BreedLove AC25/SR Atlas

Price Paid: 750 (CAN)

Features: 9
Faetures here are no differnt from the other ratings listed here. Mine came with a case though (included in the price). THe case is actually quite nice for a soft case. I've never been a big fan of the soft cases but for now it'll do.

Sound: 9
This guitar suits my music style very well. I play mostly fingerstyle blues,jazz, and some folk. I also do flatpicking when jamming with friends. I don't have the guitar plugged in a whole lot, only when performing at open mics and such. THe guitar performs very well here given the variety of PA's and amp's I tend to run into. This is a good indicator of both the quality of the guitar and the Fishman preamp. I find the guitar has a very balanced sound which is great for fingerstyle. My one gripe would be that, for the player, the guitar sounds a little bass heavy but not to the listener. When picked the guitar has a very full sound and great projection. If I can make one recommendation it would be to switch the strings to elixers (mine was set up with them so I have no idea if they are standard) they make the guitar sound great. Martin SPs (the ones for fingerstyle) sound even better but they didn't have the durability of the elixer's.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
I had my guitar set up at the shop, and I never really had a chance to play it with the factory set-up. The sales guy said he didn't change much so lets say that the factory set up was "pretty" good. The finish was pretty good overall. The rosette was a nice touch for a guitar in this price range. I have a slight flaw in the rosewood on the back. But I don't really mind at this price range.

Reliability/Durability: 9
I've only had the guitar for a year, but so far it has stood up to the abuse other than the broken nut two weeks after the purchase (replaced free of charge). I don't play live a lot so I can't comment on how well it will stand up to that sort of use. THe hardware seems good, and should last with minimal care. I would use this guitar at a gig without a back-up but thats only because I cannot afford a back up at this time. I'm not saying the durability is bad, but you never know what can happen.

Customer Support: N/A
never had to deal with them. the shop I deal with is great however. as mentioned above they replaced the nut on my guitar two weeks after the purchase after it broke(?).

Overall Rating: 10
Overall this is a great guitar for the money (actually its a great guitar period) and I would highly recommend anyone to try it out.

Submitted by Patrick at 11/13/2005 13:48

Price Paid: US $700.00

Features: 9
Great wood, beautiful top end wood selection with great craftsmanship, great tone. Everything you could want. Solid wood except sides. Has rosewood fretboard and ebony bridge on my example, not the opposite as above. Grover gold tuners, nice thin finish, you can actually feel the grain of the wood unlike some heavily applied finishes. No case though.

Sound: N/A
Excellent! Balanced, clear defined and resonately loud. Very tone full. Works well for flatpicking as well as fingerstyle. Very responsive and almost impossible to overdrive with a hard attack. Amazing. Lows overpower the highs a bit to the player but not the listener! Great projection from this guitar!

Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
All good except one tuner is crooked. Pretty clean work inside, kerfing is a bit oversized in my opinion and possibly overbuilt...but sturdy. Looks to be all spruce except neck and tail blocks. Truss rod was way loose. Had to lower the action a bit. This guitar tunes and stays in tune amazingly!

Reliability/Durability: 10
Very sturdy, makes a great gig acoustic.

Customer Support: 10
They are great! I called becuse I was concerned about a pickguard and they sent one in a few days nice clear one and gave me instuction as to how to install it safely. Excellent worked like a charm. Very nice folks!

Overall Rating: 10
Great guitar and so different from the run of the mill imported acoustics on the market. I am enamored by its tone, feel and craftsmanship.

Submitted by Nobodeuno at 08/05/2004 11:09

Price Paid: US $699

Features: 9
Grand Concert, solid Sitka Spruce top, Solid Rosewood Back, Rosewood sides, Rosewood bridge, thinking Mahogany neck and Ebony fretboard. Fishman Classic IV active pickup. Cutaway. Glossy Finish. Case was included in the price. Abalone Breedlove headstock inlay, fretboard dots & rosette.

Sound: 9
Suits my style well. Very balanced acoustic sound - a lot more bass & depth than I was expecting from an axe this size. Highs are clear but not tinny or annoyingly bright. Mids are well-voiced. No buzz, no matter how hard I attack. Each string has a well-defined sound--you hear *everything* - every hammer on, pull off, slide & bend...something missing from my old Fender acoustic. I play mostly acoustic worship stuff, but I think you could do a lot with this guitar. I've heard a few better guitars, maybe 2. Definitly nothing in this price range.

Plugged in, this guitar is amazing. Possibly the best plugged-in sound I've ever gotten to play personally.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
It'd be nice if the action was a little bit lower, but it's definitely low enough. Finish is flawless. Intonation is dead-on.

Reliability/Durability: 10
Should last a long time and get better with age. When I play live I have an extra guitar in case I break a string. Since one is available, I think I'd always have a backup just in case because you never know. Seems like it would last, Breedlvoe has an excellent reputation and as far as I can tell, this should not let me down.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I love it! I had high expectations for this guitar and was still blown away. It'd be nice to have a pickguard, that's my only complaint. I own a Fender DG-16 Acoustic which was an excellent guitar to start with and as I grew as a player, but after a couple of years it was time to move up. Previously owned an Epi Les Paul (Standard?) cherryburst beauty, but "adopted" her out to my brother to finance the purchase of this BreedLove. If she were lost or stolen, I would buy another no question. I did a lot of research, played a lot of guitars in this pricerange and I truly believe this is the best guitar in the pricerange (solid top & back, fishman electronics, beautiful sound)...th ewhole package.

Submitted by Sam at 03/21/2004 18:15