Breedlove Guitars AC25/SM

Starting with the finish on the Breedlove, it has to be among the most beautiful I've seen and better than on any guitar I've owned, though I always was enamored by the finish on my '85 Fender 12 string acoustic, which was also built in Korea. Speaking as someone who has extensive experience finishing various surfaces, from cars to steel molds, my eye goes to finish quality. The satin finish on the AC25/SM's neck reminded me of the Fender, which was worn shiny by me, though not through virtuosity necessarily. This is one beautiful guitar. First EQ'd guitar I've had, like what I hear -owner's manual could have been better though because it doesn't mention Fishman. Really like the hidden thru-bridge strings -makes for a clean surface. Not sure about the lack of a pick guard -makes me nervous but the guitar is certainly beautiful without one. Inlay work is stellar.

Mea Culpa, I'm not a pro but have been playing for some 24 years, having started on a garage sale junker. Rhythm, classical, and my own inventions are my forte. The Breedlove guitar struck me as having a quality of sound that I could only describe as sweet or singing. I've played a small variety of guitars, from an old Harmony to the Fender 12 string acoustics and electrics from cheap to reasonably good, including a Peavey Tracer that went to help finance the Breedlove. This guitar is without a doubt the best I've ever heard (that I've owned), and by far impressed me more than a friend's Gibson Hummingbird, though I still would like to own a PRS. Very clear intonation, easy to fret for chords. Only unhappy aspect was the strings, which will be replaced ASAP -they were demos obviously but for what I paid for the guitar I won't rant about them, though the dealer could have thrown in a new set.

My Breedlove was purchased at Guitar Center as set up by the factory, and the action is very easy to deal with all over the fingerboard. Not as low as my Peavey electric but that's to be expected. I wouldn't want the action any lower. The spruce top is beautiful, bookmatched to perfection. I have no doubt that every guitar player I know, including one or two who have some real cred will be at least a bit envious about every aspect of my guitar, including the woods and their finishes. There is not a single flaw that I've been able to find, unlike my first Fender 12 string, which was replaced early on because of a thumping brace, though the replacement was fine. One review I read mentioned a problem with the Fishman EQ being overly tight but mine seems fine. I've fit things to tight tolerances before and the EQ strikes me as having good characteristics, though I had to download a product sheet for it rather than just experiment to get it out -I'm not one to explore disassembly because that's how you break things.

Live gig playing wouldn't seem to be a problem, though as stated already, I'm no pro. I see no reason why anyone would have reservations about using the Breedlove live or in a studio, especially since it's not so expensive that you'd need to be scared of consequences like you might with a $5,000 guitar. The hardware appears to be substantial, though only time will tell how the finish holds up. Strap buttons appear to be solid and I expect everything about this guitar to be reliable, but as to playing a gig with no backup, well, consider photography and find me a pro who would go on a job with one camera -if you can, don't hire that photographer. Same thing with the Breedlove. I'm sure it would be capable but accidents DO happen.

Watch the flick Tommy Boy and check out what he says about warranties. ANY product that is constructed of quality materials should be the important thing, though with the engineering that has obviously gone into this guitar it suggests that you shouldn't need the reassurance of a warranty. However, as I said about reliability/durability, things can happen so it IS nice to read that it has a lifetime warranty, though one reviewer said 5 years. My manual says that the original owner gets a lifetime warranty. I hope I never have to resort to testing the warranty because I'd hate to part with this guitar for even one day.

Have been playing for about 24 years, though again, not as a pro. My efforts are for an audience of me and anyone willing to listen. The only other guitar I have besides the Breedlove now is a Yamaha acoustic -a cheap beater-type that got me by when bucks were low. I sold my '85 Fender 12 string acoustic and my Peavey Tracer electric but the 12 string was bought new and the Peavey had been used for about 1 year when I got it back in '95 or so. I would definitely replace this guitar if lost or stolen -though I'd want to beat a thief. I love the sound of this instrument, and it was compared to the new Ovation iDEA, Takamines and Ibanezs that were in about the same price range. Once my hands got to the Breedlove it was all over but the haggling. I do wish it had a hard shell case but the soft bag is very substantial -lots of padding and straps everywhere as well as the typical pockets for -what? Luggage? Laptop? Whatever, there's lots of room to be had. I would like to mention that my owner's manual referred to electronics that the guitar didn't have, and that was a confusing aspect at first. Thanks to the Internet though, problem solved. As for the category asking if I bought it used, well, I've never seen a used Breedlove and I won't be selling mine. I was impressed by the MSRP as well as how much others paid for theirs -mine was tagged at $599 with a discount for Black Friday. If it had cost the suggested $1,120 I'm not sure I would own it but I sure would want it. What a sweet guitar! Congrats to the team behind it. Also, anyone noticing no 10's? I don't believe anything is perfect- sorry. If there were a 9.9 category this guitar would get it though.

