Breedlove Guitars AD25/SR Atlas Plus

Features are well documented and there are lots of features with this guitar starting with a soft cutaway to access upper frets, nice spruce top, solid rosewood back, laminated rosewood sides, (overall glossy laquer finish nicely done) tortoise teardrop pick-guard, bound rosewood fretboard, gold grover tuners, Fishman classic 4T preamp, pinless rosewood bridge, and abalone inlay on the fretboard, sound hole, and top binding. The snug fitting hardshell case appears ready to take a bullet for this guitar.

I play mostly singer-songwriter covers by the likes of Neil, Tom, Bob, The boys from Liverpool, stuff like that. I mostly strum and flatpick to accompany my vocals. This guitar compliments my style beautifully. I know with 5 seconds of playing a guitar if I'm interested in it or not. This guitar sold me on the first chord...seriously. Piano like bass, clear mids, sweet sustaining treble. Theres nothing I don't like about the sound of this guitar. It simply makes me a better player by making me sound better at what I do, and by calling me to play her whenever I walk in the room. I will say this though. They had two models of this guitar and I played both and they were not equal. Could easily attribute that to improper setup or dull strings. In my opinion most music stores don't re-string or for that matter, tune their instruments enough for me.

The spruce top has very even grain lines with some bear claw dispursed intermitenly. That doesn't bother me in the least, just gives her more beauty if you ask me. Setup was done to my liking. This guitar is an incredible example of beauty to me. I see no flaws in its design, conception, construction, or finish. To me, this ranks on par with the finest instruments in any price category. The only thing that prevents me giving this category a 10 is that the fret ends on my other two guitars seem to be less obtrusive than these. Will I have anything done about it? Probably not, I don't relish anyone messing with this guitar unless I know them quite well and have confidence in them.

This guitar is obviously well conceived and well made. I will most definitely hand this one down. Hard to believe for $900.00 that this is an heirloom quality instrument, but it is. No doubt it will outlast me and I relish the thought of someone making music with this guitar after I'm gone. It's dependable enough, but you can't gig without a back-up. Your just tempting fate.

Have not used or inquired about warranty. From what I hear, I have nothing to worry about with the folks at Breedlove.

I've been playing for 24 years when I bought my first guitar which I still have, the Ovation "Ultra". I also own a Marty D-15 Mahog and a Yammy F-720 sycamore/spruce. They're each unique with their own voice, but the Martin and Breedlove are the definite keepers. I tried out lots of guitars when I bought this one and returned a few. I wasn't partilarly looking for a shiny, glossy, glittery show guitar but it just so happens that the one I fell in love with looked that way. Sometimes I think I bought the Martin later to compensate for all the flash. I have owned the Breedlove for over a year, so I've had time to get to know her. For the money, this is a fine guitar that will satisfy a multitude of playing styles. Play it soft and it rewards you with chimey goodness. Bang on it hard and it screams for more. If I had to recommend one guitar you could buy online without playing it first, this is it. I have no regrets on this guitar. It's my constant companion now, my "go to" guitar unless I break down and get that darn Collings.

Spruce top...rosewood back and sides. Fishman 4T (with tuner) for electric applications. Grover tuners. Pretty abalone inlays and bindings. Nice overall package. Higher end amenities for a mid-tiered price. A beautiful guitar...I wanted to buy a Taylor 314CE...but after playihg this...I couldn't justify the extra money...for a guitar that did not feel as comfortable in my hands.

Balanced. Warm. Shimmering. At my last acoustic gig I could finally hear myself and my tone was KILLER.

Easy on the digits. No more pain. Plays itself...nice low action right out of the box.

The top is beautifully matched.

Fit and Finish is top notch

It is built like a bomb shelter. No worries here...I am a drummer who dabbles with guitar...and I couldn't be more pleased.

NA. Not needed to use them yet.

Brilliant. Inspiring. Beautiful. A "velvet hammer"...

Yes, I would buy one again (if it were stolen). I am kind of a "label snob", so I prefer more boutique instruments. I had never heard of Breedlove...so that should give you an idea of how impressed I was with the instrument. I wanted a Taylor...and I bought a Breedlove...for half the price. It sounded better...played better...and looked better. Bonus? Ridiculously cool case. Game over...

You probably aready know the specs on this one: solid sitka top, solid rosewood back, rosewood board, JLD bridge truss, Fishman Classic 4T (3 band EQ with tuner), Abalone inlays and Ivoroid binding. It comes with a very nice (snug fitting) hardshell case.

