Whoa.. Koa!

Red_Label · #1 11-13-2019, 02:23 PM

Over the past 35 years and countless electric and acoustic instruments... I've never owned one made out of koa. That may change this week. I'm trying-out a new Breedlove Legacy concerto E in spruce/koa. I already own a Frontier concerto Sunlight E (spruce/mahogany) that's a canon. This one so far seems to have more tight, focused mids and bass, and a sweeter treble. I'll be A/B'ing them both a bunch over the next day or two, to make my final decision. But so far I'm impressed. She's a stunner. I took pics with my phone camera with flash on, because it was late last night, so please don't judge her beauty based on my crappy pics. What really drew me in to this guitar (besides the flamey koa), was the Celtic rosette and 12th fret inlay. Which is why I immediately tuned-down to DADGAD last night as I sat down with her.

Osage · #2 11-13-2019, 02:43 PM

Absolute beauty! Koa is one of my favorite woods for an acoustic guitar.

jaymarsch · #3 11-13-2019, 02:58 PM

Koa is visually beautiful but I find it to be all over the map, depending on the maker, in terms of tone. It tends to be a bit brasher and brighter than my ear likes. Gorgeous guitar and of course this is why you have to play a guitar before you make a choice. I look forward to hearing what you decide. I have heard good things about the Breedlove Concerto models.

Best,
Jayne

Red_Label · #4 11-13-2019, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaymarsch

Koa is visually beautiful but I find it to be all over the map, depending on the maker, in terms of tone. It tends to be a bit brasher and brighter than my ear likes. Gorgeous guitar and of course this is why you have to play a guitar before you make a choice. I look forward to hearing what you decide. I have heard good things about the Breedlove Concerto models.

Best,
Jayne

Roger that, I don't doubt your koa observations. In regards the Concerto models, I've never heard/played a bigger sounding guitar than my Frontier Sunlight E concerto. It's crazy. I was playing Martin dreads (D18, D28, D35), Gibson jumbos, Guild jumbos, etc... looking for my next guitar last spring. The Breedlove Frontier series is very austere. No binding, no rosette, satin finish, etc. It wasn't on my radar. But I pulled everything off the wall that day and the concerto blew the rest away by a mile. I had been leaning towards the D35 up to the point that I played the Breedlove. I posted my impressions of the concerto series at that time and was scoffed-at by a member here for calling it a "canon". I'm not sure exactly how he defines bluegrass canon... but if HUGE, PUNCHY, and LOUD are the definition (certainly the terms I would think of when using the term "canon"), the concertos can indeed be canons. No Martin dread or jumbo that I played came remotely close to it.

This Legacy Concerto is a thing of beauty, so that's the primary motivator for me here. So far, it doesn't have the volume of the Frontier. But... it's more focused and tight and sweet down low and in the middle than the Frontier. I chalk that up to the different body woods and to the fact that the Frontier has an extremely thin, satin finish... while the Legacy is very glossy all around. So it may take a while for the Legacy to open-up compared to the Frontier. Regardless, it does both look and sound magnificent. Just not as big and boomy as the Frontier.

Red_Label · #5 11-13-2019, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osage

Absolute beauty! Koa is one of my favorite woods for an acoustic guitar.

Thanks. I hope to replace these pics with better ones. The guitar is perfectly bookmatched on the sides and back, as well as being flamier than what's showing in the image. The flash seems to be washing things out. I'll try to get daylight pics this weekend. I'm definitely leaning towards keeping it at this point.

draelyc · #6 11-13-2019, 04:06 PM

Lovely!

My primary electric guitar is a Hamer USA Mirage I, with a mahogany body and a carved koa top:

I've always been curious how I'd like a koa acoustic.

Recently, I found an Alvarez Artist Elite Grand Auditorium in a local shop, and in reading up on it (because it was so purty

), I saw it had a solid acacia top & acacia laminate back & sides … and the copy said that acacia is the same type of tree as koa, but comes from a different part of the world than Hawaii. Whatever the case, the Alvarez sounded lovely.

I don't know anything about Breedlove except their good reputation. But those pix look stunning. I'd love to play that guit! Definitely let us know what you decide to do!

Red_Label · #7 11-13-2019, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by draelyc

Lovely!

My primary electric guitar is a Hamer USA Mirage I, with a mahogany body and a carved koa top:

I've always been curious how I'd like a koa acoustic.

Recently, I found an Alvarez Artist Elite Grand Auditorium in a local shop, and in reading up on it (because it was so purty

), I saw it had a solid acacia top & acacia laminate back & sides … and the copy said that acacia is the same type of tree as koa, but comes from a different part of the world than Hawaii. Whatever the case, the Alvarez sounded lovely.

I don't know anything about Breedlove except their good reputation. But those pix look stunning. I'd love to play that guit! Definitely let us know what you decide to do!

Very cool. Especially your Shiva! I had that exact same rig years ago that I used to gig. My Shiva was an EL34 model with reverb. Had the same OS2x12 as well. It was lovely as a country/rock rig... which is what I was gigging at the time. I used a Fulltone OCD to tighten-up the gain channel and give it more dynamics. I only sold it because I got into an XTC Classic (which didn't need an OD pedal on the gain channels)... so I felt a bit "guilty" having a Shiva and XTC at the same time. Many amps have come and gone (including six Friedmans), but I will always fondly remember that Shiva. Even more so than the XTC... which was wonderful, but there was just something about the Shiva that seemed more soulful to me.

Parlorman · #8 11-14-2019, 05:51 AM

My Froggy Bottom L Deluxe is a spruce topped, Koa bodied marvel. It has a wonderfully balanced sound that’s among the best I’ve played or owned.

Yours is a beauty.

RussL30 · #9 11-14-2019, 06:10 AM

That’s a nice Breedlove! Great looking koa.

I’m a believer in Koa now with my recently acquired Taylor XXX Ke. I was scared it would be way too bright. I had a Taylor 410 koa limited at one point that was way too bright. The koa on my XXX has just the right mix of clarity and overtones and sounds so smooth. I bet your Breedlove sounds similar. A good piece of Koa is such a great tone wood.

Here’s a pic of my Koa.

stevemc · #10 11-14-2019, 06:15 AM

Beautiful! It is hard to capture the true beauty of koa with a photo. I keep my Taylor K14c, koa/cedar, in DADGAD also. Good luck with the new one.

Earl49 · #11 11-14-2019, 11:10 AM

Nothing wrong with those photos, IMO. Koa is a great wood visually and tonally, if the builder knows how to handle it. Being a hardwood, it takes longer to open up, especially on a top. Give it some time and don't make any rash decisions. Breedlove makes quite nice guitars, if you can figure out their confusing nomenclature.

I am actively converting to carbon fiber, but will always keep my Taylor koa GS/K (koa/spruce) and 424LTD (all koa). And one koa ukulele.