If you’re curious about Taylor vs Breedlove guitar brands, this post is for you!
I’ve compared guitar brands before like my Taylor vs Martin article.
But in this article, I’m comparing Taylor with a lesser-known brand, Breedlove.
The Taylor guitar brand was founded in 1974 with the primary focus on building acoustic guitars.
They are well known across the world for their quality and tone.
And they quickly gained significant market share due to their innovative ideas, like using computer mills to precision manufacture their guitars.
Many Taylor guitar enthusiasts are evangelical about how their quality has remained consistent throughout the years.
On the other hand, Breedlove guitar company is a younger brand.
Instead of using computers and high technology, Breedlove depends upon the knowledge and skill of master Luthiers who craft the guitar like a work of art.
(This is actually a similar guitar manufacturing philosophy to Martin guitars.)
Breedlove had a humble beginning, starting with just a two-person shop.
In fact, the founders of Breedlove were once Taylor guitar employees.
It was there that they met and hatched a plan to start their own guitar brand.
The founders of Breedlove wanted to build high-end guitars with a unique tone and look with the help of master artisans and luthiers. They offer a wide variety of guitars for both beginners as well as professional guitarists.
Comparison between Breedlove and Taylor
Both of these guitar brands have some unique features that attract different types of customers. Let’s compare their main features and see which one works for you.
Sound
Taylor guitars produce modern and rich sounds. The tone of these guitars is more clean, crisp, and bright. Taylor guitars use second-generation Expression System® (ES2), an all magnetic expression system, to amplify the warm acoustic sound of the guitars naturally. So you will only hear the sound of the guitar and no pickups when plugged in.
You can get a sense of this sound in the below video.
These guitars are loved by many contemporary players such as Taylor Swift, Mateus Asato, Chelsea Wolfe, and many more.
Breedloves, on the other hand, have a balanced and lush sound. Breedlove guitars use Sound Optimization™, where the experienced luthiers tap, listen, and shave away the tiny curls of the tonewood to get that perfect frequency that makes the instruments sound their best.
Listen to the difference in the sound of a Breedlove compared to the Taylor in the video below.
Some popular artists who use Breedlove instruments include Chris Funk, Jeff Bridges, Ed Roland, Ed Gerhard, Jeff Tweedy, Chris Hillman, Trace Bundy, and many more.
Ideally, play the exact model or better yet, the exact guitar you want to purchase to get a sense of which instrument’s sound you prefer.
For instance, I know that I prefer Martin’s sound over both Taylor and Breedlove from playing many of their instruments.
Breedlove Vs Taylor: Playability
Playability largely depends upon the neck of the guitar. The more comfortable the neck is, the more action and playability it offers.
Taylor uses its very own patented NT neck designs in guitars. With the help of computer mills and laser technology, Taylor adjusts the neck in the sweetest spot on the guitar body, giving comfort and the ideal playing angle to the artists. This design ensures resilience and easy serviceability.
Breedlove features slim neck profiles, enabling comfortable handling, especially for those with relatively small hands. Furthermore, the bolt on the neck and single-action truss rod makes it easy to adjust according to the play angles. Another aspect of Breedloves’ unique manufacturing for easy and comfortable hold is hand finishing. Each Breedlove’s neck receives multiple finish coats, fine sanding, hand buffing, and rubbing until that desired thickness is achieved.
Bracing
Bracing refers to the wooden strips called wooden struts arranged in a specific pattern inside the guitar to provide the guitar with strength and controlled flexibility. However, this arrangement should not restrict the soundboard vibrations.
Taylor has come up with a new pattern called “V- class bracing” that changes the way the guitar top vibrates and allegedly improves sound quality. This is a significant shift from traditional X-Class bracing on most other guitar brands.
Breedlove uses a patented JLD bridge truss system on selected models. Breedlove Bridge Truss or BBT counterbalances the string tension caused near the bridge and creates a more relaxed and stable top. This allowed Breedlove to develop thin graduated tops without sacrificing structural stability. Many claim that the sound resulting from this system is well-balanced, clear, and sustains for a long time.
Breedlove Vs Taylor: Build
Taylor was the first guitar company to use modern computer numerically controlled (CNC) mills, lasers, and other tools to manufacture guitars. This allowed them to make guitars with unprecedented precision and consistency. As a result, despite being made on a large scale, Taylor guitars have excellent build quality.
One of the significant advantages of the Taylor guitar is the adjustable neck angle. This comes in handy when adjusting the guitar for any changes that come with time. An acoustic instrument requires neck adjustment and setups periodically. Due to the manufacturing precision of Taylor guitars, a properly set up Taylor can go without requiring a setup for years.
Breedlove guitars are all handcrafted carefully by experienced luthiers. This makes them exclusive. It’s the knowledge passed down through ages that make all the difference in Breedlove. These luthiers let their ears guide their hands to produce that sound that is unique for every guitar.
Final words
Both guitar brands offer high-quality instruments at various price points.
Ultimately, I recommend choosing whichever guitar brand and model sounds best to your ears.
Which brand do you prefer?
Let me know in the comments!
