Godin 5th Ave Jumbo P90 Harvest Gold

Godin 5th Ave Jumbo P90 Harvest Gold review

The Godin 5th Ave Jumbo P90 Harvest Gold aims for the sound and look of a classic P-90 archtop without the cost of an old collector's guitar. At a listed price of $1,125, it combines a hollow, archtop-style body with two Godin Kingpin P-90 pickups. Player feedback describes it as a convincing fit for jazz, blues, and rockabilly, with a strong impression of quality straight out of the box.

That feedback is worth separating from the specifications. The reports praise the instrument's finish, workmanship, and setup, but they do not provide measured performance tests or detailed comparisons with specific vintage models. What the available evidence does support is a clear picture of the design and the roles its pickup positions can serve.

Construction and setup

The top, back, and sides are Canadian wild cherry, finished in Harvest Gold. The neck is silver leaf maple with a satin finish, and the fingerboard is rosewood. The guitar has 21 medium frets, a 406 mm fingerboard radius, and a Graph Tech nut. Its scale is listed as 630 mm in the detailed specification, while another supplied listing gives 631 mm, a small discrepancy in the published data.

The neck's satin finish and the reported ready-to-play setup are practical strengths. One buyer specifically praised the workmanship and said the guitar arrived with an excellent setup. Another reviewer noted that the neck is not made from a single piece, a detail that may matter to buyers focused on traditional construction or a seamless vintage appearance. It did not prevent that reviewer from calling the overall build good.

Hardware includes an adjustable Graph Tech TUSQ bridge, a trapeze tailpiece, and chrome parts. There is no tremolo. The controls are straightforward: one volume knob, one tone knob, and a three-way pickup selector. That keeps operation familiar and leaves the player to shape the sound with pickup choice, playing dynamics, and the amplifier.

Two P-90 voices

Godin equips the guitar with two Kingpin P-90 single-coil pickups, both with black covers. Player comments describe the sound across all three selector positions as authentic to what they expect from a good P-90 guitar. The neck position received particular praise for jazz, while the other settings were reported to work well for blues and rockabilly.

One owner also reported a strong jazz sound with flatwound strings. That is a useful clue for players considering the instrument for a warmer, more traditional setup, though string choice and amplification will affect the final result. The available feedback does not include pickup output measurements or frequency-response tests, so buyers should treat these descriptions as playing impressions rather than laboratory findings.

The two-pickup layout gives the guitar a useful range without adding complicated switching. The neck pickup is the natural starting point for rounder jazz tones; the bridge and combined settings offer alternatives for more bite and definition. Those are general expectations for this layout, and the supplied reports support the guitar's suitability for these styles without claiming that it replaces every dedicated jazz or rockabilly instrument.

What to consider before buying

The Harvest Gold finish gives the guitar a distinctive vintage look, and its archtop shape is central to its appeal. The reports describe it as attractive as well as well finished. Buyers looking for an instrument with an old-school visual character and P-90 sound may find that combination persuasive, especially if they want a new guitar rather than a vintage instrument with an unpredictable condition or price.

There is one notable omission from the package: no case or gig bag is included. At $1,125, that adds a practical cost for anyone who needs protection for storage or transport. The instrument has been available since March 2023 and is made in Canada. Its item number is 553524.

Verdict

The Godin 5th Ave Jumbo P90 Harvest Gold makes a focused case for itself: Canadian wild cherry construction, a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and two P-90 pickups in a vintage-inspired archtop format. Owner feedback points to strong workmanship, a good initial setup, and tones suited to jazz, blues, and rockabilly. The non-one-piece neck may bother some traditionalists, and the lack of any included carrying bag is a clear value drawback. If the archtop design and P-90 sound match your needs, the reported quality and playability make it a compelling option at its listed price.