Breedlove Guitars AJ250 SF Plus

After almost a year of searching for a good acoustic-electric guitar I was ready to buy the Taylor 315CE. I was a little put off by the price and by the hype, but the quality and sound were the closest to what I was looking for. I found the Breedlove AJ250 SF Plus (Atlas Series - Made in Korea), played it, drove 30 miles to the Taylor and played it, then went back to the Breedlove. I must have done this three or four times over the course of two weeks. I have been playing guitar for over thirty years, and I honestly could not identify an appreciable difference in the feel, sound, or looks in the two instruments. The Breedlove plays effortlessly, with lots of great tone and sustain. The sound of each string jumps right out at you, with the flamed maple (laminate) back and sides working with the solid Sitka spruce top to provide a punchy, clear sound. The Fishman 4T Classic under-the-saddle pickup with active electronics and 5 control sliders (Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Brilliance) helps to bring the guitar to life and give it a voice that holds its own with some of the best names in the business. The deep cutaway allows easy access to the upper registers. The Gold Grover Tuners are geared to allow maximum sensitivity and dependability. Frets are standard size. The abalone ellipses on the fretboard match the abalone rosette and purfling to a "T". The included case is a work of art in itself...

The tone and the dynamic response of the guitar make it a must for music in the style of the Eagles, Jim Croce, any Allman Brothers Ballad, Charlie Daniels Band, or any type of music that is based around an acoustic guitar. At home, I don't plug in, but I play at my church through a stereo system. I use a multi-effects processor with one delay setup, one chorus setup, a light reverb setup for rhythm / arpeggios, and a heavy reverb setting for leads or solos. I haven't noticed any noise or feedback, even at high volumes. The Fishman 4T system allows me to set the sound to my liking on any given day.

I have one complaint - when the guitar is unplugged, the player doesn't get the full benefit of the Jumbo's volume. I don't know if it's the constructions or the placement of my head in relation to the sound hole. My other acoustic (a Sigma Martin bought in 1982) seems much louder to me, but to the listener the Breedlove stands head and shoulders above the Sigma.

When I received the guitar, it was in the case wrapped in plastic and equipped with D'Addario EXP light gauge strings - I immediately changed to extra light gauge Elixirs, as they are my favorites - and I found tha tthe factory setup was not particularly to my liking. The action was set a little low on the E and B strings. This caused a bit of a buzz on certain frets, and somewhat crippled the beuatiful sustain of the guitar on these two strings. A quick trip to my local music store fixed this issue, but it was still a bit of an inconvenience.
All woodwork, finish, inlay, and hardware was flawless. I couldn't even find a wayward splinter around the truss rod adjustment nut inside the sound hole. The inside of the guitar seems to have received almost the same level of attention as the outside of the guitar.

I believe that this instrument will stand up to anything I will expose it to. I do not have OCD, and I am not a "guitar snob"...I will take my guitar to church, and I will take it camping. If it doesn't last it just wasn't meant to be. I have only owned this guitar for a few weeks, but I can see that it is a quality instrument. Of course, I will be careful with it - but I won't baby it.

I haven't dealt with Breedlove Customer Service. The guitar includes a 5 year limited warranty.

I have bee playing guitar for thirty-one years. I have a Sigma Martin acoustic that I've had since 1983, and I have a Fender Nashville Telecaster that I've owned since 1999. I love my guitars. I don't play guitars that I don't like.