The guitar is a stand alone is a gem, well made fine product .

Godin did right when they introduced the Richmond line of electric guitars. The result was great Godin design and playability ... for less money. For that alone, the Empire deserves 5 stars.
The good stuff:1. The Empire's neck is awesome! Open-position and bar chords are a breeze to fret. The back of the neck has a fast, worn-in feel. The medium-size frets are perfectly finished. 2. The body is ergonomically contoured and lightweight, making it very comfortable to play, with easy access to the upper frets. 3. The tilted headstock features staggered tuning pegs that fit my fingertips just right. 4. The pickups sound great. The stock Godin bridge humbucker is perfect for hard rock and blues, and holds up well when compared to pricier, after-market replacements (that means I like it and won't be replacing it). The Godin single-coil pickup in the neck position is fatter-sounding and quieter than most single-coils, making it well-suited for clean blues and jazz.

In the past, I've not strayed far from the big names for guitars: Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Epiphone. When I decided to go the P90 route, I happened upon this guitar and thought, "who in the world is Godin?" After reading the scarce reviews online, I took the plunge. I'm very glad I did. The build quality is superb, the fit and finish on par with any other maker I've owned, and the attention to detail is excellent.

This particular guitar is one of the most comfortable, well-balanced, easy playing instruments I've ever owned. The neck is smooth and fast, though the shape is somewhat different than what I'm accustomed to; flatter across the radius, but still easy to play. The body weight is solid but not too heavy. Knobs, switches, tuners and hardware are all very reliable and feel solidly built.