Breedlove Atlas Series Studio BJ350/SM4 Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar  

I took delivery of this acoustic bass about 2 weeks ago, and haven't been playing my other guitars much since then.  This bass is very well made.  Nice, close grained spruce top with just a hint of bearclaw, and beautiful laminated mahogany sides and back.  Top finish is light, with the wood grain already beginning to show through on what is a very new instrument.  The bass came in a very nice Breedlove hardshell case - a pleasant surprise.  The only slight criticism is the rather noticable smell of glue or solvent?  Not sure what it is, but its not wood.  I'm confident this smell will disapate shortly. Fit and finish is very nice, and I like the understated look of the tortise body binding and small and tasteful fingerboard dots and inlay. How does it play and sound?  Well, first thing I noticed is that this is a big instrument. But I think you need the larger body to get a good bass sound, and this bass certainly has that.  The neck is straight, frets are nicely finished, and the satin finish is fast and comfortable. After a couple of days, I realized just how easily this instrument plays.  Love it!  The sound is very good for an acoustic.  Decent deep lows, and the higher notes have a good singing quality to them.  Very good sustain, and there is a very dynamic quality to the sound. Plugged in, the bass sounds great.  The new model that I received has the newer version of the L.R. Baggs Stage Pro tuner/preamp with the Element undersaddle pickup.  The new LED tuner works perfectly and is quite convenient.  The pickup sounds full and natural (for a piezo), and after I put some TI Acousticore strings on it, it pumps out a nice acoustic bass tone.  Not quite a double bass, but pretty darn close.  Volume wise, the D'Addario EXPs that came on the bass are louder, but the TIs allow a whole new level of nuance in the notes, and are very finger friendly. Overall, I am extremely happy with this purchase.  As a side note, I've called Breedlove directly with a couple of questions, and they are friendly, knowledgable and responsive.  Great acoustic bass Breedlove!