These are made in Korea and I've actually been pretty impressed with the Korean guitar output by Fender, BreedLove, Hamer and others - they are getting as good as many guitars from Japan, Mexico and even the USA, much better than the Chinese stuff!

First, I played it acoustically to check out the feel/fit and I immediately noticed the full, even sounds it made (not too bassy or too bright/thin - things I'd heard when playing some other guitars).

Next, I plugged it into a Crate acoustic amp and set the amp's EQ completely flat. I then controlled everything using just the 3-band EQ and Brilliance controls of the onboard Fishman Classic 4T pickup system and found several useful settings. Since I mainly play acoustic at church, I was going fot the typical acoustic guitar sounds you would find on a Casting Crowns, Tim Hughes, or Chris Tomlin song. The BreedLove did it with style.

Of course, I also like Classic Rock and Blues so I experimented with some finger picking sounds like you'd hear on a acoustic blues song or maybe something from Jimmy Page or Clapton. Again, the BreedLove was able to give me some great tones when played plugged in.

I am mainly an electric player (Gibsons and some Fenders) so finding an acoustic that still felt comfortable in my hands (which are spoiled playing electrics for so long) was very important. This guitar felt very comfortable and I was able to get a nice rich sound out of it without having to work too hard.

The neck profile is closer to a C or D shape (easier on my hands than the V shape of the Taylors I looked at). I also liked the solid neck/headstock construction vs. the Taylor joined head/neck setup. And the action on this guitar was the lowest I've seen on an acoustic (it was equal to the Larrivee LV03 I looked at). It is setup with D'Addarrio Light Guage strings, which are perfect since these are what I use anyway.

My only complaint was a couple of frets were just a tiny bit sharp/rough feeling around the middle of the neck on the high E string side. But these could quickly be fixed by any luthier with just a slight touch of a fret file. It certainly wasn't anything major - I'm just trying hard to find something I DIDN'T like about this guitar (LOL) as I know that no guitar is perfect (although this one may come close!)

The guitar certainly feels solid and since it is my only acoustic, I feel pretty comfortable using it without a backup and believe it will last me for many years to come.

This is my first BreedLove so I'm not sure about customer service, etc. as I've never had to deal with them. However, I did a lot of research on various guitar forums and talked to several players before buying this guitar. All seemed to speak highly of the BreedLove line, comparing it favorably against Taylor, Larrivee, etc.

I've been playing guitar for about 30 years now. I mainly play electric and grew up on Classic Rock and Blues. For the last 6 years or so I've been playing at our weekly church services. This has helped to open up my musical styles (we do Contemporary Christian and a few secular songs) as I've now played more Pop type music (stuff you'd hear on the radio) and more acoustic guitar than ever before. That is why I needed a good acoustic/electric. Before this guitar I had a Taylor T5, which is a great guitar when plugged in but just doesn't project well and have the fuller sound you'd expect from an acoustic when played unplugged.

Before I found this BreedLove I was pretty well set on the Larrivee LV03E. But then I found the BreedLove and saved myself a few hundred bucks in the process... a great guitar for a great price... what more could I want?!?!?

See others for features. IMPORTANCE: Solid Sitka Spruce Top, Solid Rosewood Back, Sides are Rosewood plys.

I've been playing guitar for over 35 years. I own or have owned American Fender Strats and Teles.
I've had about 4 different Takamine acoustics. A Fender MIM P Bass, etc., etc. The point
is that I own good equipment and know the difference in quality, etc. I started a quest
for acquiring a good acoustic guitar about a year ago. I've played practically everything
the GC's had. I didn't waste time outside of the humidity controlled rooms either.
That should be step one in looking for a great acoustic guitar. I played various Taylors,
Gibsons, Martins, and Breedloves. I was impressed with two guitars. One was a $2700
Martic DC Aura. The other was a $1000 Breedlove AD25/SR Plus. Now to each his own as
far as woods go, but acoustically, I'm a Sitka top and Rosewood back/sides person.
It took awhile for me to be able to try the Breedlove with the Rosewood back/sides. No
one ever had one in stock. I did try the Mahogany back/sides Breedlove and was not
impressed with it. IMO, there is no comparison between the Rosewood and the Mahogany
Breedlove AD25's. The AD25/SR feels better, projects better, and flat out sounds better
to me. Your opinion might vary. The Martin DC Aura is a fine guitar. No doubt about that.
But it is NOT $1700 better than the Breedlove AD25/SR. I've had mine about 4 weeks now
and wanted to feel it out before posting these comment about it.

