Is the Breedlove American Series OO Mandolin any good?

[W.Texas1886]

My dad found a Breedlove American Series OO for quite a bit under list.. My local go-to guy for mando information doesn't know much about them and recommended I ask the good folks here..

[Markus]

Do note that their prices just went up in 2012, so list just changed.

It seems like resale prices are generally 30% below list for Breedloves - at times lower. A year ago, a price of $700 for one would not be unheard of [a good deal, though].

No frills US made mandolin, wide radiused board. A style, oval hole. Play well, they have a nice sound.

What sort of price are we talking? IMO, if you're getting it for a bit under a grand it's a great price. I've got the OF [f hole version] and it's a loud, easy to play mandolin. Doesn't have the dry old Gibson tone, but I play more than bluegrass on it and I'm happy with it a year and a half later.

Breedloves have what I would call a modern sound, really suits some people great not others. Try it out, see if it fits.

[Folkmusician.com]

Can't go wrong with a Breedlove. Excellent mandolins and a great value. If you are looking for an Oval-hole, these are hard to beat. :)

[mandobassman]

Like Markus, I also have the OF. Same mandolin as the OO, only with F holes instead of a oval hole. I've had mine a little over 6 years and, with the flatwound strings I use, it does have that dry, old tone. I love mine. It's loud, has great tone, and is by far the easiest mandolin I have ever played. They are very well built.

[MandoSquirrel]

I had a KO, now a Cascade. Breedlove's are fine mandolins, & vastly undervalued in the used market.

[JEStanek]

You'll probably find a good deal more info on the web with them called a Quartz OO. The name change is recent. They are a good no frills but elegant mandolin. On the Quartz models more folks preferred the sound of the OO to the OF as the OF sound wasn't that typical for bluegrass. I had a KF (their boxy shaped "scroll" model) that I liked just fine. I really liked the look of the mandolin but the neck was a bit chunky for me. What others have said, I'll echo... in the used range $700 isn't unreasonable. I traded mine for a new Eastman 805D (two pointer) and am very happy with the trade. Both are fine instruments. If you're coming to mandolin from guitar, the Breedlove would be a great choice with it's more substantial neck. If you've never played, it would be fine too. I was just more accustomed to a narrower neck like on a previous Eastman I had. I never played guitar.

Jamie

PS. Welcome to the Cafe!