A comfortable, compact 12-string of many musical moods.
A sweet, smooth player that generates equally honeyed and balanced tones. Beautiful finish. Compact, comfortable dimensions.
Breedlove styling isn’t for everyone. Expensive for an import flattop.
$1,199
Breedlove Solo Pro Concert Edgeburst 12 CE
breedlovemusic.com
Breedlove’s current site page for theSolo Pro Concert Edgeburst 12 CE takes an almost apologetic view of acoustic 12-strings. It’s funny. But it’s also hard to tell if they’re kidding or serious. I will put forth the notion, however, that acoustic 12-strings are nothing to apologize for. Acoustic 12-strings are awesome. They can be celestial or funky and earthy. Rhythm guitar powerhouse, mutant harpsichord, melody machine—decent acoustic 12-strings are all these things. Even trashed, cheap 12-strings will usually make cool sounds if you tune them right.
The China-built Breedlove Solo Pro Concert Edgeburst 12 CE reviewed here is a reasonably refined and affordable 12 that makes life easy on highly occasional 12-string players. It’s playable and has a lively, almost sunny voice and disposition. But its solid cedar top and solid mahogany back and sides also lend a sense of dust and duskiness that, at times, evokes affordable vintage 12-strings like the Gibson B-25-12. Indeed, there are a lot of sounds to find in this accessibly priced 12-string. One dimensional it is not.
Doubling Down
It’s easy to see why many players consider acoustic 12-strings a chore. There’s no shortage of 30-year-old beaters with boomerang neck relief that punish curious neophytes and send them fleeing forever. The 12 CE, though, feels pretty inviting. Action feels relatively low, yet each string rings with clear authority, even under the load of heavy strumming. Intonation is just about perfect, too, which makes the Breedlove sigh like a harp when you tune up and let a first-position chord ring. Tuning down a half- or full step, meanwhile, coaxes a lot of cool, growling low-mid overtones from the guitar without getting boomy or feeling flubby.
The 12 CE’s proportions also factor significantly into its agreeable ways. The concert orchestra-sized body is easy to snuggle. And that immediacy of feel is accompanied by an immediacy you hear via the side sound port. (Which also, incidentally, seems to highlight that vintage Gibson B-25-12 tonality). Other classically Breedlove design cues play their role in the player-friendly feel of the instrument. The company’s signature deep cutaway, for instance, gives you access to mandolin-like chords and tones on the highest six strings and at the highest frets.
Ring Those Bells
There’s a lot of physical balance in the 12 CE that’s mirrored in the tone palette, too. Though some of the guitar’s fast responsiveness could be attributable to Breedlove’s Cascade bracing pattern, I’d venture much of the magic is in the guitar’s red cedar and mahogany tonewood combo. Breedlove isn’t the only builder to employ this elegant looking and sounding wood duo. It shows up on a few guitars in this low-mid price class. But Breedlove uses it especially well here. The cedar top feels simultaneously reactive, grounded, and, once again, earthy. It also adds just enough top end sparkle to offset the mellower tonalities of the mahogany back and sides. The resulting tone sum makes the 12 CE feel responsive to fingerpicking (though it takes a strong thumb to completely offset the chiming resonance of the high B and E string pairs).
Tuning down a half- or full step, meanwhile, coaxes a lot of cool, growling low-mid overtones from the guitar without getting boomy or feeling flubby.
Construction, by the way, reveals a careful hand all around. A wider neck like this could be made a miserable experience by rough frets, but they are perfectly shaped at the ends. The root beer hues of the finish give the small body an extra sense of dimensionality and luxury. And though the side port gives you a clear and potentially unflattering look at the 12 CE’s innards, every bit of bracing you do see looks carefully carved, sanded, and glued. (The sound port, by the way, comes with a fitted rubber feedback reduction insert that works great in amplified situations.)
Styling, as with many Breedloves, will probably be the most polarizing aspect of this guitar. It’s a modern flattop, to be certain. But it’s funny how the Breedlove headstock has evolved slowly into a familiar, almost institutional, shape in acoustic circles. And its slim proportions make it a graceful fit for the compact proportions of the body.