This acoustic rings strong and clear while strummed. You will instanlty be able to tell that
it is a quality built instrument. For those who don't know, they are made in Korea but they
are setup and quality controlled at the Breedlove site in Washington state. This obviously
allows for the $1000 price tag - as others have stated, this guitar competes with $2000+
guitars hands down. Yes, I promise you, its that damn good. Go try one and see for
yourself. I noticed that single notes range with beautiful clarity and tone. This guitar is
an instrument that rings and vibrates all over the guitar. All of the woods in the guitar seem
to blend and work together in an amazing way. I noticed that this guitar invites you to
pick single notes with increased speed and clarity. I almost helps you do so. I kid you not.
Plugged in, the FIshman electronics are superb. This acoustic still sounds like an acoustic
when plugged in. What more could you want from an onboard system? The onboard tuner
is also top notch and you will be impressed with it. The looks are beautiful. The case is
the best I've ever seen. I can't say enough about this purchase and the quality of the instrument.
I absolutely love this guitar and my search is over. Enjoy!

Incredible features for a guitar at this price! Beautiful craftsmanship on this (2007 model year) Atlas. Tuner works very well (even compared with my Korg electronic tuner plugged into the guitar).

Absolutely amazing at this price. I've heard it described as a blend between a Taylor and a Martin and I think there may be something to that claim. I had the salesman at Guitar Center play this guitar next to a Taylor that I was sure I was going to buy. I closed my eyes during two seperate sessions a week apart and both times I went to the Breedlove sound! It is so full and rich with just enough brightness to keep me excited.

Great set up right out of the box. Nice strings. One slight flaw in one of the fretboard inlays but I had to look real close to find it.

cannot comment on this yet.

can't comment on this yet but I did register online and requested a manual which was sent to me promptly.

My second guitar in 35 years of playing. My first "real" guitar. I am so impressed! My friends (one pro./worship band leader and worship band team members) all claim it is the finest guitar they have ever seen at this price.

The one that I have now is my second since I had a little problem with my first (detailed in the reliability area) The dark rosewood back and sides are a wonderful contrast to the sitka top. The rosewood fretboard has very nice bindings and inlays. The finish is very nice and the purflings really add to the beauty of the guitar. Add to all the nice features, the onboard Fishman 4T tuner and you have a fantastic guitar that is very hard to beat for the price. What a great value.

Full and rich sound. The sustain is forever and the tone is something you would expect from a much more expensive guitar. Value is the key with this guitar and the sound is phenomenal.

The action out of the box is great, the team in Oregon set up the guitar very well. You could lower the action somewhat if it suits you, but the guitar plays like a champ out of the box. The top is perfectly bookmatched and the seam in the back is barely visible.

I don't play live or tour and only have been playing for 3 years. However, I believe the guitar would hold up well to live playing. All the hardware is solid and well installed and would hold up well. My issue was one day when I open the case and the guitar head was snapped just below the neck joint on the neck. I was distraught since the guitar lives in the case and doesn't travel much at all. The case is in a place where it could not fall, so it had to be a rare problem with the wood. For the neck problem, I can only rate the reliability a 8.

Wow... If I could rate this a 20 I would. I spoke and dealt with Devin on their customer service line and he could not have been more helpful. I contacted him as soon as I found the problem with my guitar neck. I talked him through the problem and recieved a RMA number at that time. I had to incur the cost of shipping back to Oregon, but they sent me a brand new guitar on warrany. I had owned the Guitar for about a year at the time of the failure. Within 3 weeks, (1 week for the slow truck from Atlanta to Oregon), I had a brand new guitar back. What great service...

Since I have only been playing for about 3 years, I am not the best player in the world. However, I know good sound when I hear it and this guitar puts out some of the best sound ever. I have a friend who has both a Taylor and a Larivee, and this guitar gives them both a real run for the money. The guitar is probably one of the best looking, best playing guitars for the money. I truly believe that my problem with the neck in my guitar was an anomaly.

You've already read the other reviews but I'll repeat: the Breedlove AD25-SR Plus is a rosewood/sitka guitar, mahogany neck, gold Grovers, lots of lovely bindings and purfling, even around the fretboard and abalone inlays at the soundhole and around the top. The cutaway, usually ugly hack jobs, is superbly designed for beauty and a natural line. This guitar is not for the shy - it is so beautiful that heads will turn when you pull it out. Mine came with a heavy duty hardshell case that shouts "Steal This Guitar!; it has bright gold buckles and hinges and scuff screws - even a shoulder strap!

