Breedlove Introduces the New Myrtlewood Top, Back and Side Limited Edition Oregon Series Parlor and Concert
If you are familiar with the Breedlove Oregon Series, then you are familiar with Breedlove's affinity for crafting instruments using a historically versatile tonewood, called Myrtlewood. Breedlove is the first large scale US manufacturer to incorporate this fantastic tonewood in a production line of instruments. Are you unfamiliar with the Oregon Series or Myrtlewood? Here's a little insight into this visual and sonically stunning Oregon native tonewood.
Myrtlewood and the Oregon Series
If you spend a little time in the Northwest you will notice breathtaking scenery. Among the mountains, deserts, rustic coastline, lush forests, and the smell of the clear alpine air you can truly visualize what Oregon beauty is. Breedlove Guitars is based in Oregon, and our passion for the outdoors and the charm of nature is continuously influencing the way we design, build, and play our instruments.
Breedlove Stringed Instruments was inspired to create a special guitar that would capture the beauty of Oregon. There is a special tree native only to SW Oregon and NW California, Myrtlewood. This tree is indigenous to the Northwest region and while flourishing in the harsh pacific climate it has to deal with a lot of inclement weather, struggling to survive results in changes within the growth pattern, which causes every Myrtlewood tree to be unique. The truly one-of-a-kind sound that we’ve engineered in the Oregon series is tonally one of the richest, and most acclaimed voices in a guitar.
Crafting the New Myrtlewood Limited Edition
If you walk the aisles of the Breedlove workshop in Bend, OR – you're sure to encounter stunning Myrtlewood instruments – in various aspects of the build. The sheer number of Myrtlewood instruments reflects the popularity of the tonewood and the Oregon series.
Colin Besancon, who has been working for Breedlove for 13 years and has held almost every position on the workshop floor – is extremely passionate about building the finest instruments with a distinctively crafted sound. He confesses that a personal goal and obsession is to one-day craft an entire instrument in its entirety using one species. Top, back, sides, neck and bracing from one tonewood. He explains, “While the day has not yet arrived, (to build an instrument from just one tonewood) the new Oregon Myrtlewood top, back and sides limited edition is a step in that direction. For years we have been building instruments with Mahogany tops (and Mahogany back and sides) when we are looking for a certain level of clarity and projection in the tonal midrage. Myrtlewood as a top tonewood yields similar results, but with jaw dropping aesthetics. Thus, the new Myrtlewood top, back and sides limited edition was born.” Besancon explains, “Myrtlewood is a phenomenal tonewood to have at our disposal – because the wood is visually stunning and every piece is unique – and the tone is a luthier's dream. In short, tonally, if rosewood and maple were to have a baby, it would be Myrtlewood. You get all of the accentuated clarity in the high notes without the chime as well as the dyaminc presence in the low end.”
A True Show Stopper
The Breedlove craftsmen spend the majority of their days working with and around some of the most visually stunning, and sonically profound, instruments in the world. While every U.S.A. made instrument is crafted with a high level of dedication and appreciation for the tonewoods – it's quite remarkable to experience the level of passion the craftsmen have for the new Myrtlewood instruments. Ask ten craftsmen which Oregon LTD is their favorite and you're sure to get 10 different answers. Every set is completely unique – with varying levels of complexity in the tonal characteristics, figure and pattern. In a world where everything is becoming mass produced, homogenized – the uniqueness of each Myrtlewood instrument is, on some level, reassuring that perhaps authenticity is not yet dead. Experience the Oregon series and the wonderfully balanced tone of Myrtlewood at your local Breedlove dealer.
