I'm all about keeping existing equipment. I fail to understand how buying an amp without FX is going to be an advantage over one that does. Simply do not use the FX. Then, one day you will want to experiment like all us plugged guys do and you'll have the option.
Set your EQ to where it sounds good. The presence knob takes your EQ adjustment and adds a bit more upper mids and trebles, or as some people say, it sweetens those frequencies to have a slightly better presence in the overall EQ'd mix. Try it.
About the difference in sounds between the guitar and the amp, the various brand's pick-up systems for all acoustics these days are emulators mostly. They are filtered to sound like acoustic guitars but go ahead and call your system manufacturer and ask them if their system gives an faithful reproduction of your guitar's sound. You'll hear a response that sounds like crickets talking but otherwise nothing to the affirmative.
Buy a guard, or don't strike the finish with the pick. The latter is the more preferable strategy. I've never struck the finish with a pick. Suggesting better technique only so don't deflect it as being snarky. I owned a Breedlove like yours for years and never struck the finish on it, or any other guitar, with a pick.
I set the last source in the chain to a level that sounds good without distortion. That would be the guitar. Crank it up, keep the amp dial rolled down, and listen to the guitar's output from its preamp. If it sounds good, roll the amp dial up to a level you like and you should be set. Move around in front of the amp and check for feedback. Your amp should have a dial for cancelling it.
The cords can be problematic. I've had a couple that went bad on me. Would I fall for the ridiculously priced claims of gold contacts, yada-yada? No. I bought a Fender cord that was mid-rangy and haven't heard anything affecting output. That's a cord about 4 feet long. It connects the amp to a wireless receiver. I use a Nady MGT-16 wireless system. The guitar has a wireless transmitter plugged into the cord jack. No trip-wires for me, not anymore. I've ruined expensive cords by getting tangled in them. I walk when I play. It's a decent system that's dependable at 100 feet line-of-sight.
Plug in and have some fun.
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