Has anyone played a Weber produced since they were bought by Breedlove and moved to Bend, Oregon? Has the quality been maintained?
First off, Both Breedlove and Weber were bought out by Two Old Hippies. Tom and Molly Bedell are the founders of TOH. You may be more familiar with Bedell guitars. Breedlove had been through some management/financial hoops prior to their ownership change, which happened around 2010, I think. Shortly after that Bruce Weber was looking to retire. So he kind of took the buy-out option. (I shouldn't complain, that's how I retired. Haa!)
So, as for the mandolins both companies were known for ...
In my opinion neither brand is what they once were.
Breedlove has ceased production of mandolins, AFAIK. I did buy one of their mandolins after the change of ownership. It's not anything to write home about - at least not compared to the older Breedloves. I still have it. I wanted another beater anyway. Other Breedlove players I have run into in recent years hold a similar opinion. I can say that while the initial Breedloves from TOH were really poor compared to the original Breedloves, they did do a re-jiggering of materials and quality before they abandoned the mandolin product line. But I think the damage to the brand was already done.
And I feel the same as to the Webers. But you really should try them yourself. My sample size here is only a couple of instruments. Don't take my word for it. I realize most things are not presently being made as well as they were 10, 20, 30 years ago - for all kinds of reasons. So, your mileage may vary.
Edited by - Mandodennis on 04/20/2021 15:03:27
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