The basic premise of a baritone is that it allows guitar players to occasionally twang genuine bass notes – not enough to get in the way of the bassline, but still adding a deep, meaty girth to any phrase, riff, or chord.

Godin’s A6 Ultra has a 27.7″ scale, yet a surprisingly medium weight, thanks to chambered construction. The body has basswood wings, maple chambers, solid-spruce top, and is finished in semi-gloss Burnt Umber. The neck is maple with a fretboard made of richlite, a compressed material that resembles ebony, carved with a 16″ radius (the bridge is also richlite). Other accoutrements include a 1.72″ Graphtech nut and 22 frets.

For electronics, there’s a dual system of piezo and magnetic pickups, easily blendable. The piezo is a Godin under-saddle, while the pickup is a Godin GJN1 mini-humbucker. The classic Godin preamp is surface-mounted, using sliders for magnetic-pickup Volume, Bass/Mid/Treble, and piezo-acoustic Volume. There are two dinky knobs north of the sliders – those are Treble and Bass controls for the mini ’bucker.

Tuned B to B and A to A, the A6 Baritone delivered cathedral-like tones with plenty of thump. Fingerstyle and jazz players will see the advantages of the low string, as it provides the bass tone for elegant chords that ring for days. Surf, roots-rock, and country cats – even the occasional metaler – will discover other obvious pleasures. The tester had a nice setup, and neck feel was immediately familiar. The preamp and its sliders have long been a Godin trademark, with good reason – jamming or onstage, it’s easy to make precise adjustments or jump between the piezo and humbucker.

If you’re ready to tread new sonic territory, the Ultra A6 Baritone will get you there fast. You might not play it on every song – but when you do, nuthin’ beats a bari.

This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2022 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.