Anyone into the hybrids?

[Jack]

I've become spoiled playing my electrics and want the playability in my acoustic as well which started me on the hunt for a nice hybrid.

I decided on and bought a Godin A6 Ultra last week which I really like, but am still looking around. Dunno why I need another one, but you know how it goes.

After I bought my Godin I ran across the new and "improved" Fender standard Stratacoustic. I was impressed with this little $250 guitar. It doesn't have the multiple outputs of my Godin and is not really a hybrid, but rather a thin-line type acoustic, but it's a steal for the money IMO. A thinner version of the Ovation type guitars whitout the big honkin back and with a nice Strat C shaped neck. BTW, the built quality and set-up was excellent. Not sure where it was made, but it was pretty darned nice.

Also while looking I ran across the Fender Stratacoustic/Teleacoustic deluxe models on the Fender website. These are hybrid's, but I've never seen one in a store. It seems they've been out for awhile too.

You guys have any experience with these Fenders? If so, please share your experience/opinions.

I'd love to have one of the new Godin Multiac Spectrum's, but unfortunately they're a little out of my price range at the moment. Maybe down the road I'll find a good deal on a used one?

 

[endzone]

I've had a Telaccoustic and personally think that it was a peice of junk. There's absolutely no bracing and the top caves in and cracks. I've talked to a couple of techs that said it is a common problem.

I picked up this Parkwood H4 hybrid 6 months ago and have really had some fun with it. It replicates accoustic tones very well with a Fishman Piezo bridge pup. It's still not an accoustic, but it's impressively close. Being able to switch back and forth between they piezo and SD mini HB's on one guitar is great. The tones you can get by blending the accoustic and electric pickups are very unique and sound fantastic. This guitar is closer to the Taylor T-5 at a whole lot less $.

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[Jack]

I've had a Telaccoustic and personally think that it was a peice of junk. There's absolutely no bracing and the top caves in and cracks. I've talked to a couple of techs that said it is a common problem.

I picked up this Parkwood H4 hybrid 6 months ago and have really had some fun with it. It replicates accoustic tones very well with a Fishman Piezo bridge pup. It's still not an accoustic, but it's impressively close. Being able to switch back and forth between they piezo and SD mini HB's on one guitar is great. The tones you can get by blending the accoustic and electric pickups are very unique and sound fantastic. This guitar is closer to the Taylor T-5 at a whole lot less $.

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Have you tried the 2009 models? I don't know about the bracing, but like you I had tried them in the past and was underwhelmed. That's why I was surprised by the newer ones.

I've eyeballed those Parkwood's ever since they came out. I saw a demonstration on cable while visiting my son and it sounded really good. However, I've only seen one that was at the local GC and it had a hairline crack between the F-hole and the controls and the guy at the store told me this was a common problem with this model. This scared me away, but maybe they were just blowing smoke?

 

[aunchaki]

My main church guitar at the moment is an Epiphone Chet Atkins solidbody acoustic. It's essentially a Les-Paul-style guitar with an acoustic bridge and undersaddle piezo pickup. The soundhole's a fake (the Gibson version doesn't even have one), it's a solid mahogany body with a spruce veneer (tummy contour on the back). Action is nice and low.

It's my only piezo (my other acoustics use LRBaggs and Fishman soundhole pickups). I run it through an LRBaggs Para Acoustic DI, which gives me some nice tone shaping. Still, it sounds a bit thin. For Christmas I got a Digitech Multi-Chorus. The things gobbles batteries, so I eventually got the power adapter. It fills out the sound nicely.

My ex-bandmate, who gave me the Epi, replaced it with a Godin (not sure which model). He claims (yeah...) it's the last guitar he'll ever need.

 

[endzone]

Have you tried the 2009 models? I don't know about the bracing, but like you I had tried them in the past and was underwhelmed. That's why I was surprised by the newer ones.

I've eyeballed those Parkwood's ever since they came out. I saw a demonstration on cable while visiting my son and it sounded really good. However, I've only seen one that was at the local GC and it had a hairline crack between the F-hole and the controls and the guy at the store told me this was a common problem with this model. This scared me away, but maybe they were just blowing smoke?

