#1
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Bedell guitars?
My local shop is selling these and pushing them pretty hard. These guys have sold Martin, Taylor's and others and swear that these are better than all others. I've not sat down to play one, but I rarely see them talked about around here. Are they somewhat rare, or just nothing special to talk about? Some of them are in the $5,000+ range, so certainly not cheap.
Thoughts?
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https://www.mcmakinmusic.com |
#2
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I owned a Bedell dreadnaught briefly, and while it was a wonderful-sounding guitar, the nut width of 1.70" was too narrow for me. Bedell and Breedlove are the two brands owned by Two Old Hippies. There are plenty of YouTube videos about Bedell guitars and many of their instruments seem really nice.
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#3
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Of the discontinued Performance series I have two OMs, two dreads, and a parlor. Their sound is full, warm, topped with sweet trebles. I know nothing of the new generation (expensive!), but I'm guessing that they share that fine quality.
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#4
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The all-solid made-in-China ones they cleared out a couple of years ago are exceptionally good for guitars under $2K. Easily as good as Taylors <= 4xx series. The solid-top, laminate b/s made-in-China models are good but nothing special in a sea of comparably priced instruments. Overall the resale value is terrible because the brand is just not well established.
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Solo acoustic guitar videos: This Boy is Damaged - Little Watercolor Pictures of Locomotives - Ragamuffin |
#5
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I got one of the all solid Chinese models a few years ago during the blowout and it is superb. The only thing I wish is that it had a wider nut. It's 1 11/16 and I'd be happier if it was 1 3/4.
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#6
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Some of the sub-$1000 models are wonderful. I have a friend who bought one, and I was skeptical…till I played it. Great sounding, wonderful capability to set the action for easy playability, good projection and tone, and comfortable to hold and play. |
#7
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Tom does a great job with his guitars. Any $5,000 guitar should be exceptional. That doesn’t mean all of them will appeal to your likes and preferences. Like all guitars, and I like and own Tom’s guitars, play them until you find the one you want.
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#8
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Bedell is fairly unknown, and with his inexpensive Chinese-made guitars having sold for such low prices, there is a bit a stigma attached to the name still.
I know of him from buying the Breedlove Company and pretty much supporting them without running roughshod over the affair... I know he's been building his guitars in an adjacent portion of the Breedlove factory, and I know that he's making some VERY nice guitars. I've really only had my hands on a couple; both Parlors, and both were EXCEPTIONAL little guitars... one had maple and spruce with a marvelous reddish 'burst to it, and my playing partner bought the other one, a darker sunburst w/ rosewood b/s. My friend's Bedell has transformed remarkably in the two years he's had it. Of course, he plays it a LOT! Went through a 4-6 month period where he played that thing upwards of 8 hours a day, enough to go through a set of Elixir Mediums in a week... I don't know that I'd pay top dollar for one, but make no mistake; Bedell guitars are some serious instruments and well worth a good look and listen...
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"He's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith. Spread your arms and hold your breath, always trust your cape..." "The Cape" (Guy Clark/Jim Janowsky/Susanna Clark) |
#9
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I played one at a shop in Roanoke, Virginia last summer, and it was an absolutely amazing looking, sounding and playing guitar. The price was great, priced very competitively with upper-end Taylor and Martin, but it seemed much nicer to me. It was very hard to leave it behind. They had 2 in the shop at the time, both American made. I only played the one.
I ended up walking out of that shop with a Taylor, because that made more business sense to me (backline considerations). If I didn't have to think about rentability I likely would have bought that Bedell. I still think about it occasionally, like it's the one that got away. |
#10
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I saw a person pull one out of its case and heard him play a little, WOW factor, the best sounding guitar I ever heard, beautiful build also.
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Alvarez AP-70 Squire Contemporary Jaguar Kustom Amp (acoustic) Gamma G-25 Amp (electric) |
#11
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They make beautiful guitars that sound exquisite. I bought a Bedell Bahia Dread made with old Brazilian Rosewood. It comes with papers to prove that it's pre-CITES so you can travel with it if you want. Mine sounds lovely with rich overtones. I think these are superb guitars and real bargains for a Brazilian Rosewood guitar.
Here's a nice review: https://pegheadnation.com/instrument...edell-bahia-d/ Last edited by JimmerO; 03-09-2018 at 04:21 PM. Reason: Added a link |
#12
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Bedell Brigade
Well you just knew I was going to eventually pop up here. I bought about 10 of the Bedells when they had their all solid Chinese made blowout a few years ago. I paid anywhere from $220 to $400 for these guitars and they would have been solid at 2 or 3 times that price. For what I paid I feel like I stole them. I still own 4 of them today while the rest are owned by friends and family.
The story I hear is that Tom Bedell decided that everything with his name on it was going to be top class made in America stuff after he bought Breedlove. So he "threw all the old Chines made Bedells off the back of the truck". Regardless of name or price they were fantastic. One cedar over rosewood dread in particular sparked my love affair with this combination.
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Martin-Taylor-L'arrivee-Halcyon-Guild-Bedell-Manuel Rodriguez-D'Angelico-Ibanez-Fender |
#13
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Bedell was the Two Old Hippies brand before they purchased Breedlove and Weber. Prior to the purchase, Bedell guitars were made in China. The Chinese-made Bedell guitars were very good quality but were discontinued when Bedell and Breedlove rebranded their head stocks in 2013, shortly after being purchased by Two Old Hippies.
The current line of Bedell guitars are the namesake of the present owner of Breedlove and Weber. I've been in a room with a lot of Bedells and Breedloves. I'd say the Bedell guitars generally equal or surpass higher-end U.S. made Breedloves. I would guess that they are aimed at a slightly different market than Breedloves - maybe aimed at the more acoustic purist. They also focus on people who want to make a purchase of a life-time and help design their own custom guitar with the guidance of Bedell's small staff. The reasons you may not be more aware of the production guitars made under the Bedell brand are (1) Bedell is somewhat overshadowed by Breedlove, (2) Bedell is a smaller guitar company within a guitar company, (3) Bedell produces fewer guitars than Breedlove, and (4) Bedell has only 24 U.S. dealers, according to its website, which I suggest you look at if you are seriously considering purchasing a Bedell guitar. Would love to own any of their current production guitars. |
#14
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I went to the Breedlove/Bedell/Weber factory store last Fall looking for a mandolin. I came away with a Breedlove, made in China, mandolin that is OK for a newbie and a Bedell Coffee House guitar.
The Bedell is a killer guitar for finger style. While I have other guitars, the Bedell gets a lot more love. It was in the blemish room for a whole lot less than retail. Apparently, it had been used for demos by the factory reps, or something like that. Anyway, it was priced at a point that I could afford a really nice guitar. The guitar I bought is awesome, there was another one of the same model that was not to my liking. Nothing specific, the one I bought just suited my ear. If you get to Bend, Oregon the factory store is a really great place to spend a couple of hours. Fretted instruments everywhere! Heck, if you get to Portland rent a car for the day. Beautiful drive and you might find a good deal. |
#15
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Quote:
Last edited by aknow; 03-09-2018 at 06:05 PM. |