Excellent - Solid top and back. Lovely finish. Very understated and simple but very well done. Lovely cutaway that gives easy access higher up the board.
The bag is good enough but a solid case would have been much better. I know Breedlove like to save money on marketing so more can go on the guitars blah blah blah but a user manual, brochure etc would have been a nice touch.
Electronics are good. Fishman 4 is very good with good response.

Sound is excellent. lovely and clean and bright. I bought the Breedlove over a Taylor purely because the Breedlove sounded so much sweeter. The clarity from the Breedlove was better than two Taylors I played and a couple of Takamines. Easily one of the best I've heard (not only in this price range) for tonal quality.

Very good action. I'd perhaps like it slightly lower but that's personal opinion.

Lovely finish. Only problem was that the jack is very very snug. If you intend to hook yours up to an amp make sure you test it instore first to make sure it's not too tight for you. I've had to try out several cables until I found one that fits the jack on the guitar.

All very good. Seems very solidly built and i can't imagine anything going wrong in a hurry. I hope not becasue I intend to hang on to this one.

No need to contact them.

been playing about 5 years - other guitars are a vintage strat and a gibson les paul. If stolen I'd defo get another Breedlove.

A hard case would be better than the semi-hard bag. Other than that everything is very good.

Korean-built Atlas Series acoustic-electric guitar. Solid Spruce top, mahogany back and sides. Single cutaway. Fishman Classic electronics. Gold Grover tuners. Mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard.

I like the pinless, string-thru bridge. Very nice. Inlays are nice mother of peard dots. Nice MOP ring around the soundhole, too. Very well done.

My guitar does not have a pickguard, so the top is just the beautiful spruce. I quite like the tortise shell binding.

The neck is so comfortable for my small-medium hands. Perfectly set up at the store. Mine is a factory second due to a couple of miniscule finish bubbles. You really gotta look hard to find them. What I find very attractive is the string spacing while playing first position chords. Very comfortable and easy to play.

I live about 30 minutes from the Breedlove factory. I am very, very fond of this particular guitar, despite its Korean manufacture.

The only thing lacking might be an upgraded electronics system, but the Fishman Classic 4 sounds fine.

Suits my musical styles very well. Acoustic blues, fingerpicking stuff, open tuning, slide stuff, DADGAD noodling. The sound is what drew me to this guitar. So balanced and sweet, and a naturally warm voice. I had a Takamine SG523 jumbo, but the Breedlove easily outclasses it in playability and sweet acoustic tone. The flamed maple sides and back gave the Tak a bit more visual appeal, but the Breedlove is a far superior guitar for about the same money.

I recently scored an acoustic gig and just plugged into the house PA. Set the PA eq flat, same on the guitar. I had only to boost the mid and treble a bit to find a very excellent acoustic sound. Very, very convincing. No edgy, spiky piezo quality at all.

What really wowed me is playing slide on this guitar...it still projects a sweet, warm, organic tone that sounds totally acoustic.

I took this thing to a blues jam a month ago, plugged right into the PA. The guys I jammed with were impressed, and this guitar plays so easily that I played some nice acoustic blues leads that sounded great.

I recently recorded with this guitar and it sounds fantastic. I used a "miked acoustic" patch on the recorder, and it sounds like...well, a mic'd acoustic!! On one of the rhythm tracks, I put a capo on the 7th fret, which imparted a mandolin quality to the song. Wonderful!

The guitar was very, very well set up when I played it at the store. Action is perfect for my likes. Not too low, not too high. High enough to play slide, low enough to play leads and do fingerstyle stuff.

I have a rotator cuff injury in my right shoulder. The afore-mentioned Tak SG523 mini-jumbo caused pain after about 5 minutes in playing posture. When I played the Breedlove at the store, I realized I had been playing it for about 20 minutes, pain free. A BIG selling point for me!

