Godin Richmond Empire Guitars: NAMM Show 2011

By: Staff

Godin guitars debuted their new Richmond Empire line of guitars at this year’s NAMM show, and we were thoroughly impressed with this great looking instrument. One of the most impressive aspects of the instrument is that it is all made in Canada, but yet it sells for under 600$.

As other makers are heading overseas to make their guitars more cost effective, often to varying degrees of success, Godin has managed to keep their operations in North America and keep costs down. Their peers could learn a thing or two from Godin’s success in both departments.

Godin’s Press and Artist Relations man Richard Bunze was on hand to give us the lowdown on the Richmond Empire Line of Godin Guitars.

Godin Richmond Guitars NAMM 2011

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New for the show is the Richmond Empire line. This is the first time anyone has ever seen it. It’s got a solid mahogany body, 3-way switch, volume, tone, and two Godin custom pickups. This one’s [Red Guitar in Photos Below] a Humbucker, obviously. We also have a low noise single coil with a really nice sweet smooth tone.

This one has a bit more bite, as a Humbucker, but it has medium output, similar to a ’59 kind of thing, with a very cool wrap around bridge. It follows the Richmond brand with some more vintage vibe. But, the great thing about this guitar is it is simple, you just plug it in and play.

The Empire models come in either a Mahogany body, Natural dark finish which is new, and/or a Silver Leak Maple body with black, cream or raw natural finishes.

It’s a real beauty. It’s got the real cool retro vibe and it streets for a just over $500 bucks. It lists for $699 (U.S.) and you’ll get it for about $595 on the street. So, it’s an amazing price, all made in Canada.

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