Finally tamed the Godin Icon! With the help of Mincer, forumites, and ArtieToo.

[jmcorey]

This guy has been a challenge. Ebony fingerboard, mahogany neck and chambered mahogany body. Came with Godin neck pickup which was very muffled and muddy with Duncan 59 bridge, which was shrill.

Went with a WLH set. Bridge still too bright and neck too dark. Played with it for 2-3 years, though. Tried Mag swap with A4 in neck and A2 in bridge. Better, but no cigar.

Godin's latest standard combination is now the CC Bridge and the Jazz neck. I got this for Christmas, but it was too middy in the bridge.

I decided to try dropping an A2 in the neck to balance out the CC in the bridge, and I loved the new APH-1 there, but the CC in the bridge was just too much. Reswapped the A5 back into the neck to make it a Jazz and then put an A5 in the CC to make it a C5. Bridge was too bright, still.

Had an A8 that I found and put that in the bridge to make a C8. It balances with the Jazz in the neck perfectly. People say it is like a Custom with a more organic, less strident character, and I like it A LOT.


It has a 5-way super switch. With the help of ArtieToo, I was able to wire it as follows:

5 - Jazz
4 - Jazz coils in parallel with C8 coils in series
3 - Jazz and C8
2 - C8 in parallel
1 - C8 normal series operation

Now this guitar is incredible.

I am very grateful to Mincer, ArtieToo, and all the forum guys out there who helped me tame this beast and make all the positions of this guitar usable.

 

[Artie]

Sweet. I love a happy ending.

 

[beaubrummels]

Sweet. I love a happy ending.

...but enough about my personal life.


(ba dum bum, hey you’re a good crowd...)

 

[Artie]

The connotation didn't occur to me 'til you said that. Oh well.

 

[gsammo79]

The guys here are a huge help. Most of us here have our own little pickup journey. Glad you finally found something that rocks.

 

[TVFV]

This guy has been a challenge. Ebony fingerboard, mahogany neck and chambered mahogany body. Came with Godin neck pickup which was very muffled and muddy with Duncan 59 bridge, which was shrill.

Went with a WLH set. Bridge still too bright and neck too dark. Played with it for 2-3 years, though. Tried Mag swap with A4 in neck and A2 in bridge. Better, but no cigar.

Godin's latest standard combination is now the CC Bridge and the Jazz neck. I got this for Christmas, but it was too middy in the bridge.

I decided to try dropping an A2 in the neck to balance out the CC in the bridge, and I loved the new APH-1 there, but the CC in the bridge was just too much. Reswapped the A5 back into the neck to make it a Jazz and then put an A5 in the CC to make it a C5. Bridge was too bright, still.

Had an A8 that I found and put that in the bridge to make a C8. It balances with the Jazz in the neck perfectly. People say it is like a Custom with a more organic, less strident character, and I like it A LOT.


It has a 5-way super switch. With the help of ArtieToo, I was able to wire it as follows:

5 - Jazz
4 - Jazz coils in parallel with C8 coils in series
3 - Jazz and C8
2 - C8 in parallel
1 - C8 normal series operation

Now this guitar is incredible.

I am very grateful to Mincer, ArtieToo, and all the forum guys out there who helped me tame this beast and make all the positions of this guitar usable.

I'm interested in how positions 2 and 4 sound with that setup.

 

[jmcorey]

I'm interested in how positions 2 and 4 sound with that setup.

Yeah -

Position 2 sounds like a thinner, lower output version of the full series version. But still sounds like a humbucker, but more vintage.

Position 4 sounds similar no matter which pickups are used, so it was the same with the WLHs, APH/CC, Jazz/C5, and Jazz/C8. It is a super-clean, almost notched, faux acoustic tone. Take a clean amp sound, add chorus, some compression, light delay, sounds great for strumming. Adding some light overdrive usually doesn't give it hair, only a volume boost. I love that setting. Best with the WLHs and Jazz/C8.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Always wanted to try A8 in a Custom.
Double thick A8s did really for a Distortion set.

 

[TVFV]

Yeah -

Position 2 sounds like a thinner, lower output version of the full series version. But still sounds like a humbucker, but more vintage.

Position 4 sounds similar no matter which pickups are used, so it was the same with the WLHs, APH/CC, Jazz/C5, and Jazz/C8. It is a super-clean, almost notched, faux acoustic tone. Take a clean amp sound, add chorus, some compression, light delay, sounds great for strumming. Adding some light overdrive usually doesn't give it hair, only a volume boost. I love that setting. Best with the WLHs and Jazz/C8.

Very cool. I always enjoy creative wiring schemes on here.

 

[Mincer]

Wow, I am happy that it eventually turned out great, but sorry you had to go through a swap fest to get there. I have done that before, but after the 4th pickup set, I determined that the guitar wasn't worth further experimenting.

 

[Dave Locher]

I have never really considered a 5-way switch on my hh guitars but that does sound like an interesting pair of extra sounds to have available!
Really glad it all worked out for you eventually.

 

[hamerfan]

If you are willing to try a last step. All my C8 loaded guitars had A4 neck pickups in the end. I like the A4 in the neck with a A8 pickup - even with my P90 set.

 

[jmcorey]

Wow, I am happy that it eventually turned out great, but sorry you had to go through a swap fest to get there. I have done that before, but after the 4th pickup set, I determined that the guitar wasn't worth further experimenting.

Once I got the Jazz to make the neck work, I reasoned that there was a possible bridge solution. My previous post on CC led to suggestions to mod to C5 and Custom. I tried the APH-/CC route myself out of my own curiosity.

Had this not worked, I would have gone with a pair of APH-1s. I am almost sad I don't have another one of these to put an APH-1 set into!

 

[jmcorey]

If you are willing to try a last step. All my C8 loaded guitars had A4 neck pickups in the end. I think the A4 in the neck with a A8 pickup - even with my P90 set.

Yes, and that is a huge temptation! I have read of the A4/A8 combo many times before!

 

[jmcorey]

I have never really considered a 5-way switch on my hh guitars but that does sound like an interesting pair of extra sounds to have available!
Really glad it all worked out for you eventually.

The Icon, like Godin's LGX-SA and LGXT, comes with a 5-way Super Switch that splits each humbucker in positions 2 and 4. I find hum unacceptable, so I came up with alternate schemes.