60% off Breedlove Guitars (Get an extra $25 off through Amazon)
 

Got this email from Sam Ash

http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/...0052_10002

The Passport is a great beginners guitar and the Atlas sounds fantastic.

Sam Ash also sells through Amazon [amazon.com] if you prefer.

UPDATE: Passport deal is dead - OOS

UPDATE: FEB 20
See post #101 on how to get an extra $25 off select models.

Select Breedlove Accoustic Electric Guitars 60% Off: Passport Plus D250/SBe $320, Passport Plus D/SFe $348, Atlas Solo J350/CM $400 + Free Shipping
 

Sam Ash has select Breedlove guitars on sale at 60% off with free shipping. Thanks The_Linux_Crew
A few items of interest:

• Passport Plus D250/SBe $320
• Passport Plus D/SFe $348
  Includes Free Stand & Tuner Package
• Atlas Solo J350/CM $400
  Includes 10 Free sets of D'addario EXP11 Bronze Acoustic Strings
• More items

This seems like a smoking deal. The lowest passport is going for $300 elsewhere

It is - get it while you can. This will smoke a department store guitar for not much more money.

Yes....excellent prices on the Breedlove! I got myself an Atlas series dread a couple years back and love it. They are great guitars!

Wife has been wanting a new guitar. I really really really hope this Passport Plus sounds good.

No floyd rose!?!?!!

I need another guitar like I need a hole in my head.
But this is smoking hot.

Just saw this in my gmail inbox earlier and plan on checking it out.
(and various cashback offers avg.4%+ for Sam Ash, knocking another
$6.40 minimum off final price...)


EBL

Always looking for more guitars, just bought a classical but need a good acoustic. Have 7 electrics. Which one to get :D

Thinking of the passport. I tried playing in college and went right-handed (i'm a southpaw) and it killed me. I couldn't use my fingers for playing worth a damn although the fretboard was ok.

Any advice? Should I try right-handed again or is this a sign to just get a lefty guitar and deal with the music reading issues?

The foreign breedlove's which these are, are not that great of guitars. if you want one of the true quality breedlove's then you are going to be looking at the models which cost 2500+. However it is a nice discount.

Good to know, I've played a couple breedloves and they were amazing. I just can't recall what model it was. I've been trying to score a used Carvin latley but they always end up so high in price.

http://www.gotoguitars.com/images...-D25SR.jpg

got the Atlas Stage D25 when it first came out, so sick looking

I'll stick with my 30 year old 12-string Epiphone my pops handed down to me, nothing in the world could ever sound better to me... Every time I get a new acoustic I'm severely disappointed as the long years of playing haven't shaped the wood to my preferred resonance. Awesome deal tho!

Not a bad deal, and Breedlove makes some good guitars.

A couple of years ago, MusiciansFriend/M123 had a lot of the higher end Breedloves on closeout for about 70-80% off. Now THAT was a great deal.

But you won't go wrong with one of these.

My friend had a Korean-made Atlas and it actually sounded pretty good. Unfortunately it was stolen. I think most, if not all, of their lower-end models use the Bridge Doctor. I call them "Cheatloves" :P

The higher-end Breedloves are nice though (i.e. Breedlove Northwest) but you will be paying at least around $2000+

i am left-handed, but only play right-handed; practice, practice, practice.
in the end, it makes it a whole lot easier to pick up any guitar and play.
of course, if you're HOPELESSLY left-handed, then get a left-handed guitar.
good luck on learning, though; i've ne'er seem left-handed instructions.

Yeah, I miss those deals...not just Breedlove either.

When I first read the thread title I read it as $60 off of $160 and immediately thought "I'll be adding a guitar or three to my already too large collection, even if they're cheaper ones!" But then I saw that the $160 was the 60% off price, so I'll pass. Bummed that I won't be able to add to my acoustic family...my Martin and Fender 6-strings and Epiphone 12-string (plus a couple no-name acoustics) would be happy to welcome some new members! :)

A nice deal, though.

I don't really get the whole left-handed guitar thing. Either way you still have to use both hands. That, plus as stated the ability to pick up a friend's guitar, and shop from a much greater range of guitar options, overwhelms the potential advantages of playing a left handed guitar.

