Godwin
Godwin
Also known as: Godwin Sisme, Sisme Godwin
UnclaimedGodwin was an Italian music instrument brand produced by Sisme, a manufacturer based in the Marches region of Italy — the post-war heartland of Italian instrument making, home to the Castelfidardo and Recanati accordion and organ factories. Sisme began producing Godwin-branded guitars in 1967 and expanded the line through the 1970s to include combo organs, string machines, polyphonic synthesize...
Godwin was an Italian music instrument brand produced by Sisme, a manufacturer based in the Marches region of Italy — the post-war heartland of Italian instrument making, home to the Castelfidardo and Recanati accordion and organ factories. Sisme began producing Godwin-branded guitars in 1967 and expanded the line through the 1970s to include combo organs, string machines, polyphonic synthesizers, drum machines, and accordions.
The brand is best remembered for a handful of ambitious electronic instruments from the mid-1970s. The Godwin Guitar Organ (often called the Guitorgan) fitted an electric guitar with a segmented, fret-wired circuit so that each fret contact triggered organ tone generators, producing a sound reminiscent of a Hammond B3; it was issued in a deluxe 19-switch/13-knob version and a simpler 16-switch/4-knob model. Alongside it, Sisme built the Godwin String Concert SC 749, a warm analog string synth offering Cello 16', Viola 8', and Violin 4' voices simultaneously, and the rarer Symphony SC849 polyphonic synthesizer.
Other notable products include the Drummaker 45, a combined drum machine, bass and auto-accompaniment unit with a pedal controller, along with a range of Godwin home and combo organs. The instruments circulate primarily as collectors' pieces on the vintage market and are prized by enthusiasts of 1970s Italian electronics for their distinctive character and scarcity.
Godwin has 4 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Solid Body Electric Guitars, Electric Basses, and Production & Groove. Their gear is featured by 2 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Electronic, and Orchestra. Notable users include Paul Wilson and Elizabeth Parker.
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