Submitted by Josey DC (see all reviews from this person) on 1/5/2015

Where Purchased: Sam Ash

Year Purchased: 2015
Price Paid: 1489.16 ($US)

Sound

Awesome sound...many have stated something along the lines that Breedloves, like Collings, have a more "modern" sound, i.e. not the typical "woof & woody & depth" of the instruments in the Gibson camp. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the owner's manual, Breedlove mandolins are built with a deeper body and higher contour of the top, *very* condusive to a rich, woody tone. The volume of my particular instrument is incredible...a real "banjo killer"...the strings will break before the instrument reaches it's full volume apex...

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

The action was fine when I purchased it, I just tweaked the bass side of the saddle up a wee little bit...other than that, I have not done a thing to it... My action on the G-D strings is right at 2 1/2 32's of an inch, the A-E strings are about the same as well. A pleasure to play, because the stings are not jacked up so high as to kill your fingertips...

Setup Rating: 10

Appearance

Mine is slightly fancier in appearance (the figuring in the wood, i.e. the maple back and sides and the tight grian lines in the spruce top) Also, I've noticed for whatever reasons, mine is finished a bit darker than most, a bit more darker than amber colored

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

The hardware seems to be very good quality. I did gun-oil the tuners to make them tune smooth as silk. The fit of the bridge to the top is nearly perfect, the saddle stands straight up without bending over, as I have seen happen in instruments at 3-4 times the price, The finish is very thin, but very durable...I would definitely gig/record with this instrument without a thought of a back-up instrument, save only if I broke a string and had to make a quick switch...

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

The warranty is a lifetime warranty to the original owner... they even give a 2-year warranty on the tuners and a one year warranty on the hardshell case. I have dealt with them over the phone (gave my instruments serial number to find out exactly when it was made/completed) and the woman I talked to was extremely helpful...

Customer Service: 10

Components

I like the large frets, and the choice of wood used in the construction of my particular FF... I've owned 4 of these FF models now and each one has been very consistant in terms of flawless construction. I've only re-sold if I found one that sounded better to my ears and the one I have now is the best one I have had...you can hear the wood and steel (strings) workig together very well on this instrument and that tone is just great over the entire tonal palate...if you want bottom end, it'll give you that, velvety, bell-like highs, it'll give you that (without sounding "tinny") and more volume than you can possibly want. There are no cheap parts on this instrument...but if I could change anything, it'd be a simple one...install real pearl tuner knobs on the tuners. That's it.

Components Rating: 10

Overall Comments

I can sum this up in one sentence...this Breedlove Premier Series FF sounds BETTER than an instrument costing 4 or 5 times what I paid for it...and sound is what is the most important thing to me, other than top-tier craftsmanship... ... ...

Overall Rating: 10