See the video review of the Breedlove C25/CR

The Breedlove Guitar Company has carved out a unique position in the modern acoustic market with a line of guitars that are readily identifiable both by looks and sound. Breedlove's distinctive custom instruments have found their way into the hands of performers as diverse as Ed Gerhard and Madonna, and they have a reputation as a higher-priced boutique brand. With the Pro Series, which includes our C25/CR Herringbone review guitar, Breedlove is attempting to deliver custom-shop quality at a much lower price, reaching guitarists who shop in bigger guitar stores as well as boutique establishments that carry Breedlove's custom wares.

GENEROUSLY APPOINTED

Breedlove's Pro Series guitars are assembled in the United States with parts machined in Korea and share many features and design elements with Breedlove's completely US-made models. The company achieves additional cost savings by eliminating some of the extensive customization and options available on custom shop models. With the Pro Series, players can choose from cedar or Sitka spruce tops and different electronics options, but otherwise the features are fixed. Fortunately, the appointments, which include herringbone trim and abalone rosette, are generous and well chosen, and should please players who like just a touch of flash.

The C25/CR Herringbone is a concert-size guitar, with a beautiful dark cedar top and deep, rich-looking rosewood back and sides. With a slim one-piece mahogany neck, and an ebony fretboard that measures 1¾ inches at the nut, the guitar is very easy to play and navigate. The 2¼-inch string spacing at the saddle should also prove comfortable for fingerstyle players and flatpickers alike.

Visually, the C25/CR Herringbone is instantly recognizable as a Breedlove. From the distinctive headstock shape to the sloped soft cutaway, and the dramatic winged, pinless bridge, the C25/CR Herringbone shares all the visual elements of Breedlove's higher-end guitars.

DEEP TONES

Breedlove guitars are renowned for having a bassy voice, and it only takes a few notes to recognize the signature Breedlove sound in the C25/CR Herringbone. Long sustain, shimmering overtones, and most of all, a deep low end leap from the guitar with a very light touch. The bass response (which Breedlove says is attributable to its use of the top-relaxing JDL bridge truss system) may be the C25/CR Herringbone's strongest feature, and notes on the lower three strings possessed a cello-like voice. All strings exhibit a surprising amount of smooth sustain, as if the guitar were amplified with a light amount of compression. In fact, single-note lead lines reminded me of playing an electric guitar, with a smooth, singing voice and a slightly soft attack.

I was curious how the deep-voiced bass notes would work for lowered tunings and wasn't disappointed with the results. Dropping the sixth string down to a low C and playing a few bars of Ed Gerhard's arrangement of "Moon River" produced a deep resonance and lingering, dreamy higher voices. On a whim, I put the guitar into D A D G A D and capoed at the fifth fret to try a bit of Al Petteway's "Spindrift." Again, the ample sustain helped adorn the slow intro to that tune, and the low strings continued to produce surprising power for the melodic bass line, even with the capo.

I was also impressed with how well the guitar recorded through a set of stereo mics and Pro Tools—producing a huge sound, with even more dramatic sustain, overtones, and low end than I heard acoustically.

Guitarists who play amplified will be pleased with the included L.R. Baggs Element electronics (an L.R. Baggs Dual Source Element system is also available). The nearly invisible volume and tone controls are easily accessible at the top of the soundhole. And the Element produces a clear and punchy tone that preserves the exceptional bass response.

THE WRAP

Sharing much in common with its more expensive cousins, the Breedlove Pro Series C25/CR Herringbone is a guitar any fingerstylist seeking bang for the buck should check out. Anyone who's ever been intrigued by the visual aesthetics and tonal possibilities of a Breedlove will find that the Pro Series offers an especially affordable way to give one a try.