January 29th, 2008 . by MacNichol
Breedlove mandolins are incredibly popular and as a result, difficult to keep in supply. MacNichol will soon have the following models available:
-Breedlove Quartz OF, Natural Finish
-Breedlove Quartz OF, Sunburst Finish
-Breedlove Quartz FF, Natural Finish
-Breedlove Quartz FF, Sunburst Finish.
If interested, please call 1-800-849-3305 or send an e-mail to info@macnichol.com.
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January 25th, 2008 . by MacNichol
One of the Breedlove Atlas series 12-string guitars, the AJ250/SF Plus is a large, booming guitar, and arguably the best-looking of the Atlas Series instruments. The top is sitka and the back/sides are a gorgeous flamed maple with a shiny finish. The combo of sitka and flamed maple results in a bright, cheerful look. It comes with a soft cutaway, slightly wider neck than a six string would have, as well as shiny gold Grover tuners.
But the AJ250/SF Plus is more than just a good-looking guitar. It comes with Fishman Classic 4t pickup system for those who plug in. And for those who don’t, you’ll get plenty of volume and bass out of this guitar. As is standard for the Atlas series, the AJ250/SF Plus contains a JLD bridge truss system, which is particularly useful for a twelve-string and the extra pressure that the strings exert. Also standard for the Atlas series is the pinless bridge system (which makes string changes much easier).
As is typical of a Breedlove, the flamed maple jumbo exerts a piano-like bass. However, this may not be as apparent on a Breedlove twelve string because of the double strings. As such, if you really want to hear that piano bass come through, try removing the double strings for the bass strings. This will feel a bit weird at first when playing because your fingers will alternately hit single and double strings, but you will soon get used to it. This provides a great sound that is somewhat like a rhythm guitar and mandolin playing together.
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January 20th, 2008 . by MacNichol
The NAMM 2008 Show in Anaheim was quite a success. Lots of great products, and even more great people. Among the celebrity sightings were Ed Gerhard, who played the new Breedlove lap steel guitar, made by Master Luthier Jayson Bowerman. Radim Zenkl also appeared for Breedlove, playing an electric Breedlove mandolin. Bill Murray was also sighted, creating quite a stir at the Fishman booth.
MacNichol placed a large Breedlove Guitars order, including several concert bodies, dreadnoughts, and passport models, which should arrive sometime within the next month. Call 1-800-849-3305 for more details.
Posted in Acoustic Guitars, Breedlove Guitars, Mandolins | No Comments »
January 15th, 2008 . by MacNichol
For those of you who love country music, such as that by Allison Krauss and Taylor Swift, check out this Country Music Top Twenty Puzzle. It provides a number of “word pictures” that represent the songs in the list.
A percentage of all proceeds go to support Walden’s Puddle, a non-profit organization that helps injured and orphaned wildlife.
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January 11th, 2008 . by MacNichol
Update: This guitar has sold, however, if you are interested in a Breedlove Guitar Second, please contact us at info@macnichol.com
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MacNichol Guitars and Mandolins has a special deal on a Breedlove AC25/SR Plus Atlas concert body guitar. This guitar has what appear to be four very small glue drops underneath the finish, but otherwise is in excellent condition.
Click here to see the blemish on the AC25/SR Plus or Full picture.
This is considered a cosmetic blemish and thus the guitar is available at significant savings. There is nothing functionally wrong with the guitar, there’s just this minor cosmetic blemish. The guitar also has a five-year manufacturer’s warranty from Breedlove, which will cover everything except the blemish.
If you are interested in this Breedlove, please call 1-800-849-3305.
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January 9th, 2008 . by MacNichol
RainSong Guitars has two similar models, the WS1000 (Classic Series) and the A-WS1000 (Advanced Series), which both have very similar body shapes, except that the WS-1000 has a slightly smaller lower bout (0.05 inches smaller) and the A-WS1000 has a slightly beveled top and back. Additionally, both have pure carbon graphite construction and the resulting distinctive tone. The two models also have chrome-plated Gotoh tuning machines (1:18) along with Tusq nuts and saddles. However, there are a number of differences between the two, which result in the difference in cost.
First, consider the carbon graphite weave and handwork. The Classic Series has the original carbon graphite weave (lighter weight) along with significant handwork such as the shark position markers along the neck and abalone rosette, whereas the Advanced Series has an advanced carbon graphite weave (heavier weight) and less handwork. Additionally, the Classic shows off the carbon graphite weave, giving it a diamond-like glittering appearance; the Advanced is also available in the natural look, but also in black, red, or blue.
Next, consider the neck. Both models have solid carbon graphite necks, and, because of the strength of carbon graphite, allows RainSong to build guitars with very thin necks, allowing for easy play. However, the Classic Series does not have an adjustable neck, but the Advanced Series does, with a dual action truss rod.
The elecronics differ, too. The Classic Series has L.R. Baggs On Board System. The Advanced Series has the Fishman Prefix Plus-T, which inlcudes a built-in tuner. The cases differ as well. The WS-1000 comes with a hardshell case, whereas the A-WS1000 comes with a padded gig bag.
Now, let’ s discuss sound. Both guitars have great clarity along with incredible uplugged volume, matching what you would expect from the largest of wooden jumbos (perhaps louder). This has the obvious benefit of making slides, hammer-ons and hammer-offs seemingly effortless. The drawback is that any minor mistakes that you make are going to be amplified as well. Indeed, when I first played a RainSong I felt as though I were back in time at my third guitar lesson. It takes a couple of days to get adjusted to a RainSong’s sensitivity, similar to what it’s like for an acoustic player who first tries an electric guitar. However, I see this as a benefit because it forces you to sharpen your playing, and, indeed, I believe that the RainSong has had this effect on my own playing.
