Last Updated on December 28, 2023 by Chris
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Does Breedlove Make Left Handed Guitars?
Yes, they do! At the time of writing, two left handed Breedlove guitars are available.
Find out which ones by going straight to the guitars, or read on to find out a little more about Breedlove.
Well-known guitarists who’ve played Breedlove include Angel Vivaldi, Carl Harvey (Toots and the Maytals), bassist Jeff Pilson (Dio, Dokken, Foreigner), and Academy Award-winning actor/musician Jeff Bridges, who has his own sustainable signature model.
Who Are Breedlove Guitars?
Breedlove Guitars has been designing and crafting guitars since 1990. The company was founded by California luthiers Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson, who left their jobs at Taylor Guitars to embark on their own guitar-building business.
They opened a shop in Tumalo, Oregon, where they set themselves a goal of perfecting the acoustic sound by combining traditional guitar-making skills with the most modern techniques available, and creating thoroughly modern, and innovative guitars.
Breedlove pioneered the use of exotic woods, such as koa and ziricote, and was one of the first “green” companies, using North American woods, and sometimes even locally sourced Oregon tonewoods, such as myrtlewood.
In Breedlove’s first year, Larry and Steve’s former boss, and co-founder of Taylor Guitars, Bob Taylor encouraged them to take on Taylor’s service and warranty work, in order to help the company raise capital to get started.
By 1994, the company was joined by Larry’s older brother Kim Breedlove, a master luthier who helped steer the company to great breakthroughs and success.
Larry Breedlove, however, soon decided to move back to San Diego, and return to work at Taylor Guitars.
By 1999, the company was hit with financial trouble, when a faulty batch of finish was used on some 200 instruments in 1995. The warranty repairs on these instruments cost the company dearly.
The same year, Breedlove Guitars hired a new president to help steer the company away from financial trouble. Peter Newport, along with help from partners he’d worked with when he was a consultant at Pepsi, invested in the company.
Newport set up a 20-year plan to expand the company into new areas, leading the company in another direction. Co-founder Steve Henderson disagreed with the way the company was headed and decided to leave in 2001.
After outgrowing Breedlove’s original home, the company moved from Tumalo, Oregon, to a 20,000-square-foot facility in Bend, Oregon in 2008.
By 2010, the company again ran into financial problems, and Breedlove was sold to Two Old Hippies, a company led by Tom Bedell which owned Tom Bedell Guitars and Great Divide Guitars, and a couple of years later moved to a larger facility in Bend.
Since then, Breedlove has continued Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson’s ethos for innovation, aiming to produce the best-sounding instruments possible.
Related reading – Award-Winning Left Handed Faith Guitars
What Do I Think of Breedlove Guitars?
I’ve only known of Breedlove guitars since around 2015, but when I first saw their guitars, I was immediately a fan of the body shapes and the asymmetrical headstocks. This isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I like it.
I also like how they have always tried to innovate and be different from the crowd. The pinless bridge, for example, is on all Breedlove guitars; again, it’s not for everyone, but it’s great for quick string changes.
It’s also pretty cool that Breedlove is a “green” guitar company, and builds their guitars using sustainably sourced woods. Breedlove’s Tonewood Certification Project records where the materials in each guitar were grown, and how they were obtained.
As with most guitar companies, I do wish they offered more left handed models, but at least there are some available.
Different Types of Breedlove Guitars
Breedlove offers several different designs across several series:
- 30th Anniversary LTDs
- Rainforest S Series
- Signature Models
- Legacy
- Premier
- Oregon Myrtlewood
- Oregon Sitka – Myrtlewood
- Pursuit Exotic S
- Discovery S
Of course, Breedlove also has a custom shop where you can have them build a guitar with your own customizations.
Left Handed Breedlove Guitars
Currently, three of more than 100 Breedlove instruments, comprising guitars, ukuleles, and bass guitars, are available as a left-handed option. See below for more details.
Discovery S Concert LH
$519.00 MSRP, Made in China
Specs:
- STRINGS: 6
- SCALE: 25.3″ (642.6 mm)
- TOP: Solid European Spruce
- BACK/SIDES: African Mahogany
- NECK: African Mahogany
- FINGERBOARD: Ovangkol with Plastic Dot Inlays
- FRETS: 20
- NUT TYPE: PPS Plastic
- NUT WIDTH: 1.69″ (42.9 mm)
- BRIDGE: Ovangkol with PPS Plastic Saddle
- ELECTRONICS: None
- TUNERS: Chrome Closed Gear
- FINISH: Natural Satin
Check price/availability at:
Discovery S Concert Edgeburst LH CE
$732.00 MSRP, Made in China
Specs:
- STRINGS: 6
- SCALE: 25.3″ (642.6 mm)
- TOP: Solid Red Cedar
- BACK/SIDES: African Mahogany
- NECK: African Mahogany
- FINGERBOARD: Ovangkol with Plastic Dot Inlays
- FRETS: 20
- NUT TYPE: PPS Plastic
- NUT WIDTH: 1.69″ (42.9 mm)
- BRIDGE: Ovangkol with PPS Plastic Saddle
- ELECTRONICS: Fishman Presys I
- TUNERS: Chrome Closed Gear
- FINISH: Natural Gloss Edgeburst
Check price/availability at:
Left Handed Breedlove Basses
At the time of writing, Breedlove makes 6 acoustic bass guitars. Unfortunately for left handed bassists, none are available in lefty orientation; hopefully this will change in the future.
Final Thoughts
Breedlove does indeed make left handed guitars, but with only 2 out of almost 100 instruments being lefty, it’d be nice to see a few more options available to us. In fact, Breedlove’s 2023 range has one less lefty model than the previous year.
I guess it’ll always be that way though regardless of which guitar company you look at!
If only more guitar companies could be like C.F. Martin & Co., Gibson, or Taylor with their huge collections of instruments.
At least there are some left handed Breedlove guitars on offer, which is more than some companies out there. You could also get Breedlove to custom-make a guitar to your personal specifications.
What are your thoughts on Breedlove guitars? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo credits: breedlovemusic.com