Breedlove Guitars S20/W

Grand Concert body shape all in beautiful walnut - back, sides AND top. One of the only I've seen with the walnut top. It is the standard S series specs - pretty much no frills (however, any Breedlove is pretty frilly!) Elegant abalone rosette, Ebony bridge, binding, fingerboard, and headstock. The gloss finish is unbelievable too. The woods are flawless, and seems rock solid. I give it a nine because, though the features are perfect in every way, there are not many of them. This is not a knock on it at all, I wanted it this way. I did have a Schertler Bluestick pickup (which is the best ever) installed in it however.

The sound of this guitar is beyond words. In the past 3 years of looking for the right guitar, I'd guess I've played around 200. This absolutely grabbed me. The tone is so complex and articulate, while being smooth as butta. I am NOT a fan of the Taylor Twang, and Martins seems a little bolder and brasher than this. The tone is totally balanced, with phenomenal bass and bell-like highs. The piano-like clarity is just mind boggling. Very harmonically rich, and the sustain is UNBELIEVABLE. Strummed, the guitar is incredibly dynamic, with a great chug when really digging in and very shimmery when played delicately. Fingerstyle, the notes just pop out, and the sustain really makes a difference here, notes just seem to swell and fade incredibley. The dynamic range of the notes again is pretty crazy, solo pieces are SO much fun. Plugged in with the bluestick is a joy too...I had it installed and played it through some of the acou amps at the shop, and one by one the sales guys began coming over because they hadn't heard this sounds b/4...the walnut all around just KICKS SERIOUS BUTT.

There's not much else I can say besides perfect and flawless. The handmade difference is just huge from production line taylors, martins, and Larrivees. My one gripe right now is that the strings are popping and an alarming rate, I'm going to have the saddle sanded slightly which should take care of it all. Again, woods and finish are breathtaking. I played at my brother's wedding this weekend and everyone was asking about my guitar!

Can't really say, I've had it for about 2 months, but everythign seems pretty rock solid. Remember, this is a 3K guitar, so it will be babyed pretty heavily. The bass has already begun to mature slightly, filling out and softening up a bit.

Limited lifetime warranty to original owner (me.) Other than that, I don't know. Again, I've only had it for the summer.

Best guitar I've ever played, hands down. Beautiful, easy to play, and the best tone I've ever heard. My last guitar was a Larrivee C-9 from the glory days of Larrivee (early 90's). It was awesome, but nothing compared to this. I've been playing for 9 years and play Folk, Americana, acou rock, and then on my parker fly rock and jazz, and study classical at college. This guitar is a dream guitar. 'Nuff Said.