New Breedlove Pursuit ukuleles.

jer

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I just spotted these a couple of days ago on Musician's Friend:
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/sea...AheadRedirect=true&sB=r&Ntt=breedlove+ukulele

If they are as good as the imported guitars Breedlove is putting out, these are going to be really nice and well worth the money....Now I know what Breedlove is doing with some of their myrtle wood pieces that aren't big enough to make guitars with.
There's a coupon going on until the end of the day right now on the M.F. site...

A rep. from M.F. told me the top is solid. I have an inquiry in with Breedlove to make sure...but I would guess that the rep. was right.

I am hoping to have one in my hands in a couple of days to try out.
I'm a one uke kind of guy right now, and like to switch around now and again so my Outdoor Ukulele soprano is up for sell ( https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?133989-FS-Outdoor-Ukulele-soprano-Blue ) and this uke will be my only one for now, if it works out.

I love both finishes, but opted to try the natural...Of course the negative with buying from M.F. is you don't get to pick the exact instrument...and grain varies wildly with myrtle from what I've seen.
Also, they don't do a setup. That said, if these are treated like the Breedlove import guitars they will go through an inspection and setup in the Breedlove Oregon shop before being shipped out. Their QC is very high in my experience. I would think they'd want to be particularly careful on the first ones they put out into the market too...so I'm hoping for the best.
 
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Always interested in new Ukuleles. So, first observation.......... MF site noticed I was from Canada and would not bring up the page. I had to change country to USA to see the ukes.

Looks like only Concert size at this time. Write up doesn't mention solid wood, only calls it Myrtle wood. It the tops are solid, and they are QC's before going to MF, they could be pretty cool.


Let us know what you hear back form rep at Breedlove.

In the end, how does it sound. <g> If you get one comments on that would be nice.

Thanks
 
I really like Breedlove guitars and mandolins. It's good to see them get into the ukulele world. I'm assuming all laminate, but look forward to the confirmation. Thanks for sharing!
 
I owned a Breedlove Masterclass Koa Tenor a while back, and while I sold it because it just didn't vibe with me, I surely appreciated the quality of the instrument. Obviously these are at the other end of the scale (the masterclass went for around $2000 new) but I hope they are nice instruments as I really do like Breedlove.

Would love to see a video when you get the chance, jer!
 
I bought one yesterday while I was at Guitar Center. They only had one in stock and it was the natural finish. The salesperson said that it was the first one he'd saw at that store. The Myrtlewood on mine looks really nice and the build quality seems to be excellent. It appears to be all laminate. It's made in China but has the QC sticker inside from the shop in Bend, Oregon.

I haven't had a chance to play it yet. Hopefully, I'll get a little time with it tonight. If it plays and sounds as good as it looks, I'll be very happy!
 
Hey folks. The rep. that got back to me from Breedlove noted that they're so new she had to check with their R&D department to get some info and didn't have the full spec sheet on hand yet.

This is what she said:

"The Pursuit Exotic Concert Uke Satin Myrtlewood-Myrtlewood is ALL LAMINATE.. top, back & sides.
All other ukes will have a Solid top with Laminate B/S."

She also noted that they are shipping with Aquila concert strings *Edit: I can now confirm they are super nylgut according to the tag.

As far as sound goes, I don't even like to comment on it much since we all hear things so differently. That and describing sound with words is near impossible. I could attempt an mp3 recording, but I also think those are flawed since I don't have pro equipment and everyone listens through different things. Nothing beats your own ears on it in person...Things I can comment on easily though would be build quality, setup, etc.

Perhaps there are other ukes they have coming out other than what is listed on the site.
Actually though, that concert cutaway with a sunburst and pickup is a GLOSS top...So perhaps it has a solid top, since she mentioned the satin ones were the laminate ones. I sent her another note back, so maybe she can get the info to me and I'll let you guys know. These are pretty hot off the presses so to speak.
 
