When the King Koa was first introduced back in 2002, it was like a reflection of Kim Breedlove in the form of a guitar.
“When I think of the King Koa, it is kind of the essence of Kim to me,” says Breedlove Product Developer Angela Christensen. “Kim always seemed to bring with him an ocean breeze. He’s a Southern Cal guy, and he just always kind of had that aura about him, a little more laid back, and he just seemed like he should have been on the beach in Hawaii at all times.”
What better way to capture that vibe than with the tremendous Hawaiian tonewood, koa?
The original King Koa featured beautiful koa back and sides complemented by a warm, understated western red cedar top. A detailed and attention-grabbing mermaid and dolphin inlay — designed by Kim Breedlove — adorned the ebony fingerboard, serving as the guitar’s show-stopping centerpiece.
Just like the King Koa, Christensen first joined Breedlove back in 2002. Reflecting back on her early days, Christensen remembers how special these guitars felt at the time and says, “We all felt great pride in building every guitar, but those guitars in particular. It was a very special set of tonewood for the top and the back and sides. There’s just a little bit of everybody’s soul in those guitars. It just brings back lots of fond memories.”
This model wasn’t without its difficulties, though. “The King Koa was certainly a challenge as far as bending,” Christensen says. She explains, “It’s not easy to bend a soft cutaway. At that point, we didn’t have the same benders that we have today. I was bending over a hot pipe with a propane torch stuck in the end of it, using wet paper towels to create steam over the pipe and hand bend. It was pretty fun!”
Just shy of two full decades later and now in the position of Product Developer, Christensen revisited this iconic model to create her own modern interpretation, creating a guitar that reflects how Breedlove has grown since she joined the company.
The most instantly noticeable difference is the stunning, highly-figured koa top that steals the show on the 30th Anniversary, which Christensen says, “It’s just eye candy, right?”
Gorgeous aesthetics aside, there was more to Christensen’s decision to change the wood selection for the top of the King Koa. She explains, “We had not built one of those in all solid Koa using our sound optimization process.” The result is a loud and lively instrument with a well-balanced tone. “I knew that guitar was going to sound better than we’d ever built it before, but we were all blown away,” she says. “We’ve never had an all Koa guitar sound so good.”
With such an attention-grabbing top, Christensen decided to refine the inlay, while giving a nod to the history of the model. “I wanted to speak to something Kim played a strong role in designing, and that was the ‘hooks’ inlay. That was an inlay he designed for the 2015 Exotic King Koa model. With our asymmetrical headstock and winged bridge as well, it was just kind of a mix of inspiration from the past.”
Christensen may have drawn her inspiration for the 30th Anniversary King Koa from Breedlove’s past, but her refinements have given this model a modernized sensibility, creating a breathtaking and cutting edge instrument that is ready for the future. View full guitar profile.
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