johnson430
Well-known member
This uke was bought last month but I wanted to make sure it was a going to stay with me before doing a review.
If you don't feel like reading all the words, here is my opinion in a nutshell: If you play tenor uke and a Breedlove tenor comes up for sale, buy it.
So I am showing off my new keeper. This uke was a bit of a dream for me. I know someone who has a Breedlove signature series 1 of 10 Spruce and myrtle tenor with seahorse on the fretboard. After hearing that uke I wanted to try a Breedlove but I also knew that production had stopped and there were only a few available, none of which being in my budget.
Well, this one came up in the UU marketplace and I saw it but didn't think much about it. It was listed at $475 which is about half what they were selling for originally, which was $999usd. That $475 was well over my budget for an instrument at that time and I was really enjoying my Pono MGT.
Then my friend with a Breedlove brings up this one on the marketplace and asks if I had seen it. I said yes but I thought it was out of my budget and I didn't know much about the "American Tenor Series".
I watched Mim's video of all the prototypes she got in and she seemed to be raving about all of them. I also saw a video review from a uke magazine and was very impressed with how impressed the reviewer was by the sound and build quality. My friend told me to try to snag this one and that it would be worth it if I could get it regardless of the price.
A month went by and the uke hadn't sold so I decided I would message the owner with what I thought was a low-ball offer. I gave the owner an honest tale about being a teacher and having a family and being on a limited budget.
Low and behold he messages me back with a counter-offer. I felt the offer was too good to pass up. (He said he had teachers in his family and had a soft spot for me)
I got this uke delivered to me with a hard shell case for less than 400USD. Which I now feel was way too cheap for this outstanding instrument.
Please check the specs and listen to the sound sample then tell me I didn't score a winner.
Specs:
Signed by Kim Breedlove
Handmade in Bend, Oregon, USA "by the custom shop and crafted with the highest quality wood and materials" (this from the CS rep with Breedlove at the Bend, OR shop that I spoke with on the phone)
I would put the build quality against any custom builder.
(Please look at the photos)
-Solid Sikta Spruce top with lovely cross grain.
-Solid Sapele book matched back and sides. Sides have a 3D ribbon effect. Back has 3D effect with colors ranging from black to cream with nice cross grain.
-One piece mahogany neck
-radius Ebony fretboard with side binding and fretmarkers.
-Ebony face-plate on headstock.
-open geared butterbean guitar tuners. (I love this look, some hate it)
they are smooth as butter with a good ratio too.
-black binding w/ black white black on the top
-unique bridge design.
-Compensated saddle
-Truss rod
-Bolt on neck
-fan bracing
-Bone nut and saddle
-satin finish that feels just like satin. (i have never felt a finish like this before)
-Breedlove hard shell tenor case
-After market Ebony strap buttons from Iluak Ivory
Overall, I love the uke. It is much more than I expected and I know that the Spruce top is going to keep opening up. Although it sounds great right now.
One observation that might turn some of you off is the overall weight of the uke. It does have some weight but it has the most sustain of any uke I have owned, even beating out the KoAloha pineapple soprano.
The dynamics are mind blowing. And the overall responsiveness is, bar-none, the best I have played.
The idea that a heavy uke isn't responsive, dynamic and able to sustain is hogwash. And that extra weight feels great in my hands.
It is hard to explain but if you played one that was strung with the right strings you would understand.
Currently stung with Thomastik-Infeld CF27/CF30 and Savarez KF 541R/KF 542R classical guitar strings.
Sound sample here:
https://soundcloud.com/jasonbjohnson/shortnin-bread-2nd-variation
Lastly, every rose has it's thorn. The flaw of this uke is that the label was placed askew, it is not perfectly centered; it was placed a few cm too close to the lower bout.
But I can live with that. =)
If you don't feel like reading all the words, here is my opinion in a nutshell: If you play tenor uke and a Breedlove tenor comes up for sale, buy it.
So I am showing off my new keeper. This uke was a bit of a dream for me. I know someone who has a Breedlove signature series 1 of 10 Spruce and myrtle tenor with seahorse on the fretboard. After hearing that uke I wanted to try a Breedlove but I also knew that production had stopped and there were only a few available, none of which being in my budget.
Well, this one came up in the UU marketplace and I saw it but didn't think much about it. It was listed at $475 which is about half what they were selling for originally, which was $999usd. That $475 was well over my budget for an instrument at that time and I was really enjoying my Pono MGT.
Then my friend with a Breedlove brings up this one on the marketplace and asks if I had seen it. I said yes but I thought it was out of my budget and I didn't know much about the "American Tenor Series".
I watched Mim's video of all the prototypes she got in and she seemed to be raving about all of them. I also saw a video review from a uke magazine and was very impressed with how impressed the reviewer was by the sound and build quality. My friend told me to try to snag this one and that it would be worth it if I could get it regardless of the price.
A month went by and the uke hadn't sold so I decided I would message the owner with what I thought was a low-ball offer. I gave the owner an honest tale about being a teacher and having a family and being on a limited budget.
Low and behold he messages me back with a counter-offer. I felt the offer was too good to pass up. (He said he had teachers in his family and had a soft spot for me)
I got this uke delivered to me with a hard shell case for less than 400USD. Which I now feel was way too cheap for this outstanding instrument.
Please check the specs and listen to the sound sample then tell me I didn't score a winner.
Specs:
Signed by Kim Breedlove
Handmade in Bend, Oregon, USA "by the custom shop and crafted with the highest quality wood and materials" (this from the CS rep with Breedlove at the Bend, OR shop that I spoke with on the phone)
I would put the build quality against any custom builder.
(Please look at the photos)
-Solid Sikta Spruce top with lovely cross grain.
-Solid Sapele book matched back and sides. Sides have a 3D ribbon effect. Back has 3D effect with colors ranging from black to cream with nice cross grain.
-One piece mahogany neck
-radius Ebony fretboard with side binding and fretmarkers.
-Ebony face-plate on headstock.
-open geared butterbean guitar tuners. (I love this look, some hate it)
they are smooth as butter with a good ratio too.
-black binding w/ black white black on the top
-unique bridge design.
-Compensated saddle
-Truss rod
-Bolt on neck
-fan bracing
-Bone nut and saddle
-satin finish that feels just like satin. (i have never felt a finish like this before)
-Breedlove hard shell tenor case
-After market Ebony strap buttons from Iluak Ivory
Overall, I love the uke. It is much more than I expected and I know that the Spruce top is going to keep opening up. Although it sounds great right now.
One observation that might turn some of you off is the overall weight of the uke. It does have some weight but it has the most sustain of any uke I have owned, even beating out the KoAloha pineapple soprano.
The dynamics are mind blowing. And the overall responsiveness is, bar-none, the best I have played.
The idea that a heavy uke isn't responsive, dynamic and able to sustain is hogwash. And that extra weight feels great in my hands.
It is hard to explain but if you played one that was strung with the right strings you would understand.
Currently stung with Thomastik-Infeld CF27/CF30 and Savarez KF 541R/KF 542R classical guitar strings.
Sound sample here:
https://soundcloud.com/jasonbjohnson/shortnin-bread-2nd-variation
Lastly, every rose has it's thorn. The flaw of this uke is that the label was placed askew, it is not perfectly centered; it was placed a few cm too close to the lower bout.
But I can live with that. =)
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Hope you'll enjoy it for a long time to come! Definitely a rare catch.