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its hard to find available in Australia. This probably means that it is available here under a different brand name, or there is a shady distribution turf deal happening. Good luck to those in the USA who can find an easy way to but this model uke, its not much interest to the rest of us who can't access the product.
It's hard to find anywhere right now as they're so new. I've only seen them from Musician's Friend and Guitar Center online. Both of those are owned by the same company.

I bought one yesterday while I was at Guitar Center. They only had one in stock and it was the natural finish. The salesperson said that it was the first one he'd saw at that store. The Myrtlewood on mine looks really nice and the build quality seems to be excellent. It appears to be all laminate. It's made in China but has the QC sticker inside from the shop in Bend, Oregon.

I haven't had a chance to play it yet. Hopefully, I'll get a little time with it tonight. If it plays and sounds as good as it looks, I'll be very happy!
Nice!
The guitars have that QC sticker inside with the initials of the person who did the inspection/setup...So it is good to know these go through that too. Hopefully their QC guys know ukes well. ha. I'm sure they'll have certain parameters on hand specified for them.
 
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I heard back from Breedlove.
The natural finish is a laminate top but the ones with the burst finish are solid tops.
Breedlove also confirmed they definitely go through QC at their shop in Oregon.
 
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Good information to know! Thanks for the confirmations.
 
Good information to know! Thanks for the confirmations.
You're welcome.

I'm planning to at least try the natural laminate one. I'd like to try them all at some point...but I usually have to buy to try. Then get return shipping costs if they don't work out.
 
I had a chance to play both the all laminate and the solid top sunburst concerts. Both in myrtlewood with the more figured woods going on the laminate version. IMO, the all laminate was visually stunning, with the same herringbone purfling Breedlove uses on their Oregon Dreadnaught guitars.
I wasn't as thrilled with the appearance of the solid top sunburst. It seemed to me that the wood didn't really work well with the color they used..
Tonally I wasn't all that thrilled with either.
They didn't seem to come alive when I played them... maybe I found two duds but...
 
I had a chance to play both the all laminate and the solid top sunburst concerts. Both in myrtlewood with the more figured woods going on the laminate version. IMO, the all laminate was visually stunning, with the same herringbone purfling Breedlove uses on their Oregon Dreadnaught guitars.
I wasn't as thrilled with the appearance of the solid top sunburst. It seemed to me that the wood didn't really work well with the color they used..
Tonally I wasn't all that thrilled with either.
They didn't seem to come alive when I played them... maybe I found two duds but...
Thanks for the report.
It sounds like they just aren't for you huh? We all like different sounds for sure. When you say they didn't come alive, I wonder if you mean they weren't bright enough sounding for you? If so, that might actually end up being a good thing for me. I tend to appreciate warmer or less zingy or less alive sounding instruments more than most it seems. Ukes with a very fundamental tone work fine for me. I do appreciate some of the ukes on the other end of the spectrum like Koaloha too...but the sound may not work quite as well for me even though I do like it....if that makes sense...
I'm hoping to test one of these new ones tomorrow or Friday. I also know the room you play in makes a HUGE difference in sound. I've noticed if I play in a bigger room the uke seems to get lost a bit and sound so tiny...guitar too to some extent..but my small bedroom with hard floor makes everything sound a lot more...present...maybe that's the word I'm looking for.

How did the setup suit you?
 
The setup was OK - certainly no untoward difficulties fretting and no buzzing frets.

I took the two ukes into the guitar humidor room at the local Guitar Center - not a large room at all - maybe 14' X 18' with decent acoustics.

I like ukes that are very responsive with big voices, lots of sustain, warmth with some brightness and with very light builds. The Breedloves felt a bit overbuilt to me and the tone was kind of muted..... but FWIW I'd say the same thing about my Pono ATD - it's a bit overbuilt and muted.

I love the fundamentals on the Breedlove all myrtle Oregon Dread guitar - I kick myself for passing on one I saw, second hand - but the Breedlove ukes I played seemed a bit dull. Like I said, maybe I found two duds. Maybe somebody else will love them. They're certainly good looking ukes and seem well built. The all laminate, especially, is gorgeous.
 
