Bullfrog Music is a Breedlove Distinctive Dealer based in Corvallis, OR. Owner Kurt Dietrich is not only a performing guitarist, he’s also a repair specialist, and is a familiar face at Breedlove headquarters designing custom instruments.
He recently gave us an insight into his favorite guitars, woods and more!
How long have you been a Distinctive Dealer?
I have been a Distinctive Dealer for 3 years
What is your favorite Breedlove?
As far as my favorite production Breedlove, I would have to say the all myrtlewood Oregon Concert LTD. Most bang for the buck of any American made acoustic under $2,000.00. Beautiful, balanced, and a dream to play.
My personal guitar is certainly my 'favorite'. It is a custom C25 with a sunken cedar top and a highly figured Indian rosewood back and sides. When you build a custom Breedlove, it's hard for it not to be your favorite because you choose the design and materials.
What is your favorite wood combination?
My personal favorite wood combination is probably a European spruce top and cocobolo back and sides. This produces a wonderful piano-like quality with great tone balance and note separation. This combination is great if you wish to both flatpick and fingerstyle. I also like western red cedar over Indian rosewood. This combo is perfect for fingerstylists due to cedar’s quick response and strong bass component matched up with rosewood’s excellent midrange and treble support in the overtones.
Why do you think maple is such a great tonewood?
I think maple can be a good choice for a tonewood if you wish to have a guitar that will really “cut through” the mix. A great choice for an acoustic guitarist that takes a lot of solos in his group. When combined with Sitka spruce, the guitar will produce ‘fat’ notes in the upper registers.
Best tip for deciding on what guitar to purchase?
I think that you need to really examine the musical genre you play the most as well as your technique. If you are purely a folk song fingerstylist with a soft right hand attack, you may want consider a concert size, non cutaway cedar top instrument. If you play primarily flatpick Bluegrass, you may want to shop for a spruce top dreadnaught with either maple or rosewood back and sides.
What it really comes down to is how a guitar grabs you when you sit down to play it. A guitar becomes the mechanical tool to express your musical emotion. If the guitar really touches you sonically, emotionally and physically, then that is your guitar.
What is your favorite part to customize on a guitar?
For many, selecting neck inlay and binding can be the most fun when customizing a guitar. For me, it is the wood selection. Nature is the greatest customizer there is. The beauty of exotic woods uniquely personalizes your guitar, and unlike fancy inlays, truly contributes to the sound of your instrument.