As previously noted, this is a factory second due to a couple very tiny bubbles in the finish. Otherwise, no issues. This is a solid guitar that makes me want to pick it up and play it.

This is the first really nice acoustic guitar I've had. Well, the Takamine was the first. But this one blows the Tak away. I'm not sure there is a perfect guitar out there, but this one is pretty damn close. A solid 9.

I have only one comment as to its durability. I had the guitar on a guitar stand. An overloaded wall-mount book shelf gave way and crashed onto the guitar. There is a small paint chip on the headstock and a small ding on the upper bout of the guitar body. I tuned it up, inspected for other damage and found none.

My only concern is that I will eventually wear the finish because the guitar has no pickguard. I mostly use it for fingerstyle stuff and have gotten away from using a pick on about 80% of the stuff I play. But so far, I've been careful and have not scratched the top. I tend to play with my picking hand pinky anchored, like when I play an electric. I don't get too rambunctious while strumming. For more aggressive strumming stuff, I ditch the pick and use index finger.

Strap buttons are large and solid. Everything seems sturdy and I have no qualms about gigging with this guitar. Of course battery failure or string breakage is always a concern.

Ah, string breakage. I use several different tunings. Standard, drop both E's to D, drop high E to D (for slide), open D, DADGAD. I've broken several strings while changing tunings. So I use an old Takamine F310 for slide and open tunings, with a Duncan Woody soundhole pickup. Great for slide, not quite acoustic enough for non slide stuff.

I want two more of these guitars, one for each tuning I normally use. Awesome guitar.

Haven't needed repair. If I did, I suppose I could drive out to the Breedlove factory (30 minutes away) and have it worked on.

Been playing about 35 years. I own a Strat, a Laney VC30 amp, a small pedalboard (delay, overdrive, compressor), some basic recording gear.

If stolen or lost, I'd be bummed. And would replace it with 2 or 3 more, if I had the money.

I love the sweet, natural acoustic tone (both unplugged and amplified) and the playability. My favorite feature is simply the wonderful warm voice of the guitar. Its seductive styling is very appealing, also.

I compared it to just about every other acoustic-electric in the less than $1000 price range. The balanced sound and overall playability were the best of any I tried. This was money well spent.

Everthing about this guitar is quality. I've played many over the years live and in studio. Things I like

Action and setup from the factory was flawless. Martin and Taylor should take note. I realize High end guitars are left a bit high for customizing, but really folks. Smooth action was a Big selling point for me. I was looking for a songwriters guitar. Extremely playable.

Solid top and back

Gold Grovers Tuners

Pinless bridge, I cannot tell you how important of a feature this is for me. I Hate Pins.

Fishman Pickup, a plus plus

Unique Design

Oustanding finish on top and back, Tortoise shell edges on sides

Very comfortable neck

Better than 90% of the Martins and Taylors I played, and I mean that. It does have laminate sides, big deal. Sounds as good the 3600$ Martin I could not put down in the store. Reminds me of Taylor in the feel. Quality engineering and construction leads to quality sound, always. Play one to judge for yourself. I think all guitars have different sounds, even similar models. But overall, it's a nice balanced, intonated, brilliant yet resonating bottom type of guitar.

Guitar is set up perfect from the factory. I would stil reccomend going to a store and playing it. I don't buy acoustics online, generally.

This is keeper. Very pro quality, road worthy and studio friendly. I would play out with it, I guess it depends where you play that night. Not a 3000$ Breedlove, so I would not worry about taking it into a smoky bar. I am gong to do some serious recording with it. I tracked with it, directly, and the sound is right on.

not used at this time

I have found a great songwriters guitar at a good price point. I have a Garrison cutaway AG-300 CE another great sleeper out there. I highly reccomend PLAYING before buying. Don't be afraid to touch every piece in the shop, and play it like you do at the house.

Plainly put, $800 korean made guitar sounds just as good, if not better, that many expensive handmade American brands.

The tuners are tight, and the pinless bridge is a HUGE plus. The finish looks great. the sides and back are gorgeous, especially the signiature Breedlove border work on the sides. The Mother of pearl accents around the sounds hole give it a bit of pizzaz.

The Fishman pickup is basic, but it does the job. You don't need to EQ much to get that natural sound of the guitar.

My one critique is that when strummed hard, it seems a little too bright. In my opinion, this guitar is perfect for guitar players who strum on the gentle side, and who do a lot of finger playing. The model with the rosewood sides has a deeper tone than this model.

