In-depth review: Godin Multiac Grand Concert Duet Ambiance

A whole lot of words to describe one pretty awesome guitar concept. This video shows in-depth the quality and uses of for Godin's "Duet Ambiance" variant of their popular multiac series of acoustic-electric guitars. Designed to buck feedback and deliver a natural sound, this guitar varies from other models by lacking synth access and instead possessing a mic modeling pre-amp.
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[@thepiperofsimms9974]

Godin arrived. So well made and sounds tremendous ! Love the 2" nut. Thank you again David. Yuma, AZ.

[@thepiperofsimms9974]

Thank you very much David. For finger picking , I just have to have the 2" nut. I now feel good about buying the model you demonstrated so well. Much appreciated. Happy New Year !

[@rombsix]

A wonderful summary, and probably the most comprehensive on the entirety of KZbin. Wishing you the best, brother - eso es! :)

[@christiangadke9740]

Great review. As an armature classical guitarist I was looking for something new to play and this review sold me without question. Was having a difficult time deciding which of the Godin nylon string guitars that would be the best selection. This review made it obvious. Thanks!

[@BodyjailedBlues06]

Thank you so much for this video I m having my grand concert duet ambience in few days I’mso excited👾👾👾👾👾👾👾

[@nicolalopez3292]

thanks for this very comprehensive and detailed video

[@HMac-vi7rt]

An excellent review of the Godin Multiac Grand Concert Duet Ambiance! Regardless of whether other demo vids of this guitar are considered individually or collectively, your review is far more informative. I was considering buying one, and based on your review, bought one this week. Thanks!

[@juanleandrosantillan4439]

Great review m8! Thank you!

[@MrYOUDIDITWELLSLOWLY]

Thank you very much for your detailed presentation.

[@DVSPress]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rva11]

So helpful. Thank you!

[@RENEDU2]

help, i want a guitar where i can play jazzy, manouche type music and get a feel for electric sound.. is this a good pick for first guit? thank a bunch !

[@guitarristaq8]

Thank you for the great review! I'm wondering if there are differences regarding applying flamenco techniques on the Grand Concert Duet than Grand Concert SA model? Thanks!

[@DVSPress]

No differences, but the golpe taps are quiet on both.

[@lekinguitarrista8445]

I dont think I will be using the synth. Do you think I should get the Sa or duet ambience grand concert?

[@paulrichards8481]

Excellent review. Have you tried the newer Grand Concert Deluxe? As I’m trying to decide on that or the Ambience.. thank you :)

[@SoumyadiptaRay]

i have a question... apart from the 4 condenser options, is the beginning model i.e Godin Nylon Encore is as good as this one? play-ability tone and other features are as good as this one?

[@DVSPress]

I can't answer accurately. Sorry.

[@MrMojoRisinn]

Hey man very nice review!. one question in my country there are selling just the godin mutiac grand concert sa not the duet ambiance, i dont need the midi thing im looking for an electric nylonacoustic guitar so you know if the SA sound much different to the DUET???. and another Question: im just looking for a classical guitar right now and i have two options in mind one is the Alhambra 6p cw (spanish guitar) and the other is Godin Multiac Grand Concert SA (both same price). i just try the 6p and its a standard industrial classical guitar with a nice tone with nice bass. i read that the Godin have cedar top and that the low E-string suffer from low dynamics, you think so?. And i was wondering (when i saw it) if have "low action" it seems too close. Im not a "professional" musician im student but i really want to play like some guy called Estas Tonne. So my question is the Godin gc sa could be work for play like Estas Tonne (he use many pedal effects, there are many youtubevideos of him) or its better a standart classical guitar like the Alhambra 6p?. i really like the sound of the Godin its seems smooth to play and have very good reviews like the one you made.

