It’s topped with a three-ply tortoiseshell scratchplate that has been engraved with the Godin logo, and there’s little doubt that the guitar is quite a looker. To our eyes, the sparkly Silver Gold finish of this example is similar to Fender’s Shoreline Gold option and, aside from a disappointingly blobby area surrounding the control cavity, has been applied satisfactorily.

Traditionally, at least, basswood is lightweight and airy, yet the Session is reassuringly weighty the guitar as a whole weighs in at 8lbs. The body, a slightly squarer take on the classic Strat shape, is constructed from Canadian Laurentian basswood. It’s not immovable when secured, but does stay put where you leave it. Set the arm to your preferred position, use a 3mm allen key to lock it in position via an aperture in the 13.5mm trem block and you’re done. It also includes Godin’s Tru-Loc system, a method of securing the screw-in vibrato arm in just the right place. It’s set to allow a modicum of upward movement ± almost a full tone on the open G string ± and is beautifully smooth in its operation. The bridge pivots on two points and is made up of six hefty Fender-style and fully adjustable saddles.

Controls comprise volume and tone pots, with the latter doubling as a push/pull coil split for the humbucker. Replacing the covered Godin humbucker in the bridge is a double-white Seymour Duncan SH-11 Custom Custom, an Alnico II-based pickup that’s best described as a PAF on steroids with an accentuated high range.

Godin session guitar