Breedlove Guitars C25 Passport

Mine has a solid top and glued on neck and cedar top with a satin finish which looks really classy; much nicer than those inch-thick, sound-deadening glossy finishes which were so popular in so many older guitars. The sides and back are lightly flamed, although I'm not sure what kind of wood. The flame, unusually, goes around rather than across; a lenghwise flame, and is quite unusual looking and attractive. The back is the same; lengthwise stripes.

It has a 21 fret neck, quite amazing when you consider how short that neck is. The frets are on the thin side for my taste, but that may be a necessity on such a short-scale guitar, and because I'm used to the fat frets of my Strat and Les Paul Custom they probably feel thinner than they would to someone more acoustically inclined. I lined it up with my Strat and the Strat's neck overhung it at the headstock end by five full frets (the five longest ones)! The neck's not noticeably slim, but not thick either; with my child-sized hands, I can manage a D/F#, which I can't on many guitars.

It has built-in electronics; No-name (unless ACTIVE H-200 is a name), with some sort of pickup built into the bridge. The battery compartment is near the rear strap-peg, which is hollowed out to accept a phono jack. A cable with a 90 degree plug on one end is strongly recommended for this arrangement. It has a simple tone control, volume control, low battery warning arrangement on the top side.

The machine heads are roughly grover-shaped, but have nothing written on them, so might be copies. They are very tight, but keep the instrument well in tune despite string bending (possibly because they are so tight; I will know more when I've adjusted them to a comfortable tension). As they are very small and close together, in keeping with the size of the headstock, they are awkward to operate.

It's Korean made, and I only bought it because guitars which aren't a serious limitation for my small hands are almost nonexistent, so, having grabbed it off the shelf and heard the delicious tone and seen the solid top and the price, I couldn't be dragged from the shop without it. When I got it home and looked up the brand on the internet and discovered to my surprise that I'd not after all bought myself a cheap asian knock-off, but a more or less brand name guitar, I got the shock of my life. I thought I'd just got lucky. After all, having a substantial collection of guitars already, I only went into the music shop for a badly needed cable. A contoured brass slide, four picks, one cable, one Russian-made Big Muff Pi (highly recommended) later, my husband grabbed hold of me just as I was heading for the cellos (I play fiddle).

I'd give it a ten if it had decent electronics.

I'm mainly a electric lead guitarist in seventies rock, R & B and blues genres, with a smattering of light-duty jazz, but I gig locally with acoustic guitar and vocals, and play in a variety of styles from the seventies or earlier, including blues, rock, Scottish trad., bluegrass flatpicking, fingerstyle and vocal accompaniment (thanks to a string of teachers during childhood, none of whom played the same style <g>). The bluegrass flatpicking era did most for my technique, I think ... but this guitar will serve as my gig guitar (I often travel to the closest ones by motorbike or quad (RTV to you Americans), so it'll be easiest to carry, and also easiest to amplify, as my dreadnought has no electronics and my custom archtop (made extra small for my hand size and arthritis of the fingers) will not have its pickup fitted for a while yet: and I'm sick of yelling my lungs out to be heard over an eating, drinking and chattering audience! The little Boss MA-15A practice amp which a friend left at my place before emigrating to Mexico (i.e. the other side of the world; I'm in Australia) sounds amazingly good for a small tranny amp, and will take my SM57 as well.

But primarily it will serve as my bed guitar. As a chronic invalid, bed is where I spend a lot of my time. And anyone who has ever taken a Les Paul or a dreadnought to bed will appreciate that a little beauty like this can keep me very good company on those increasingly frequent bad days since Encephalitis and subsequent Neurological Auto-immune disease have made my life the chaotic mess it was never meant to be when I started playing at eight and spent my teens practising four hours a night minimum in order to make a living out of music; I was already lead guitarist in a band where the other members were twice my age (and it wasn't my gender or looks which got me in either; and no, I wasn't the 'chick singer' with the token guitar, but a shy, hard-working, dedicated musician who wanted to make the guitar do the singing, but in those days ??? the seventies ??? girls didn't play instruments in rock bands: so no assumptions please).