[@DVSPress]

+MrMojoRisinn I would probably go with the Godin for the electronics access and the lack of feedback when playing live. The synth access guitar lacks the mic modeling hardware inside the Godin Duet ambiance, but this can be provided with a good pre-amp. There are many on the market made for classical and acoustic guitar to let you really craft a very natural sound. I also have not had any dynamic problems with my low E. If you get the SA model I believe there are trim pots for the hexaphonic pickup, so you could turn up that string on its own if it is a problem. I'm not positive on that though. Keep in mind if you are wanting to tap on the top a lot a more traditional acoustic guitar will amplify that better than the Godin, but the trade-off is the greater feedback issues. Thanks for watching and good luck!

[@MrMojoRisinn]

+David Stewart Many thanks for the answer David!. today i just try the Godin SA in the store and absolute blow my mind its sound more than great amplified (unplugged sound like a really cheap guitar or a sort of banjo). Again many thanks for your advice i think im going for the Godin. You win my subscription, im gonna check out your channel.

[@DVSPress]

+MrMojoRisinn My Godin actually sounds pretty darn good unplugged.

[@repocheta43]

Hi, does it sound like or have enough sound as an acoustic guitar without been connected? , thanks and Be Safe!

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Great review. Even though I'm interested in synth sounds I would pick the Duet for the incredible mic'd tones, and get another guitar for plugging to a synth. I'm also intrigued by Godin's fretless nylon string electric/acoustic guitar. I have to check to see if they're still in production. They also have an 11 string fretless with 5 courses and a single bottom string that's easy to tune quickly for different bass drones. It's called an A11 Glissentar.

[@DVSPress]

I haven't seen any of those, but I've always been interested in a fretless guitar, just haven't gotten around to getting (or making) one. Glissentar sounds like an electric oud - I'm intrigued.

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Hi David, I took the frets out of an old Ovation electric back in the mid 80's. Takes some getting used to, but worth the time and effort imo. Being an electric guitar I have to use flatwound strings so as not to wear out the fingerboard. I replaced the fret slots with strips of walnut and sanded the fingerboard evenly. The walnut strips are a big help for playing in tune since they're visable against the ebony board. The Glissentar is kind of a crossover between a guitar and oud. However Godin also make a few models of electro-acoustic Multiouds. Robert Godin is really open to new ideas and designing and building the instruments, it's a true passion for him. I met and spoke with Robert when the very first Multioud was in the making, he was truly exited about it as well as the new guitar models he was showing at the time. Check out the fretless guitars and Ouds in the following links. www.godinguitars.com/godinmultnylonfretlessp.htm www.godinguitars.com/godinglissentarp.htm www.godinguitars.com/godin_world_multioud_encore_37414.html www.godinguitars.com/godinworld.html This last link will bring you to a variety of Godin's more "world" stringed instruments including the ouds, A11 Glissentar, Cavaquinho, the A10 ten string guitar (very interesting), some Multiac nylon 7 string guitars and a couple of other instruments.

[@DVSPress]

Wow, cool, I didn't know about the multi-oud. I wonder if I could get a multiac baroque lute...

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

David Stewart Robert Godin is always open to new ideas if there's a market for them. If you could get in touch with Godin a suggestion of a lute may be of interest to them. Never hurts to ask. There's a contact email at this link: www.godinguitars.com/email.htm

[@dongee6351]

nice one David..

[@deanwolfechannel]

How would the duet compare to a flamenco guitar? Would you play flamenco music on it?

[@DVSPress]

The tapping is very quiet, so I think it is a sub-optimal choice for flamenco.

[@10sassafras]

Excellent review, thanks. Reviews aren't often this helpful. Good point about the fretboard. Fretboard radius is becoming a little more common on classical.guitars although still rare. E.g.Angel Romero's Stephan Connor guitar has a slight radius. Very much a question of preference for the player.

[@DVSPress]

+David Malone Thanks so much for watching! I've gotten used to the fretboard radius. It doesn't bug me very much right now.

[@gabrielrodgz17]

Great review. Has anyone experienced short sustain on some notes? Mine has that issue on the C and C# notes. No depth, short sustain, also those make the electronics rattle. Looks like there’s some weird resonance. Thanks!

