Blueridge BR-140

My Model is the BR-140B which means it has a black finish, black headstock. This really isn't a feature rich guitar. No on board electronics, no included case.

I am sure the Scale frets and woods were mentioned but in case it wasn't
this guitar is all solid woods, Spruce topped Mahogany back and sides.

It comes with open back tuners which hold the guitar in tune pretty well but feel like they are going to snap at any turn of the tunning head. It also takes a bit of torque to get the tuners tightened.

Sound is all relative but this for me sounds like a Dread should sound. Very deep bass. Good response, holds up well if you really dig in with a pick. It is also LOUD, switched out the bridge pins to Ebony and restrung it with Mediums and it really belts out sound. I wouldn't call the tone balanced but if you are looking for perfect balance I wouldn't suggest a Dread since they are known to favor the bass side of tone.

I love the sound of this guitar. Really gives you a nice Dread sound either with a Pick or bare fingers.

The guitars action, was perfect. I bought it from and owner operated shop that was run by a Luthier so I do not know if this is a product of the manufacture or the Luthier setting it up out of box.

I see no finish flaws, overall this guitar looks perfect. Glue is neat

This guitar is very light and I am curious how it will hold up over time. I have also been warned that the thin top is very sensitive to temp and humidity changes and can easily crack if not well looked after.

This is probably not the best choice for around the campfire or the beach. I am not going to rate it's durability since I've owned mine for only about a month and don't feel like I truly know yet.

No Strap button are included.

Never talked to them but they do have a short warranty guitar wise.

I love the tone of this guitar. For the money you just can't beat it. Will it hold up? I don't know. Will I replace the tunning heads, absolutely. Do I hope to keep this guitar for 30 plus years, definitely


I played alot of guitars in the stores and ended up with this. Guitars on the short list was the Guild GAD 40 the Seagull S6, a couple of higher end Washburns. This was "the one". I picked it up and from the first chord I knew I was going to buy it.

If you've done any research at all on the Blueridge BR-140, you already know its has a solid, Sitka spruce top...and Honduran mahogany back and sides. The neck is mahogany and relatively thin..say, compared to a few Seagulls I tried. My BR-140 was made in 2006 in China. I bought it new. I don't recall right off what kind of tuners it has. They're open...and they keep the guitar in tune for extended periods.

I both flatpick and finger-style. For finger-styling, a wider neck might be nice...but the BR-140's neck is fine. The BR-140 comes with light-gauge strings -- and that's what I continue to use. I've used different brands and they all sound fine. As you might expect, with light strings, the BR-140's sound is bright...and, as someone who plays with his bare fingers a lot, this is significant to me. And, by the way, the bass isn't bad either.

As I said earlier, the BR-140's neck is relatively thin. Combine this with the light-gauge strings it comes with and the BR-140 is an easy acoustic to play barre chords on. My guitar came with no flaws I could detect.

It's too soon for me to make a judgment as to the BR-140's long-term durability -- but I can tell you it was well-made. I try to play at least an hour every day and, so far, nothing has come loose or un-glued.

I've been playing for about three years. If my BR-140 were stolen or lost, I wouldn't hesitate to get another one. My favorite feature is the ringing highs. For me, it was a close call between the BR-140 and a cedar-topped Seagull. I chose the spruce top for the highs. I also liked the BR-140's "gaudy" looks; the headstock design and the pick-guard are "out there."
I've changed strings a number of times and the relatively small headstock caused me no problems.

I have the 2004 version, which I happen like better than the current models. It has the same features like all solid woods, spruce top, mahagony back and sides, ornate abalone headstock, pre-war bracings, and so on.

However, mine came with a black pickguard instead of that ugly dalmation one, and it doesn't have that schlocky orange aging toner. Just a plain guitar with a beautiful mahagony back, a cool headstock, and really decent tones.

How I stumbled on to Blueridge guitars is a story in itself. I was researching Brazilian Rosewood on the net, when I came across the Saga website. After reading the reviews on the BR-160 I was intrigued. I managed to track down the only guitar shop in town that had one in stock.

I played the BR-160, and was impressed, but not blown away. So the shop owner said "try this one" pointing at a BR-140. So I did and immediately I knew it was special. The BR-140 had "it". That amazing low end, and real even tone. But the snob in me wouldn't have anything to do with buying a guitar made in China, so I left the store.

