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Old 01-12-2018, 05:50 PM
Matt.S Matt.S is offline
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Default Help with search! Parlor (Breedlove Pursuit Series)

Well I’ve been bitten by the bug of buying a new guitar again; it’s what I get for looking in to learning to play the blues. Something about the style just made me want a Parlor style guitar for the 12 frets and slotted headstock. I have always loved the look of exposed tuners and oldies look to the slotted headstocks.

So here I am looking online, generally guitar center as the financing is awesome and allows me to better justify a higher purchase price, and I stumble across a few names but some have nearly 0 research. Namely the Breedlove Pursuit Parlor. This is where it all started for me. It checked all the boxes in design I was looking for and I own a Breedlove Atlas Solo for a few years I only recently started to play again. Then I found out it doesn’t have a 1 3/4 nut which really bummed me out. My other guitar is a Parkwood series OM style (it was a steal and is my beater). Both it and the Breedlove have 1 11/16 spacing and while I don’t have fat fingers it is definitely mildly difficult and cramped and I feel I would like more space, which throws a massive wrench in my plans as the one draw to the Pursuit series is the USB plug into your computer feature.

The look at the Parlor then led me to find a beautiful Myrtewood pursuit that I am looking to go play but for some reason again it seems Breedlove reserves the 1 3/4 nut for only their expensive guitars. I remember reading a while back Breedloves had great spacing for finger picking but after a new set up it’s the same as my beater and I desire more.
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Old 01-12-2018, 06:18 PM
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fnesnor fnesnor is offline
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Check out the Alvarez MPA70.
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Old 01-12-2018, 06:39 PM
Taylor Martin Taylor Martin is offline
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I played one, thought it was a pretty good guitar
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Old 01-12-2018, 08:09 PM
Tracy Perry Tracy Perry is offline
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If looking for a nice parlor size at a reasonable price, you may also want to check out the Ibanez AVN10 series. Beautiful guitars with a great sound.

I picked the below one up (AVN10 w/brown violin sunburst) when I caught it on sale and used some "bonus bucks" that I had. General online price is around $599. It checked all the boxes I wanted (pretty guitar, 12 fret and slotted headstock).

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Old 01-12-2018, 10:02 PM
Matt.S Matt.S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracy Perry View Post
If looking for a nice parlor size at a reasonable price, you may also want to check out the Ibanez AVN10 series. Beautiful guitars with a great sound.

I picked the below one up (AVN10 w/brown violin sunburst) when I caught it on sale and used some "bonus bucks" that I had. General online price is around $599. It checked all the boxes I wanted (pretty guitar, 12 fret and slotted headstock).

You also own my crowd favored (wife favored) Myrtlewood Breedlove Pursuit. How do you like it in comparison? String spacing, sound, etc.

Thank you everyone! I look to respond more in depth when I get some time. Half my post was cut off when posted for some reason. I’ve read about the Washburn r320swrk but not sure if I like some of the furniture and I believe the tuners are plastic? I may have read that wrong.
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Old 01-12-2018, 10:48 PM
jseth jseth is online now
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Used to be that Breedlove only used 1 11/16th's" nut widths on their Asian-built guitars, while all the USA Breedloves have 1 3/4" nut widths.

That will change this year, but I don't know for how many different models in the Asian lineup... something is nagging at me about "guitars above $XXX price point, but I can't recall for certain.

I've played only one Asian build Breedlove that was a Parlor... don't recall the model line, but it was lam mahogany b/s with a solid mahogany top, and it was within the last year and a half...

I have played a few of the Oregon Series Parlors (all solid - sitka/myrtlewood) and they were really nice little things... one of them was an all myrtlewood (t/b/s) and it was exemplary!

Many Parlors I have played actually have a 1 7/8" nut width... but those have all been fairly high priced guitars...

Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck with your search...
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Old 01-13-2018, 10:49 AM
Tracy Perry Tracy Perry is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt.S View Post
You also own my crowd favored (wife favored) Myrtlewood Breedlove Pursuit. How do you like it in comparison? String spacing, sound, etc.
I like it.... but it's much heavier than my other guitars - mostly because it's laminate compared to solid wood on the others (acoustics).
It has a narrower nut (1.6875) than my Martins (all 1.75") but then so does the Ibanez (43mm/1.6929"). For me, since I'm still a very much a beginner, it's not that much different, but I am a little more comfortable with the 1.75" nuts as my fingers haven't "learned" the best placement consistently.
The Ibanez and the Breedlove are two entirely different guitar styles and it's impossible to compare them against each other due to that. The Breedlove has a more "Taylor'esque" sound and the Ibanez is a little more "Martin 'hog" to me.The Breedlove is also a pretty guitar on it's own.



