PSA: crazy deal on Godin Radiators

Whitecat

If you can handle the World’s Biggest Pickguard(TM) then this is a pretty sweet deal - 

https://www.kennysmusic.co.uk/godin-radiator-matte-black-with-gig-bag
https://www.kennysmusic.co.uk/godin-radiator-bourbon-burst-with-gig-bag

JerkMoans

That is a WHOLE lotta pick guard.  Whoo.  Baby got back.

Kittyfrisk

 I like the old version best (still got one).
The new version also loses the pickup blend control which is rather handy.

skippy76

I love my old 99 Godin, crazy good quality and materials for the price (although mine only has half that size pick guard!)

Rich31k

Thank you for sharing

Epsilon

I'm sure these used to be around £200 new. When did they become £800 guitars?

MikeS

Epsilon said:

I'm sure these used to be around £200 new. When did they become £800 guitars?

Exactly.

Kittyfrisk

Epsilon said:

I'm sure these used to be around £200 new. When did they become £800 guitars?

With respect, bollocks, unless you refer to second hand values. They might never have been universally popular, but Godin electric guitars have never been £200 guitars.
Also these are clearly not the same as the earlier Radiators (for better or worse) so apples & oranges applies too.

JerkMoans

Is this the correct thread to make stupid jokes about thermostatic valves?

DiscoStu

I still adore my original Radiator, it's super-cool. I can't get with the new design at all.

Epsilon

Kittyfrisk said:

Epsilon said:

I'm sure these used to be around £200 new. When did they become £800 guitars?

With respect, bollocks, unless you refer to second hand values. They might never have been universally popular, but Godin electric guitars have never been £200 guitars.
Also these are clearly not the same as the earlier Radiators (for better or worse) so apples & oranges applies too.

With respect, not bollocks. Do a bit of digging on old forum posts and you'll see people buying the original Radiators at around  $300 new, which would have put them at somewhere around the £200ish mark in pre-currency crash Britain. Here's one example:* https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/godin-radiator-what-a-fun-guitar.603654/

For what it's worth, I think Godins are fantastic guitars and probably about as good value for money as you can get in a North American guitar. But the radiators were dirt cheap back in the day.

* I assume it's ok to link to other forums, but mods please advise if not

Tadragh1

JerkMoans said:

Is this the correct thread to make stupid jokes about thermostatic valves?

Well, there is that:


https://www.lawton-imports.co.uk/shop/godin-cast-iron-stove-madras-9-kw-wood-burner/

But back to the topic - I've been a fan of Godin Multiacs for many years and had a few. The quality of finish, materials and general guitar making has taken a dive IMO. My Grand Concert Multiac from the 1990's is very different to what they sell now. A different class of instrument, really.

grayn

I think you'll find the newer Radiators are far better quality.

Whitecat

Epsilon said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Epsilon said:

I'm sure these used to be around £200 new. When did they become £800 guitars?

With respect, bollocks, unless you refer to second hand values. They might never have been universally popular, but Godin electric guitars have never been £200 guitars.
Also these are clearly not the same as the earlier Radiators (for better or worse) so apples & oranges applies too.

With respect, not bollocks. Do a bit of digging on old forum posts and you'll see people buying the original Radiators at around  $300 new, which would have put them at somewhere around the £200ish mark in pre-currency crash Britain. Here's one example:* https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/godin-radiator-what-a-fun-guitar.603654/

For what it's worth, I think Godins are fantastic guitars and probably about as good value for money as you can get in a North American guitar. But the radiators were dirt cheap back in the day.

* I assume it's ok to link to other forums, but mods please advise if not

I also did some digging and the MAP price in 2009 on the Radiator was $499 - the guy in that TGP post either got a blowout deal or bought used. 

$499 USD in 2009 was around £299 gbp. Let’s add a very conservative £50 in freight presuming they are shipping them by the container load, and we’ve got £349 - plus 2.7% duty (£8) plus 15% VAT of the day (that was *only* in 2009 - any other year before or after in that era would have been 17.5% or later 20
of course) - that works out to just under £54 on the package. So grand total of £411 or so in 2009 landed at the local shop. 

£411 in 2009 is £555 now (well, actually last year - might be even worse today) according to the BoE historical inflation calculator. 

And these are all fairly conservative estimates. One thing to note is that the Canadian dollar in particular was actually stronger than the USD for a while in 2009 - Godin may very well trade in USD with international customers though. But all my fag packet calculations here are based on USD assumptions. 

(All of this assumes no distributor/middleman either, or that Godin works their margins in beforehand and does volume... I don’t know who if anyone was distributing Godin in the UK/EU back then.)

sticker

Definitely remember Soho Soundhouse and some other dealers cleared a LOAD of old Godin stock in the late 90’s/early 00”s . Radiators were bottom of the pile at £199 .

kentuckyklira

Epsilon said:

I'm sure these used to be around £200 new. When did they become £800 guitars?

I´m glad you mentioned this. I was beginning to question my memory!

Switch625

And I thought HUKD was bad for people referring to crazy time travel deals...

Kittyfrisk

@Epsilon  @sticker ;  Counting heavily discounted & Clearance guitars is hardly a fair measure of any guitars original pricing.
This thread from here in 2013 mentions a Radiator as being on sale in a real shop at £549 and no-one was calling it too high at the time?
Not saying that was possibly not a tall asking price, but it certainly was a lot closer to the actual sale prices than £200.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/7450/anyone-played-a-godin-radiator

Sesh

JerkMoans said:

Is this the correct thread to make stupid jokes about thermostatic valves?

Only if you can take the heat. 

vasselmeyer

I have a Godin Radiator which I exclusively use for slide. With heavy strings and a high action with a new nut, it works really well. It's not an £800 guitar though...

I got it from a member of the old Music Radar forums for £200 about 8 years ago.

Epsilon

Interesting to hear about these guitars going for £549 and the original MAP. I have a distinct memory of being a student in the mid 2000s and seeing these going for prices easily within the £200 - 300 range new, and it seems I'm not the only one based on some of the above comments. Perhaps they were widely blown out at clearance prices due to poor sales, as presumably they are now. Given that the older ones were mainly plastic, had cheap pickups and a bolt on neck I just can't see the market supporting those sorts of prices back then - I recall buying my USA Fender Highway One tele for £540 at a similar time, new.

I do agree that 1) the new radiators look far nicer and 2) I am probably comparing discounted prices with new prices. Adjusting for inflation I suppose maybe there isn't that much difference - and the amount of time that has passed between the original and current series is making me feel very old indeed!

I have no particular axe to grind on this, but I would be absolutely shocked to find anyone who had paid some of the prices mentioned above for the original radiators.