In this digital age, where an endless stream of equipment information seems to come from all directions at any moment, now seems like a good time to take a 360-degree scan of the current landscape, filter though the spew, and focus on a few. What you’ll find below is some inspiring gear that connects acoustic players to primary developments that have appeared scattered throughout the foggy ether of the pandemic era, as well as a few novel innovations and commemorative celebrations. This is by no means comprehensive coverage of the entire acoustic universe, but rather a selected swath of shining stars on the gear horizon, with a primary lens concentrated on guitars.
The Breedlove TB Vintage Edition Blues Orange Concertina is from Breedlove and Bedell Guitars, which both fly under the banner of Two Old Hippies. As owner Tom Bedell explains, “The Breedloves have bolt-on necks and are essentially Taylor killers, while Bedells are basically Martin killers.” Bedell himself is usually entrenched with the line that bears his name, but for the first time ever, he’s put his initials on a gorgeous orange Breedlove made of solid myrtlewood with a Baggs M1 magnetic pickup in the soundhole.
“I wanted a guitar that sounded great playing the blues,” he reports. I had a chance to play a few Delta licks on the unplugged guitars in their booth at the NAMM show, and the instrument had an authentic appeal. The Breedlove TB Vintage Edition Blues Orange Concertina is priced more like a .
