Breedlove AC200/SM and AC250/CR Breedlove AC200/SM and AC250/CR Breedlove are well known for their mandolins and premium-quality acoustic guitars, and Richard Thomas delves into the realms of Kim Breedlove’s latest offerings and determines if in fact they do generate your warmest affections. reedlove guitars are currently celebrating eighteen years of guitar (and mandolin) making. Well known as a maker of innovative, high-end instruments, the company is based in Oregon and has an interesting history, with several key members of the organisation having been closely linked with Taylor in the past. A former art teacher, Kim Breedlove’s career includes periods at Deering Banjos and Stelling Mandolins as well as a period as a farrier. It’s interesting to note that Kim has played in a variety of bluegrass bands. Typically, bluegrass musicians are very conservative when it comes to their choice of instruments, rarely deviating from tradition. Kim Breedlove clearly feels no such constraints, however, and he has a deserved reputation as one of the industry’s innovators when it comes to guitar design. Kim’s innovations have clearly been well received by guitarists, and Breedlove have a number of well-known users, including Chris Hillman, Grammy-award winner Randy Scruggs and, most recently, Wilco’s frontman Jeff Tweedy, who has his own signature edition B released this year. In addition to the high-end guitars they’re well known for, Breedlove have established a budget range – the Atlas Series – and it’s instruments from this range that are the subject of this review. Designed and overseen by the custom shop, the guitars are manufactured in Korea at a plant owned by the Park family. It’s important to note that although these guitars are built in higher volumes than the USA models, they are still largely handcrafted. Construction Both review instruments are described as Concert models. With Breedlove this means a 15¼ inch-wide (approximately 387mm) lower bout and a depth of around 4½ inch (115mm) - essentially a slightly wider and deeper version of the OM – with a more rounded lower bout. Both guitars have a 25½ inch (648mm) scale-length mahogany neck, with a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, the latter being a pinless design with strings anchoring through the back of the bridge. Breedlove’s higher-end instruments have a pretty radical bridge design, but on these budget models the company have opted for a simpler, though still aesthetically pleasing, profile. The fingerboards are plain, save for some small pearl dot markers. Again Breedlove deviate from tradition, with the dots offset towards the bass side of the fingerboard, switching to the treble side at the 12th fret. Both instruments feature Breedlove’s distinctive and original headstock. I’m not always convinced by some of the headstock designs that I see some makers implementing in an understandable attempt to avoid simply cloning Martin’s design, but I think the Breedlove design works. I suspect that this is related to Kim Breedlove’s formal training in art and design. Tuners are chromeplated Grovers; always a sound choice in my experience. The first model I tried out was the AC200, a non-cutaway design with a solid Sitka spruce top and laminated mahogany back and sides. The satin finish and plain black body and fingerboard binding lend it a somewhat ‘plain Jane’ look, alleviated by the abalone soundhole rosette. The AC250 is similarly plainly finished, but this time the construction is a combination of 60 Breedlove AC200/SM and AC250/CR “Despite the fact that this guitar is about a quarter of the price of the one I played years ago, the AC200 felt very similar” 61 Breedlove AC200/SM and AC250/CR Breedlove AC200SM Model: AC200/SM Price: £449 Manufacturer: Breedlove Built in: Korea Body Size: Concert Woods used: Top: Sitka Spruce Back & sides: Mahogany Neck: Mahogany Fingerboard: Rosewood Frets (No. & size): 20 Tuners: Grover mini rotomatic Nut Width & Scale Length: 1And 11/16 25.5 Strings Fitted (Gauge & Brand) D’addario XP, 12 to 53 Onboard Electronics: None Left handers? No Gig Bag/Case Included: Yes An incredibly smooth laquer finishes the equally smooth heel join Contact Details GoTo Guitars Tel: 07748 620444 www.www.gotoguitars.com www.breedloveguitars.com “Nevertheless I really enjoyed playing these guitars. They combine innovative, yet elegant, design – even that radical cutaway – with goodquality manufacture and excellent playability” cedar top and laminated rosewood back and sides. The AC250 also features a radical cutaway and Fishman’s Classic 4 preamp, a pretty straightforward system with sliders to control volume and EQ. instrument. This all adds up to quite a flexible guitar. Strumming open chords the guitar has quite an airy feel, but you can dig in with a pick too, in which case the bottom strings quite happily accommodate flatpicked bass runs. However, I found myself increasingly drawn to fingerpick, a style which the slightly dry mahogany sound complemented perfectly. Turning to the AC250 we have a rather darker sound, with considerable evidence of the richness that rosewood usually provides to a guitar’s tone. Bass frequencies are a little stronger and judicious use of a pick could certainly give a few dreadnoughts a run for their money in this respect. However, the guitar’s bass response is easily controlled, so there’s no danger of being swamped by it. The AC200 reminded me a little of a friend’s Taylor 314, but with a little more bass. Whilst both guitars are characteristically American in tone, the AC250 reminded me of a beautiful Lowden F25 I once owned, with its darker mid range and a pretty serious bass when required. I initially preferred the AC200, but after a few days found myself gravitating more to the AC250, which surprised me somewhat as I’m not really a fan of cedar-topped guitars. Both guitars responded very well to alternate tunings and I found myself very happily picking a medley of simple American and Celtic tunes in dropped D, which seemed to suit both guitars very well. What we think Plus: Superb playability, distinctive character, excellent range of playing styles accommodated. Cons: Laminated wood for back and sides. Overall: Overall I’d say that these were excellent instruments with a great performance for the price. ACOUSTIC RATING OUT OF FIVE In Use I’ve only ever played one Breedlove instrument and that was very much a fleeting moment with a high-end model – stunning myrtle and Engleman spruce model. Nevertheless it left a very good impression on me. On picking up the AC200 I was immediately reminded of that first encounter. Despite the fact that this guitar is about a quarter of the price of the one I played years ago, the AC200 felt very similar. Breedlove’s concert design is very much to my taste – a touch wider and deeper than an OM but all the playing comfort and tonal balance one associates with instruments of that genre. The guitar sits comfortably in the lap and the modern rounded neck profile sits comfortably in the hand. Nut width is reported at being 1 11/16 inch (43mm approximately) – some may prefer a slightly wider nut width, but I didn’t feel my playing was particularly cramped. With its mahogany and Sitka construction you would expect the AC200 to be a fairly bright, lively guitar and this is exactly what you get. The mid range has a touch of warmth and adds a little depth to the overall sound, whilst the bass makes its presence felt with little effort. It’s not quite what you might get from a Martin D-18, but it’s a stronger bass than I would normally expect from an OM-sized Acoustic Ratings Exceptional Excellent Good Average Poor Breedlove Extras As a company Breedlove like to do things a little differently; whilst firmly rooted in the skills of luthiery, they are not afraid to experiment with instrument design, and are happy to use modern CNC technology in manufacturing to provide consistently high-quality products. Their innovations extend beyond guitar design and manufacture, however, to include the aptly named Breedlove Extraordinary Experience – a unique gathering of Breedlove fans. This year’s event (14th–18th August, if you’re interested) is entitled ‘Under A Full Moon’ and includes concerts, musical workshops, sessions on guitar and mandolin care and set-up and a tour of the Breedlove facilities, as well as more esoteric experiences including white-water rafting, a moonlight canoe tour, the acoustic cave experience, exotic wood licking (no, that’s not a misprint!) and guitarist massage and fingerstyle manicure. Participants also get a custom Breedlove guitar or mandolin. I haven’t yet booked my holiday this year; I wonder if I can persuade my wife that Oregon is where we need to be this August! Seriously – I’m not kidding. 62