Breedlove C25 CRE vs Santa Cruz FS vs Taylor 714ce

[leonrox]

Before I got my first guitar, I learned the hype about Breedloves and set my eyes on a C25 SRE atlas. Sadly, they were out of stock everywhere so I only got to try out a D25 which I liked a lot. In the end, I went home with a Eastman E20om. Adirondack, EIR, and herringbone for a little over a grand is insane. It is a really nice guitar but a bit bass heavy for my taste.

Recently, I found out about Olson (actually saw one in a boutique). It matched the ideal sound in my head -- the presence of a grand piano with the sweetness of a harp. I would seriously like to own one some day.

Before that, I may consider a Santa Cruz FS/ Goodall/ Taylor 714ce. But for someone only started playing a few months ago, I cannot justify dishing out that much money at this time, maybe in a few years time. I was browsing on ebay and found a really good deal on a Breedlove C25 CRE.

Should I get the Breedlove C25 pro or wait a few years to upgrade to a Santa Cruz fs?

How does it compare to the others? I know they are different brands at different price points. But I am just wondering are they in the same camp.

Would like some advice. Thanks

[Beanie]

Originally Posted by leonrox

Should I get the Breedlove C25 pro or wait a few years to upgrade to a Santa Cruz fs?

There is a Santa Cruz FS in the classifieds at the moment for $4,000.

[Glennwillow]

Hi Leon,

First, welcome to the AGF! I see this is your first post! I hope you will hang around here, because there is a huge amount of knowledge on this forum and a lot of really terrific people. The "Be Nice" rule is a very big thing here and it makes a huge difference.

I agree that if you are new to the guitar, you may want to wait a while before purchasing another, more expensive guitar. However, I happen to own an Olson SJ and a Santa Cruz FS, so I can give you at least my own impressions. I know the Taylor 714CE very well (I own a 514CE), and I have also played the Breedlove C25 Pro.

I am a singer and I'm also an instrumental player. To me, the Olson SJ (mine is cedar/EIR) is the ultimate accompaniment guitar for singing. It is just the right sound to go with a male tenor or baritone voice, which is where I am. The Olson is a good instrumental guitar, too, but doesn't have quite the sustain of the Santa Cruz FS.

The Santa Cruz FS, for me, is not an optimum guitar for vocal accompaniment. But it is an absolutely amazing guitar for instrumental playing. I have played a lot of really good guitars over the years, and I really think the FS is the best fingerstyle, instrumental guitar for my playing and tastes that I have ever experienced. The SCGC FS is expensive but not nearly as expensive as an Olson -- about half to 1/3 the price. Around $5K new, around $3-4K used, when they come up for sale every once in a blue moon. The FS is a little brighter than the Olson, but that makes for a little better clarity on instrumental pieces.

The Taylor 714CE is a very nice guitar and so is the Breedlove C25 Pro, but neither of these guitars matches up to the Olson SJ or the Santa Cruz FS in my opinion. But they are also less costly and they are certainly good guitars.

I hope this helps a little.

Regards, Glenn

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Beanie

There is a Santa Cruz FS in the classifieds at the moment for $4,000.

I think it is now SOLD. It was in perfect, essentially new condition. Really nice guitar!

- Glenn

[leonrox]

Originally Posted by Beanie

There is a Santa Cruz FS in the classifieds at the moment for $4,000.

I know. Cannot afford or justify the purchase at moment.

Just wondering how do they compare.

[leonrox]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi Leon,

First, welcome to the AGF! I see this is your first post! I hope you will hang around here, because there is a huge amount of knowledge on this forum and a lot of really terrific people. The "Be Nice" rule is a very big thing here and it makes a huge difference.

I agree that if you are new to the guitar, you may want to wait a while before purchasing another, more expensive guitar. However, I happen to own an Olson SJ and a Santa Cruz FS, so I can give you at least my own impressions. I know the Taylor 714CE very well (I own a 514CE), and I have also played the Breedlove C25 Pro.

I am a singer and I'm also an instrumental player. To me, the Olson SJ (mine is cedar/EIR) is the ultimate accompaniment guitar for singing. It is just the right sound to go with a male tenor or baritone voice, which is where I am. The Olson is a good instrumental guitar, too, but doesn't have quite the sustain of the Santa Cruz FS.

The Santa Cruz FS, for me, is not an optimum guitar for vocal accompaniment. But it is an absolutely amazing guitar for instrumental playing. I have played a lot of really good guitars over the years, and I really think the FS is the best fingerstyle, instrumental guitar for my playing and tastes that I have ever experienced. The SCGC FS is expensive but not nearly as expensive as an Olson -- about half to 1/3 the price. Around $5K new, around $3-4K used, when they come up for sale every once in a blue moon. The FS is a little brighter than the Olson, but that makes for a little better clarity on instrumental pieces.

The Taylor 714CE is a very nice guitar and so is the Breedlove C25 Pro, but neither of these guitars matches up to the Olson SJ or the Santa Cruz FS in my opinion. But they are also less costly and they are certainly good guitars.

I hope this helps a little.

Regards, Glenn

WOW. Thanks Glenn. This is great help. You have an amazing collection.

Would you take a Taylor 714ce over Breedlove C25?

My past experience with Taylors (414, 814) is that they tend to be too bright and lack bass so they sound unbalanced to my ears. I have not tried any cedar top Taylors

[Rosewood99]

Breedloves are the better bang for the buck. However, nothing wrong with Taylor either.

I would go for a Breedlove American series.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by leonrox

WOW. Thanks Glenn. This is great help. You have an amazing collection.