No, I haven't tried any new Telaccousics. I hope they improved them. They couldn't have been made worse, so up is the only way they could've gone. As for the Parkwoods, they do/did have a problem with the damage around the controls. The reason is that the guitar has a "stacked" control knob for the piezo pickup. It sit's up higher than the other knobs. The way the guitar sits in the case, it is subject to moving around inside the case. When it hits just right on that knob, there's she goes. Apparently, there were a lot of them damaged in shipping before they ever made to a store shelf. Obviously, the case wasn't very well thought out. I think they have stopped making them until they figure it out. Mine has a slight hairline crack that doesn't appear to be much below the surface, but that's why I got it for $379 at GC.

 

[zombywoof]

A few weeks back I got the chance to kick the tires of a Guild Songbird - a well built, nice looking little X braced hybrid. Unfortunately, unplugged it sounded like a P.O.S - no better than the Fender versions. I have played a hollow body two pickup Supro that sounded better unplugged.

If ya want an acoustic to plug in buy yourself a nice sounding sounding guitar and then install a good soundhole pickup - something like a Sunrise. Better yet, learn how to get sound out of an acoustic with your hands. You would be surprised at how much presence and power one of those boxes can have when you use heavier guage strings and a higher action so you can drive the top. They have yet to improve upon a natural banjo killer.

 

[RodeoTex]

I had a Stratacoustic for a while. It came in an ugly creme color but I repainted it '63 Corvette silver and added a bit of my own touch on the rosette.
It played ok electrically with the EQ set well but acoustically it sounded like a Kleenex box that had been strung up.
I played with it for a while then sold it.
I'd still like to have a Telecoustic, even if they aren't any better.

 

[Califiddler]

NEPATelecaster on this forum plays one of the Godin hybrids and gets very good acoustic and electric tones out of it. You may want to PM him if he doesn't chime in here.

 

[bgwatts]

I've been using a older Godin A6 for years and love it. If your not already aware of what it can do...check out Martin Sexton. He can make that thing really come to life ...and....live ,he really doesn't use effects. really. I've seen it myself.

 

[NEPATelecaster]

NEPATelecaster on this forum plays one of the Godin hybrids and gets very good acoustic and electric tones out of it. You may want to PM him if he doesn't chime in here.

Oh yeah... I have a 1997 Godin LGX that has the piezo bridge, seperate volume and EQ on board, seperate electric and acoustic outputs.

I've played straight into a PA channel...

Played it out of a bass amp...

Played it through a few pedals through amp...

Never fails to sound awesome!

 

[Jack]

I've been using a older Godin A6 for years and love it. If your not already aware of what it can do...check out Martin Sexton. He can make that thing really come to life ...and....live ,he really doesn't use effects. really. I've seen it myself.

I agree about the sound. I played the A6 next to the Taylor and thought the A6 at less than half the price blew it away sound wise. However, I just can't warm up to the neck so I've put mine up for sale. I knew the neck was thin for my taste when I bought it, but it sounded good so I figured I could get used to it, but it's just not happening. IMO the radius on the Godin neck is too flat. Great thing for lead, but not so good for a strummer like me.

Mine is the Ultra which has the HB in the neck and I get a really killer sound running the piezo into my Yammy PA and the HB into my Roland JC. I run both outputs into my stereo delay and then run the piezo to the PA and the HB to the Roland and run the line out from my Roland to the PA as well.

That huge/lush Roland chorus fills the room and I have allot of fun messing around with the stereo delays. It sounds like I have my guitar in surround sound.

BTW, the HDTV channel had a Moody Blues concert on this last weekend and I noticed two of their back-up players were using the A6 Ultras. Too cool. IMO Godin does the hybrid acoustic thing as good as anyone.

 

[Jenix]

I don't know anything about the Godins but I've heard alot about the Breedloves. One of my favorite artists has a signature edition called the "Crowdster" (David Crowder).

 

[zombywoof]

Found most hybrids might sound OK plugged it but suck unplugged.