Breedlove "OF" model..anybody played one?

[Steve_R]

Anyone played the breedlove OF model? How did you
like it.

[Loren Bailey]

All I can say is I LOVE MY QUARTZ OF. Everyone who plays or hears it is amazed by it's volume and tone, especially for the price. I upgraded to an Allen TR2 tailpiece. The new tailpiece greatly enhanced above mentioned qualities. I've had it about 16 months now and it has opened up ALOT. For the money I don't think you can buy a better mando. I've since played a lot of F styles (MAS) and have yet to find one I would trade for my BBB (blonde breedlove beauty), except maybe my instructors Sam Bush model Gibson, that thing is awesome.

Loren

[Steve_R]

Loren,
What type of music do you play.? How would you
describe the tone on the breedlove....warm? I prefer
the "A" style to the "F" and like a variety of music
including celtic,folk and bluegrass.

[SandyBarRanch]

I bought a Quartz 00 (round hole) back in November, and I too, love my Breedlove. I played 25 mandolins or more before I decided on this one. I liked it the rest of mandolins in my price range (under 1K), and more than many that were considerably more expensive. I had a slight problem with the action and sent it back to Breedlove and they took care of it, no problems. It plays beautifully and I love the sound. The round hole doesn't have quite the chop that a blugrass player would want, but bluegrass isn't my main thang. It has everything I was looking for - radius fretboard, solid wood, hand crafted, nice ringing tone. The only other mandolin that has since cought my fancy in this proce range was a Morgan Monroe F-hole I played at Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto - nice mando. But I can say that Breedlove's quality and value are both consistent - every breedlove that I've played I've really liked a lot.

[Joe Mendel]

I also have a Quartz OF, I don't think you can beat them for the money. It's not a top end Gibson or Collings, but you have to wonder if the difference in price is really worth it. They sound great & play very easily. I upgraded to an Allen tailpiece & fossilized ivory saddle, it's a keeper. It'll beat anything in it's price range hands down.

[Fred_Murtz]

I have a Breedlove Quartz OF Custom that I really love to play. #I don't play much traditional bluegrass (not cause I don't like, I just don't get the chance that much). #I play mostly in church for progressive worship. #Lots of improvisation, lots of cross picking, lots of high energy rythym playing (though not many "chops").

Its an incredible instrument. #Plays like butter and has a great tone. #It doesn't have the brightness of an F model Gibson - its more mello in tone - more towards a guitar sound - but still definately in the mando arena.

[Steve_R]

Does anyone have problems with the large frets on
the Breedlove?

[Loren Bailey]

Steve,
The frets don't seem to be a problem for me, I would call them medium in size. I play bluegrass and old-timey fiddle stuff. I would describe the sound as bright and it's just starting to show signs of becoming more "bass-y". My instructor says it has a very "Chris Thile" sound to it. I am now using J-75s on her and they seem to be the best string match up for me.

Loren

[ira]

don't be scared of big frets-= they are your friend.

[acumando]

they get smaller if you play enough http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Jim Webster]

I've had an Quartz OF for just shy of 2 years. I also changed out to an Allen tailpiece when the original one began to tarnish badly. The cast tailpiece definitely added volume and sustain--and really looks pretty, too. This is my first mando and I love it. I found the fat frets a bit strange at first compared to my acoustic guitar but got used to them pretty quick. I played a couple of hours on Saturday in a mid-sized room as part of a local spring fair. There were two guitars -- three counting mine -- so I mostly chopped rhythm chords on mando. There were three dynamic mics which didn't pick up much unless someone stepped in for a vocal. No instruments were plugged in directly. The Breedlove more than held its own. A couple of folks commented afterward on how much it added to the sound, so I know they heard it. I'd angle it away from my stomach from time to time when I felt the vocals and guitars were ganging up on me. There is a lot of extra volume when the back is free to vibrate.

[green_leaf]

I play a Breedlove Cascade (KF style) and can't say enough good about it. It was about twice what I had planned to spend, but don't regret it for one second.
It sounded great right off the wall, but has opened up beautifully since then (one year). It has a clear, compelling tone, with volume. The Elixirs I had on it gave a clear, bright sound, while the D'Addario Flattops on it now have a warmer, woodier tone.
I've found the large frets make life easier, along with the wide, radiused fretboard.
With either the Quartz or the Cascade, I honestly don't think there's a better value for the money available. Have fun!

Will