Price Paid: US $1,400
Features: 7
This is the low finish model of these handmade Washington State guitars. Cedar top, Indian rosewood back and sides, ebony fingerboard and bridge; all wood is solid and clear. The finish is a matt new age varnish (I think); it is tough because I tried a little steel-wool to see if it would polish easily. There is a minimialist sound-hole ring and a pearl "B" in the head. Otherwise plain.
The shape is the great Breedlove modified concert. The box depth is the same as a dreadnaught, deeper than a typical concert. The waist is more narrow and the cutaway is an extreme rounded one. It looks like a new model (Martins all look like they were designed in the 1930's for comparison). Great looks.
It has the amazing bridge brace. There is a dowel that rund from under the bridge to the end block. This takes some of the twisting force from the bridge (and thus from the top just to the rear of the bridge) that the strings give it. It may do more, but that is enough. This allows the top and top bracing to be much lighter than is typical.
The dots on the neck are too small to see around a campfire. Even a dark stage is a problem. This is a cheap fix if you want.
The peg head is the Breedlove trademark asymetric design and fits with the different shape of the box. The tuners are mini-shaller types; work well.
Case is typical top quality plywood.
The rating should be a 10 because this guitar was not built with a pickup or fancy decorations. Breedlove does both of these, but not for $1,400. However, compared to all the guitars Elderly Instruments sells this gets a 7 for features.
Sound: 10
Every professional and advanced amature that has played it says it is a sepecial guitar. It has a lovely and balanced tone from the bass right up to the highest tinkle-tinkle. Celtic players say it is the best sounding guitar for Celtic they have ever heard. Jazz players say it sounds the best for acoustic (as opposed to "floating-pickup") steel they have ever heard and the action is better than the best Gibson jazz boxs.
I have owned and played a Lowden and a 1929 Martin. This is the best sounding flat-top steel guitar I have ever played. My friend got a Collins D2 (spruce with rosewood) this year. The Collins is great; but not as good.
The only reservation I have heard is from the bluegrass boys. It does not sound like a pre-war D28 (or saying the same thing in other words, it does not sound like a Collins or a Santa Cruz Tony Rice Model). I would have paid $500 extra not to get the D28-me-too sound.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
All work and fit perfect.Again this was not a fancy finish guitar. The finish as designed was perfectly applied.
Reliability/Durability: 7
All great acoustic guitars are delicate. You can get a great Martin X, or an Ovation, or a Tacky and have a tough guitar to play the beer joints. If someone sits on this guitar you will have kindling wood.
The finish is tough new stuff that seems very tough.
It holds tune excellently, even during transportation.
The rating is compared to the 1929 Martin that had more neck changes and the Lowden that was even better at holding tune.
The Martin had already endured successfully for 65 years, I expect this Breedlove will do as well.
Customer Support: 10
Usual lifetime warrantee to original buyer.
After about 1 year the bridge started lifting. I called Breedlove and the person who answered the telephone asked the serial number. She then said, "Oh, yea. About half of the guitars made with that batch of glue have had a problem, send it on back." They fixed it relatively quickly (6 weeks out/back my door); I paid only UPS to get it there. The intonation was better, if changed, afterwards. I do not know if they took off the bridge or re-glued it in place; you cannot tell by inspection. It was in tune when I got the case out of the shipping box and the guitar out of the case.
Overall Rating: 9
When I first played this guitar it was hanging with a tag for $1,800. It sounded very good, but clearly needed better strings. It hung for a year and began to sound like a $800 guitar; the strings went dead. After it hung for another year I say it again in the Dallas Guitar Show. When the price was dropped to $1,400 I made it mine. It improved 50% with new strings, and another 25% once I discovered which strings it liked (Martin or Kaman lights). I would look for another if stolen.
Rating is put at 9 because it is not a eye-poping good looker. A thousand dollars worth of decoration and French polishing would make it an easy 10.
Submitted by Leon Peek at 12/14/2000 16:10
