Breedlove Discovery Concert Cutaway Acoustic Electric Guitar Review

April 16, 2022 Post a Comment

Hey, swain guitarist! AcousticGuitar.com is here to support you with fantastic manufactures (like this one.) If you like what we exercise, please give $one (or whatever you can afford) in back up of our work.

From the January/February 2022 issue ofAcoustic Guitar | Past Emile Menasché

Designed in the U.Due south. and built in China, Breedlove's Pursuit Exotic S series was conceived to be more just some other entry-level import line. Yes, starting at $749, these guitars price a fraction of their American-made counterparts. But according to Breedlove, they besides demonstrate both the need for and the benefits of using unusual and sustainable tonewoods—and of sourcing those materials responsibly.

Breedlove's website lists eleven Pursuit Exotic S models, with a range of wood and end combinations, from $539 street. At $1,399, the single cutaway acoustic-electrical Pursuit Exotic S Concert Edgeburst CE featured hither sits at the top of the series' price pyramid—just it'southward still about $700 less expensive than Breedlove's lowest priced U.S.-built Concert model.

Handsome and Well Built

Correct out of the box, the Pursuit'due south appearance lives up to the Exotic handle, thank you to a dramatically figured solid koa top highlighted by Breedlove's Edgeburst gloss end. Photographs don't quite capture the dazzler of the koa'due south contrasting grains, with dark stripes flowing along the length of the top, first by rich tobacco brown. The back and sides are made from layered koa and African mahogany. Though less eye-catching than the top, their grain and finish continue the visual statement to give the guitar a cohesive appearance.

The 25.3-inch scale 20-fret fingerboard is made from ovangkol, a sustainable alternative to rosewood, as is the span. Both the 1.69-inch nut and bridge saddle are Tusq, a synthetic ivory substitute. Other details include handsome simulated tortoiseshell binding, brass fretboard inlays, and an bonny matte copper motif seen in the headstock'south Breedlove logo, as well as the tuners and strap buttons.

In terms of fit and finish, nigh every detail is outstanding correct out of the box. The neck'southward satiny texture is smooth and comfortable. The nicely dressed frets and well-rounded nut all feel keen to the touch—not a jagged edge to exist institute. Intonation is spot on, and tuning proved to be remarkably stable in typically unpredictable Northeast weather. Ofttimes, I'd have the guitar off its stand, strum a chord, and observe it was yet in tune from the day before.

My only complaint is that the action above the tenth fret is a footling high for my taste. Looking closely, however, I'd say setup is more to blame than construction. If I owned the guitar, I'd take information technology to a trusted tech, and a good guitar dealer would probably adjust the setup before information technology hit the display rack.

Tonal Pursuits

When it comes to gig-friendly instruments, information technology's hard to beat a concert-sized guitar. The trunk dimensions are comfortable, while still providing plenty book to produce very strong tone. At nineteen.875 inches long, the Pursuit's box ranges from three.58 inches deep at the cervix to iv.2 inches at the tail block. With a 15.37-inch lower bout, eleven.28-inch upper bout, and a nine-inch waist, the guitar hangs nicely on the strap and perches happily on the knee.

The Pursuit's African mahogany neck joins the body at the 14th fret, with an unobtrusive cutaway open to around the 16th fret. Its profile is rounded and moderately deep—fitting in what I think of as the comfy middle—and should accommodate almost players.

Unplugged, the Pursuit has a rich, warm sound that projects well, with a strong midrange accent and tight just polite low end. Played fingerstyle, the midrange emphasis adds weight to arpeggiated lines and single-annotation passages. The guitar isn't as brilliant or cutting every bit you might get from other tonewood combinations, and whether that's a plus or minus is really a matter of individual sense of taste and musical application.

Some players might prefer a punchier bass relative to the midrange, but plenty of guitars evangelize that kind of sound. The Pursuit's midrange focus makes for a nice dissimilarity to more conventional-sounding flattops. I really similar how smoothly the tone transitions from low to midrange to treble—specially on arpeggiated chords and stacked triads.

All the same, if the Pursuit I tested has one outstanding strength, it's the way it resonates and sustains with bong-like overtones on single notes. Held notes take an impressively long and steady decay, and after I lift my fingers, the guitar maintains the harmonic vibrations in a mode that makes simple passages sing. Fifty-fifty expensive guitars can sound a flake thin on the loftier E string, merely the Pursuit's mid focus lends fullness to those notes besides.

Changes to finger and pick attack demonstrate the guitar'southward range of sonic colors. Strummed, it produces a loud and muscular sound that would hold its ain in a adequately large ensemble. It wouldn't take much to overpower a quiet instrument or singer, so dynamic awareness is essential. A lighter pick seems to open upwardly the sound for strummed chords, while the pad of the thumb produces a percussive "thonk" for jazzier comping.

Simple But Constructive Electronics

While not all models in the Pursuit series come with onboard electronics, those in the Exotic S subcategory sport a Fishman Presys piezo pickup and preamp system. The command console sits in the guitar's upper shoulder—not the prettiest solution, though it's more compact than that of well-nigh preamps. Instead of being housed in the endpin, the output jack sits in a console on the lower side of the guitar, which as well has a bombardment compartment—a plus since yous tin can add or remove a strap without unplugging.

The Presys' control layout is bones simply effective: You get a single volume knob and pushbuttons for Contour (a mid-cutting EQ), Phase, and Tuner. The preamp puts out plenty of level. Some players might prefer a more elaborate onboard EQ, but I find the simplicity highly-seasoned. Unless you lot're plugging into an amp or mixer with inadequate tone controls, an onboard EQ isn't strictly necessary.

If you lot need a tonal variation, the Contour button works well. There's more midrange with the push up (off); activating the control produces a squeamish scoop that brings out the bass and treble—perfect for open up chord strumming. The overall level doesn't alter much between the two settings, then you could easily utilise Contour to switch from scooped rhythm to thick lead. The Presys also has an onboard tuner, which mutes the output when active. It may not be fancy, but it's fast, its brandish is very piece of cake to read, and information technology'due south accurate enough for day-to-day use.

Pursuing New Ideas

Taken on its own, the Breedlove Pursuit Exotic S Concert Edgeburst CE is an bonny and well-made guitar at a reasonable toll. If the instrument I tested is anything to go by, a skillful setup is all you'd need to make for a gigging workhorse equally effective for unplugged or amplified performances. Unplugged, its mid-focused timbre and overtone rich sustain give information technology a unique vocalism that encourages melodic playing.

Just I retrieve there'south as well a bigger picture to consider. If Breedlove'southward use of alternative woods is meant to be a argument about sustainable guitar edifice, I'd argue that delivering that bulletin through a relatively affordable product like this makes the Pursuit Exotic S series more than than an exercise in socially responsible messaging. Over time, this may bring these materials into the mainstream while encouraging sustainable growth and harvesting. That's a noble pursuit indeed.

Get stories like this in your inbox

Specs

Body Cutaway Concert shape; solid koa top; layered African mahogany and koa back and sides; ovangkol bridge; Tusq saddle with 2-1/8″ spacing; imitation tortoiseshell binding; Edgeburst finish

NECK 25.three″ scale African mahogany neck; twenty frets; ovangkol fretboard with 16″ radius; one-eleven/xvi″ Tusq nut; copper closed-gear tuners; stained satin cease

OTHER D'Addario XT Phosphor Statuary Light strings (.012–.053); Fishman Presys I electronics

MADE IN China

Cost $1,399 street

Shop for this guitar on Amazon or Sweetwater.

breedlovemusic.com