This purchase resulted from a purchase of another 6 string acoustic from zZounds prior to ordering this Breedlove stage all mahogany guitar. I first ordered another brand and although the guitar was very nice and had a good sound, the on-board tuner stopped working within 30 days of its purchase. I contacted zZounds and with the help of the staff, it was a super breeze to return it. I was going to just get an exchange for the same guitar, but went exploring (as we all do :-)!) on the zZounds website. This is where I spotted and started investigating Breedlove guitars. The more I learned about how this small company in Bend, Oregon went about their philosophy, innovative designs, and total care and commitment to the quality they demand from their staff to make sure we get a great instrument, I was SOLD! I even phoned them and talked with a really nice lady for about 20 minutes with questions I had. She was most helpful and totally in love with her job! Now ... on to the review. The very first thing I noticed about Breedlove products when I started unboxing my new toy :-) was the Deluxe Gig Bag. This thing is built like a tank! All kinds of pockets, padding, backpack straps and handles. What a smart way to safely package your guitar for shipping and give you travel-ready protection for your investment! Nice job! First ... the innovations of this guitar: Pinless bridge, gradiated thickness of the soundboard (top), headstock design to keep the strings straight from the nut to… read more the machine heads, very nice "flying wings" abalone fretboard markers and abalone inlays with outer rings around the soundhole, the Breedlove Bridge Truss System, beautifully book-matched mahogany grain tone woods with tortoise shell binding and 18 to 1 ratio sealed "Breedlove" chrome tuners. Next ... the fit and finish. This guitar has a very soft satin finish to the all-solid mahogany body. Although high gloss has its charms, I much prefer this finish. No fingerprints :-)! I closely inspected every aspect of my new guitar and found absolutely nothing wrong with it ... and I''m picky! Next ... the body type. This is a "concert" body size and shape. I've always been a "dreadnought" guitar player primarily due to the depth of sound a dreadnought produces. I was a little leary of getting this smaller body, but was bowled over by the sounds I heard on the u tube videos, so I took a chance .. and am very grateful I did! Next ... the sound! This what it finally comes down to! I cannot begin to describe the amazing, pure, quality sound this guitar has! I've gone to the local "national" brick and mortar guitar shops to "test drive" different brands, and there are many fine sounding guitars to choose from ... but NOT at this price point! I played Martins, Guilds, Gibsons, and other comparative axes, but with me choosing this Breedlove model, I ended up with about $1500 - $1700 change. That's no small change! Next ... The RL Baggs electronic pick up system. This is a quality "clean" sounding pick up. It is simple in design and transfers the wonderful tones my guitar produces in a very neutral and pristine fashion, it simply performs as a quality pick up should. The volume and tone controls are inside the soundhole. This keeps the luthier from having to cut a BIG rectangle hole in the side of the body of your guitar! Finally ... I done good :-)! For $800 bucks, I feel that I got a $2500 guitar. All my music friends who test drive my new acquisition are literally blown away by its playabilty, its response, and, of course, the sound! I am a happy camper :-)!

Musical Background:
off and on 50 years jam at home, church, and the local city market

Musical Style:
I play my own compositions. I really like finger picking, but flat pick and strum as well. I like open chords. It highlights the read less