Price Paid: US $665
Features: 7
This is the Breedlove Atlas series acoustic/electric (under-saddle pickup) with cutaway. Real cedar top with laminated rosewood back and sides. Satin finish, with a pretty abalone soundhole decoration. Same length and depth as a dreadnought but with a 9 inch waist and "soft" cutaway which sits nicely on the knee and makes the neck above the 14th fret accessible. Grover tuners stay in tune O.K., but not great. I give it a seven because although the guitar has a cutaway, pinless bridge and electronics, it lacks any accesories, i.e. case, strap, pickguard and uses laminate wood.
Sound: 7
A Little about ME & MY STYLE:
I mostly flatpick blues, bluegrass and rock. 3 years of experience pretty much 7 days a week and a major technophile. I also have a '91 American Stratocaster and a Fender DG-10 with Phosphor Bronze 13's and LOW action that suprising gets more compliments than more expensive guitars.
GOOD:
The sound is well-balanced and rich. When plugged in (very clean, with no noise), or playing at home, the guitar sounds brilliant. Amazing sustain, you could pluck a string and walk away and it will still be ringing when you return. Real good harmonics too. A very balanced tone, neither tinny nor bass heavy. Although it sounds pretty bass heavy to me, listeners say its fine.
BAD:
Not very loud overall compared to a dreadnought. Naturally, narrowing the waist and the cutaway feature removes a lot of space from the overall box, and thus you lose volume. I would not recommend this guitar for someone who plays acoustically, unplugged at a jam session for example. If you are the only guitar then maybe, but I played it only once at a bluegrass jam just to see how it performed and was drowned out pretty badly. Hard and heavy flatpicking sounds weak with no substance and some buzzing. It came with light, coated D'Addarios which I swapped for Medium D'Addario Phosphor Bronzes and the lights sounded better.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 7
Action from the factory was rediculously high. Medium to fast chord changes, scales or whatever were a challenge. I lowered the bridge by about 2mm and the nut grooves by about .5mm's.The pickup was fine from the get-go. Overall I'd say the finish was high quality, especially considering the price point. It has a satin finish which is nice and low maintenance. A pickguard (they offer clear stick ons) would be nice from the factory. The pinless bridge is a cool, feature making it easy to chage strings. One thing that anoyed me was during my first gig with this guitar, the bottom of the neck had an edge to it that irritated the top of my palm where it joins the knuckle of the index finger. Sliding back and forth made it worse. It might go away over time, who knows.
Reliability/Durability: N/A
I can't say because I've had it only a few months, but the guitar is quite sturdy, a bit heavy too compared to other acoustics. The hardware, strap buttons, neck are secure and look they will last.
Customer Support: N/A
Have not dealt with Breedlove, but I've heard positive remarks about their customer service.
Overall Rating: 7
Bottom Line:
For the price this is a solid, well made and attractive guitar. With a lowered bridge, the narrow waist and the cutaway feature it is a very comfortable instrument to hold and play. The sound is balanced, clear and has great sustain, but lacks volume for unplugged performance. This does not comprise a one arrow quiver if you know what I mean. I fills a niche for the singer-songwriter, but to be totally honest, why not spend another $150 and get an all wood guitar without electronics from a better brand. Just my $.02
Submitted by al green at 01/19/2006 17:44
Price Paid: US $599.00
Features: 9
This is Breedlove's Atlas series, made in Korea. Solid Cedar top, laminated rosewood back and sides. Fishman Pro IV pickup. Soft cutaway with a Satin finish, rosewood overlay on the headstock. Pinless bridge, Grover tuners, strap button on the neck (side of the heel, very nicely done). This guitar is drop dead GORGEOUS! I own 6 other guitars, 2 which are 3 times the price of this, and this is by far the best looking one I now own.
Sound: 10
I strum and pick, this thing sounds wonderful either way. Came with some coated daddario strings that sound freakin great! Awesome sustain, just as good as my higher end yairi dy-62. Not sure how to describe the sound, rich, full, LUSH is a good word, and this is all unplugged. Plugged in, the fishman sounds ok, but unplugged, man, does this guitar sound great! (unplugged is how I mainly play).
Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
Action was perfect from the factory. Not too low or high, just perfect. The wood, finish and fit is SUPERB! I could not find one flaw on this thing, and believe me, I looked.
Reliability/Durability: 9
This seems to be a very well built guitar, gotta be careful with the satin finish on the cedar top, and there is no pickguard, so you're kind of asking for it if you play like Monte Montegomery! The neck seems very heavy, not sure what kind of wood it is. This and the pickup are the only negative things I can find, and I'm not sure if heaviness is a bad thing, just different from what I'm used to. It doesnt seem to affect the sound.
Customer Support: N/A
Havent dealt with Breedlove,hope I dont have to.
Overall Rating: 9
I've been playing 3 years, have 6 other guitars, 2 are high end Yairi's. I absolutely love this guitar! It immediately became one of my favorites. I know the atlas series is breedlove's lower end, but they appear to have QC down pat in their Korean facility. The soft cutaway is sweet, and the finish on both the top and back is perfect, and the rosewood is absolutely stunning! I do wish it came with a case, but what the heck, I just built a guitar cabinet, so it really doesnt matter! It is advertised on Musicians friend as having the synergy electronics. It doesnt, so keep that in mind. I let them know of their incompetence in advertising!
Submitted by Jim at 01/01/2006 18:25
