Multi-ply binding and single-ring soundhole rosette
Mahogany neck with 20 frets and Pau Ferro fingerboard
Compensated saddle and 43 mm wide bone nut
Open tuners with white buttons and 18:1 gear ratio
Fishman Sonitone pickup system
Natural semi-gloss finish
Traditional acoustic guitar with pickup system and semi-gloss finish
The Art & Lutherie Roadhouse Natural EQ at a glance
With the Art & Lutherie import models, manufacturer Godin presents an affordable alternative to its Canadian-made instruments. The Art & Lutherie Roadhouse Natural EQ, for example, is manufactured in the Far East and incorporates the quality and technical know-how of the family-owned company that has already been in business for 50 years. Thanks to its compact construction, the Parlor acoustic guitar produces a midrange-rich and clear sound that unfolds extensively even with a light touch of the 6 steel strings. Therefore, the instrument is excellent for expressive blues picking, for example. Thanks to the narrow fingerboard, the flat neck is easy and obliging to grip in all 18 frets, so that complex chords and fingering patterns become child's play. In addition, the high-quality Hardware promises accurate string tuning and clean intonation across the entire scale. Visually, the Art & Lutherie guitar is rounded out by subtle inlay work and a gauzy semi-gloss finish that tastefully highlights the even grain of the installed tonewoods.
Structure and woods
To ensure that all frequency ranges are unfolded in an even and defined manner, the top is made of solid Sitka spruce. Laminated mahogany back and sides also enrich the bass and midrange frequencies with a pleasant warmth that provides a wide soundstage. At the same time, the mahogany neck with pau ferro fingerboard promises comfortable playability at all frets. The bridge, like the fretboard, is made of coarse-grained pau-ferro.
Hardware and design
The compensated bridge inlay and the almost 43 mm wide nut made of bone are precisely matched, so that all notes sound clean and pure in all registers. In the headstock of the Art & Lutherie Roadhouse Natural EQ open tuners with 18:1 ratio are inserted, which ensure precise tuning of the strings. Discreet dot inlays are incorporated into the fretboard for orientation and their contrasting appearance perfectly matches the rest of the decorations.
Electronics
With the help of the built-in Fishman Sonitone pickup system, the acoustic sound of the guitar can also be showcased on stage. The active system picks up the strings directly via a piezo element under the saddle and thus passes the signal on to the amplifier unaltered. In the upper part of the sound hole is an elegantly hidden control unit with which the volume and timbre of the output signal can be individually adjusted.
