Breedlove Guitars AJ250/SF PLUS

2005 Korean Soft cutaway jumbo on board fisher piezo electrics
Grovers
Solid spruce top maple back and sides.
Gloss finish.
Killer abalone inlays.
The breedlove case which is as good as their guitars
Breedloves special truss bracing system. (which makes their guitars sound and sustain better than ALL other makes}Which makes it a 10

Beats all the other brands at twice the price. Tried their top end USA made guitars too. If I had that kind of money I would buy the Northwest. They are the best sounding acoustics out there.

Got it mint but used. It was a reps sample so it was perfectly set up. No flaws, if the maple were perfectly bookmatched it would be a 10. Its still a beautiful piece

Solid , SOLID , solid

Respond immediately

35 years still practicing the art of wood chopping. Parker fly classic (The best electric U can get, try one if you know your stuff you'll never play another brand). Cort custom shop 12 string jumbo. Throwaway ibanez acoustic for road trips and camping. 100 peavey ecoustic combo with 100 watt peavey all tube custom combo. Stereo'ed from a digitech processor for all the sound toys.
I will not actively buy another brand (unless I see a steal)
I chose the maple for a slightly more ringing top end. Still a perfectly balanced tonal pallette

Breedlove Atlas AJ250/SF Plus Jumbo Acoustic-Electric Guitar Features:

Deep jumbo body
Soft cutaway
Solid Sitka spruce top
Flamed-maple back and sides
17" lower bout width
Breedlove bracing pattern
JLD Bridge Truss for stability
Ivoroid body and neck binding
Abalone rosette
Abalone top purfling
Abalone Ellipse inlay pattern
Gloss finish
Rosewood bridge
Rosewood fretboard
Double-action truss rod
Gold Grover tuners
Fishman Classic 4 pickup/preamp system
D'Addario EXP Light Gauge Strings
Designed by Kim Breedlove, crafted in Korea
Quality assured in Bend, Oregon USA

Rating 8 Because hardshell Case had to be purchased separately.

Purchased mine just before the whole Breedlove Atlas line took a price increase in January 2006 !! This guitar went up by $150 at the on-line megastores.

Play one of these and you'll understand why Breedlove guitars are becoming so popular for those of us who don't have several thousand denaro to drop on an acoustic. The sound and balance of harmonic tones are beyond outstanding. There is a specially designed truss system under the bridge that transfers a lot of the bridge stress to the sides of the guitar. This allows the solid spruce to vibrate more freely, and it makes a great difference in the sound.

With this jumbo version, you can have a strong bass sound when you want it, but it's a still very balanced sound, not the muddy, boomy bass sound you sometimes hear from other large acoustics.

Also, I think the maple wood sides and back make it less prone to feedback. I've had mine about 3 weeks now, and I'm still awed by the sound when I pick it up to play it. Strummed lightly it has a beautiful soft texture that has adequate volume and persistent ring time. Strummed harder provides a much more penetrating volume and percussive element, but still it's very balanced. From other reviews, the Breedlove's best sound is supposedly played "Fingerstyle" and I can't disagree there either. I've found that it is much easier to play fingerstyle with a true range of dynamics without dropping out in volume.

Fit, finish and setup were adequate. I adjusted the truss rod slightly for lower string action. The PLUS in the model number brings abalone inlay around the top and sound hole, and gets gold grover tuners. Together, these really set off the appearance. The SF model has flamed maple laminated back and sides. Flamed maple always provides a beautiful wood finish appearance.

I'm confident the guitar will last. Breedlove Atlas products are covered by a limited five-year warranty.
I bought a Breedlove Hardshell Case to keep mine in (who wouldn't?).

Of course, I won't be leaving it in the trunk in summer/winter and plan to buy a humidifier.

No real experience here, except from what I've read from other reviews of Breedlove owners prior to purchasing, their customer service reputation is outstandingly positive.

I lead worship band at my church, and play some solo and duet gigs. I will play a variety of styles. If I lost, I would save up and buy another, even with the latest > $100 price increase. I don't think anything compares in its price range.

This is an Atlas Jumbo 12string. It has a solid Sitka spruce top and maple back and sides. It has a Fishman Classic 4 preamp / piezo setup. Pinless bridge and JLD bridge truss system standard as with all Breedloves.

The guitar sounds amazing. I played some concert shaped 12strings and it just didn't have the life, projection, and balance that this has. I played it along side a Breedlove Focus 12 String (roughly $3500 guitar) and it was on par. I gigged with it earlier today and the Fishman sounded great. It capture a lot of the richness of the guitar. If you're looking for a 12sting, this is worth looking at!

The factory setup was very comfortable. For a 12sting the guitar is very easy to play. I was surprised at how quickly I readjusted my playing and even how easy it was to play leads on it.

I haven't had it long enough to comment. But my other Breedlove is 1.5 yrs old and is going strong.

I emailed them once with a question on strings. They responded within a few hours - so I'd say it's good.

This is a great guitar - if it were stolen I'd rush out and buy another the same day. I'm really happy with Breedlove's design, tone, and reliability (and I live in MN where weather is hell on acoustics).