The mahogany neck has a rosewood overlay on the uniquely shaped headstock. The fretboard is rosewood with abalone markers, and mine has a very open grain; the pores filled up with wax and left tiny white marks. Frets are made of medium wire and stand up higher than most production guitars. Many players prefer this; great for POs and bends, but you'll have to get used to it if you usually play sleek actions.

The "Classic 4T" Fishman preamp and saddle pickup sound great and the built in tuner is handy even though the arrow indicators are bass ackwards :-!

The "innovative" bridge design is a big headache when you change strings. Not only do you have to cut the curly ends off your old strings to get them out but threading the new strings through the tiny holes in the rosewood bridge is tricky. You have to put a short curve in the end of your new string, then hold it juuuust right ... wiggle it through there... mmmm, blast it, jammed ... try again.

This guitar doesn't really suit my style even though I love the sound. I usually play mahogany/sitka, mostly a Guild D4 that I'm married to ;->. But that one is going to the shop soon so I was looking for something new and played about 20 guitars including Taylors and Martins before choosing this one.

The sound is ... gosh, I hate to use this hackneyed phrase ... "classic rosewood" but unlike most rosewood guitars it is very balanced. All notes have a slighly warm overtone but note definition is very good -- even when playing chords. Not much headroom, though, so you can't really whang it without getting muddy. This guitar is well suited for finger picking, folk, light rock. The sound is complex enough to be rich but not boomy.

When you plug into an amp you own the hall. 'Nuff said.

I am a woodworker and truthfully, I scratched my head in wonder when I heard the price: "How can they afford to sell such a beautiful instrument so cheaply?" Yes, they're made in Korea. Maybe the Korean craftsmen don't eat much. The workmanship is very, very nice and only the most discriminating player will have any niggling comments.

I have a few (snicker): 1) The big fretwire ends will need dressing along the underside of the neck to make them smoother for the side of your index finger. 2) The finish was sprayed on extra thick to minimize the need for fine hand sanding. This shows in fine lines along the spruce grain. Doesn't detract from the brilliant finish - just different from high end guitars. 3) The rosewood bridge has a nice silhouette but it needs more hand work to round the edges, IMHO. Also, it doesn't have any finish except maybe oil or wax.

The rosewood is dark and very straight grained without character. The spruce bookmatched top grain is very tight with a couple of pencil thin dark grain lines on each side of the bout. Looks fine.

The factory setup is adequate but pretty high upwards from 7. I sanded down the saddle but still wasn't satisfied so I took it to a luthier for the last silly millimeter.

Truly I can't say at this point - I've only had it about six months. I wouldn't be worried about it falling apart on the road but I suspect the head would snap off it you dropped it - it is glued on with a nearly invisible joint. Everything seems solid and the neck finish is holding up.

Don't know but others say the service is outstanding.

I've been playing since 1964, mostly folk, blues, pop, a little C&W and jazz and of course garage band rock when I was a sprout. I have a half dozen guitars. I prefer Guild and Martin for production guitars and wish I could afford a Bourgeois or Hoffman in mahogany.

I gotta say, I don't love this guitar - it's too heavy and too beautiful and it doesn't have much headroom and has no unplugged punch. So you don't want to take it to a bar or to a bluegrass jam and you better not be drinking beer and having a good ole time because you won't sound that great whanging away. This guitar is made for the melodic player who wants a lush expensive sound without going into debt for it. When you plug it in it will bring tears to your eyes. Combined with the outstanding looks this is a great value for your guitar dollar.

Even though I prefer the woody sound of mahogany and wouldn't buy another rosewood I recommend this model to anyone that is looking for a classy rosewood guitar.

This guitar has nice features. Back is solid rosewood. I wish the sides were solid too, but that would have been outside my price range.

The abalone inlays were nice, although I feel like the outer border is a little too much - I guess I would prefer something nondescript.

I really appreciate the binding on the guitar though. I think it looks nice - especially along the fretboard - and it feels solidly built. The binding along the fretboard seems to make it easier to go up and down the neck quickly.

The abalone inlay on the fretboard is great. It's subtle, but unique.

The tuners are very well made and look nice. This guitar stays in tune extremely well even with new strings.