Electrically, the guitar seemed, on one trial, not to sound too good through a Fender Deluxe Reverb 30W in the shop (the amp I have at home). Anything which doesn't sound good through an amp like that isn't going to sound good through anything. Further experimentation at home with the electronics yielded better results; it seems that the unit is very sensitive to both volume and tone setting, and anything above 2/3 volume will overdrive the amp and provide you with a rather nasty distortion (budding rock guitarists take note <g>), while anything over about 2/3 tone gives a harsh sound, which was what I heard at the shop. Backed off somewhat, it gives an acceptable, but not pleasant, tone. I would mic this guitar. The acoustic sound is far superior to the electric sound. Played acoustically, the guitar has a delightfully sweet and surprisingly loud sound for its size, and blows my antique Epiphone dreadnought, which had previously been my flattop acoustic of choice, off stage in the tone department, and gives it a run for its money in the volume department (I suspect that the Epiphone's laminated top and heavy lacquer don't help it much).

I would give it a ten for sound within the constraints of price and size if it were a pure acoustic, but am knocking a couple of points off because Breedlove (spoiling the ship for a hpporth of tar) didn't shell out a few shekels and include electronics to match, which I would gladly have paid a bit more for, and will be a nuisance to add; not to mention the waste of the included electronics, such an important item in a travel guitar, which might be used for anything from busking to touring with a band, given its possibilities as something between a mandolin and a guitar, pitched as it is a fourth above concert, with a unique tone to match. I can imagine this blending in very nicely with another acoustic.

Very good finish for the price; in fact good finish full stop. It has the look of an expensive factory-made guitar. The top and back are perfectly bookmatched, and the bridge, being pinless (which probably contributes to its volume by being lighter) is expertly finished. The intonation is perfect; as good as, or better than, any guitar I own (all either top brand-name, or luthier-made). This becomes more difficult as the scale length shortens, so Breedlove deserve full marks for that.

I only knocked a point off because the action was uncomfortably and unnecessarily high and the machine heads unnecessarily stiff, but these things are adjustable.

As for withstanding gigging, I haven't taken it on an outing yet, but have no doubts at all on that score. It is solidly constructed, and as long as it isn't dropped (and possibly even if it is), I trust it to stay intact and in tune. It has large, robust strap buttons, and I would definitely gig without a backup; I trust myself not to drop the guitar.

No idea. Never contacted them.

I've been playing guitar for over 30 yrs, health permitting, and was also a drummer for 14 yrs, playing in two bands (successively), on a double-bass Premier kit. I've dabbled in a number of other instruments, including mandolin, fiddle, piano/ keyboards, clarinet (couldn't afford a sax at the time) and flute. My amps have included an Ampeg 110W with a Celestion quad box (made a great guitar amp for going up against aggressive Marshall users; on the Ampeg, both the tone and the volume could be controlled <g>, and it wasn't short on muscle), a modified Fender Twin (which I wish I'd kept) and my current Fender Deluxe Reverb (it's amazing how loud 30 watts can be when they're coming out of a valve amp. I've had enough years of electronics training to know what a watt is, and the difference still mystifies me). I've never collected pedals, preferring my distortion neat, from the amp, but due to changed life circumstances I now own and love a pair of Electro-Harmonix pedals; an Electric Mistress and a Russian Big Muff Pi for my distortion needs. I doubt that I'll be using the Big Muff on the Breedlove, but The Electric Mistress might make some very interesting noises, although better electronics in the guitar would help that experiment along.

I wish the neck were a bit slimmer so slash chords were easier, and I wish the frets were a bit flatter, but there was nothing which came close to it in scale length (not counting kids' nylon strings), so the choice was simple, and I'm happy. But if you're reading this, Breedlove people, electronics to match the acoustics is the main point I want to make; otherwise, leave them out, make the guitar correspondingly cheaper, and let people get their own fitted. Finances permitting, I'd definitely buy one again, and if it weren't for the electronics, I'd be giving it a 10.

Made in 2006 the Breedlove Atlas series passport c 20 travel guitar is a miniature acoustic guitar. It has a solid cedar top and laminated mahogany back and sides and a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. The 21 fret neck is designed to be tuned a fourth above a standard acoustic steel string (the open strings are the same as a guitar capoed at the 5th fret). The guitar has a satin finish.

