BreedLove AD20/SM

Price Paid: US $549

Features: 10
Made in 2005, standard features for this model.

10/10 for standard features at an excellent price.

Sound: 10
This is where this guitar shines. The tone is great - the bass is simply amazing. Good tight bass that resonates the entire guitar. low / low-mids are creamy, and highs shine with harmonics and overtones. It isn't the best sounding guitar out there, but for the price I have yet to find a guitar that sounds this "good". Opinion of sound is subjective. By "good" I mean this guitar has the commonly desired traits found in relatively expensive guitars.
I give it a 10/10 because of excellent sound for price.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
Setup was good. I got a model that was straight of the box, so the guitar shop didn't have a chance to set it up themselves. Action is quite low, and is in no need of adjustment. Low-E fretbuzz occurs if strummed hard and not pressed down tightly, but can be eliminated by pressing harder.
There was a small scratch running alongside 16th fret - not on the fretboard itself by on the side. It obviously doesn't affect playability, but it is worth mentioning. 9/10 on this catagory because there's no good reason that scratch is there. On the flip side, I understand no instrument is 100% perfect.

Reliability/Durability: 10
Grover tuners that last and keep your guitar in tune. Gold finish. It will take some time to see if the finish lasts. IMO, a worn finish adds character and should not neccessarily decrement from an instrument's value.

Customer Support: N/A
Never had to deal with them.

Overall Rating: 10
Been playing for 15+ years. I play all sorts of styles.
I am 100% satisfied with this guitar, especially the tone. If it were stolen I'd get another.

Submitted by Craig Petersen at 11/27/2005 13:38

Price Paid: US $300 used

Features: 10
solid spruce top. solid mahogany back and sides. Great bridge style NO PINS!! Makes changing stings a breeze and is very strong and vibrant sounding. Frets are near perfect. Beautiful overall finish. Amazing at this price level. Great Grover Tuning machines. Top notch.

Sound: 10
I honestly could not believe how great this guitar sounds. The very first note or chord you play you will be very impressed. So far the best acoustic I have played or owned. I have several Takamine's , Yamahas, Gibsons,etc. GREAT SOUND. I play rock, blues, folky rock, alternative rock, and whatever else I feel.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
Simply put for the Money it is GREAT. You will not find anything better out there for this price or for a price within a $1000. Great guitar.

Reliability/Durability: 10
I have not had it long enough but so far so good. As soon as I picked it up I noticed the feel of QUALITY. This is made very well. Should last a long time. Stays in tune. Amazing guitar. Would play this anywhere anytime and know I am going to sound great.

Customer Support: N/A
Have never dealt with them but if the quality of support is equal to the quality of instruments they make I am sure they are stellar.

Overall Rating: 10
I love this guitar. It is a great instrument. I have been playing close to 20 years now and it is the best acoustic I have owned and one of the best I have ever played. I can't imagine how good the High Breedlove guitars must be if these Atlas models are this good. Get One and you will be very happy. I have to one day play the higher end models. Breedlove is truly an amazing guitar company.

Submitted by GuitarDomain.com at 01/12/2005 06:50

Price Paid: US $469.00

Features: 10
2004 current model, made in Korea. Solid spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides. Gold Grover tuners. Mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard and rosewood cover on the headstock. Abalone around the sound hole and dot markers on the finger board. Strings go through the bridge like most Breedloves or the Taylors. Got a gig bag, a strap, and extra strings. All I could beat the dealer out of. He knew he had me when I picked it up. This is beautiful.

Easy to play. Really a nice set up.

Sound: 9
Well, it ain't a 34 Martin or a Santa Cruz PW but it is damned good. As much voice as my Guild D35. Doesn't really thump like Martins but I think it will kill banjos. A little buzz on low E but came with light strings.

I can't describe the bracing too well. There is a canti brace off the rear peg that supports the bridge. Looks strong and I think allows a thinner top.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
You need to see this. Stunning at this price. Dealer adjusted nice low action, I think I will raise it a little and see if it booms out. Looked inside with a flashlight and couldn't find a glue spot or any sloppy stuff.

Frets are not bound but are perfect. Best polish I have ever seen. Top has a couple of bear claws but mostly nice straight grain mahogany and spruce.