[@xsamitt]

did you get it fixed after?

[@SoumyadiptaRay]

can u suggest me please? difference b/w duet ambiance and *grand concert* duet ambiance? i'm confused which one to buy!! i play classical as well as jazz and a lil bit latin and flamenco too.. can u please?? thank you...

[@DVSPress]

Grand concert has a proper full width nut. The duet is narrower, closer to steel string

[@ZN1964]

Thanks for a great review David! Really enjoyed it. Is this guitar mage for an electric or Acoustic amp? I am surprised you are getting a such a satisfying classical type tone from the Boogie Messa amp. I have a Fishman artist and a Princeton reverb and will try it on both once I get this guitar. Did you try the Synth model back to back with the Duet? Do you find the Synth model "not as alive acoustically" with or without plugging in. That's the tough call for me now, choosing between those 2.

[@DVSPress]

The synth model is a great guitar as well, but it doesn't have as good a tone and response to standard playing as the duet ambiance. I attribute this to the fact that the synth guitar has a separate saddles for each string, which dampens some of the cross-vibration that naturally occurs with a standard saddle. This is necessary for the hexophonic pickup to work properly, so that is the trade-off. The sound of the piezo is also not as good with the synth because it lacks the pre-amp of the ambiance. If you have an external pre-amp designed for piezos which you can use to shape tone this isn't much of an issue, but I play my guitar through a variety of amplification setups routinely and it is very advantageous for me to have one guitar that works with everything without much fuss. I would say get the Synth access guitar if you intend to actually use the synth function (you can also check out Carvin's offering in that regard - their synth classical is also excellent, though the nut is too narrow for my tastes). If you don't care about using your guitar as a MIDI controller, the duet ambiance is probably the right buy. The newer models are even better than the one in the video, interfacing with xlr mixer inputs etc. Oh yeah, Mesa Boogies have incredibly good clean channels, though they are known for the dual rectifier "metal" tone these days. On my clean channel the Godin sounds crisp and natural - just very loud.

[@ZN1964]

Thanks David. I'm going to a shop tomorrow that has both models in stock , so I can try them both back to back. But I am pretty sure I am getting the Duet Ambiance since looking my primary aim is a good tweakable classical tone before getting into synth. I am guessing I can always get a bluetooth Fishman Triple play later on if I decide to go synth, which a lot of people are saying better than the Roland stomps. I'm would probably be only interested in a good harp patch - all the other 1000 synth sounds don't interest me. BTW, I tried a lot of acoustic electric nylons ( Cordobas, Yamahas, even a Ramirez) and the Godins always sounded cleaner and more articulate. So, thanks once again for helping me to fine tune my choice.

[@DVSPress]

Thanks for watching!

[@user-yg4sv2yr4r]

Best introducing video ever for grand concert duet.What is your most favorite settings?Mic modeling type / Volume / Blending level / 3-EQ for the traditional classical music for example F. sor

[@DVSPress]

+고강우 I like my EQ to boost the midrange. I leave bass and treble at the midline. I use the 5th setting (mics at 10 feet) blended more toward the mic sound - about 70%. That works really well for good, rich, sustained classical playing. For flamenco I used the first position, which is a close mic. I usually plug straight into a mixer and don't need any additional effects or EQ. It really does sound pretty great just "raw." I'm very impressed so far.

[@user-yg4sv2yr4r]

+David Stewart Exactly what I want, thanks a million!! I plug straight into acoustic amp (Yamaha THR10) and there are lots of knobs for EQ and effects but you mean these are no need to for classical playing.

[@DVSPress]

+고강우 Yes, the EQ on the guitar is sufficient for me and my needs. You can always dial in the amp too to find that perfect sound.

[@LucaAnamaria]

This was brilliant! Thank you for all the details. I've got two questions for you: 1) Is the guitar really heavy? I recently played the Multiac Encore guitar and I was surprised how heavy it felt; I'm wondering if the classical is even heavier. 2) What kind of warranty does it have, and is it super complicated to repair, given how many digital components it has?

