Breedlove Eco

[Marcury]

https://breedlovemusic.com/instruments/eco-collection

Just got an email about these. Looks real interesting. Going to Bend late next month hope to hit the Breedlove Showroom and try them out.

[SRL]

It's really cool they are extending the sustainable harvesting all the way down to their lower models.

If I remember correctly, they started with only the made-in-Oregon models in 2017, then added it to the solid-wood import models (the "Organic" line) and now they're bringing it to the solid-top models too.

I say, good for them. We need more companies (not just guitar makers) to adopt more sustainable practices. Wood products, like furniture and guitars and houses, are a great way to take carbon out of the air and store it in dry wood, but only if the forests it was harvested from are replanted and managed sustainably.

That's why when I buy more guitars, I tell my wife, hey just doing my part for carbon sequestration!

[Shuksan]

The guitars might be interesting, but after watching the video and reading the marketing blah blah blah I'm left wondering what it is that earns them the moniker "Eco". Is it just that the core wood used in the laminates for the back and sides is harvested from non-clear cut forests? I'm guessing that other guitar manufacturers have been sourcing wood that way already without calling their guitars "Eco". And, the amount of wood that it takes to make the laminate cores is a pretty small fraction of the total amount of wood that goes into a guitar so it's not clear to me that it justifies calling the whole guitar "Eco".

Personally, I would be impressed if Breedlove, which is in Oregon, built a series of "Eco" guitars made entirely of sustainable woods from Oregon or the Pacific Northwest. Other than the fretboard, that should be doable and it would be a better fit with describing the guitars as ecologically sensitive. For one thing, it would eliminate shipping wood half way around the world from Africa to Oregon.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by Shuksan

Personally, I would be impressed if Breedlove, which is in Oregon, built a series of "Eco" guitars made entirely of sustainable woods from Oregon or the Pacific Northwest.

They do. It's called the Oregon series and it's been around about 10 years now. They started marketing them as sustainably sourced about 4 years ago, with their "Tonewood Certification Program". There's a very thorough wikipedia page on the company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breedlove_Guitars

[Stevien]

Originally Posted by SRL

They do. It's called the Oregon series and it's been around about 10 years now. They started marketing them as sustainably sourced about 4 years ago, with their "Tonewood Certification Program". There's a very thorough wikipedia page on the company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breedlove_Guitars

Actually, they've been doing that for almost 30 years. I have a Masterclass Pacific model made of all Northwestern woods. The Northwest Classic, which they started building in the early 90s, is built with all Oregon woods. (other than the ebony) So nothing really new here, they've always been "eco."
Steve

[Shuksan]

Originally Posted by SRL

They do. It's called the Oregon series and it's been around about 10 years now. They started marketing them as sustainably sourced about 4 years ago, with their "Tonewood Certification Program". There's a very thorough wikipedia page on the company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breedlove_Guitars

Good for them. Those are nice guitars. I'm a fan of myrtle. My Northwest Classic Master Class Series guitar has myrtle back and sides. It also has a maple neck which was sourced from the Northwest. By contrast, the Eco series guitars use African mahogany for the necks. It still strikes me as strange that they chose to make a big deal of the Eco guitars being eco to the extent that they actually named them Eco even though that's just based on the laminate cores, but did not call the Oregon series guitars and similar models "Eco" even though they are arguably more eco. Marketing wins again.

That said, they probably are nice guitars.

[SRL]

That's true, they don't call the Oregon-built models "Eco" but since 2017 they have been marketed as sustainable, you can see that here or if you go look at any Oregon-built model on their website, the sustainably features front and center.

Now, maybe they could have renamed their entire model lineup in 2017 to reflect that sustainability in the title of each instrument, but with Breedlove they've already had enough model line renamings I'd say. But for new model lines, why not tout it?

[Stevien]

Marketing has been the problem with Breedlove since the mid 2000s. Fantastic guitars, talented people, brilliant ideas, lousy marketing techniques!
Steve

[dnf777]

I also respect what Breedlove has been doing for most of its existence with forest stewardship. Ive bought/sold/traded several lately, and am left with a Jeff Bridges signature and my favorite, a 2002 25ce with rosewood b/s. Best player I have.

[89bruin]

Applying the moniker “eco” to an unnecessary recreational item doesn’t go far with me but I did have a chance to audition one of their low-end solid myrtle guitars at Sweetwater last week and it was a very nice instrument for under $600.

[donlyn]

Breedlove Eco

I'm waiting for the Breedlove EKO Ranger XII model.



Don
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[skoshi84]

Originally Posted by Marcury

https://breedlovemusic.com/instruments/eco-collection

Just got an email about these. Looks real interesting. Going to Bend late next month hope to hit the Breedlove Showroom and try them out.

Did you ever get a chance to play any of the Eco collection?
I thought about starting a thread asking about them, but then I remembered to use the search function.

Breedlove is offering to replace an Organic series guitar of mine with an Eco. I can’t find many real life people talking about them. Just a few people sponsored by Breedlove on YouTube. I tried one today at GC and it was absolutely dead sounding! I am hoping that one was just a dud.