It plays like an Ovation, has the fingerpicking sound of a Martin, and the strumming "chunk" of a Taylor. Plus, Breedlove's shape and design make it a beautifully different guitar.

Gloss finish with satin neck. Concert size body. Wood is as good as I've seen; gorgeous solid sitka top and REALLy gorgeous solid mahogany back. Lam maho sides. Compensated plastic bridge and plastic nut (I'm sure it's 'nice' plastic). Comes with extra bridge and shims which is cool. Nice gold Grovers. neck feels just about right as far as thick/thin. Maybe could be thicker but I like thick necks. Mahogany neck, rosewood board, good finish work on the frets. Came with the NICEST 'gig bag' I've ever seen; more like a soft hardshell case really. 2006 Made in Korea. Fishman Classic p/up, active electronics. I guess the p/up could be better, but so far it doesn't bug me, although getting the battery out is cheezy/sticky.

Sound is the main reason why I bought this guitar. VERY well balanced, and suprisingly loud volume and bottom end for a smaller body size guitar. A perfect balance of lows, mids and highs, and that's consistent all up and down the neck. I tried all the cutaway guitars at CG for under $1K and this was the hands down winner; Like not even close. In fact this particular guitar sounded better than a thousand dollar Breedlove (don't remember the model). All guitars sound different instrument to instrument, but especially acoustics. I can't imagine ever buying one through the mail without being able to hear it first, and especially compare it to other known good guitars. I've played Taylors that were richer than this Breedlove, but something about this guitar had that "Yes!" quality that is hard to quantify. You know it when you hear it. Electrically the Fishman Classic system seems fine; I was able to get a good sound out of it fairly quickly with not too much string noise coming through (which I hate). As another reviewer said, the bottom end is much more powerful electrically than acoustically.

Action is just about right (if it's too low, you lose volume and tone). There's a bit of buzz on the low E if I lean on it, so it gets a 9. I believe it's set up with D'Addario 10's (not that great), but I may switch to Elixir 11's which may help. Thomasticks may help as well. Finish work is flawless as far as I can see. The Sitka Spruce top is gorgeous, it's practically figured with amazing shimmery patches in the tight grain (which is VERY tight) which is in the middle where it should be. The solid mahogany back is maybe the most beautiful slice of mahogany I've seen on an acoustic. It's OMG beautiful. The gold Grovers work very well. Finish work on the neck is very good. There are decent Korean guitars that are a good value, and then there are the amazing Korean guitars, the ones where you can't quite believe how good they are for the price. This is one of those.

Reliability seems good. I've played some nice Taylors which sound fantastic but seem so light I'd be afraid to bump them into anything. This guitar is light but feels substantial rather than fragile. Hardware and finish seem very good. This model has a strap button on the bottom of the neck which I gather older ones may not have had. They are very large and seem fine; don't think I need to Straploc 'em. I'm only giving it a 9 because I don't think "rock solid" in an acoustic is desirable. Maybe that would be on of those carbon fiber guitars with a laminated neck. Blehh. It's a beautiful wooden acoustic!

Don't know yet, but Lifetime warranty works for me!

This was the best acoustic cutaway guitar I could find for (substantially) under a thousand dollars, and I've been looking! It's new to me, so their maybe some 'honeymoon' going on, but like I said you know when you strum a guitar and it says "Yes!". If lost I would buy it again, but not without checking it out in person first (see above)! This guitar kicked butt on all the Takamines, Taylors, Martins, Gretchs, Yamahas, Fenders etc under $1K I could find, I did find some old $1K Guilds that sounded really good, but worried me longevity-wise. An acoustic guitar is not a violin. Some age and breaking in is good for their sound, but after a while they all start pulling themselves apart because structurally what makes then sound good now leads to their demise (unlike violins, we'll never see 500 year old acoustic guitars that play and sound great). I also find the smaller concert size body really comfortable to play, and although there are louder guitars out there, I don't feel I've really sacrificed any volume to speak of, and the tonal balance is perfect. This guitar had better volume than many nice dreadnaughts and jumbos I played.
Been playing 30+ years. Played professionally B.C. (before children), and now looking at getting back out there. Have had a LOT of guitars; Gibsons, Fenders, Guilds, handmades, etc. Currently play a '79 Yamaha SA 2000 with WCR p/ups, a couple of nice Agile LPs (they are freakin' awesome), an American HSS Strat w/ S1 switching (sweet playing and very versatile), a Korean Epiphone Emperor with a floating Benedetto p/up (absolutely amazing).