I have had some issues with it staying in tune, but I think that may have been due more to two of the tuners having loose screws holding the buttons on them. I've tightened those screws and will see if it will hold the tune for more than a day or so. If not, even as pretty as it is and as good as it sounds I'll send it back since it's still in the 45 day return window. I really didn't need it and just happened to play one at the local GC and they had it on sale and I had almost $200 in their "guitar bucks" about to expire.

I've got a video of me playing some PP&M (Puff the Magic Dragon) on the Breedlove, but the playing is not good enough (nor am I brave enough) to share it. I've only been playing the guitar for a few months.

If asked to choose between the Breedlove and the Ibanez, I'd go with the Ibanez. I already have similar guitars to the Breedlove, and I REALLY love the feel and sound of the Ibanez. The Breedlove has more projection, but again that is not surprising due to the body size difference. I purchased the Ibanez more for playing in the living room or a similar instead of a larger environment and it is great for that.
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2017 Gibson HP 415 W
2017 Ibanez AVN10
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2017 Fender FSR Standard Stratocaster 3 color Sunburst
2017 Fender Special Edition Deluxe Ash Telecaster
2017 Fender American Professional Telecaster
2017 Epiphone ES-339 P90 Pro

Last edited by Tracy Perry; 01-13-2018 at 12:12 PM.
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Old 01-13-2018, 11:17 AM
Spyvito Spyvito is offline
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Get a Larrivee Parlor with a 1 3/4 nut. Excellent value, great sound.
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Old 01-13-2018, 08:12 PM
Matt.S Matt.S is offline
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Thank you everyone for the comments so far. I was able to go to a local GC and play two guitars that were on my list: Breedlove Pursuit Exotic Conert Myrtlewood with the Bourbon burst and an Alvarez AP610 EFM.

Breedlove - Solid guitar but not my favorite from them. I imagine there’s a big difference between this and their Oregon line featured in all Myrtlewood. The guitar did really well on an amp, arguably the better of the two in regards to tone plugge in. Regardless, it did fall short unplugged. It almost seemed suffocated. My wife described it as lacking warmth. It could potentially be from the finish; I’m not sure as my other two guitars have a satin or more natural finish and don’t exhibit these qualities. The nut is 1 11/16 which was kind of a deal breaker. It didn’t sound anywhere near as good as my Breedlove Atlas Solo C350/ CRe (Cedar top). This was somewhat of a bummer as I was excited about the tonewood but either way I did make up my mind in needing a 1.75 nut or larger.

Alvarez - Great little guitar I didn’t know I was looking for. Fit the bill and was a solidly cheap price at GC. Did well plugged in but not as good as the Breedlove. I did enjoy the Breedlove neck more; I can’t figure out the exact reason but I imagine the fact the Breedlove neck is slimmer played a factor. All in all great little guitar but my wife an I agreed it sounded far too similar to my Parkwood 320 to justify spending any money on a new guitar.

I did also play a Breedlove Moon Concert Series. Wow... if I had twice the money to spend it would definitely be on the list but at that price point there are going to be more contenders. The Breedlove neck with a 1.75 nut is very nice.

The lack of 1.75 nut drops the Pursuit out of the list but opens a very interesting option as I was very pleased by Alvarez, the MPA 70 someone else mentioned. I couldn’t play one but I listened on YouTube and compared to the one I was familiar with. Much more crisp tones, sounded beautiful. I then listened to the comparable Blueridge 341 and found the Alvarez superior. I may place an order so I can try it out, it’s beautifully built.

Not to ramble on but I also picked up a classical just for kicks as it was next to me and wow it almost through a wrench in the plans. I absolutely loved the gentleness of the nylon strings. I love the soft feel for fingerstyle and my wife said I played it beautifully compare to the steel strings. This however would be a complete deviation I feel from the blues parlor I set out for. It has made me really interesting in a silk and steel set up though; maybe that will be a good compromise.

Sorry for the long read. I love Larivee but they’re in the bracket with the Moon concert - twice what I’m thinking of spending.
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