The pickup also has an electronic tuner that I can just click on at any time. Very convenient.

The sound is what sold me - great combination of brightness and warmth. The guitar responds well when I play it loud too.

The pickup has very little noise. This guitar sounds terrific for the price-range.

The action on this guitar is a little higher than I expected, but it's always a tradeoff. I could get it lowered a little, but then I might find some frets that buzz a little. Right now I cannot detect buzzing on any frets.

I played some others in Guitar Center with lower action, but this one sounded best and I thought my hands would adjust to whatever action it had within some limits.

There are one or two blemishes in the wood under the finish on the top of the guitar. The other breedlove on the floor when I bought mine had similar but worse blemishes.

The guitar feels very heavy and very solid. I have only had it two weeks, but I think it is going to hold up very, very well. The case is unbelievable too. It's a tank.

One thing that really sold me about this guitar was the design of the bridge and saddle. The pieces are setup so that the pull of the strings exert force on the butt of the guitar rather than on the top. They are able to make the top out of a thinner piece of wood that way.

5-year warranty.

I am very pleased with this purchase. Feels great, sounds incredible, plays well, looks good.

The neck was a little narrower than what I'm used to, but I'm warming up to it. Good natural balance of depth and thickness; something just works about it for even my large hands. The tuning machines are smooth and fairly tight and sensitive. The body's solid feel and weight make a very nice balance standing with the strap on. Built-in tuner is accurate and works in a loud environment.

I do blues and rock, with a bit of canadian folk and sailing songs, with a lot of variation in the style and volume. This guitar sounds as great outside as it does in the bathroom. Beautiful range both quiet and full on down in low D tuning. A bit bright way up high on the neck, but that's probably just me.

Action is a tiny bit high but not bad out of the box. The guitar came out of the box almost tuned. I played 3 Breedloves the day I bought it and the one in the box sounded the best. No observable flaws; all the purfling, rosette, fretboard, lines, looked good. Frets were a tiny bit higher than I'm used to but it seems to have no negative effect on the playing or sound.

Haven't had it a long time but so far it's a very solid guitar. Strap buttons are still tight. Case is heavy but very hard on the outside and very soft on the inside. I bought it for a studio guitar but definitely would gig with it. The salesman at Guitar Center said several others had reported gigging with it as their main acoustic.

The 5 year warranty and reports of good customer service put my mind at ease. Unless I smash it (not bloody likely) Breedlove wants to keep me as a customer, I reckon.

This is by far the nicest acoustic I've owned, after 17 years of practicing guitar. I mostly play Fender guitars - this is my first Breedlove. Something says it won't be my last, maybe my wife crying when I played it for her. I would get another one just like it if I lost it. Time will tell if she holds up under vigorous, emotional play. So far, she's a beaut.

Bottom line: Best box on the shelf for the money.

You all know the features from MusiciansFriend so I won't go to all the details. The one thing that I was pleasantly surprised that my Breedlove has the Fishman 4T, with the built-in tuner. Very nice touch. The guitar also came with a great and solid hard shell case. Very nicely built.

The make and quality of the guitar is outstanding. Perfect and flawless. Right out of the box!

This is the only thing that matters. The sound is rich and bright, and very mellow without being hollow and boomy. This guitar reminds of a cross of a Taylor and Martin but without the Martin hollow boominess. The sound is easily worth more than the price of this guitar. For the money, there is no better sound than the Breedloves.

The action is fast. The neck is very playable. I bought the guitar at Guitar Center for about $870 (GC threw in a nice strap, humi, and discounted the price at around $900). Great deal i thought. But couple that with the great sound and quality of the guitar itself, and this deal was made in heaven.

Like I have said before, straight out of the box, tuned it quickly with the Fishman 4T, and great music was coming from this wood wonder. You have to play one to believe it. It was flawless, nice luminous perfect piece of instrument. Just amazing.

The guitar is heavy and built like a tank. The hard case shell that comes with it is impressive itself. The case was also built like a tank to provide years of protection.

The guitar feels more like a higher end model (2k-3K range). It has certainly surpassed my expectations. And here I was ready to plunk with hard-earned money on Taylors and Martins.

Haven't dealt with support yet.

I have been playing for 30+ years and have lots of guitars, from strats, les pauls, ibanez, gibsons, and played in lots of gigs, and I have been thoroughly impressed with this Breedlove. This is truly one of my favorite ones at the moment, and will surely occupy much of my time.