Solid Spruce Top, Solid Mahogany back, Laminate sides (I think) All around awesome for the under 1000 price range. I like the abalone rosette. The fishman classic 4 is the only thing keeping this from being a 10. It is okay but I would rather have prefix electronics. A very very solid 9 though.

Best sounding guitar I have played. I have been a strictly Taylor man for about 4 years until now. After playing this thing I am strictly a breedlove man. I love the sound of this guitar. Sounds better than the Taylor 314CE Limited and Taylor 414ce that I had. Sold the 314 for this breedlove and it was well worth it.

Didn't even need a setup. The woods are very appealing with a lot of even "silking" in the top. Back is very straight grained. Sweet gold grover tuners as well.

I have just purchased this guitar. Although it seems reliable time will be the tell. Everything feels quite solid though. Very thick even lacquer finish.

Never had to deal with them.

Overall this guitar is a 9.5. The only and I mean only drawbacks are the fishman classic 4 electronics. They could be better but what can you expect on an 800 guitar. Also, mine came with a Breedlove hardshell case. So without the case you should be able to find them around 650-700 new. I think they list for 899.

Made 2004, 20 fret, Solid top,Fishman Clasic preamp, undersaddle p/u.
Mahogany sides and back, deeply glossed, solid Sitka top. Special pinless bridge system. Neck nearly 1 3/4 at nut. Gold hardware, Grover tuners, Rosewood overlay on headstock, abalone logo too.
No strap button at heel, alas. More expensive than other Korea-made guitars, except for the Epiphone Masterworks series (which I've played and are quite good! But limited to acoustics with no pickups, mostly).
Beautiful guitar, and a great player and gigging tool!

See www.breedloveguitars.com for further info.

My style runs from folk to novelty to ballads to blues to instrumentals. If I could, I'd play like Amos Garrett--he is the man.
I sing most of the time and gigs are long, so I need a comfortable machine. I use the 100w Acoustasonic, 60w Jr. and UltrSound amp line. The Ultra has the tone, but the Fenders can get louder and have stereo choursing.

This model Breedlove has the richest bassy tone in a Concert size acoustic. My Taylor sounds thin by comparison!
Adequate Fishman pickup, but will upgrade with K & K under bridge style.
Quiet preamp...no background noise, nice and loud and adjustable.
I like the sound a lot, especially unaplugged.
Real ergnomic to play. Bold, extreme cutaway helps on high notes.

The playability was flawless after the man at Blue Note shimmed the bridge and knocked one fret in tighter.Pickup is balanced perfectly.
Wood is without a flaw. Neck is like butter.

Two copies of this model were in stock, one sounding noticably better; that's the one I bought. It had the intonation problem, though. So if you can, play before you buy! The maker's website has a dealer finder. That's how I found Blue Note after reading the ads for a year about these Atlas Series guitars.

If you do mail order, www.Music123.com has the best prices around, but be ready to send it back if the tone seems thin or tinny. They should all be like the one I bought, rich and full in sound.

Live playing is why I bought it...hardware is solid, finish is durable, but I may send off to Breedlove like previous reviewer, to get a clear golpe plate. That's a pickguard, haha...
I would gig without backup with this.

Warranty is for...let's look:5 years. Anything due to break will likely happen within that time frame, I think.
They have an excellent reputation. I will call them on the next workday and ask for a pickguard, and check them out myself.

Been playing since 1965. Started with an old Kay which was like shoving your fingers onto an egg slicer! Things are better now! The action on this is the lowest, yet it rings loud and true.

If lost or stolen, I would save up and buy an American made Breedlove.

I love its modernistic shape, the tortoise shel binding, the loudness of the top, the rich bass, and the cool headstock. I really like the placement of preamp controls. This thing is a work of art and a breeze to play. The cutaway allows unprecedented access to highest frets. And the body, in spite of being thick, is comfortable due to conert-size contours.
It's a winner. I just wish they were cheaper since you never see them turn up used.

2003 Breedlove atlas series made in Korea
20 frets, Solid spruce top, solid mahogany back, laminated mahogany sides. Fishman classic IV pickup and preamp system.