Would you take a Taylor 714ce over Breedlove C25?

My past experience with Taylors (414, 814) is that they tend to be too bright and lack bass so they sound unbalanced to my ears. I have not tried any cedar top Taylors

Hi Leon,

Well, this is just me and my preference, but yes, I would prefer the Taylor 714CE over the Breedlove. Just my preference, no good reason at all.

The 714CE (which is cedar/EIR) does not sound like most Taylors. It is not overly bright. I like it a lot. To me, it's about as close as you can get to the Olson SJ (cedar/EIR) without spending a small fortune. In truth, the Olson has its own sound and sounds considerably better than a 714CE, but the difference in cost is huge. A guy could make his living as a pro with the 714CE and the audience would never know the difference.

My 514CE has the older Fishman Prefix system in it and I plug that into the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and get a great sound from that, much better in my opinion than the Taylor ES. However, there are a lot of people who like the ES and find the Aura way to complicated. So again, all you have is my opinion -- nothing more.

You can find used Taylor 714CE guitars for sale on the AGF Classifieds often and for a reasonable price.

- Glenn

[johninnapa]

"The 714CE (which is cedar/EIR) does not sound like most Taylors. It is not overly bright. I like it a lot."

I have a 714 from late 90s, and I concur it is not as bright as new model Taylors. I think the cedar has a very soft sound-one of my bandmates calls it pillowy - which I thought was a great term. I have also read that cedar goes soft over time-more so than other top materials.

I am now looking for spruce and rosewood 6 string and even after Healdsburg am leaning towards Martin (om or ooo) for reliability, playability, balance of tone and ability to hold value.

[Beanie]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

The 714CE (which is cedar/EIR) does not sound like most Taylors. It is not overly bright.

I would say that the 714ce, particularly the treble strings, are just as bright as other Taylors. Rather, it has more bass.

[310Taylor]

never played an olson but my 714ce is an awesome awesome guitar. It has that taylor jangle with martin bass. The cedar twists the taylor tone in just the right way IMO.

[leonrox]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi Leon,

Well, this is just me and my preference, but yes, I would prefer the Taylor 714CE over the Breedlove. Just my preference, no good reason at all.

The 714CE (which is cedar/EIR) does not sound like most Taylors. It is not overly bright. I like it a lot. To me, it's about as close as you can get to the Olson SJ (cedar/EIR) without spending a small fortune. In truth, the Olson has its own sound and sounds considerably better than a 714CE, but the difference in cost is huge. A guy could make his living as a pro with the 714CE and the audience would never know the difference.

My 514CE has the older Fishman Prefix system in it and I plug that into the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and get a great sound from that, much better in my opinion than the Taylor ES. However, there are a lot of people who like the ES and find the Aura way to complicated. So again, all you have is my opinion -- nothing more.

You can find used Taylor 714CE guitars for sale on the AGF Classifieds often and for a reasonable price.

- Glenn

Hi Glenn,

One of my friends, who is a music student, suggested I should look into high-end OMs (Santa Cruz, Collings, Borgeois etc).

They are different in size. But how do they compare in tone?

I did some research they can be grabbed around 2.5k.

Leon

[ukejon]

Leon, contact me by private message.

[SuperB23]

I'd go for the Breedlove then save up and practice and buy a SC FS or Goodall CJ later on. All are good options including the Taylor but those Breedlove Pro Series guitars play and sound great and are a great bargain.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by leonrox

Hi Glenn,

One of my friends, who is a music student, suggested I should look into high-end OMs (Santa Cruz, Collings, Borgeois etc).

They are different in size. But how do they compare in tone?

I did some research they can be grabbed around 2.5k.

Leon

Hi Leon,

Good question.

The Taylor 714CE is about the size of a small jumbo, so again, if it's the Olson SJ sound you like, I would recommend finding a good version of a used 714CE. About $1700 used.

Very good quality OM guitars can be very nice. I own 3: Santa Cruz OM/PW; Collings OM1ADB; and Martin 000-28VS. However, the Taylor 714CE is a larger body guitar compared to an OM, and so it's easier to get more sound out of it. Also, the 714CE combination of cedar/EIR is more like the Olson. But these 3 OM guitars that I own are all very good guitars. I have never played a Bourgeois OM, so I cannot comment there.

Santa Cruz OM/PW: Lots of bass for an OM; needs bright 80/20 strings to bring out the treble for my playing; very good, general purpose OM; sitka/EIR. Used price about $2500 when you can find them.

Collings OM1: I personally think this model is Collings best OM, spruce/mahogany. Very clear, responsive guitar. Pete Huttlinger uses an OM1AC (adi top, cutaway). Check out his album, Santa Rita Connection for how this guitar sounds. (Darn good!) http://www.amazon.com/Santa-Rita-Con...ete+huttlinger Used price is often around $3K or higher. The OM1 I own has an adi top and dread-depth body, which adds a little more bass. Very nice guitar.

Martin 000-28VS: This is an elongated body, 12-fret design, very old-fashioned looking. Lots of bass, very warm, mellow sound, great guitar for jazz accompaniment, but also a good general purpose guitar. It does take on some very nice treble sparkle up the neck past the 3-5 frets. I don't care for the combination of the mod-V neck design plus the 1 13/16" nut width. It's a real handful for people with normal size hands, especially if you are a thumb wrapper. But I have learned to deal with it. Used price: $2600. A used Martin OM-28V or OM-21 Special are very good Martin OM guitars to try, also.

- Glenn