Thanks for the additional report, Swamp Yankee.
Oddly enough, based on what you said, I might actually like these. I often like what some would consider "muted".
"One man's trash is another man's treasure." Either way, I'm looking forward to trying one out.
 
Alright, I have been spending some time with one of the natural satin all laminate ones. This is actually the least expensive instrument Breedlove sells right now. Musician's Friend ships these triple boxed. You get an outer box...Then the first Breedlove box, then inside that is the next Breedlove box with the uke inside.
Please note: if you get this from Musician's Friend, and order a case to go with it, they will not take the time to put it into the case before shipping. That is true for any of their instruments that do not include a case. The only time you get an instrument inside a case from them is when it ships to them that way. They don't even open the boxes. They receive it, store it, ship it. That said, I knew I'd be seeing an instrument that hasn't been touched since it left Breedlove's shop in Oregon.

I'll pass on some thoughts relating to the one that has been in my hands for the past couple of days (I don't have pictures, but may get some eventually...but my tablet's camera is not high quality so never does anything justice):

The official Breedlove model name for this is: Pursuit Ex CU S.
Ex - exotic
CU - concert ukulele
S - satin
As noted above: This is the natural satin finish....not the burst finish (I think that one looks great though too).

Build quality: Very good, clean build.

Looks: This one doesn't have any really wild or super interesting grain on top, but I still find it attractive. The sides have a more interesting grain pattern. What is really interesting to me is the shade of this myrtle wood. I've never had anything like it. It is light yet has some brushes of black or dark brown and gray. The herringbone rosette and binding really look nice against the wood. I like the unique headstock shape, as well as the Breedlove bridge design...both carry over from some of their guitars. The instrument as a whole is very pleasing to my eyes.

Hardware/parts: The tuning machines are quality. They're an 18:1 ratio and work very well. I expected to get decent machines, but nothing this nice. The nut and saddle are made out of bone, which took some extra time and effort.

Intonation: Very good.

Frets/fretwork: I wouldn't consider the frets narrow for a uke, but they are short in height. The fretwork is good. Frets are level and also crowned with some polishing. I chose to polish them up even more to 12,000 grit with a finishing pad I have here. I like almost a mirror shine. It is easier on the strings and looks better.

Action: The action was set at around 3mm as best I could tell. It was perfectly playable as-is. That said, I like a bit lower action, even though it can sacrifice some sustain and volume. I'm going more between 2-2.5mm there. The frets are level, so they can take it no problem. Also, there is plenty of available saddle to adjust, so the neck angle and all is good.

Sound: This is where I don't like to comment much, since we all hear differently and have our own preferences. I even hear differently from one day to another sometimes.
I first played it in my small bedroom with hard floor and mostly hard surfaces. It was louder than I expected it to be. It doesn't have a lot of complex overtones, but is more of a dry type sound. Some ukes something in the sound that my ears can't stand, especially when digging in to play a bit harder. This is not one of them. I don't hear the annoying chirp or odd C string resonance that some ukes tend to have when digging in. Mostly I play with a softer touch, as I find the tone better that way on any instrument, but it is nice to be able to hit the strings harder and not have the sound become annoying to my ears. For me personally, this uke has a very nice, usable sound.
The strings that come stock are Super Nylgut. These really settle in quickly seems like. I am more than likely going to experiment with some other strings (maybe even from two opposite ends of the spectrum like nylon and fluorocarbon), but I could be happy with these strings. I'm still getting a feel for the instrument and these strings. I also checked the sound in the living room, which has carpet and not so many hard surfaces and still found it to have plenty of volume for me personally. I don't think it would stand out in a room full of ukes, and it would get drowned out by most guitars, but it works for me. I prefer something more intimate/quieter...yet I wouldn't call it quiet.