The Verdict
Though 1200 bones is considerable money for an import flattop, the quality construction, agreeable playability, and many sweet tones make it feel like a pretty fair deal. Like any good 12-string that you don’t have to fight too much, it can guide you away from ruts, encourage and stimulate an arrangement-oriented musical mindset, and perhaps unshackle your inner Jimmy Page or Jeff Lynne in the process. And while the 12 CE’s contemporary styling might divide opinion, for those that play it, its ability to open different musical avenues won’t find many detractors.
Breedlove Organic Solo Pro Concert Edgeburst 12 CE Demo | First Look
Breedlove Organic Solo Pro Concert CE 12-string Acoustic-electric Guitar - Edgeburst
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Lutefish, the real-time music collaboration device and platform, is excited to announce a suite of new features designed to simplify setup, streamline collaboration, and offer more flexible subscription options for Lutefish Stream users. These latest updates, Audio Presets, Automatic Session Recall, Improved Scheduling with Contact Visibility, and a new Yearly Subscription Plan, are all about making it easier than ever for musicians to jam together, no matter where they’re based.
Save Time and Stay in the Flow with Audio Presets & Session Recall
Musicians can now save and reuse their exact audio settings, reducing setup time and ensuring every session sounds exactly as they want.
- Automatic Session Recall: When users leave a session, their current audio levels are automatically saved and restored when they rejoin.
- User-Defined Audio Presets: Each user can create and name up to five custom presets, like “Band Practice,” “Studio Mic Setup,” or “Quick Jam,” making it effortless to jump back in with the perfect sound.
“These tools are all about saving time and hassle,” said Patrick Finn, Business Manager at Lutefish. “Musicians want to make music, not spend time rebalancing levels every session. With presets and recall, we’re giving them time back and helping them sound their best, every time.”
Smarter Scheduling and Contact Visibility
The latest update to Lutefish also made it easier to find collaborators and book sessions. Users can now:- View all their contacts at a glance when scheduling a session.
- Instantly identify which contacts own a Lutefish Stream device—so they will always know who’s ready to jam.
Go Yearly and Save 20%
Lutefish now offers a Yearly Subscription Plan, providing users with the same great access as the monthly plan at a 20% discount.
This option is now available within the Lutefish app and web platform, and current monthly users are eligible for a discount with an upgrade to a yearly subscription.
Lutefish’s mission has always been to empower musicians to connect and collaborate without boundaries. With these new updates, Lutefish Stream continues to break down barriers—whether you’re jamming with a friend across town or collaborating with a bandmate 500 miles away.
For more information and to start jamming today, visitlutefish.com.
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you don’t need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kiesel’s new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com
The Sunset is a fully analog, zero latency bass amplifier simulator. It features a ¼” input, XLR and ¼” outputs, gain and volume controls and extensive equalization. It’s intended to replace your bass amp both live and in the studio.
If you need a full sounding amp simulator with a lot of EQ, the Sunset is for you. It features a five band equalizer with Treble, Bass, Parametric Midrange (with frequency and level controls), Resonance (for ultra lows), and Presence (for ultra highs). All are carefully tuned for bass guitar. But don’t let that hold you back if you’re a keyboard player. Pianos and synthesizers sound great with the Sunset!
The Sunset includes Gain and master Volume controls which allow you to add compression and classic tube amp growl. It has both ¼” phone and balanced XLR outputs - which lets you use it as a high quality active direct box. Finally, the Sunset features zero latency all analog circuitry – important for the instrument most responsible for the band’s groove.
Introducing the Sunset Bass Amp Simulator
- Zero Latency bass amp simulator.
- Go direct into the PA or DAW.
- Five Band EQ:
- Treble and Bass controls.
- Parametric midrange with level and frequency controls.
- Presence control for extreme highs.
- Resonance control for extreme lows.
- Gain control to add compression and harmonics.
- Master Volume.
- XLR and 1/4" outputs.
- Full bypass.
- 9VDC, 200mA.
Artwork by Aaron Cheney
MAP price: $210 USD ($299 CAD).