Post by gullaxeman on Oct 23, 2019 11:42:13 GMT -5
In my pursuit of a guitar with a shorter scale and narrower neck, and hoping to stay within the confines of the Seagull family, I trekked to Brickhouse Guitars in Kitchener, Ontario yesterday to test the Rialto Jr. My first impression was - "Gee, it's small". And, picking it up confirmed that impression.
As advertised, it was Canadian Wild Cherry back and sides, pressure tested solid Sitka Spruce top, and Silver Leaf Maple neck with a Richlite fingerboard. This one had a pick guard, some don't.
It felt diminutive, but as soon as I strummed a resonant E-chord, that thought evaporated. This guitar had lots and lots of sound and great sustain. Roger at Brickhouse explained this was due to Godin's new bracing. To make his point, we both played the Norman B-40 with older bracing. The difference was immediate. When Roger played the Rialto for me, I heard its true voice. Punchy and crisp, but not thin or tinny. I noodled around on the Rialto in my limited way for about 20 minutes. FUN!!
Then, I plugged it into the Godin ASG-150 amp. The sound was really, really nice. Rich and warm, as well as loud enough for a decent sized room. While the Rialto Jr does not compare to my plugged-in Artist Studio, it was pretty close given it's about 1/2 the size. I liked that I could back off on my picking and strumming pressure and still have full and rich sound. Open mic here I come!!
This guitar lived up to my expectations that it would be well crafted. It was superb. I looked it over carefully and I ran my hands over the entire instrument feeling for imperfections or flaws - no dice. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the high gloss finish on every surface including the neck, but it was not a detractor for me.
The guitar cradled nicely in my lap and I had no reach or grasp issues while playing. I felt on top of the instrument and loved how I could feel its resonance. Did I mention it had excellent sustain? I felt the action was a shade high but I'd easily tweak that if I bought it.
My only concern was while the volume button accurately produced desired effects, the tone knob did not produce noticeable tonal differences. Not an issue for me anyway.
All in all, Godin has created a really sweet parlour guitar. At $850 CDN (taxes extra) with its own gig bag, I don't think you can get better value.
Whilst GAS is strong, I'm being responsible and sleeping on it for 4-7 days before deciding. At this point, the GAS is winning 70 to 30!
As advertised, it was Canadian Wild Cherry back and sides, pressure tested solid Sitka Spruce top, and Silver Leaf Maple neck with a Richlite fingerboard. This one had a pick guard, some don't.
It felt diminutive, but as soon as I strummed a resonant E-chord, that thought evaporated. This guitar had lots and lots of sound and great sustain. Roger at Brickhouse explained this was due to Godin's new bracing. To make his point, we both played the Norman B-40 with older bracing. The difference was immediate. When Roger played the Rialto for me, I heard its true voice. Punchy and crisp, but not thin or tinny. I noodled around on the Rialto in my limited way for about 20 minutes. FUN!!
Then, I plugged it into the Godin ASG-150 amp. The sound was really, really nice. Rich and warm, as well as loud enough for a decent sized room. While the Rialto Jr does not compare to my plugged-in Artist Studio, it was pretty close given it's about 1/2 the size. I liked that I could back off on my picking and strumming pressure and still have full and rich sound. Open mic here I come!!
This guitar lived up to my expectations that it would be well crafted. It was superb. I looked it over carefully and I ran my hands over the entire instrument feeling for imperfections or flaws - no dice. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the high gloss finish on every surface including the neck, but it was not a detractor for me.
The guitar cradled nicely in my lap and I had no reach or grasp issues while playing. I felt on top of the instrument and loved how I could feel its resonance. Did I mention it had excellent sustain? I felt the action was a shade high but I'd easily tweak that if I bought it.
My only concern was while the volume button accurately produced desired effects, the tone knob did not produce noticeable tonal differences. Not an issue for me anyway.
All in all, Godin has created a really sweet parlour guitar. At $850 CDN (taxes extra) with its own gig bag, I don't think you can get better value.
Whilst GAS is strong, I'm being responsible and sleeping on it for 4-7 days before deciding. At this point, the GAS is winning 70 to 30!