Over the next few weeks I sampled lots of guitars, D-28's , HD-28's, J-45's, 714 CE's, but still had this guitar tone in my mind. After returning to play the BR-140 two more times,I finally bought it. I'm giving it a 9 because, I recently played a 1955 D-28 made with brazilian rosewood that sounded just amazing.

Mine came set-up really well, with nice action and new Martin SP strings. I knew they were new because I put them on. (Say That 10x fast) The woods and craftsmanship appear to be flawless, no abnormalites, excess glue, or mismatches.

So far So Good!

No Issues Yet.

The store owner told me that he and his employees were impressed with this guitar. He said, "If you line up ten guitars, this one would stand out." I'm not sure if this is the case with all BR-140's or just mine. But I feel very fortunate to have this fine instrument. Saga is building really high quality instruments at an affordable price. I definitely reccomend the Br-140 as worth a look!

action fit and finish were all excellent. it's a beautiful guitar overall, especially when compared to the bevy of ugly acoustics out there. why are so many acoustic guitars so ugly?
the sound of this guitar is "bright and tight", which I've heard is characteristic of mahogany. it does have that low end boom. you can see this guitar played in a video clip at www.folkofthewood.com by tradd tidwell. for my tastes, this guitar has too much string definition, doesn't sound smooth and liquid when playing chords...sounds a bit brittle to me. if you like that sound, though, you could love this guitar. similar to a Taylor in that way...I don't like those either. would probably be good for flat picking. the D'Addarios that came on this guitar were bright and clangy...I put on some Martin Marquis which improved the sound, but it's still too defined/tight for my tastes. some folks who sell the BR-140 and BR-160 have told me there is very little difference in sound between these two models...the 160 being a tad louder than the 140. I have only tried the 140 so I can't tell you. it's a very good sounding guitar, just not what I'm looking for

I got a good deal on a beautiful alvarez MD-90, a rosewood and spruce dreadnaught, and that guitar is a bit sweeter sounding, chords mush together in a nice way, which is what I was looking for, but still I'm not sure if it's exactly my dream guitar, it's maybe a touch heavy on the mids. I'd like to try the BR-160

great for the money

Plain jane body, but with beautiful spruce and mahogany wood.The tuners are excellent and hold their tune well between playings. Fast low action neck has the feel of an electric in many ways. The very ornate abalone work on the headstock is remarkable in its intricacy. It is not loaded with extra features, but it is appointed as it should be--given its place in the Blueridge line-up. It is a Chinese knock-off, but it beats anything I have seen out of Korea or Taiwan etc. The quality for dollar ratio is very high.

I play an eclectic assortment of music and have for almost 40 years. I picked this guitar up at the reccomendation of my son who had played a Blueridge before. I was sort of slumming---having played Martin D28s, D35s,D-15s& a Nakashima commemorative for a long time. I was flabbergasted by the sound of the BR140. It may look like a D-18, but it sounds better than any D-18 I ever played! This guitar is a close second to my D-28 in sound and my D-28 is my standard of excellence. I like a lot of bass boom and this guitar has that plus it has excellent balance of range.

Set-up was fine and everything fit and looked great. The hardware was tighter and better set than my Martin Nakashima--at a sixth of the price! I am used to the Martin set-up which is a little higher, but caught on to the lower, faster profile of the BR140 quickly--and I like it! The heavy finish is a little garish, but it is well-applied.

I bought this guitar as a cheaper travel companion, but there ain't anything "cheap" about this guitar except the price. I would imagine the finish will be prone to cracking with age, but that is just speculation at this point. It is a solid guitar and I have to say that I never thought I would buy a Chinese knock-off. I think this guitar could last a lifetime and be a person's primary guitar. I am not hard on equipment since I no longer play gigs, but I think this guitar would hold up to hard use with nothing more than the usual wear and tear.

I haven't paid attention to warranty stuff because my dealer at Heartland Guitar in Bloomington, Il stands behind whatever he sells me. Since I bought it from a dealer I was able to check the guitar out thoroughly before I bought it. That pretty much prevented the need for warranty work.

