No guitar expresses the spirit of the Pacific Northwest more eloquently than
the Northwest model. This instrument is created from woods native to the region.
The back and sides are myrtlewood from Oregon’s coastal mountains. Harmonizing
with the myrtlewood’s glowing golden color and intricate grain pattern
are a top of Sitka spruce from Alaska, a neck of Pacific Northwest big leaf
maple, and a binding of walnut from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The
personality of the Northwest conveys itself most powerfully in the fingerboard,
inlaid with authentic Northwest totem images, hand engraved in abalone and
mother-of-pearl. With sound quality and responsiveness to match its visual
beauty, the C25 Northwest is an instrument that will lift your spirit –
and your playing – to new levels.
This particular Breedlove Northwest Classic is a stunner, and is in phenomenal
condition with the exception of one crack in the finish - a little over an
inch long, right under the point of the bridge on the treble side. The crack
appeared at some point while the instrument was in transit across the country
via air freight. The box showed little sign of trauma, so I'm not completely
sure what caused this crack to appear. Could have been temperature... could
have been a bump. But there it is... thoroughly pictured below. The guitar
was sent immediately to Breedlove for inspection, to verify that the check
is in the finish only, and indeed it is - the top is not affected at all beyond
the finish. While there, Breedlove opted to cut a new saddle and give the
instrument a fresh setup, just to be sure it was everything it could be in
terms of tone and playability.
This guitar plays beautifully - the Myrtlewood/Sitka combination produces
instruments with a crisp, clear voice, and this particular guitar has a balanced,
focused tone that works very well for fingerstyle and plectrum/strumming applications.
