The Godin A5 fretless 5-string bass is an interesting instrument. It is the logical progression of guitars built for Chet Atkins by Gibson. Chet had shifted almost totally to using nylon stringed guitars, but there are well known problems with classical guitars and high stage volumes. Gibson produced the Chet Atkins CEC – Cutaway Electric Classical, a somewhat chambered mahogany slab with spruce top and set mahogany neck, built to use nylon strings and with a six-element piezo bridge pickup.
 
Since then, various companies have explored this concept but Godin has really expressed it best. The Multiac line is possibly the best known and the A series basses use the same idea. The Godin fretless 5-string Bass body is made of two pieces of silver leaf maple, chambered and capped with spruce. The neck bolts on, and uses rock maple plus an ebony fingerboard on the fretless version. The Fretted version gets a rosewood fingerboard. The bridge matches the fingerboard, and on this older example uses an acoustic-guitar style pin bridge. Godin is very well acquainted with using piezo pickups and have devised a very usable and unobtrusive control layout next to the fingerboard. Access to the battery for the preamp is on the back.
 
The result is a professional grade bass that gives the tonal suggestion of an acoustic bass, with thump and decay, and the growl of a fretless. The weight is very manageable. This is a full scale bass and the low B string certainly adds range. As an aside – happened to be in Nashville recently and noticed wandering club to club that most bassists there are using 5-strings.
 
This Godin fretless 5-string bass is in very good working order, with minimal wear but no scraches on the top! There is a new Bone Nut installed and strung with flat-wound strings. The original gig bag is included.