Breedlove Crossover FO Mandolin

The Florentine shape of the Breedlove Crossover FO Mandolin is simple and elegant. With the oval soundhole and X-bracing it projects a warmer, sweeter sound in a broader range.

Top Wood

Sitka spruce, picea sitchensis, originates in the northwest United States. Sitka spruce has been the primary top wood for American-made instruments for decades. It is strong and light with extended harmonic content, and it nearly equals the power of Adirondack. It offers a strong, focused tone with a solid fundamental -- perfect for flatpicking styles. When compared with European spruce, Sitka delivers warmer, more fundamental sound, largely free of overtones. Sitka takes a slightly longer period of playing time to open up. It has a straight uniform grain and coloration ranges from white to pink to light brown.

Back and Side Wood

Maple is great for standing out among other instruments. With a powerful fundamental and even harmonics, it is clear and present, but without pronounced peaks and valleys in the harmonic content.

Set-up in Bend, OR

Breedlove's comprehensive quality control process provides the player with an instrument that will play perfectly right out of the box. Prior to shipment, every Breedlove instrument undergoes a rigorous 25-to-30-point inspection in Bend, Oregon by an expert U.S. quality control team. They start with a visual inspection: checking aesthetic and structural elements of the body and components for flaws. Next, each guitar is tuned and undergoes a… read more play test, where craftspeople check nut height, relief, action, and string height. Based on the results of the play test, Breedlove then adjusts the guitar for maximum playability. Finally, each instrument is buffed and polished by hand with painstaking attention to detail. Once the instrument has passed inspection, a signed QC sticker is placed, and the instrument is carefully packed and shipped. read less