The Godin Nylon ACS Cedar is a great guitar for live performances and recording and features:
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Solid Cedar Top, natural semi-gloss finish
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Maple Body
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Mahogany Neck with 16" radius Ebony fingerboard
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1.9" width at the nut
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Customer RMC active electronics with 6 saddle transducers
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3 Band active active EQ
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Schaller strap lock buttons
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6.6 pounds
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Include deluxe Godin padded gig bag
Since this ACS Cedar does not use a body mic, the maple body is essentially solid although not of one piece construction. Even with a solid body the weight is only 6.6 pounds, and unplugged the volume is reasonable for practice. The thick (1/4") Cedar top is beautifully finished and has a real high-end look. The 1.9" nut width is standard fare for a Nylon guitar, and the neck profile is a relatively shallow "C", making it easy to reach around for chords or finger picking. The finish and feel of the neck is smooth and comfortable, and the Ebony fingerboard provides nice snap, and is said to provide better note tracking when using a synthesizer. The headstock is nicely detailed and gives the guitar an expensive look.
Running through an ART tube preamp and straight into an RCF powered monitor, the Nylon ACS provided very nice note definition and great string-to-string clarity. The sound was detailed without a hint of mud or murkiness, no doubt due to individual bridge saddle transducers. The 3-band EQ seemed to offer greater range than the less expensive Nylon Encore, and even at fairly extreme settings the guitar remained composed with out any boom or crackly treble that often accompanies piezo type transducers. Whether single note picking or strumming, each note seems to occupy its own space, and one can only imagine how good it would sound through a good stereo PA system.
Even if you don't use the 13-pin output -- which we were not equipped to test -- the Nylon ACS has a lot to offer. Although the ACS has less acoustic volume than the Nylon Encore, the quality of the electronics are slightly better and offer more clarity and definition. For soloists and those who do a lot of complex finger picking, the Godin ACS Nylon is a totally satisfying high quality instrument.
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