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Thread: Breedlove vs. the others

  1. #1
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    Default Breedlove vs. the others

    Hi all. Years ago, I played an Alpine in a noisy convention hall, and I thought it sounded great (and loud). These things are big bucks, although today I'd choose an Orca instead. I bought a quartz OF and ultimately sold it as it didn't really sound mandolin-y enough, compared (say) to my '99 Flatiron A Jr. It was more comfortable for my left hand than the Flatiron, and I seem to be having more difficulty with my left wrist after many years of playing. The Flatiron is basically unplayable for me now.
    So.....Anyone play an Orca and have an opinion, esp of sound/tone? Anyone ever see any Breedloves on stage: I don't know of any of the big boys who are using them?
    Thanks-
    Mike

  2. #2
    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Breedlove vs. the others

    Quote Originally Posted by Benevolent Dick View Post
    Hi all. Years ago, I played an Alpine in a noisy convention hall, and I thought it sounded great (and loud). These things are big bucks, although today I'd choose an Orca instead.

    Anyone ever see any Breedloves on stage: I don't know of any of the big boys who are using them?
    No, and I don't think you ever will, IMHO. The Alpines are big bucks in the Breedlove line, but not in the lines of companies that the big boys usually play. I say that as a happy Quartz FF owner, but I play at jams, not on stages.
    still trying to turn dreams into memories

  3. #3

    Default Re: Breedlove vs. the others

    There is a mindset among us, particularly with those of a bluegrass heritage, that holds Gibson and good Gibson copies in high esteem - and for good reason. However, I am encouraged when I see a Rigel or a Breedlove appear onstage at a bluegrass festival. I have seen both of those brands quite rarely on Jubilee, a program filmed by Kentucky Educational Television - and they weren't played by 'big boys'. They were people evidently willing to buck the establishment, and they may be headed places....

    I have a Washburn M5S (their top of the line F-style at the time, as far as I know) that I bought new in about 1978 and a Breedlove Columbia from around 2004. I have a longstanding relationship with the Washburn that is good; I prefer the Breedlove markedly more in terms of tone, playability, and sustain. Sustain..., hmm..., a quality that doesn't matter much if one is playing a dozen notes a second; but if one is playing a line more melodic and settled in nature, rather than a flurry of notes, it is a quality that rises in importance.

    Randy Scruggs plays a Breedlove. While he is not often mentioned in the same breath as Thile, Grisman, or Bush, he has some visibility.

    As acoustic music continues to grow, it will draw more people who have not come into it from the traditional direction; and they will bring with them well crafted instruments made by builders who recognize that Lloyd Loar was growing as a designer - and should he be among us today looking to improve upon his own ideas, he likely would be beyond where he was in 1923.

    Would I like to have a Gibson mandolin like the 'big boys'? Sure. I hold both my Hummingbird and my SG in high regard. I could probably afford a good used F-9. But I chose for reasons beyond price a Breedlove Columbia over an F-9 when I went looking for an upgrade. I might add that for reasons beyond equipment, I will never be seen as one of the 'big boys'....

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Breedlove vs. the others

    I think you're more likely to see them in a country/folk, rock, or jazz setting. Of course, other than the guy from Sugarland (which by mentioning I'm not looking to start another debate on their genre, skill, etc) I can't think of anyone off the top of my head, and they most certainly are not bluegrass, but I have seen a few on live shows like Soundstage.

    I think if you can really play nobody will really care what you're playing, though I've had more than a couple grassers tell me (when I was looking to upgrade recently) "Just buy a Gibson and be done with it."

    For the record, I bought a Silverangel with a radiussed speed neck and really like its feel and playability. Rigels have an excellent rep for playability, as do Breedloves, though some don't like B's wider neck.

    If you're having wrist problems you may need to play before you buy, which I know isn't always possible, but you may not know what's gonna be uncomfortable until you actually play them for a while.

    Good Luck!!
    Chuck

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