Binding matches the pickguard. Bound top and back. Beautiful just beautiful. In the flesh it is a lot better than the catalog photos. This can fit right in with the finish on the rest of the Breadlove line. I'm not kidding, you have to see this.

You won't believe this. Lots better looking than the photos in the catalog. At this price GET ONE at least one.

Reliability/Durability: N/A
I don't gig, just a homebody but it will go to bluegrass festivals. Gold Grover machines best polish of frets I have seen. Frets are dead even with the fingerboard. I need to add strap buttons. Finish seems excellent.

Customer Support: N/A
I wrote to them via email. Wanted to locate a dealer and had a couple of questions. Prompt. Warranty is 5 years.

Overall Rating: N/A
This looks and sounds like a $2000 instrument. I was looking for the best deal I could get under 1k. Looked at the usual stuff, Takamine, Yamaha, Martin dm, etc. I have a Guild and a Seagull.

Wonderful sound, beautiful, craftsmanlike built. Get one before they figure out how good a deal they have.

Wish they included a case but THIS IS A BREADLOVE FOR LESS THAN $500.

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/26/2004 18:01

Price Paid: US $450

Features: 9
Purchased new January, 2004. Korean made Breedloves were introduced into US market around November 2003. Dreadnought, solid sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back, laminate mahogany bouts. Satin neck finish, gloss body finish, good quality fit & finish. No pickup. Saddle is moulded and features compensation to improve intonation. Most significant feature is the bridge truss which is a wickedly clever structural enhancement that allows the moment acting on the bridge to be partially counteracted by a compression member that connects near the strap button. This allows the top to be thinner and the bracing to be reduced in theory minimizing bellying, bracing glue delamination and bridge delamination. Bridge does not utilize pins. Holes are drilled through the bridge allowing strings to insert rear of bridge near top. Includes gold Grover high reduction tuners. Frets are narrow and don't seem very high. Fingerboard is either Indian rosewood or Madagacar ebony. Strings are light gauge D'Addario.

Sound: 9
Very responsive, excellent highs, mid and credible bass. For the money exceptional tone for the $. Should do a great job on blues, bluegrass, folk, country or rock, flatpicking or fingerpicking.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
Action is low and excellent. Firm flat pick technique results in minor fret buzz but there are no high frets and this is to be expected for such low action. My Peterson strobe indicates that intonation is good but not perfect. Much better than my D35 Martin, somewhat worse than my semi-high end Tacoma. No flaws are evident. The Breedlove clan must be spending time in Korea because fit & finish, appearance approach the Oregon made instruments (which if you have not played and seen and you love steel string guitars you should!).

Reliability/Durability: 8
Should be reliable with proper care, storage and handling. The bridge truss appears to be proven in the Oregon made Breedloves which go back some years. This should allow a more responsive top to survive the structural loads. To my ears there is no question that that the bridge truss allows tops/bracing to be refined resulting in better response and tone.

Customer Support: N/A
No info.

Overall Rating: 10
Playing approx. 37 years. Own several good steel string acoustics, a resonator guitar, home built Strat & Firebird electrics. This is an exceptional guitar for the money. Don't know how much variance these Korean built Breedloves exhibit but if it were stolen I would try and replace it.

Submitted by Anon in Little Beruit at 01/17/2004 17:47

Price Paid: US $509

Features: 10
MAde in 2003-assembled in Korea
20 fret dreadnaught
solid sitka spruce top, solid rosewood back and neck

Sound: 9
Sound is better than anything I have ever played in its pricerange. Lists for $599, I got mine for around $500.
Went shopping for a Baby Taylor, came home with this and I'm glad I did.
Has a BRILLIANT clear ring from lowest to highest. Definitely could be used in a recording studio. This is an AMAZING sound from a moderately priced guitar.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 10
Guitar was perfectly set up at the factory for my taste. Low, fast action. Light gauge D'Addarrio strings. To my relatively untrained eye, practically flawless. Just enough flaw in the wood grain to let you know it is solid and pure.

Reliability/Durability: 10
All I can say is Awesome. Near perfect. BUY ONE!!

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 15 years and this is the best guitar I have ever owned. The Breedlove Atlas Series is probably the best moderate expense guitar series going right now. Blows the Baby Taylors away!

Submitted by RSALSMAN at 01/10/2004 10:57