Breedlove Guitars


Breedlove Guitars is an American acoustic instrument company based in Bend, Oregon. Breedlove produces acoustic guitars, acoustic bass guitars, and ukuleles.

History and background

Breedlove Guitars was established In 1990, pioneering California luthiers Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson, leaving their jobs at Taylor Guitars to create what would become Breedlove Guitars. Their intention was to produce guitars that merged traditional guitar making skills with modern technology. After moving to Tumalo, Oregon, Breedlove and Henderson began specializing in custom, fingerstyle six and twelve string guitars.
In 1991 the first Breedlove guitar model appeared, the shallow body C-10.
All of their guitars feature their patented JLD bridge truss system which incorporates a lever which applies pressure on the tailblock to counterbalances string tension on the top of the guitar as well as various bracing techniques. At the 1992 National Association of Music Merchants trade, Breedlove and Henderson unveiled five models and three body types.
Around 1994, Larry's older brother, Kim Breedlove, joined Larry and Steve as a master craftsman. Breedlove strives to be environmentally conscious, and is "dedicated to selecting alternatives to endangered rainforest woods."