Both guitars work for a variety of different styles, but are particularly good for strumming and flatpicking, and fabulous for cross picking and slide playing. For cross picking, the clarity of the guitars makes each not stand out very well. For slide playing, the RainSongs remind me of sliding on a guitar with f-sound holes. I used to have an old Silvertone with f-holes and the RainSongs remind me of that guitar’s sound when sliding.
But what are the differences in sound between the Classic WS-1000 and Advanced A-WS1000? The Classic is a bright, loud guitar with a piano-like bass. It reminds me of a dreadnought with a sitka top and rosewood back/sides. The Advanced, on the other hand, has a softer, mellower tone, and reminds me of a dreadnought with a cedar top and mahogany back/sides.
Whichever model you choose, you will love the volume, clarity and durability of RainSong Guitars.
Posted in Acoustic Guitars, Carbon Fiber Guitars, RainSong Guitars | No Comments »
January 5th, 2008 . by MacNichol
Two of the most popular Breedlove Guitars from the Atlas Series are the AC25/SR Plus and the AC25/CM Plus, also known as “Black Magic”. The two share many similar features. Both are concert bodies with soft cutaways. Both include a JLD Bridge Truss Systems, pinless bridges, Grover tuners, and Breedlove’s Plus package, which inlcudes abalone ellipse marker positions, abalone rosette and electronics that are upgraded to the Fishman Classic 4t.
Yet the two Breedloves are vastly different guitars. First, consider the top woods. The AC25/SR Plus has a solid sitka spruce top and thus a crisper, brighter, more powerful sound; whereas Black Magic has a cedar top, which produces a mellow sound. Next, the back and side woods. The AC25/SR Plus has rosewood back and sides, which complement the sitka top to produce a bright tone and powerful bass; Black Magic on the other hand has mahogany sides and back, resulting in a warm, “woody” tone.
Of course, the two are vastly different in appearance, and those appearances reflect the guitars’ different sounds. The AC25/SR Plus has a bright, shiny natural finish, along with bright gold Grover tuners - a bright, shiny guitar with a complementary sound. Black Magic has a glossy pitch black finish along with sublte grey Grover tuners yet has shiny abalone rosette and purfling - a smooth, mellow guitar with a bit of shine.
Both guitars are fabulous for fingerpickers and fingerstylists, containing many of the same features that Breedlove custom shop guitars possess yet at a great value. However, even though these aren’t custom shop guitars, they are nevertheless high quality guitars made with excellent materials and workmanship. Indeed, both guitars come with the same hardshell cases used for Breedlove’s custom shop instruments.
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January 3rd, 2008 . by MacNichol
Breedlove’s AD20 SR Plus has the brightness, bass and volume that you would expect from a guitar with a solid rosewood back. The first that I noticed upon playing this guitar is its volume. This is one of the loudest guitars that I have ever played; this is not surprising, either, considering that the guitar has a JLD bridge truss system, sports a very small pickguard, which allows for a more resonant top, and lacks a cutaway, which results in a larger soundbox for greater volume. The AD20 SR Plus also does not have any electronics installed, and thus no sound eating holes have been drilled in the body. The second thing that I noticed is the bass — loud, deep, and, like all Breedloves, the bass is piano-like, so it seems as though you have a piano player in the room with you playing back up. Finally, this is a bright guitar: it has the energy and perkiness of a high school cheerleader. The Breedlove AD20SR Plus begs to have fast, upbeat tunes such as Irish jigs or bluegrass tunes played on it.
Unlike many dreadnoughts, Breedlove’s dread has a pinless bridge, which presents an interesting aspect for flatpickers. For some, it’s great to get the pins out of the way of their wrists. But for others who use the pins as an anchor point by barely touching them with their wrists , it will take a little bit of time to get used to the lack of pins. Other features include scalloped bracing, gold Grover tuners, abalone ellipse marker positions, abalone rosette and purfling.
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January 1st, 2008 . by MacNichol
I love jumbo guitars and I’ve owned several over the years, including a 1993 Guild FJ4-NT that I bought new, and in 1997, had a JLD bridge truss installed. Over the years, my Guild jumbo has developed a smooth mellow tone, with a deep bass.
Breedlove’s AJ250/SM reminds me of my Guild FJ4-NT. Indeed, the two both have solid spruce tops along with mahogany sides and backs. They both have JLD bridge trusses (standard for the Breedlove Jumbo, custom for my Guild) and are simply adorned – simple position markers on the neck, etc. The two also share a similar tone – smooth and mellow.
However, the Guild is more of a strumming guitar, with its larger body, large pickguard, and no cutaway, which makes getting to the upper fretboard difficult – it’s a stretch to get beyond the 14th fret. When I play my Guild jumbo, I feel like plucking out Johnny Cash tunes, and, indeed, there are no shortage of times that I’ve played “Folsom Prison Blues” on it.
The Breedlove jumbo on the other hand is a fingerpicker or fingerstylist’s guitar. It has a slightly shallower body and, also unlike the Guild, the Breedlove does not have a pickguard. The Breedlove has a soft cutaway, which allows for easy access all the way up to the 18th fret. I have to reach a little to get to the 19th and 20th frets on the Breedlove, whereas with the Guild I have to bring my thumb out from behind the neck to reach that high. The Breed love Guitars AJ250/SM also includes Fishman Classic 4 electronics, Grover tuners, and a satin finish.
Posted in Acoustic Guitars, Breedlove Guitars | No Comments »
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