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#1
09-28-2020, 02:20 AM
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Breedlove Atlas retro D-ERE
Hi,
Does anyone have any thoughts, opinions, info on the Breedlove Atlas retro D-ERE? I have a cedar topped dreadnought (Simon and Patrick) but am looking for something spruce topped, specifically for bluegrass flatpicking. I've played Breedlove mandolins before but never any of their guitars. From bits I've read it seems like some of their models use bracing patterns that make them very responsive and more suited to fingerstyle, so would be interested to know what people think of this model. Given it seems modelled on a pre-war Martin dread you'd expect it to work well flatpicked, but I'm getting the impression you can't always expect the expected from Breedlove  I've searched the forums so apologies if this is covered already and I missed it. Thanks in advance, Matt 
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#2
09-28-2020, 11:46 AM
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Matthutch;
Welcome to the Forum! glad to have you here... I've played many Breedloves, both the imports and the USA=built models, from varying series to custom shop "one off" builds... Breedlove makes a REALLY good guitar, in every price point!!! Now, the one thing they aren't that good at is NAMING THEIR PRODUCT LINES!!! They changed nomenclature many times within the brief 8 years that I've actually been familiar with the brand/build... they seem to have it fairly well "pared down" at this point, but there are a lot of their guitars from years past that have confusing names and designations... I believe the Atlas Series are discontinued nowadays, maybe for the past 3 or 4 years? They were good guitars, although I've not payed one of the Atlas dreadnoughts... The entry level Discovery Series guitars are really nice for the $300 price tag... their dreadnoughts are wonderful - laminate mahogany b/s with a solid Sitka spruce top. Might need a little set-up work when you get it to dial it in (doesn't every guitar?), but they are little beasts with very big voices! I know of a couple bluegrassers who bought 'em just so they wouldn't have to take their Collings out and about... Best bet would be to lay that Atlas first (or whichever you find), as the import consistency is not at the level of the instruments made over in Bend, OR. If you find one like, GET THAT ONE... don't try to chisel a better price from the internet, because the guitar you receive may not sound as good as the one you had in your hands! Good luck! Let us know what you find...
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"Home is where I hang my hat, but home is so much more than that. Home is where the ones and the things I hold dear are near... And I always find my way back home." "Home" (working title) J.S, Sherman
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#4
09-02-2021, 06:54 PM
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Hey Matt - If it's within a year, is it "reviving" a "necro thread"? I don't know. In any case, I have a Breedlove Retro D/ER-e that I bought new several years ago when musicians friend was blowing them out fairly cheap. It sounds great acoustically - always has, and continues to improve. But, at least with mine, the factory installed pickup always gave me fits. I could never figure out why I had such a hard time dialing in a usable sound (compared to my Larrivee with a simple Fishman UST, for instance) and why it sounded terrible when I strummed hard...
I finally got fed up enough to dig in and investigate. Turns out the "Baggs Equipped" onboard preamp is made by Crafter, not Baggs. It uses a Baggs element UST piezo, but that's it. And turns out, that preamp is (IMO) pretty garbage. I bit the bullet and bought the Element Stage Pro rig, which was a perfect drop-in replacement size-wise, and it made a night and day different to the amplified sound. I'm finally content with it and wish I'd done this years ago. That's all the advice I've got about the guitar. They're a great value, really well built (maybe even "over-built" some might say? considerably more heavily constructed in terms of wood thickness, bracing, and finish than my Larrivee), sound and play good. The pickup, for me, was the only disappointment, but now that that's solved, it's gone from maybe a 6/10 to a 8.5/10. And if this advice is way late and irrelevant, oh well! Maybe it will help somebody. Cheers! ~Brannon
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Larrivee D-02, Breedlove D/ERe Retro, The Loar LH-200, The Loar LO-215, Recording King ROS-A9M, Aria FA-80 archtop, Dearmond M-75T, Dearmond Starfire IV, Epiphone Casino, Squier '51, Fender Strat (80s MIJ), Fender Tele (90s MIM), Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster, Squier CV 60s Strat, Fender Precision Bass Special, Epiphone Viola bass, Squier Jaguar Bass (30"), Fender A-style mandolin, Harmony banjo
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