From the first moment that we put our hands on the Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE, there was no doubt: this guitar was designed to please the performer. The playability is exceptional, and once you take into account the impeccable craftsmanship, the full-bodied sound, note clarity and articulation, and the ability to plug in for stage use, it’s clear that this guitar really delivers everything you could possibly desire in a pro-level acoustic guitar.
Though designed with the fingerstyle performer in mind, the Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE provides many attributes desired by many acoustic “generalists,” most notably, ease in playability. You’ve heard the old and wise saying, “Let’s not make it harder than it needs to be.”
| Category | Value | Rating |
| Features | 20% |  |
| Usability | 25% | |
| Sound | 25% |  |
| Documentation & Support | 10% | |
| Price | 20% | |
| OVERALL RATING = 3.6 Stars, which earns it a WIHO Award! 3.6 stars or better: Outstanding, WIHO Award 3 stars or better: Worth considering 2 stars or better: Suited to specific needs 1 star or less: Not recommended |
||
Thankfully, this guitar plays like a dream, and it’s easily one of the finest acoustic guitars we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing—and we’ve played and/or owned a lot of them. Bottom line: we’re fighting over who gets to purchase the review instrument.
Features
The Bend, Oregon made Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE guitar is stunning at first glance, catching your eyes like a shiny new penny. Under that Copper Burst gloss finish is a solid Sitka Spruce top, and the body shape features the classic-modern Breedlove contours. For you techies, each top wood is evaluated for stiffness and density before sculpting the graduated top to the intended shape. This helps optimize and balance the delivery of high and low frequencies by having a thicker treble side and a thinner bass side to achieve just the right resonance. 
The back and sides of the body are of solid, East Indian Rosewood, exposing a beautiful wood grain complimentary in both color and contrast to the copper burst top. The tortoise binding and beautiful rosette inlay outlining the sound hole provide just the right amount of elegance yet maintain a very modest look.
The dimensions of the Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE are as follows: Scale Length 25.5”, Body length 19.875”, Body depth 3.75”, Lower Bout width 15.37”, Waist width 9”, Upper Bout width 11.28” and a 4” sound hole. Strap pegs are located behind the neck (not drilled into the body) and a single peg at the bottom.
Breedlove guitars feature a bolt-on neck (surprise) with a single truss rod and slim neck profile. The neck of the Premier Concert CE guitar is made from Honduran mahogany topped with an African ebony fretboard featuring dart-shaped position marker inlays. The neck consists of 20 frets, a nut width of 1.75”, and Breedlove 3x3 nickel tuners with black buttons on the headstock. To compliment the fretboard, the Delta bridge is also made of African ebony. Both nut and saddle are made of synthetic Tusq.
A key component that affects the instrument’s fantastic tone is the Breedlove Bridge Truss, which reduces tension applied to the soundboard, allowing increased vibration across the top. The intended result is greater clarity, balance, sustain, and enhanced overtones.
The Bridge Truss attaches to the underside of the Bridge and connects to the tail block of the guitar, relieving pressure on the top. This also helps stabilize the top without heavy or excessive bracing and avoids any “bridge belly” warp effects over time.
The Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE is an Acoustic/Electric guitar. The pickup consists of an L.R. Baggs EAS VTC system. Volume and Tone controls are fitted at the top of the sound hole of the guitar, out of site but easy to access. The pickup requires a 9-Volt battery, located on the inside back of the guitar and accessible thru the sound hole.
Made in Bend, OR USA, the guitar comes with a deluxe hard-shell case and truss rod adjustment tool.
Usability
Coming from the perspective of an electric guitar player in need of a premium acoustic guitar, we have a deep appreciation for the slim profile neck of the Breedlove Premier Concert CE guitar. The comfort level of this guitar was just fantastic, not only from a playability perspective (neck comfort and low string action), but from an endurance standpoint. The usual fatigue experienced with other acoustic guitars did not come into play as quickly with this guitar. It provided increased play time in one sitting without any annoying hand cramping.
The Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE guitar was designed with the performer in mind. Performances venues can range from your living room to a favorite coffee house to a small nightclub to a full concert auditorium. Rest assured, this guitar is equipped to handle any setting, whether it calls for a non-amplified acoustic tone or an amplified instrument running into a P.A. system courtesy of the onboard electronics.
The L.R. Baggs EAS VTC system provides easy control managing the guitar’s volume and tone when amplified. Easy access to the volume and tone controls are provided at the inside top of the sound hole making on the fly adjustments simple. The only drawbacks to this system are that there isn’t a battery life indicator, and you’ll need to loosen your strings (a lot) or wait for your next string change in order to access the battery pack through the guitar’s sound hole.
Sound
Straight out of the case and onto our lap, the first G-triad strum of the Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE exhumed a full-bodied spectrum of sound with the utmost clarity and definition of each note within the chord. The low-end notes remained clear and strong, yet very round and warm without any muddiness, while the high-end notes produced a piano-like chime and sustain. The pallet of sound and harmonics seemed endless, and if you love bright-sounding acoustic guitars with warmth and a tight delivery, your instrument search might start and end right here.
Using a capo and positioning at various points up the neck, the same results applied – very balanced highs and lows, and intonation remained stable and consistent throughout.
Known for fingerstyle picking and single note definition, playing arpeggiated chords and scales up the fretboard confirmed that the Breedlove Premier Concert CE is a very expressive guitar. It not only provided excellent note clarity, but was also responsive to playing techniques such as attack and dynamics. The overall voice of the guitar is very articulate and can easily deliver whatever outcome is desired by the performer.
Using the L.R. Baggs EAS VTC system provides a very organic acoustic sound, whether plugged directly into a console/front of house or into a guitar amplifier. In both applications, though, we recommend using an acoustic DI for the best sounding results. Our go-to DI happens to be the L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI, and it worked great with this instrument.
The Volume control provided plenty of headroom while the Tone control provided a blend of highs and lows and could also be used to dial out any minor feedback issues in the absence of a DI with intelligent frequency adjustments. The center detent setting was a good starting point for hearing the true sound of the guitar amplified.
Documentation and Product Support
The Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE guitar came with minimal documentation inside the case. But, it was the first acoustic guitar we’ve reviewed that included a quality truss rod adjustment tool (with a fancy wood handle). Despite the lack of paperwork in the case, the Breedlove website provides a Support link containing valuable information pertaining to care and maintenance, plus a thorough Owner’s Manual available for download.
Price
The Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE (MSRP $2,665.00) sells for approximately $1,999.00. Compared to other guitars in this price range and inclusive of the same features, the Breedlove Premier Concert Copper CE provides great value and is a definite contender worthy of your consideration.
Contact Information
Breedlove Guitar Company
www.breedlovemusic.com
| Evaluation Short-List: |
|