So what are the cons?? I haven't found any. Anything that might be considered a con would come down to personal preference. It is built well and plays well.

Some notes about the Musician's Friend listing: One part states it comes with accessories: saddle, sticker, truss wrench. It does come with a Breedlove sticker, but there is no extra saddle or truss wrench as there is no truss rod. That info must've gotten carried over from the guitars. The lower cost guitars do come with an extra saddle and wrench.. They don't have bone saddles though. Also, I think the tuning machines on the uke are better than on the Discovery series guitar I played on (great guitar though, don't get me wrong). It also has the nut width listed as way wider than what it is...I didn't get a measure of the nut, but it's not the roughly 1.8" that the listing states...It is not even 1.5" ..It seems more typical in width.

IF I had to compare this to another uke currently on the market, the closest thing I can think of would be something like the Kala Ebony laminates, which are pretty nice little units....except this seems a bit higher quality with some higher quality parts (nut, saddle, tuning machines), and better QC before going to the vendor I'd think...in my opinion.

Final thoughts:
I think it's a good, solid player with a nice sound and there are a lot of people who would be happy to own and use it.
If you're a uke collector or someone who mostly just enjoys high end ukes with more of a traditional ukulele sound that many here crave, this one probably isn't for you. There are always exceptions, but I wouldn't personally recommend it to someone in that category if asked.
I think this is more of a blue collar kind of uke...if that makes sense. I could imagine seeing this pop up in a lot of uke videos with singer-songwriters or people doing covers, etc...people that probably won't ever come to the forum here and really just want to have fun and make music and don't get into all of the stuff that is discussed here.

I like it better today than I did yesterday. It is growing on me and I'm happy with it being my one and only uke for right now. It is nice to me, but not something that I hold in such high regard that I'm afraid to touch it and play it...That has been a problem for me before with higher end instruments. They just don't work for me personally.

In one sentence I'd describe this uke as a good quality music making tool.

I'd like to add that I've been impressed with Breedlove's customer service. I always feel better about playing an instrument when I've had positive back and forth with people at the company. I've had contact with customer service folks as well as tech support/luthier types there over the past year or so and all were very polite and helpful.

Those are my thoughts and opinions, for what they're worth. :)
It seems these are popping up in quite a few Guitar Center's around the country, so some of you might get the chance to try them there too as some already have.
 
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Tried the Breedlove ukes today at Guitar Center.

ALL of the Córdoba ukes they had in stock sounded a lot better.

Honestly, they looked nice, but sounded dead to me!
 
Bought one today at MF with 10% off making it $179. Got this for my daughter who likes the concert size. It’s the sunburst finish. It says on the label inside “Top: Solid Myrtlewood, Back/Sides: Myrtlewood.”

It came with Aquila’s on it, which I can’t stand. But actually sounded loud and bright, intonation was not terrible and the action wasn’t bad either. I’ll be fixing both of those and putting some Southcoast Medium High G strings (no wound c) on it for her. It’s her birthday present. She currently has my first ukulele, an Oscar Schmidt Solid Mahogany Concert and I got in 2007 and she took ownership of in 2009. She plays every day and is getting so good. She mentioned that she didn’t feel comfortable at university with it, as she cherishes it, and wanted something cute, nice but less valuable. I think this fits the bill.
 
I've had mixed results with Cordoba...but have definitely played a really good one and would not rule out a future purchase of that brand.


Cool deal, flyingace. :)


I ended up not keeping the one I had. I had planned on getting the action where I wanted it, trying different strings, etc. etc....but ultimately decided to let it go back instead. I doubt the resale value would be that great, so I had to factor that in too since I like to switch around instruments a lot. I still feel the same way about it as I did when I wrote the review...except I've just decided if I'm going to have a uke, I probably need to go bigger...possibly baritone OR a tenor with DGBE tuning. I want to get a little closer to what guitars do for me.
 
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Did you figure out if the top is solid? I have one of these. Luv it!
 
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