...Or do it Hendrix style, and just flip a right handed guitar upside down! :bounce:

jumped on the passport n200, they said it was out of stock on the sam ash site but amazon showed three in stock. Hope it goes through as it's a valentines gift for the Mrs.

I'm going to get atlas series...

Also, if you can go to a Guitar Center and see if they have on in stock...if they do, have them do a price match.

Example...I like the atlas c35 = $480. Guitar Center will not only match, but take 10% off too + you get to play it so you know how it sounds! Got one for little over $400

Repped OP

Good idea. You could also try it on the Passport, since they are now OOS at Sam Ash.

I personally don't like breedloves much at all. but to each their own taste.

BUT the C35 has solid mahogany back and sides. An all solid sitka/mahogany for less than 500 bucks is as good of a price you will see anywhere. so good find.

These are just decent guitars. They are way overpriced at regular. But this is much more reasonable value.

Right. I got a Gibson Songwriter for 70-something% off in those great days.

The 10% is nice, especially since the difference is so steep, but tax kills it! Unless NY or FL, no tax from Sam Ash. Thanks OP

The sides are laminate on the C35. These are decent prices if you want one for yourself. Probably won't make much of a proffit if you're thinking ebay.

But you won't lose much if you decide to sell it in a few years.

I can dig the price
 

But be careful when purchasing. If you're a finicky with your woods, having a all solid front, back, and sides, a lot of the Breedlove's have the laminated back and sides which provide a different type of tone when broken in.
The cheapest one there wouldn't work for a seasoned player. But if you're just starting out it's a good price ($159).
Just ask questions about the wood before buying.

Oh. ..maan... major buzz kill.
ty

Good sale! I have an Atlas AC25SR Plus that I bought for $700 when the line was being updated . Luckily I don't need any more guitars at present....

Now a 60% off Taylor sale would be appreciated ;)

Why? It's still a good price on a good guitar. A Gretsch Super Chet, one of the most desirable (not an acoustic, I reallize) axes in the world IMHO, is all-laminate. If you're playing plugged in, laminates provide some protection against feedback. You also don't feel nearly as bad knocking a hole in it to drop in electronics. I think the sides of an instrument contribute the least to its tone. I think the order is: top, back, nut, saddle, bridge pins, bridge, strings, and then maybe sides. I think the DEPTH of the sides contributes more to the tone than what it's made of.

all others are considerably cheaper than on other sites as well as retail stores..

Looks like there are some experienced guitar players here, so I hope you don't mind me asking, "How does the Passport N200 compare to the Yamaha FG700S?" Or if anyone knows a website that can help me compare guitars for beginners, that'll be great.

Thanks.

really? I'd put strings up several rungs on that, you can't tell me you can distinguish tone from different bridge pins more than quality of strings

yea that was an insane deal when they were washing out the SR Plus'
I put in an order for one of the last few AD25's that had never dropped under a grand for about 600, then got backordered several times as they were trying to figure out if/where they had stock left, it ended up disappearing but MF honored the price for the new Atlas Stage D25 think it just has better electronics and different bracing system, the inlays are also different but I was actually leaning towards the ovular pearl design of the AD/AC those looked wicked http://farm3.static.flickr.com/24...9bd30d.jpg

If the bridge pins are fossilized bone, then absolutely. I'm actually pinless these days which also affects the tone (or so I think). Since I use coated strings, the effect of string-aging is much much less than it was in the olden days. I don't hear a big difference between string brands. But the point was that the sides come after both.

Love my breedlove!

I got the AC25 SR/Plus a few years back as a college graduation gift, its a beautiful guitar!

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.co...sku=512400

here's a wondrous article on left-handed playing and right-handed playing for lefties, and manipulation and non-manipulation of guitars to accomodate left-hand playing.
as i recalled, hendrix could play left-handed, right-handed, with right-handed guitars and with left-handed guitars.
as i'd mentioned earlier; practice, practice, practice.
http://www.djnoble.demon.co.uk/in...tters.html
a quick and interesting read.
enjoy.

Here's to hoping for a 60% off Froggy Bottom/Goodall/Collings/R.Taylor/Bourgeois sale :D

Then again, you could probably get two middle of the line Taylors for one of those AT 60% off. But they won't sound half as good ;)

So are these guuitars comparable at all to taylor, martin, etc? Im in need of a new acoustic, my old alverez is sounding rough, nowhere to try one of these out locally and i hate buying things without trying first...

