A Mint 1995 Breedlove C2/E Built by Steve Henderson

1995 Breedlove C2 Concert Model (signed by Steve Henderson)

This single 'square-cutaway' 15 1/4-inch-wide, 4 1/2 inch-deep Master Class C2 Concert guitar weighs just 4.20 lbs. Two-piece 100 year old Alaskan Sitka Spruce 'X' braced top with a 3 3/4 inch diameter soundhole. One-piece Zebra Striped Ebony from New Guinea back and sides. Nine-ply binding a wide strip of bloodwood on the top, and a similar seven-ply binding on the bottom of the body. Soundhole with elaborate rings featuring three wide strips of abalone. One-piece hand-carved Indonesian mahogany neck with a nice fat nut width of 1 3/4 inches, a scale length of 25 1/2 inches and a medium-to-thin profile. Ebony faced headstock with "BGCo" inlaid in abalone and single thin white line border. Specific shape ebony truss-rod cover with single screw. Individual gold-plated Schaller M6 'Rotomatic' tuners with half-moon shaped buttons. Five-ply binding (including a wide strip of bloodwood) on ebony fretboard with 20 thin frets and small pearl dot position markers and small pearl dot side-markers. Breedlove Bridge Truss*. TUSQ compensated bridge saddle on 'wing-shaped' pinless, ebony base. Inside the sound-hole is a rectangular white Breedlove Guitar Co., Tumalo, OR, Steve Henderson label with "C2/E", the serial number "95.048" and the signature of "Steve Henderson" all written in black ink. The end of the neckblock is stamped in blind "95 048". This beautiful guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Complete with the original warranty card with matching serial number. Housed in it's original Breedlove four-latch shaped black hardshell case with black plush lining (9.25).

* "The Breedlove Bridge Truss allows the top to move more freely, so melodies and fingerpicking won't get lost. And when you really want to dig in and strum, these guitars can take it, projecting your music to the audience in the fullest, most expressive way possible. (Breedlove website)

This is one of the early and most desirable Breedlove guitars built by Steve Henderson. The C2/E features a Grand Concert body with a 'square' cutaway. The body is made of especially selected Zebra Striped Ebony from New Guinea with a one hundred year old Alaskan Sitka Spruce top and Master Class Bloodwood binding. The top has Bloodwood purfling and a three-piece wide rosette of Abalone. The one-piece neck is hand-carved from Indonesian Mahogany with an Ebony faced headstock and individual gold Schaller M6 'Rotomatic' tuners. The fretboard is Ebony with small pearl dots. The edges of the fretboard, sound hole, and heel cap are bound with Bloodwood. This combination of woods works it’s magic to create a warm even tone with loads of bass and volume with a resonance that is clearly heard across the room. The neck is fast and easy to play making this not only a gorgeous instrument but a perfect selection for a wide variety of playing styles. It is equally at ease playing finger picking as it is a syncopated rhythm or complicated lead.

In the late ‘80s, Breedlove Guitars was just the glimmer of an idea. Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson had a dream: to build instruments unlike any others. They set out to craft lightweight, responsive, and impeccably crafted guitars featuring innovative designs, unique materials, and distinctive aesthetics. In early prototyping they created the Breedlove sound that still serves as our benchmark today. How? With two key structural components which produce the distinctively crafted Breedlove sound: a graduated top (thinner on the bass side and thicker on the treble side), and an innovative bridge truss system designed to enhance bass and midrange response by transferring the natural string-pull energy from the bridge to the tailblock and sides, thereby relaxing the top. The graduated top and the bridge truss create a uniquely musical and balanced voice that achieves remarkable sustain and harmonic complexity. In 1990, Larry and Steve moved their families to Bend, Oregon and gradually began to turn their dream into reality. In 1992, they officially launched the company at NAMM with three body shapes and five models. In 1994, Larry’s brother Kim – a prolific luthier with two decades of experience building, repairing, and adding inlays to guitars, mandolins, dulcimers, and banjos – joined the small team as master luthier.  In 1995, Kim built the first Breedlove mandolin prototype and debuted it at NAMM. The tiny company wrote 150 orders – and had no way to actually produce that volume of instruments. Kim spent the next year figuring out how to ramp up production to fill the demand, and suddenly Breedlove went from a little custom shop that produced a handful of instruments a year, to a force to be reckoned with. http://breedlovemusic.com/breedlove/history

Steve Henderson discovered his love of craftsmanship, characterized in his artful manipulation of wood, while in college. In 1979 he completed the woodworking program at Palomar Community College in San Marcos, California.
His first solo foray into woodworking began in Alton, Missouri in 1980 culminating six years later with a place in the first "Best of Missouri Hands"; a book recognizing the finest craftsmen in the state. In 1986, and again the following year, he earned "Best of Show, Woodworking" at the St. Louis Strassenfest. Moving back to urban San Diego, in 1988 he was hired as the lead man for a small custom cabinet shop. In 1989 Steve became acquainted with Bob Taylor, who persuaded him to come to work at Taylor Guitars, a leading acoustic guitar manufacturer, to work as the Parts Department manager and Patternmaker. His responsibilities grew to the more entrepreneurial aspect of the business, helping to design prototypes and start new production lines. In late 1990 he set out with Larry Breedlove to co-found Breedlove Guitars to be located in Tumalo, Oregon; becoming the sole owner. In 1994. In 1995 one of his guitars selected and the "Guitar of the Year" by the American Guitar Players Association. Steve hand build my personal custom Breedlove C-20 out of wild Brazilian Rosewood and a stunning Bearclaw Adirondack top. During his ownership of Breedlove guitars Steve made guitars for many famous musicians, including Madonna, Bob Seger, Chris Hillman and Sammy Hagar. Steve sold the company in 2000 and opened his own woodworkingshop building fine furniture and custom cabinetry. http://diamondguitars.nl/content/steve-henderson