Blueridge guitars

[Dan R]

There is a bar I frequent that has a good performer. He uses quite a few electronics like samplers and a pedal board. He plays a Blueridge guitar. I think it is a BR-40. It sounds great, however he does use some effects to alter the sound sometimes. It's kind of hard to tell how good it is acoustically. Anyone ever play one?

Dan R

[skeksis]

That model *I think* would be a D-sized Martin-ish guitar with spruce top and laminate mahogany back/sides... it's really near the bottom of the Blueridge line. Probably sounds good acoustically, but there's a dozen other (more important) variables in a live, amped setting.

I've got a BR-163 that's a few years old now... it's a OM-28 Martin copy with spruce top and solid rosewood B/S. It's pretty great - plays, sounds, and looks like it cost about 5x what I actually paid for it.

Blueridge generally equates to a pretty-well-built made in China guitar, close copy of either Martin or Gibson models. Only negative in my book is a heavy poly finish... and that they're probably built by kids in a rough factory in china :-/

For the $, they're hard to beat (though there's a few other brands with the same business model that are turning out some excellent guitars too).

[Doug Ferguson]

I have a BR-343. Bought it a couple of years ago, and am very pleased with it. Great 000 tone, excellent fit and finish, overall good workmanship. I got my son a BR-70 for Christmas last year. It's another fine guitar. I'm sold on Blueridge. Superb products for a very good price.

[Dan R]

Thanks for the information guys. It might be a great second acoustic for me. I have a Gibson Hummingbird, but don't take it everywhere.

Dan R

[studio1087]

I have several martins and post a lot on the UMGF (Martin forum).

The UMGF members were asking for a Blueridge section within the UMGF not long ago. The Blueridge guitars were gaining extreme popularity amoung martin lovers who wanted a more affordable guitar that they could take in the car in frozen winter or to use for gigging.

I know many Martin snobs (I can say Martin snob because I am one (-: ) who adore Blueridge guitars.

Bad news/good news.......The Blueridge guitars carry a one year warranty and they are mostly unsupported after their sale in the states (bad) but I have never heard of a Blueridge owner who has had an issue with their guitar (good news!).

I have a couple of older solid top Yamaha guitars that I consider my solid quality campfire beaters. I also have a Rainsong (carbon graphite) OM that I'll travel with in winter.

The BR-40 Blueridge costs abour $370 and it has butterbean style tuners. It's a nice looking solid top dread for $370. They make a OOO for the same money called the BR-43.

http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/BR40.htm



I've played a few of these. Nice. The Yamaha FG700S is a nice solid top dread for $199 new but it doesn't have the style of the Blueridge. Neat guitars.

John

[gitano718]

i've played br140's and 160's and considered buying one as they had a wonderful tone and projected well...though i thought the tuners were a bit cheap looking. they are MiC after all but i know a couple of people who bought blue ridge and replaced the stock tuners with grovers and were very happy afterwards. a lot of BR's resemble the gibson j-45, especially if you go with the antique burst and they have a nice inlay on the headstock. for 5-600 bucks they're not a bad deal.

[Buck@r00]

I want to buy my youngest son a new guitar for his birthday in Feb. We need to get him one with a pickup since he's been leading the music for our P&W service at church (I play bass). He's been using my Martin D-28. We're planning to get a BR-40CE from a music store (oddly enough) in Blueridge GA.

We played the BR-40 in this store while we were up visiting my in-laws. I think it sounds just like my other son's Martin D-18V which was about 5 times the cost of the B-40.

It would be a great gigging guitar, sounds like a Martin but you wouldn't be (quite) as worried about dinging it up.

[ironweed]

Another self-confessed "Martin snob" weighing in here...Blueridge guitars are an excellent bang for the buck. After playing several others, both laminate and solid-wood models, I got myself a BR-183 which sounds and looks great. Added a K&K Western mini transducer under the bridge, which works well.