I'd hesitate to say that any guitar was "comparable to" any other guitar. Guitars from different companies generally have their own sound, and each model has its own sound. It all depends on what you like.

I beg to differ. I walked into a local music store a few years back, ready to buy whatever acoustic I liked best and I walked out with a $500 Breedlove. The craftsmanship is surely better on their American-made guitars but a lot of the selling points from their American-made guitars also apply to their foreign-made models.

I was ready to throw down the money on a Martin when I bought my Breedlove. I do a lot of finger picking and the Atlas series guitar I got just had a fuller, more well rounded sound to it.

Breedlove N200 is a nylon string classical guitar without the classical nut width. the yamaha FG700 is all steel string I believe. If you are a learner, it's probably easier to play on a nylon. Less wear and tear on your finger tips.

I've been a lefty for 15 years. It's sometimes obnoxious when you go into a guitar store to demo an amp and there's NO left-handed guitar to test it with. On the other hand, I've had a few wanna-be show-offs who pick up my guitar (as if it was right-handed) and then try to tell me it's out of tune :)

With the internet, finding a lefty is easy, so I say go with what *feels* natural and tell the haters to shove-off.

Ahhh... I wish these were electronic drum kits!

I got my Passport D20FS probably 3ish years ago for $300 out the door at guitar center. Don't need a new one, but good deal

Need to stay away from this website

I'm sure there are some similar comparisons (solid spruce top, laminated back and sides, etc.). Realize this:

1. If you're a beginner, you don't necessarily have to get a beginner guitar. The reason people do get something less expensive is that they feel the desire but not the dedication.

2. You get what you pay for. Solid wood bodies all the way around tend to age well and expand in tone. It's so nice hearing a 10 year old Taylor sustain in sound. It melts. BUT a solid wood guitar needs much more care so make sure if you purchase one do the research on how to up keep depending where you live (climate). Also, there should be better hardware/components on a more expensive guitar.

3. The guitars you mentioned above are both entry level and both made overseas in mass quantity. If you're serious there's no reason why you can't spend more for a kick ass axe and let it age with you. You won't regret it. But if you're a serious player than there's no reason why you can't buy a cheaper guitar to start. But if you rock you'll surly end up buying something that sounds better.:D

Great deal on the higher priced models, but not sure if I can spend this much on a guitar I've never played

are these good deals?
idk anything about breedlove guitars.

Was I the only person that Lol'd at this comment? :lmao:
humor rep
op rep
thanks

Two summers ago my family vacationed in Bend, Oregon. While there we went on the Breedlove factory tour. I left with an Atlas Solo. I play in the praise band at my church and I get lots of compliments on the guitar. Even though these are manufactured in Korea, setup and final inspection is done in Bend.

This is a smokin' deal and I would jump on this if I were in the market for another guitar.

Apparently :( :rock:

Congratulations are due to the moderators for finally putting a higher quality guitar deal on the Front Page. Previously the only guitar deals that made it were sub-$100 entry level guitars.

I need another guitar like I need a hole in the side of my guitar.

edited because I was wrong and admit it. sorry about that.



The Perfect Guitar also has US-made Pro Series models for an extra 10% off the "on sale" price that's already 50% off list when you use promo code "talkbass".. If you use Sam Ash's marketing tactics, that's 55% off the List Price. http://www.theperfectguitar.com/B...Series.cfm


oh, and you get to see the exact guitar you are buying before you buy it at the perfect guitar.. sam ash just randomly picks one for you. :)

Man.. I really want to pick up a cutaway acoustic, but do I have the money? .. :sadwalk:

That link takes you to a "scratch & dent" sale. And while the blems seem minor it still is an apples vs oranges comparison.

If you look at the non-S&D items, samash seems significantly cheaper to me.

