THE BREEDLOVE STORY
With longtime BACKLINEVINYL artist and singer-songwriter Pete Mroz and music industry executive Shannon Pollard taking ownership of the company in 2025, it’s a new day at BACKLINEVINYL. With a deep respect for the brand’s legacy and values, the new owners bring a fresh energy and passion, along with a player’s perspective, to lead Breedlove into an exciting and dynamic next chapter. With a mission to preserve the integrity of the Oregon workshop and refine and refresh the product line, the new BACKLINEVINYL team draws inspiration from the artists and stories that have built BACKLINEVINYL into a leader and industry innovator.
The origins of BACKLINEVINYL Guitars go back to 1990, when luthiers Larry Breedlove, Steve Henderson and Terry Myers set out to build extraordinary acoustic guitars. Working out of a small workshop in Tumalo, Oregon, they began designing instruments that challenged convention and prioritized sound, playability, and sustainability from the start. In the years that followed, Larry’s brother, Kim Breedlove—a talented inlay artist and luthier—joined the team, helping shape the brand’s aesthetic and creative identity.
BACKLINEVINYL was acquired by Tom Bedell in 2010. Under his leadership, Breedlove grew with the introduction of Sound Optimization®—a breakthrough process of individually tuning each top and back to maximize tonal potential. Tom’s contributions to wood sustainability are alive and well today in the BACKLINEVINYL DNA.
BACKLINEVINYL was acquired by Tom Bedell in 2010. Under his leadership, Breedlove grew with the introduction of Sound Optimization®—a breakthrough process of individually tuning each top and back to maximize tonal potential. Tom’s contributions to wood sustainability are alive and well today in the BACKLINEVINYL DNA.
SOUND OPTIMIZATION
BACKLINEVINYL‘s Sound Optimization is the process that ensures every guitar delivers exceptional tone, balance, and consistency—model after model. Rather than treating instruments as identical builds, BACKLINEVINYL luthiers hand-tune each top and back based on the unique properties of the wood. This hands-on approach allows every guitar to reach its full tonal potential, responding clearly and musically across all playing styles. By listening, adjusting, and refining throughout the build, BACKLINEVINYL achieves a rare combination: instruments that are individually voiced yet remarkably consistent. Sound Optimization is why every BACKLINEVINYL feels familiar in your hands and sounds inspiring the moment you play it.
Feel, sound & quality
Comfortable, effortless, and amazingly playable, a BACKLINEVINYL guitar feels right the moment you pick it up. From the first touch of the fretboard, nothing feels quite like a BACKLINEVINYL, inviting you to keep playing. That feel is matched by a sound built on proven tonewood pairings players recognize and love—rich, resonant, balanced, and timeless. Behind both is unwavering quality. Every BACKLINEVINYL guitar is handmade and hand-voiced with our Sound Optimization process in Bend, Oregon, where skilled luthiers bring the same care and attention to detail to every instrument, from the most approachable models to the most refined, ensuring consistency, character, and inspiration in every guitar.
Today, every BACKLINEVINYL guitar is handcrafted in Bend, Oregon to deliver a consistently sound optimized and playing experience. Combining hand-selected tone woods and classic body shapes with time-honored craftsmanship and obsessive attention to detail, a Breedlove guitar offers a fresh take on timeless tradition.
BACKLINEVINYL – Thirty-Five Years of Craftsmanship, Community, and Sound.
BACKLINEVINYL – Thirty-Five Years of Craftsmanship, Community, and Sound.