I love the sound of this guitar! It is a welcome addition to my collection of about 20 guitars. Simply the fact that the guitar gives the acoustic steel string an added range of a fourth (I can play up to a high f sharp about the highest d on my taylor 514!) makes it worth far more money than I paid for it. The intonation of all of the super high range notes is superb as is the entire range of the instrument. The range of the guitar that overlaps my other acoustic guitars has a plesant mandolinish quailty and blends in with a distinct tone making it easy for the ear to distinguish that two DIFFERENT guitars are playing the same notes.

I bought this guitar in as is condition, and the neck angle was causing the strings to make the action extremely high. After a $65 dollar repair the neck was restored to its original condition and now plays like butter.

Seems to be a steardy instrument, but I have only owned it for a few weeks.

I love this guitar! I have never seen another guitar like it. It is similar to a Brazilian instrument called a Cavacino, however all of the of the cavacinos I have seen and played(or owned for that matter) do not sound, play or play in tune and stay in tune as well as the breedlove passport c20. I have owned lots of guitars, but right now I use a Taylor 514, a Garcia grade #3 nylon string with a fishman pickup, a 1975 Guild F 212 XLNT jumbo 12 string and the Breedlove passport as my main recording acoustic guitars. With these 4 acoustics I feel fully equiped to handle any acoustic situation. I would highly recomend this instrument to anyone looking for an added texture to their acoustic guitar collection.

I got this 1/2 size beauty in 2005 and the instrument was made in Korea. This cutaway guitar has a solid cedar top and laminate mahogany sides and back. The nut width is 1 and 3/4 inch. It has a bolt on neck with the two allen boltheads on the back of the guitar. The volume control for the active Baggs pickup is in the sound hole and there is a battery compartment near the endpin jack. The finish is satin. The tuners are genuine grover and it came with a nice gig bag. Overall the finish is nicely done. When I showed my wife the guitar, she said that it was beautful, something she has not said about the other 5 guitars I own.

Sound is very subjective. I choose a sound based upon the style that I predominately play. I play mostly acoustic blues and ragtime. A week before I purchased the Passport C25, I played a bunch of instruments at the local Guitar Center. I played the Spruce top Baby Taylor and the Little Martin LXM. I also own an Arts & Lutherie Ami parlor guitar and a Montana travel guitar. I'll try to explain the sound of the 1/2 size Breedlove by comparing it to the others.

For pure acoustic blues, the Arts and Lutherie Ami has the best sound. For the most normal sound for a travel guitar go with the Martin LXM. It a nice instrument. The best econo-travel guitar is the Montana. Sorry to the Baby Taylor owners, but I didn't like the sound. The Passport C25 is tuned to "A", and it's 1/2 size. The sound is unique and very good for acoustic blues and ragtime. It's surprising loud for such a small guitar. It's not as loud as my Ami parlor, but it takes to strumming better. I almost bought the Martin LXM, but I decided against it because it sounded too normal. The Passport C-25 has a distinct voice that I like. I also played the Passport c-20, which has no cutaway and no electronics. This has a nice sound, but sounds a little more normal to me. I'm giving this high rating based upon ragtime and acoustic playing. If I were mainly a strummer, I'd lower the rating to a 7. Also the electronics sound good through my Roland Micro Cube.

Action is a little high. It has a trussrod, so I'll lower the action a little when I get the time. The finish was flawless. It's a real nice looking insrument. Abalone around the soundhole too.

This instrument is solidly built. My Montana Travel has light construction. My Ami parlor has such a light finish on it that the cedar top dents easily. The Baby Taylor I played looked budget, with no purfling and etched around sound hole. The Martin LXM looked like it would last for a long time with it's special HPL laminate construction. This Passport c-25 is nicely done and is solid. It doesn't look cheap.

Haven't used the customer support.

I've been playing for 30 years. I own an Art & Lutherie Ami Parlor, Montana Travel, Ovation Custom Balladeer, Gibson J-30, and an Epiphone semi-hollow electric. I'd buy this guitar again if it were stolen. I wasn't looking to buy another guitar when I purchased it. I went in for a couple sets of strings. I was so amazed how the instrument fit my style of play that I bought it on the spot. But this guitar might not be for you. For a more normal sound in a travel guitar, I'd recommend the Martin LXM.