For instance the Breedlove Atlas Solo C350/CR with a gig bag runs $764 at TPG, which the Atlas Solo C35/SMe with a hard case runs $469 at samash. Slightly different models but pretty similar specs from I can tell. The list, fwiw, is higher on the samash.

ah, you are correct.. i did not realize they were scratch & dents... the Pro Series for $1021.05 at TPG is still a pretty awesome price though, considering they normally sold for $1700.. discontinued model, but I don't think you'll find a better price than that anywhere on a US model.. 40% off the actual price it normally sells for, 55% off list price.

i still like that you can pick out the exact guitar you want before buying it though.. too much of a gamble when spending that kind of money on something that is going to be different every time.. no two guitars, whether they are the same model or not, are going to look or sound exactly the same.. especially acoustics..

yea
 

[QUOTE= the long years of playing haven't shaped the wood to my preferred resonance. Awesome deal tho![/QUOTE]

Thats what she said.

I've been posting guitar deals here long enough to know when it is a good deal. I sometimes make mistakes with other products, but if I post a guitar deal, you can be sure it is hot. The MSRPs are set by mfg, not but Sam Ash. About 30% off is average. 60% off is slick.

In for the Atlas Solo J350/CM. "Needed" a cutaway acoustic/electric. Thanks OP

Some information for everyone regarding the model numbers:

First letter is the BODY TYPE:

C = Concert
D = Dreadnought
J = Jumbo
etc.

First number is the BODY DEPTH

2 = regular
3 = deeper

Second number is the CUTAWAY

5 = Cutaway

Third number is the BACK TYPE

No number = SOLID BACK
0 = LAMINATE BACK

Final letters are the WOOD TYPES

First letter is the TOP
C = Cedar
S = Sitka Spruce
M = Mahogany
E = Englemann
etc

Second letter(s) are the SIDES and BACK
M = Mahogany
F = Flamed Maple

Note: ALL the Atlas models have laminated sides.

I will probably pull the trigger on the D25/SMe, since it's got solid top and back. I'm fine with the laminate sides on the acoustic electrics. From my experience, the Breedloves have a very even sound, perhaps a bit focused in the mid (as opposed to more treble-y Taylors and more low-mid-y Martins).

I wasn't trying to offend you. These are indeed some great prices. I admit I jumped the gun before actually researching the MSRP's on these Breedlove models. They just seemed a bit a high to me.

TPG's Pro Series price is a hot deal as well. Just sayin'. 55% off list puts the price at $1021.05. All-solid wood, professional guitar. There's another slick deal for you. There's only 5 of them in stock. If you notice the ones where the "B" logo on the headstock is more towards the middle of the headstock, you are actually getting a 100% US custom-shop built guitar with the same construction process as the American Series. The ones where the B is at the tip of the headstock are the ones where a certain percentage of the construction is done in Korea and the remainder is done in-house. For those who missed it: http://www.theperfectguitar.com/B...Series.cfm - use promo code "talkbass".. If you use Sam Ash's marketing tactics, that's 55% off the List Price.

Thanks for the numbering info. I think the C35/SMe and D35/SMe represent the best combo of features for the price. I pressed the trigger on the C35. I wanted a smaller cutaway for around the house amusement.

Thanks OP!

Just as a reminder, ALL the solo guitars have the side monitor hole. Here's a photo of it here:

This is what differentiates them from Stage/Studio models. From what I've seen, most people view it as a positive.

This site has some more photos of the solo series. Notice the difference of the fret board inlay (something that I actually prefer understated).

http://www.theperfectguitar.com/B...110679.htm

Unless I am mistaken, all the solo guitars are satin finished too. An understated preference of mine.

Now if I only knew what the "e" at the end of the models stands for.

as much as I buy online (probably more than half of what I buy, period), I think one thing I wouldn't buy would be an acoustic guitar. kick-ass electric deal, hell yeah. but acoustic, I don't think so.

you can adjust the bridge easily on an electric for intonation. but with an acoustic, you're stuck with whatever you got, and changing the gauges of strings only goes so far...

and even if a guitar is a really good brand, you may not be getting the best bang for your buck. when I went with my dad to buy another acoustic for him, we probably played on a good 20 or more guitars ranging from $200-1000, and the one with the most beautiful, FULL sound and perfect intonation was an an Alvarez for $350. and, it sounded MUCH better than a lot of others including Takamine, Ovation, and several other expensive brands.

maybe someone that's a lot more savvy than myself when it comes to guitars can shed some light on this topic that shares the same discomfort when you hear someone that has a great ability to play, but their guitar is so far out of intonation that it kills and makes you want to do everyone a favor by yanking it from them just to tune it and hand it right back, then tell them to continue on...

