The Evolution Of My Godin Radiator....

[Nostalgic Distortion]

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From when I first bought it, but after it had been cleaned several times. I paid $75 for this fiddle and although it was never played it had been sitting over the heater on the wall for the past 15 years. The neck was still absolutely perfect, the only real problem (aside from the horrible mirror guard) was that it was covered by a 1/4 inch layer of cigarette tar and nicotine! GROSS....

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I got a new & much nicer B&W Pearl guard from a buddy of mine who used to work at Godin, as did almost every single person in our town!!! Great guitars, awful place to work!!! The guard didn't stay on it long, I decided to put it away in case I ever wanted to sell it. This way it would be completely stock & have a film covered guard on it?

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I couldn't stand the bridge pup but I liked the neck pickup so I decided to mod that Mirror guard and get a ringed Trembucker into the bridge. A TB-11 C.C. ended up being exactly the right RX for this 100% Maple guitar! I also dropped in a 500K volume pot for the Trembucker and a Black Candy tone capacitor. Oh, just so everyone is aware this guitar has no switch. The harness is a lot like a Jazz Bass harness, two independent volume knobs and a central tone......

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I sanded off that mirror garbage and hit the back of the now clear guard with a thin layer of black spray paint. I then sanded off 99% of that & hit it with a thin layer of white spray paint. I was going for a beat up old Caddie "relic" look, I think it came out pretty darn good myself but others had mixed feelings??? It was for a time the Grateful Dead of guitars, people either loved the way it looked or hated it. There was no in between, LOL!

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TODAY- I cut into that nice new guard! I realized that I'm never going to sell it because it's one of the best players I own & it cost me almost nothing so saving that guard was for not? Personally I did really like the "relic" guard but this one is a little more classy & aesthetically pleasing....

Now that the guitar has been cleaned, the harness modified, and the new modded guard installed, it's by far the best sounding Godin Radiator on the planet! There again, the bar was set pretty low, LOL!!!

Why anyone would build such a nice instrument then turn around and fill it up with a bunch of gimmicky garbage is completely beyond me! Perhaps I should go get my old job back & see if they'll start letting me in on the design process?

In any case the Radiator is finished and baring anything catastrophic I shouldn't ever have to take it apart again... ��

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: The Evolution Of My Godin Radiator....

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Just a little more eye candy....

 

[BloodRose]

Re: The Evolution Of My Godin Radiator....

That's just Radiant!! See what I did there??? haha.. Personally, I liked the mirror, but the new one is awesome too! The cc is a great choice for a bright maple guit. Nice!! I just have to ask.. why is Godin a bad place to work??

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: The Evolution Of My Godin Radiator....

Just to be clear that comment was about the Berlin NH assembly plant only, not Godin as a whole. I've actually met Robert Godin & he's not only a great guy who generally cares about his employees and what they think but he's an amazing Jazz guitarist & very down to earth...

The reason the NH plant is so awful is mostly because the factory is in such a small town & all the small town politics that go along with living in one. If you want to work outside the buffer room you've got to be related to someone or at the very least know someone who is in a position to move you forward? The local management makes these decisions and they are not based on work ethic or even how long you have worked there.

The guy that gave me the guard has an aunt that does most of the hiring & firing at the factory. He went from the buffing room to production to inspection all within his first year. I love him like a brother but I've seen him work & he didn't deserve these promotions, he only went to work half the time! There were a lot of people who deserved to move up way before him but didn't. Even he'll tell you that the process is F@<£€d!!!

LOL, by the way he was moving up the ladder you'd think he was sleeping with Mrs. Godin!!! His uncle (dad's brother) and aunt got separated then divorced about 2 years ago, he was looking for a new job within a month due to "layoffs", although he was the only person who got laid off???

There's guys & gals that have been there for 10 years & are still buffing guitar bodies! But, like I said "it's a small town" and if you want a raise, ask for a new job within the company, or they think just you don't want your job enough they're quite quick to remind you that there's 50+ people who apply every week & all of them would gladly take your job out from underneath you...

Berlin NH was a HUGE paper & lumber town with a booming economy for almost a century but when the mills closed down the economy went to hell? A lot of people just moved away or retired but those who stayed & couldn't retire still need jobs and the whole "small town politics" thing started? LOL, it's commonly known as little Detroit due to the shear volume of vacant buildings and business! We do have a new State & Federal prison now, they were built over the past few years and have brought a lot of jobs to the community, along with criminals and their families, I'm not sure what was worse?

Anyway, if you don't work there or for yourself chances are you ask a lot of people if they want fries with that!!! Things like this are kinda par for the course here now. I'm not saying it's right, it's just the reality...

Once again, not a reflection of Godin as a whole. It's just one plant out of 5-6 that they use & from what I've heard the Canadian ones are much nicer places to work. There again, the grass is always greener???

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: The Evolution Of My Godin Radiator....

That's just Radiant!! See what I did there??? haha.. Personally, I liked the mirror, but the new one is awesome too! The cc is a great choice for a bright maple guit. Nice!! I just have to ask.. why is Godin a bad place to work??

The mirror guard was fine, at least until you touched it, lol!!! It took me 3 bottles of 91% isopropyl alcohol to get it to look like it does in that picture! Granted that was mostly because of the cigarette tar but every fingerprint & every little flaw popped right out at you with that guard, it drove my OCD nuts! Eventually I'd like to have an exact copy made out of wood. The guitar is completely chambered, basically a hollow body with a plastic top? Perhaps a Mahogany or some other hardwood top would not only look great but add some cool tonal qualities as well???

 

[Darg1911]

Re: The Evolution Of My Godin Radiator....

I have 3 Godins now (one was a lucky "accident"). They kind of follow their own path when it comes to aesthetics. I like their more conventional looking models which they seem to be making a few more of lately. Never really a fan of the Radiator in terms of looks ... it's mainly the pickguard. I tend to not like the look of pickguards that cover the entire, or large portion of the top. There are some exceptions (SG's, Strats etc.)

But hell, $75 was a downright, flippin steal!

 

[BloodRose]

Re: The Evolution Of My Godin Radiator....

Just getting back to this. Didnt want you to think all that typing went to waste.. thanks for the insight and know what you are saying. As Mr Mellencamp said, I was born in a small town.. Of course we had NO industry.. IGA, Bar and barber shop.. But can definately relate. Ive seen bad nepotism in churches and even big corporations Ive worked for..

I also can relate to the mirror guard.. I love the look of my explorer, but do have to keep the finger prints under control..