[RickG501]

I'm a Martin snob too, but not so much so that I can't recognize and appreciate a well made, great sounding accoustic guitar when I hear/play one. I'm not much for laminated anything but just recently bought a Martin 0000-1 with laminated sides, because it played and sounded extraordinary and it was too good a buy, to pass up. Blueridge is a fine example of some of the acoustics that are coming from China these days of which there are probably 10 different brands. To me it seems the top of that heap is Blueridge, Recording King, and Morgan Monroe. All well made solid wood guitars for less than $900, sometimes much less. They are a great value for a player guitar, that are very similar in sound and quality to their American counter parts, but only as long as they're in that price point.

I just posted on the Morgan Monroe thread my opinion on these. I say play them all and as many examples as you can find, only buy the one you really love. Be sure and play other brands as well, just never know when you'll stumble across the "right" one, even if it's not what you set out to buy.

[graphs]

I've played a few Blueridge guitars and they are very nice across their whole price range - which is quite large (from ~$300 entry level upward to a G).

[TNO]

Blueridge makes a nice guitar. If your budget is $5-800 definitely check out Stanford. The Stanfords sound, feel, and play like a high-end American made guitar.

[twangcaster1]

Blueridge definitely seems to be among the top ten "best deal for your dollar" flat-top guitars.

[AnthemBassMan]

-I've played a few Blueridges and they were astonishing. Especially the BR-163CE to me. That guitar practically jumped up and played itself when I tried it out.

L8R,
Matt

[guit30]

Good instrument, you get what you pay for, their BR-40 starts @ 371, a bit steep for a solid topper, but it has a great neck
Jim

[Colt W. Knight]

When I played a lot of the Blueridge models about 5 years ago, I thought they were great sounding cheaper guitars. I played a few that rivaled my Martin, but some of the higher end models are too pricey now, especially when used Martins can be had for the same price. The ones I played back then didn't have great tuners, the finish was super thick, and the pick guards werent glued on well. You can fix the tuners and the pickguard, and the thick finish is probably a plus on a cheap guitar for wear purposes. In all, I say they are good guitars. However, for playing plugged in, its hard to beat a Takamine, but pure acoustically I will be a Martin Snob till the day I die.

[bluetele54]

...I've been beating the crap outta' my '66 Gibson Country-Western for quite a while now...
...my partner has a nice BR-143CE (an "O" style,cutaway,with Fishman installed),and it's a very practical guitar...
...decided to get the BG-140,and with a few tweeks and a Fishman added,BINGO!!!...a solid road guitar...
...it's not intended to completely replace the Gibson,as it really doesn't have the mids that I love about the Country Western...

...Blue Ridge's are definitely worth the money...here's a link to what I got...

http://www.sagamusic.com/catalog/det...oductID=BG-140

[bluetele54]

Originally Posted by gitano718

i've played br140's and 160's and considered buying one as they had a wonderful tone and projected well...though i thought the tuners were a bit cheap looking. they are MiC after all but i know a couple of people who bought blue ridge and replaced the stock tuners with grovers and were very happy afterwards. a lot of BR's resemble the gibson j-45, especially if you go with the antique burst and they have a nice inlay on the headstock. for 5-600 bucks they're not a bad deal.

...the BR's are more like Martins,whereas the BG Series (like the one I bought,see link in my previous post) is supposedly like the slope shouldered J-45,Gibson style...it doesn't really sound like a growly,rockin' Gibson,but given time,this instrument should open up nicely...just gotta' beat it up a bit...

[chet]

I have a Blueridge BR-160 and a BR-70 (I got from mistermullens). I just put .013s on the BR-160 this weekend and it really sounds nice. A little harder to play though. I've been using them every night playing Elvis songs.

[Gary in NJ]

I have a BG-160, very similar to a Gibson J-45 (soft shoulder model). It sounds awesome. One of the nicest acoustic guitars I've ever heard. Nothing under $2,000 touches it; and I paid $600. Played Martin's, Taylor's and Tak's when shopping, but I could find one that came close to this instrument.

The tuners that it came with were nothing short of terrible. But that was easily remedied. I also replaced the saddle and pins with bone. But I would have done that with almost any guitar I purchased.

I installed an LR Baggs stacked humbucker and ribbon USPup on this guitar - all wired to an on-board LR Baggs preamp. It is the only acoustic I gig with.

I recommend the BG-160 100%.

[chet]

I had to switch the "E" and the "D" tuners cause the "E" couldn't hold the .013 "E" string.
Works good now though.