[@DVSPress]

It's the same weight as the multiac, if not slightly lighter due to the hallow body. I'm not sure what the warranty is, but Godin has pretty good service if something isn't right. The repair difficulty is a factor of what is needing repair; replacing physical parts such as the bridgebone, nut, tuners, etc. are the same as any guitar. Repairing the electronics is likely a factory job, unless it is replacing the piezo itself, which is difficult but doable if you have the know-how.

[@LucaAnamaria]

Thanks for the quick response! And I'm glad to hear it might be slightly lighter. :-) I'm seriously considering buying this beauty.

[@DVSPress]

It's still my main guitar for amplified gigs. I also used it plugged straight in for some recordings last year.

[@LucaAnamaria]

That's good to hear. Is it possible to make the tone a little brighter and jazzy too? I play a variety of genres, so it would be cool to have that versatility.

[@user-yg4sv2yr4r]

In this video, your settings are, Volume : around middle // Treble : middle (2/4) // Mid : high (3/4) // Base : low (1/4) // Mic imaging : 4'th // Blend : around top. right? Are you still like this settings?

[@DVSPress]

+고강우 Pretty close. Every space needs a small amount of tweeking.

[@Orcaudio3]

nice review! does the SA have the same tone shaping capability as the Duet Ambiance?

[@DVSPress]

The SA has a good eq but doesn't have the microphone modeling last time I checked. There are some pre-amp options to fill the gap if you need from both Yamaha and Roland.

[@Orcaudio3]

David Stewart ah okay thanks alot for the reply. I'm pretty sold on this guitar but i wish they had both models in one. Im not super interested in using the roland synth but the fact that the SA can connect to any synth has me losing it as a sound designer. But as a classical guitarist i would also like to have the microphone simulators

[@johntrik]

Ηas anyone told you that you look like Dan Tyminski 's twin bro!!????? Excellent review !!!!!!!!

[@DVSPress]

Thanks for watching! I've mostly been told I look like Russel Crowe, Kevin Smith, or Richard Karn, depending I suppose on how fat I look that day.

[@timpenfield5]

Thanx a million, very important to mention Rick T guitars since is the only real choice other than Godin. met Rick years ago, great guy, might disagree a little bit, his very best nylon strings play like a wet dream. but they cost 3-4000 bucks. i bought his copy mike kelly 700$ piece of crap, battery runs out in an hour+E string arrived broken and keeps breaking=saddle issue, total junk not worth 100 bucks+online recently Rick himself told me it was a good cheap alternative . The godins iv played feel a bit stiff. im about a c+ to B- level player but a guitars feel effects the way i play. I am going to try this guitar+experiment with different strings, gauges etc,,, since its really the only other choice besides my washburn rover hahaha

[@DVSPress]

I agree Rick is a great guy. I'd love to have one of his guitars, but for my purposes it's a bit out my price range. David Schramm (the guy who made my classical) traded one the guitars he made for one or two of ricks, including a renaissance, which was of course a great instrument to play on. Sad to hear the cheaper version didn't work out. I find it really hard to find a piezo guitar with acceptable sound under a grand.

[@jorgedemariano]

si pusieras subtitulos en español nos harías felices

[@Boris_Chang]

Acoustic electric guitar sounds like a $59 Chinese beginner guitar. Maybe it’s the microphone you recorded with.

[@JamesGowan]

Pronounced Go-DAN... French.

[@bjorganmorten]

Strange, but I do find it confusing that you look at and present the show to persons on your right. And, like most Americans, you use aa-a between most words. Remember, the whole world can watch you. But I do have a Godin classical SA, and find it hard to get that nylonguitar-sound. I will find it. I had a Duet Ambiance, with which it was easier to that classical sound. Well. All the best.

[@dongee6351]

why use 100 words when a thousand will do.

[@DVSPress]

It's good.