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MGR/ShackMan « Godin BG5 5-string Bass »
Published on 01/21/10 at 15:00Here is the closest I could find to what my bass is: www.godinguitars.com/godinbgp.htm. The finish is the LightBurst High Gloss (shown at left). The pickups are not Godin-made. They're Seymour Duncan Basslines, which lead me to believe that my bass was modified before I got it, and I don't have a white Godin logo on the body. The scale is 34' with 22 frets on a rosewood fingerboard and a Rock Maple neck. It has a Figured Maple Leaf top with a Silver Leaf Maple body and a Rock Maple center. Controls for the pickups are in the same configuration shown: Volume, Blend, Mid, Bass/Treble. The battery cavity uses 9V industrial batteries only. It can sometimes be picky as to the brand as well, and those Seymour Duncans are powerful enough to eat through the battery quickly. My history as a musician is scattered through jazz, musical theater, reggae, rock, blues, experimental, alternative, and funk. I've played for somewhere around 14 or 15 bands in my lifetime, and I've enjoyed them all. I've played bass since I was in 8th grade and received my uncle's old Peavey T-40 to start on. The Godin BG-5 was purchased about two years ago and has been mainly used in house band (for open mics), jazz, funk, and experimental settings, a decent range of music.
The bass was an absolute steal at a music shop for $499.99 with Godin hardshell case, especially considering it's original street price was right around $1,499. It seems nobody wanted it, because nobody knew the Godin name in the Morgantown, West Virginia area, let alone that they made solidbody electric basses. I got it because I wanted a 5-string, and because it had been required of me too many times to tune down. Bassists out there, you need at least one 5-string in your arsenal if you intend to do any kind of jazz or session work. You can get by on just a 4-string if you're good, but I recommend giving the 5 a chance. I'll quote Kern when I say that I make my living on the low B now.
I don't usually play 'dub' bass or 'woofy' bass sounds (apart from the reggae group), and I like my basses to have a clear and clean tone. If I need to deaden the treble side I can just turn it down on the bass or palm mute it, but I want the basic tone properties of the bass to be very rich and clear so that the audience can understand my note as its own entity and not as a toneless extension of the bass drum. This bass was purchased because it fits that perfectly. Notes ring out for days and they're crystal clear to the last bit. The bass balances almost perfectly, unlike my Peavey, and while it does use some heavier tone woods it isn't a back strain. I also appreciate the string spacing that's borderline 4-string. It makes slapping and fingerplaying or even pickstyle a breeze to me, and there's almost no 'reset' time for me to get used my 4 or my 5 again in between gigs. I can go from one to the other in no time without worries. The midrange control brings out the most beautiful lush and complex harmonics as well, and the volume knob can be pulled for a scooped mid 'slap' eq instantaneously. Brilliant!
For a bass that was originally $1500 (and I don't mean list price...I mean street), the preamp could be better tuned. The treble can be hissy and sound on the edgy and harsh side, and the bass is not low enough to add some real low-end, more of a low-mid. The only tweaking I do to these is usually to cut the treble when I have new strings or I don't want to be as present, because this bass can add some serious presence. It eats batteries quickly, as I said earlier, and that's just not fun. Granted, the method of replacing them is incredibly easy, but I just wish that Godin would have added an active/passive switch. I can get over batteries, but basses of this fine quality should NOT go without an on/off switch for the active preamp. It is mostly for this that this bass gets a 4.
I take care of my instruments, and they've taken great care of me. Haven't had any problems other than the battery eating yet.
It's an absolutely fantastic bass, although if I actually had to spend the full $1,500, I'd probably get an MTD Kingston instead. Still, considering the price I paid, I doubt I will EVER find a bass remotely as playable, comfortable, or beautiful-sounding as this one. It's only for the lack of active/passive switch and the battery problem that I give it a 4, as I really believe both to be a fault of Godin construction. If you have the money to buy a battery once month on some good hard playing (e.g. at least 1 hour per day), then by all means, check it out!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
The bass was an absolute steal at a music shop for $499.99 with Godin hardshell case, especially considering it's original street price was right around $1,499. It seems nobody wanted it, because nobody knew the Godin name in the Morgantown, West Virginia area, let alone that they made solidbody electric basses. I got it because I wanted a 5-string, and because it had been required of me too many times to tune down. Bassists out there, you need at least one 5-string in your arsenal if you intend to do any kind of jazz or session work. You can get by on just a 4-string if you're good, but I recommend giving the 5 a chance. I'll quote Kern when I say that I make my living on the low B now.
I don't usually play 'dub' bass or 'woofy' bass sounds (apart from the reggae group), and I like my basses to have a clear and clean tone. If I need to deaden the treble side I can just turn it down on the bass or palm mute it, but I want the basic tone properties of the bass to be very rich and clear so that the audience can understand my note as its own entity and not as a toneless extension of the bass drum. This bass was purchased because it fits that perfectly. Notes ring out for days and they're crystal clear to the last bit. The bass balances almost perfectly, unlike my Peavey, and while it does use some heavier tone woods it isn't a back strain. I also appreciate the string spacing that's borderline 4-string. It makes slapping and fingerplaying or even pickstyle a breeze to me, and there's almost no 'reset' time for me to get used my 4 or my 5 again in between gigs. I can go from one to the other in no time without worries. The midrange control brings out the most beautiful lush and complex harmonics as well, and the volume knob can be pulled for a scooped mid 'slap' eq instantaneously. Brilliant!
For a bass that was originally $1500 (and I don't mean list price...I mean street), the preamp could be better tuned. The treble can be hissy and sound on the edgy and harsh side, and the bass is not low enough to add some real low-end, more of a low-mid. The only tweaking I do to these is usually to cut the treble when I have new strings or I don't want to be as present, because this bass can add some serious presence. It eats batteries quickly, as I said earlier, and that's just not fun. Granted, the method of replacing them is incredibly easy, but I just wish that Godin would have added an active/passive switch. I can get over batteries, but basses of this fine quality should NOT go without an on/off switch for the active preamp. It is mostly for this that this bass gets a 4.
I take care of my instruments, and they've taken great care of me. Haven't had any problems other than the battery eating yet.
It's an absolutely fantastic bass, although if I actually had to spend the full $1,500, I'd probably get an MTD Kingston instead. Still, considering the price I paid, I doubt I will EVER find a bass remotely as playable, comfortable, or beautiful-sounding as this one. It's only for the lack of active/passive switch and the battery problem that I give it a 4, as I really believe both to be a fault of Godin construction. If you have the money to buy a battery once month on some good hard playing (e.g. at least 1 hour per day), then by all means, check it out!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com