AND, even if all the strings are in tune, but the guitar, itself, isn't intonated, you might be able to play E's and A's, and they'll sound all right, but as soon as you try playing a G with all four fingers (G add9 whatever that's called), or C by moving your top two fingers down (whatever the hell THAT's called) or a D (the 3 most popular chords in just about any song), it's going to sound like crap... or vice versa, you tune your B string to compensate and the others suffer... :-/

Another great deal Linux... i love the guitar deals on here. I'd be all over this (my Martin DM needs a buddy) but I'd hate to be sleeping on the couch ...

OP, congrats on making FP.

Ugh I need to desperately replace the $50 Rogue Dreadnaught I purchased a few years ago from a Musician's Friend SD. I'm flat-broke but the "dead" spots on the E string are killing me. I'm self-taught about 2 years in and I still suck but I can't deal with the short-comings of this acoustic anymore. I was hoping to find a decent $100ish acoustic guitar deal but even that is inadvisable if I don't want utilities to be cut off lol. Can one of you 'experts' chime in on what I should hold out for? I don't do much plucking as I suck and can't hold a pick but I'm trying. I have a friend who graduated Berkeley who recommended among others, Takamine, Seagull, and Martin but from the minuscule 'research' I've done it seems I'll never be able to afford any of those brands.

Thanks OP, TU and Repped

I went down to my local music store and tried out the Breedloves they had in stock.

I wasn't able to try the exact models for sale at Sam Ash , but was definitely able to narrow it down to the Atlas solo series. The sound from the porthole is really amazing and the Braggs electronics are really nice. Doesn't play quite as effortless as a higher end Taylor, but for less than half the price, it's a more than reasonable compromise.

I ended up pulling the trigger and buying the Atlas Solo J350/CM. it's just too good a price point to turn down. I really wish it had the hard case with it though, because the Breedlove hard cases are sweet.

The ten sets of free string were backordered. I've used these strings before, I like them for fingerpicking because they are a little slippery. They do wear down a little unevenly though if you play in the same position alot or use really stiff picks. IMO, great strings despite their drawbacks.

After 4% cashback from a site [cashbackmonitor.com] and an additional 1% from my credit card, came out to about $380 shipped for a sweet guitar and lots of strings.

@neoelemental: just curious, where did you find this model decoding info? And do you by any chance know what the third letter--a lower-case "e" in most of these cases--signifies?

Most likely acoustic-Electric. Many companies use an "e" in their coding to represent this.

Sounds reasonable (Taylor being the one that first comes to mind that uses it that way).

EDIT: Then again, maybe not, since the J350/CM, J350/CR, and C250/EF are all acoustic-electrics....

Hell, I always dive bomb my Giannini nylon classical. You never know when you have to bend the sh!t out of Beethoven!

I'm pretty sure that not all of the solo guitars are satin finished. I looked up the C35S/Me and the body is definitely a gloss finish but I'm pretty sure the neck is indeed a satin finish. I'd love the satin finish to be for the body of the guitar as well but I just had to jump on it at this price. I can't wait. Also I'm pretty sure the "e" at the end means that it has electronics.

I toy a little with the idea of a guitar, but it's crazy for a novice to try to tell which one to get.

Think I'll go with 'don't really need it' over 'incredible deal'.

I called Breedlove directly, since there didn't seem to be a lot of information on the D35 out there (it isn't even listed on their main website anymore). She explained to me what the coding meant for the most part, and I back-engineered some the other letters.

As for the lowercase e, I believe that it refers to the presence of the "L.R. Baggs Element Active VTC Pickups System". It's a bit confusing because most of the Breedloves have some version of the L.R. Baggs system.

I think it's more of an indicator in the higher up American lines, where there are both acoustic and acoustic/electric versions.

This deal just got even better. Now you can also get a free mic with your purchase with coupon code FREEPL84

I'll help :bump: this for the free mic. Really good deal folks.

Gah this is tough, i want a new acoustic just wish i could try one of these first....

Don't wait too long. Free mic offer ends tomorrow.