I play anything from Contemporary christian/ acoustic singer/songwriter stuff down to more acoustic modern rock (think Alice In Chains) this guitar works best for fingerstyle and accompaniment... for an actual band setting (a'la acoustic nirvana and AIC) a dreadnought would be more suitable, but for what this is most suited for, in my opinion its the best... i finally got to plug it into a PA last night, and after fiddling with the EQ for a bit i found a tone i liked that sounded to my ears closest to the acoustic tone of the guitar (it seems that when plugged in this guitar acquires a much more bassy tone than it has acoustically, with the bass control set flat, so i had to turn the bass down and the mids and treble (as well as the brilliance) up on the guitar... the volume was set just a hair above flat) Acoustically it has a VERY well balanced tone across the strings... the bass strings dont overpower the treble as ive seen on rosewood guitars, which is why i like mahogany... i can play any style on this guitar, but as i said, its best suited to fingerstyle and blues... hard strumming doesnt compress on the guitar and sound BAD, its just that this guitar isnt as loud acoustically as a dreadnought... all in all, this is the best guitar for under 2000 dollars that i've EVER played, bar none (i was shopping for a taylor 314ce and i came across this...) and ive played plenty of acoustics whilst searching for "the one" and im pretty sure i've found it :)

when i got the guitar the action was a bit high, but a quick trip to the shop and a days rest and it was done... now its only a BIT higher than the action on my strat... although it does lose quite a bit of sustain on the high treble registers... but its pretty much where i like it... the cut on the nut is a bit low for my preference, but all in all its nice... the wood is PERFECT, i cant find any flaws in it whatsoever... the only complaint i have is that where the fingerboard ends at the soundhole there is a BIT of excess glue, but i had to search closely to find that... finish within the guitar (bracing, glue) is absolutely immaculate... the only real complaint is that the preamp doesnt wanna seat so well inside the guitar... the top clicks in but the bottom half just kinda stops moving... kinda difficult to explain... lets just say that the preamp isnt fit as well as it should be...

im sure i could gig with this guitar and not need to worry about having a backup (my alvarez has since become my dedicated alternate tuning guitar... so that's backup enough for me... the strap buttons seem reliable...the button at the butt end is oversized so i dont have to worry about my strap slipping off... i had a button installed by the shop where i purchased the guitar at the bottom side of the neck (according to Breedlove's specs) then i installed a schaller straplok there... i had a friend play it last night and the straplok got in the way of his hand on the highest registers... somehow that doesnt happen for me... he was complaining about how stupid it is to have the button there, but i explained to him that what was obstructing his hand was the straplok itself, not the button, and that is my fault... i knew it'd be an issue going in... but i'd rather have to fight my way to the upper registers than accidentally drop the guitar... I've only had this guitar a week, so i cant say how its gonna hold up, but it seems like it'll last...

i called breedlove the other day to order a pickguard and to ask about the specs of the guitar, and i just ended up talking to the guy for about a half an hour, just shooting the breeze... it was awesome. Breedlove's warranty is lifetime to the original purchaser, so that's awesome :)

I have a strong feeling that all my future guitar purchases will be breedloves (acoustic anyway ;)) but time, and the durability of this guitar, will tell

I've been playing for about 6 years... about the first 5 were strictly electric, and ive been playing mostly acoustic since January. I also own a Fender standard Stratocaster, a Fender MIJ contemporary 22 strat, an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Goldtop and an Alvarez RD20S... plus assorted effects and a Marshall MG250DFX... as far as things i wish i had asked... no, not really. i pretty much covered all the angles before purchase... if stolen or lost... i'd cry and go write a lament for it on my alvarez ;) and then go buy another one... i love the tone and feel of the guitar, but i really wish the upper registers had a bit more sustain (im sure that once i put some decent strings on it (read: elixir nanoweb) that it'll be alot better...the D'Addarios that are on it now are just... i dunno... cheap. my favorite feature is the bodystyle... i LOVE grand concert/ auditorium guitars... so yeah... I chose this guitar because its the best sounding and highest quality at its pricepoint, and i prefer it to the 1600 dollar Taylor 314ce... If i had to pick something that i wish it had... i LOVE taylor's expression system, but i could never justify the extra money for a slightly better sound while plugged in, but i think that the ES is THE best acoustic reproduction out there as far as preamp systems go... but since those are proprietary taylor design... i'll stick with my Fishman...