th strings, which will be tuned down a whole-step from Standard. I used just such a custom-ordered medium/heavy-ish DR PB's on a Les Paul with P-90's for Open-D, and they were PERFECT for that. I also VERY highly recommend a Dunlop "Harris Slide"- machined bell brass, flared (bass-end larger) and concave-profile. Despite the weight of the brass, the flare and concavity make for less string to fret buzzing and crashing than my Pyrex glass and medicine-bottle slides. And their tone and sustain are beautiful! ____ http://www.jimdunlop.com/images/products/HarrisSlide-11.png Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Very cool! To my eye, with that finish and the black pick guard, it looks like a cross between an SG and an Epiphone Wilshire. Enjoy! "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_C Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Danny, Great find. Man, I think I can hear those Blues from here. Enjoy! If you play cool, you are cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 Well, I'm going about this similarly to the way as I have other aspects of guitar playing: shopping and throwing money around. I tried slide many years ago- before realizing that you needed to (or could) raise the action above ultra low, and got frustrated because my slides were just rattling away on the frets. Plus my slides- one chromed steel, one glass- were not the right size...AND I had no idea which finger I wanted to use, and chose poorly. Well, now I KNOW I need to use my pinky- no other finger will work for me- and the basic chromed steel Dunlop I bought yesterday is a perfect fit. Now, there's nothing wrong with it, but I have already been shopping for more...exotic...slides. I was going to get a jade one, but the webstore I know that makes them is offline. They say temporarily, but who knows? http://www.stonepicks.com/ I have found some nifty ceramics, brass, titanium and even tungsten carbide ones. I have also discovered my boundaries- unless/until I become a slide monster, I'm not buying the tungsten carbide ones. http://www.therockslide.com/shop/satin-brass/ http://www.rockymountainslides.com/shavano.html http://www.rockymountainslides.com/Tomichi-Guitar-Slide.html http://www.rainbowguitars.com/accessories/furious-slides/titanium-slide-medium/mediumslide/fn http://www.wolframslides.com/index.php The others? Maybe. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Congrats! I had the pleasure of testing some pedals with a Godin/Richmond Empire (single cut, 2 P90 pups) earlier this week. Fun guitar, and I'm sure yours will serve you well. "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 I like the Empire, too, just not as much. Given how good this Belmont is, I'm honestly surprised they didn't sell better for Godin. I'm honestly considering getting a second one. And despite my hoard there are not many guitar models I've even considered buying a duplicate, much less followed through, and even in those cases, they weren't true duplicàtes- they each had different functional features. (I really am about sampling the buffet that is the guitar market.) Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I think you'll find that flared/concave shaped slides follow the arc of the strings' radius to allow for less buzz and give a better, more consistent stability to the low-strings. Nice for single-notes and double-stops, and KILLER for three to six note sliding! I'm tellin' ya, give that Harris Slide a fair shake. Tone-wise, the ceramic Moonshine Slides from Dunlop were among my favorites; much of what I liked about the bell-brass Harris, with a little 'something more' in the harmonic-overtones or somethin'. They feel great, too- glassy-glossy smooth gliding glaze on the outside, unglazed bare porcelain-bisque on the inside for a cooler, comfier, less sweaty feel on the finger. If they'd been available in the same flared/concave shape as the Harris, they'd probably be my very favorite be-all, end-all slide, and I'd probably play a LOT more slide. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 I'll keep that info about flared/concave slides in mind while shopping- thanks! Because i havent ruled ANYTHING out (except paying £250 for a slide as a beginner). And if/when I find the One Slide to Rule Them All, and in the Delta Bind Them, I'll definitely pass my findings along. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Very cool! To my eye, with that finish and the black pick guard, it looks like a cross between an SG and an Epiphone Wilshire. Enjoy! Yeah, I thought it has a Wiltshire vibe, too. Looks great...let us know how you get on with it. Guitar Speak Podcast www.guitarspeakpodcast.libsyn.com https://www.facebook.com/guitarspeakpodcast www.itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/guitar-speak-podcast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 ...and I just pulled the trigger in an all black one. :lol: With the Trans-black wash finish and the rare black pickguard- priced under $450- this thing looks pretty darn evil. It should be in my hands next week. And I'm already thinking about transforming it into a metal machine, with a Lace Alumitone Deathbucker and 2 standard Lace Alumitones (all in black) replacing the stock pickups... Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_C Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 ... With the Trans-black wash finish and the rare black pickguard- priced under $450- this thing looks pretty darn evil. It should be in my hands next week. And I'm already thinking about transforming it into a metal machine, with a Lace Alumitone Deathbucker and 2 standard Lace Alumitones (all in black) replacing the stock pickups... From the Subject line, I thought you bought it as a Blues Axe. If you play cool, you are cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 The first one, yes. That one has the wine red wash, and I'm planning on taking it in for the slide setup next week. What I'm saying is I liked the first one so much, I bought a SECOND one! (IOW, I am having one HELL of a honeymoon with the original!) G.A.S. is a terrible thing, Fred. Terrible. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_C Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I apologize for misunderstanding. Somehow, I missed the fact that you had acquired a second instrument. My bad. Yes! GAS is a terrible addiction. I really didn't need the Heritage H575 Custom. Although I love it, I didn't need it. If you play cool, you are cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 Those are GORGEOUS instruments. Sound as good as they look, too. Whatcha playin' on it most of the time? Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_C Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I am completely focused on playing Jazz Standards (Misty, Embraceable You, Body and Soul, etc.) in Chord Melody style. It really is beautiful music and VERY challenging. Working up a solo can take months (learning the tune from one or more transcriptions and then making changes to make the solo "mine" and then memorizing the finished product). Great Fun!!! If you play cool, you are cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 I can almost hear it... Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred_C Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Someday, I'm going to figure out how to use the recorder I bought two years ago, open a Soundcloud account and post some music. Assuming that the forum is still in existence. Also, you can contact me on the Jazz Guitar Forum www.jazzguitar.be . If you play cool, you are cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Sound cloud is still around, AFAIK. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Welp, got my hands on the 2nd Belmont I ordered today...and returned it. There was some weird damage to the pickguard around the center pickup. When I plugged in, there was something obviously wrong- a huge dropoff in sound in any position involving that middle pup. Don't know if it was the pickup or the wiring or both, but didn't want to find out. However, in the process of doing the return, I found a nice new and discounted Roadrunner case (for my first Belmont, which shipped in a gig bag), and a Catalinbread EchoRec. Picked them both up, and still had money refunded, so, on balance, not a bad day. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Welp, got my hands on the 2nd Belmont I ordered today...and returned it. There was some weird damage to the pickguard around the center pickup. When I plugged in, there was something obviously wrong- a huge dropoff in sound in any position involving that middle pup. Don't know if it was the pickup or the wiring or both, but didn't want to find out. However, in the process of doing the return, I found a nice new and discounted Roadrunner case (for my first Belmont, which shipped in a gig bag), and a Catalinbread EchoRec. Picked them both up, and still had money refunded, so, on balance, not a bad day. Nice silver lining to that cloud! Looking forward to your review of that Catalinbread EchoRec. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Sorry it did work out and I wish they wouldn't ship things that don't work, maybe next time... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Well, hidden flaws are always a risk with used gear. At least GC has a good returns policy. And there are a few of them floating around the used market, so the door isn't closed. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Best wishes on your search for another one! Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Keep us posted about that Catalinbread EchoRec. If for any reason you decide not to keep it, I want call CLAIM first dibs. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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