Is this USA made?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Breedlove...YAAOSweXJgH8AW
Is this USA made?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Breedlove...YAAOSweXJgH8AW
Well, this does not exactly answer your question- it is from the Breedlove website:
"Unlike many of the major American guitar makers, instruments crafted at the Breedlove USA workshop are still made largely by hand, with nearly three dozen craftspeople, many players themselves, putting their all into every guitar they touch."
I trust that means it is made in the USA but it may not.
https://breedlovemusic.com/about-us/our-history
Edit: Here is a thread from a while back but I don't think it mentions this model: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ese-Breedloves
Last edited by NickR; Feb-13-2021 at 2:05pm.
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I stuck in an edited bit showing a thread here about Breedlove and production overseas. I must have added it after you commented but at that time I had the comment page here open so did not see your post as I had not refreshed the page. I have a Breedlove mandolin case and that must be made in China- it is a bit gaudy and exudes an aura of pretend quality.
Thanks Nick - I think our posts crossed. Talking about crossing, it looks like maybe the Chinese Breedloves were the 'Crossover' models, and the 'American KF' (which this appears to be) were the US made ones. The Ebay listing also says 'Crafted in Bend, Or.' - so, the real thing?
I missed that bit about Bend, Oregon and I would hope that means it was made there. You might want to contact the seller to double check this if you are going to bid. It may have a label which states where it was made inside.
Sure looks like a US-made KF. The Crossover models had a different headstock and would not have as nice of wood grain.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/folk...er-kf-mandolin
I’ve always assumed that if it says “Breedlove, Bend, Oregon” on the label it must be a US made one so I’d start by checking the label.
My beater is one of their “Black Gold” models and that that’s more or less what it says on may label and I’ve always assumed it’s US made. Other than that, I don’t know much about it; seems to be a pretty rare model. Can’t comment on the quality of the grain - it’s completely black - except for the gold bits!
99.9 percent sure it's US made. Don't believe that case was available with the Crossover series. It's also a different bridge and F hole style than the Crossover.
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To correct my last post, I’ve just rescued my beater from the identical case to which the o/p is looking at and the label actually says “Breedlove Guitar Company, Tumalo, OR” - which, according to good old Google Earth, is just north of Bend. The label is also signed “K Breedlove” which I assume is the man himself.
On closer inspection, with a torch and a mirror, there is a signature beneath the top, between the braces, but I’m not very good at reading mirror image handwriting!
I see that it sold for £752.87 which is more than I paid, at auction, for mine - and I got an extra 3 frets.
Last edited by Ray(T); Feb-15-2021 at 6:38am. Reason: Update
The Ebay one did look in good condition, though I'm not sure whether the action might have been not the lowest. I guess that price is fair enough in UK for a USA made Breedlove. There were a couple of new Crossovers on Ebay in recent months from one seller that look like they didn't make the asking, and until recently, there was also a music store in UK with two new Crossovers for sale for £700+, but they seem to have gone off their website now. They could be the same shop with a different Ebay name, of course.
Are you atually looking to buy one? Have you ever played one? Personally, compared to the rest of the stable, I don’t find them particularly exciting. They can be setup to play nicely but they have a really “polite” and relatively quiet sound. I wouldn’t take mine out with a view to competing with other instruments and the only reason I bought it was because it was there and I needed a new beater (parking up with a ‘24 Snakehead in the motorhome seemed a bit of a risk).
No Ray, I'm not in the market for anything at the moment, as I just got an Eastman 305. I was looking at the Breedlove because it's a non traditional mandolin design that looks interesting but still OK (I don't go for e.g. the Seagull style of modern shape). Your comments about this design being rather 'quiet and polite' is interesting because that seems to fit with the comments elsewhere on this Forum on the Chinese made Breedlove mandolins. I wonder whether that description fits some of the Breedlove mandolins, wherever they're made, rather than specifically the Chinese made ones?
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