Breedlove AD25SM issues?

[LGOberean]

In the “Guitar Owners Club” section, I posted to the “Breedlove Club.” So in one sense you could say I am a fan of Breedlove guitars. But in another sense, I have had some problems with my Breedlove. I mentioned this in passing in that thread, but didn’t dwell on it, because I assumed the tone of the thread was expected to be positive and appreciative. But I have decided that I would like to discuss this with others, and so I’m posting here to see what kind of discussion and input can come of this.

First of all, I have a Breedlove AD25/SM acoustic/electric (A=Atlas [MIK] series; D=dreadnaught; 2=deep body; 5=soft cutaway; S=Sitka Spruce top; M=solid Mahogany Back and laminate Mahogany sides). Last August, this model was being discontinued, and so MF and GC had it at the discounted price of $550, so I snapped it up. Here are some pics.

On the left (in my right hand) is my Breedlove. In the center is my Logan Custom mahogany solid body Tele. On the right (in my left hand) is my 26 year old vintage Japanese-made Hohner G940.


My Breedlove AD25/SM in action.


When I was trying it out at the local GC, it played fine. The action was a little stiffer than I prefer, but at the time I thought that would be an easy fix. I played it about 20-30 minutes two days in a row, and then pulled the trigger.

In between, I did research online. There was one bad review (more on that in a moment), but with only 1 negative out of 67 user ratings I decided to go for it.

After I got it home, I started to get acquainted, playing it a lot, letting it settle in. It came strung with D’Addario EXP Coated Phosphor Bronze Wound strings, the “Light” gauge (12-53) EXP16s. While I had not previously been an EXP user, I was intimately familiar with their “un-coated” counterpart, D’Addario’s Phosphor Bronze Wound Light (12-53) EJ16.

So I started with a truss rod adjustment. I even let a Breedlove tech talk me through it so that there would be no warranty issues. The adjustment helped some, but did not completely solve the problem. I have thus far resisted shaving the saddle. Next, I changed to D’Addario’s Phosphor Bronze Wound Custom Light set (11-52) EJ26. Now I had a buzz problem. So I’ve gone back to the 12s, but the action’s still stiffer than I’d like. So I don’t play it much except for gigs and rehearsals.

Another problem is the Rosewood fretboard is “fading.” It’s like it was tinted to give it a darker color, and that color is coming off when I play. My fingertips are typically black after playing it, and the board is noticeably lighter in spots. It looks like paint has been worn off in places.

Okay, now back to that 1 negative review out of 67. The reviewer identified himself as “Beware from PA.” And he had a similar experience: at the store it “played very well.” After he got it home and changed the strings, “it seemed like the action had changed in 3-4 months.” He had the bridge shaved down and that seemed to work for a while, then he had fret buzz. He paid a luthier to set it up, but months later the buzz was back.

“Beware from PA” also stated “The other cosmetic thing is the paint on the fretboard is fading.”

So, I know it’s not just me. Did “Beware from PA” and I get the only two lemons in the bunch, or does anyone else have issues with this guitar? If so, what did you do or what have you done about it? Return it? Get repairs that worked? ???

[Aengland77]

The guitar itself looks wonderful in your pictures, as do your two others :D... It's a little early.. but have you tried talking to Breedlove about the problem? I'd have to imagine since most people don't have to deal with customer support, they would usually be pretty top notch.

And you mentioned warranty issues as well... did it come with any kind of warranty? Could you tell them that your specific breedlove model is basically falling apart? It doesn't sound like anything that you personally did.

I'd imagine that you could return it and get the same model if you let them know what happened.. I would let Breedlove know what's happening. Sounds like a lemon :[

Aubrey

[LGOberean]

The guitar itself looks wonderful in your pictures, as do your two others :D...
Aengland77

Oh, yeah, thanks. I love the way it looks. I probably should have said what I like about the guitar in my OP. I chose not to because the post was already getting pretty long.

So let’s see, positives. Yeah, it’s a good looking guitar. And the sound is very good, especially unplugged, though it sounds very nice through the amp as well. The Fishman electronics are not the very best I’ve seen, but they’re good. And the feel of the guitar, except for the action, is nice as well. It’s not quite as comfortable as my Hohner, but then the body is a tad larger than my Hohner. And for that matter, the Hohner is like my main Bible; it is comfortable in my hand precisely because we’ve spent so much time together. So maybe the comfort aspect is not a fair comparison.

but have you tried talking to Breedlove about the problem? I'd have to imagine since most people don't have to deal with customer support, they would usually be pretty top notch.
Aengland77

Yes, I did talk to their customer support, and they were prompt and courteous. But none of the suggestions they proffered resolved the issues.

As I said in my OP, one of their techs talked me through the truss rod adjustment (they said in a reply to an email query that there would be no warranty issues *if* I let them talk me through the process). Again, he was willing to help and courteous, but the adjustment didn’t take care of the problem. The action still is too stiff, and now it buzzes with lighter gauge strings (11s instead of 12s). I asked him about the saddle, but he discouraged shaving it any.

As for the issues about the fretboard “paint,” the tech theorized that it could be either the fretboard itself was gunky from however long it sat out on display at the GC, or gunk from the strings. He suggested cleaning the board with mineral oil, and changing strings. I did not think that was the problem, because the black on my fingertips also left discoloration on the board. I probably should have argued the point with him more, but at the time the guitar was pretty new to me. So I wiped down the fretboard and changed the strings…and almost a year later I *still* get blackened fingertips and “fading paint.” I have concluded that this was just one of the areas where they cut corners to put out a Breedlove model w/o the custom price (street price was $800 before the discounted price of $550).

BTW, other of their cost-cutting measures are: using laminate wood for the sides of the guitar (in the case of my guitar, mahogany); the lack of decorative binding on the neck and headstock of the guitar; the binding material around the top and back of the body is plastic fashioned with a “tortoise” look (much like the pickguard). These were cost-cutting measures I knew about going in, and I was and I am okay with them.

As for it being under warranty, yeah, it might still be. I’ll have to check my paperwork on that. But I guess since I had these issues and at least one other guy had the very same problems, I am reluctant to get another. I figure I can live with what I’ve got; it’s not unusable, I wouldn’t say it’s “falling apart.” I’m just not sure I want to go with the Atlas series (or any other series) of Breedlove again.

[JCSouthpawtele]

Consider that maybe the body's top is lowrring and rising up a bit ,and taking your action with it,and check the JLD bridge truss system. I had mine start to rattle and loosen up after playing it a few weeks. Call customer support for info on the specs for your guitar on this matter, I did,they walked me throught it