I odered the Atlas Solo J350/CM $400 which Included 10 Free sets of D'addario EXP11 Bronze Acoustic Strings

Received shipping email and credit card charge on Monday.

Received order cancellation today.

They say that they had a computer error and did not actually have inventory (basically means out of stock)

They are giving me a full refund and still shipping me the Free ten sets of strings.

Classy move for Sam Ash to do that if you ask me.

Nice!! That's a great way to get free strings. Those are nice strings too....

Has anyone who used this free EV mic code actually confirmed that their guitar shipped with the mic? I called SamAsh to ask about having the offer retroactively applied to my order (a C35/SMe, already shipped), and was told not only couldn't they do that because the order had already shipped, but that the free mic offer wasn't good with Breedlove guitars anyway, due to the blowout promotion they were having on those right now. I commented that their ordering page readily accepted the code in conjunction with a Breedlove guitar in the cart--but the rep said that even though the code might be accepted, it wouldn't be honored during fulfillment.

Anyone have news to the contrary?

my j350/cm shipped on saturday

where's the free mic? do you have to actually put one in your cart? I applied the code, but I didn't get anything to show up in my cart.

actually, it looks like this is the free mic:

http://www.samash.com/p/Electro-V..._-49956753

Limited quantities

ok, last update. It looks like the coupon code does not work for Breedlove guitars that are 60% off. It is considered a cross promotion, so they won't allow it.

wooo my atlas j350/cm is coming tomorrow!!! and they just shipped my strings out

Well get ready to rejoice, friend. If you have the same luck I had, your j350/cm will come with a hard case AND the 10 sets of strings. I was expecting the gig bag and was more than pleasantly surprised. guitar is sweet and worth two pennies to every penny spent.

Crosses fingers for hard case

got a hard case! woohoo!

yea i got a hard case as well! :) got such a bang for my buck considering the case alone retails for $150 and the strings retail for ~100

And the verdict is:

Congrats!

Amazon now shows a $20 off coupon--OBYBUR3Y--on $249.00 or more of qualifying items from Sam Ash--and it's good on these discounted/discontinued Breedlove models. But on Amazon there are only three models left with the 60% discount, a four-string bass, the BJ350/CR4 [amazon.com], and the C35/SMe [amazon.com] & D35/SMe [amazon.com].

Good deal for those who would rather have $$ off instead of freebies.

When I posted that AMZN link yesterday to the C35/SMe, there were 18 left. Now they're down to 1.

Can anyone comment on the quality/sound of the C35 or D35? I have a c35 on the way but am thinking of ordering D35 before they sell out. Also any comments on the monitoring soundhole?

I've had my C35 for a few days. It is a very nice guitar. The monitoring soundhole actually is nice. I think the neck is awesome. Overall I'm very happy with the git.

If you have the money to spend get another. I would pick up the D35 if I weren't married. But the wife has threatened to start selecting guitars at random for removal.

Anyone have thoughts as to whether I should jump on one of these breedlove or get a seagull s6 instead with the musicians friend or guitar center coupon?

Anyone not want their J350 anymore? I'm willing to buy!

stock on the D35/SMe has now dipped low enough to trigger Amazon's inventory tracker into action: 14 left as of this moment [amazon.com].

After trying out my new C35/SMe for a little bit, I decided I'd really rather have the slightly larger D35/SMe, so ordered one of those last week (via Amazon, with the extra $20 off). It should be delivered this Friday. Guess I'll sell the C35/SMe. I mistakenly thought it'd have a larger body than the Takamine TSF-48C I already own. It does, of course, but in depth only....

EDIT: stock tracker has disappeared. I wonder if this means that inventory has increased.

2/24 EDIT: I guess not, tracker is back, down to 5 left.

Anyone have comments on the Passport Plus D/SFe or D250/SBe? If I have the Atlas C35 or D35, should I bother biting on either of the Passports?

In its February issue, Acoustic Guitar reviewed the American series C25/SMe, with solid mahogany sides and no "monitor" side sound hole--which in my mind is/was more of a marketing gimmick than anything else (how can a lone shopper objectively compare the sound quality of various guitars when one instrument's nearly full resonance is thrown right in the face?).

http://www.acousticguitar.com/art...leid=26112

Consider the meaning of the appellation "solo".