Been playing for almost 40 years. I wish that I had bought a BR160, but I just like Rosewood. It was not in stock at the time. I'd replace it in a heartbeat. I would like to share that I think top-of-the-line guitars are getting ridiculously expensive and I think that young musicians deserve to have a shot at playing high quality guitars. I wish Blueridge had been around a long time ago because they fill a niche in the market that has not been represented. I don't care what your playing ability The BR140 can let you create music that represents your best efforts and you don't need to be ashamed of your instrument. I am fortunate to have some of the finest guitars in the world, but I think there is no room for instrument-based snobbery, If it feels good---play with it!!

This is a barebones, solid wood, Chinese D-18 copy. In some ways it's even plainer than a D-18; it has no black strip on the back, nor a wedge at the butt. But it does have a fancy pearl peghead inlay. But it does have everything it needs. I did replace the plastic pins with ebony.

This particular guitar is awesome. I played at least 10 BR-140s before I chose this one, and this was the best. It sure beats the flabby Martin CEO-5 I got rid of. The tone is tight all over. Ample bass, good mid-range, killer highes. This rig really sings. The only mahogany dred I really can compare this guitar to tonally is a Bourgeois Country Boy I owned several years ago. The BR-140 has a Martinesque vibe, but the tone is brighter and tighter

All the workmanship on this guitar is near Martin in quality. The top is incredibly tight grained and perfectly quartersawn. It's a beautiful piece of spruce. The rosewood bridge and fretboard are very dark and rich looking as well. Everything else is well done and has done the job for me.

I bought my daughter a BR-140 several years ago and it has held up well so far. Mine seems solid as a rock.

I know Jose at Saga and he treats me fine.

I was looking for the ultimate workingman's guitar. I had a Martin D-16GT that filled the bill pretty well, but then I came across this Blueridge and I fell for it. It's the ultimate value; it's dirt cheap and it sounds as good as anything out there. I recently played a gig where I played this guitar on 80% of my songs. My picking partner was playing a HD-28V and the soundman (a great picker in his own right) thought the BR-140 measured up favorably to the Martin in every respect. I don't care if it is Chinese. It's great guitar.

I purchased the Br-140 a few months ago. Solid spruce top with tight grain, Solid Mahogany back and sides,all gloss finish. Bone nut and saddle.This thing was made in China and is definitly a Martin Knockoff(vintage D-18). It has a Glossed Mahogany Low profile neck that plays fast. Silver kluson enclosed tuners that work pretty smooth. Mine came with a hardshell case.

Depending on the gauge strings you put on this thing you can pretty much get what your looking for in sound. I have great bottom end and ringing trebles using custom lights. Not as balanced a sound as my Martin but for the price it's nice.

Action was pretty high when I received the guitar, it needed a setup. It also had a couple small finish checks. After being setup the thing plays real nice. The playablity out ways the finish flaw. The pickguards are also very cheap and are loose, this was also replaced.

Everything has held up so far with it. The finish checks have been stable. I stum it hard and it takes it. It should hold up, I'd have no problems gigging with it.

Never tried, although the person I bought it from would have replaced it if I wasn't satisfied.

Overall for the money this is a great deal I would recommend this guitar to anyone who wants a reliable inexpensive great sounding, easy playing guitar. No Kidding.

Not sure what year this one is. Bought off Ebay where I get most of my guitars. Solid Sitka Spruce top, solid sides too. Same as previous reviews here. More than enough features when you consider what its built for.

I recently purchased a Martin DC16GTE which arrived a few days before my BR160. Now I have a Martin for sale and am looking at higher end Blueridge guitars. The sound of this thing is unreal considering I paid $220 for it and its made in China. The Asian quality is getting to be real nice in Japan, Korea, and now China. I know many people on Harmony claim their guitars are the greatest thing ever, but these really are better than most. You cannot go wrong.

I love the finish. Everything is straight and they even polished the sides of the frets so your hands don't get cut off like on the cheaper guitars. I filed the saddle down a bit and now it plays like butter.

This guitar appears to be stronger built than my Martin. When I pull my Martin out I'm afraid of dingin it up, with this its not a concern not only because of the price, but because its a Tank for an acoustic. I would play it anywhere anytime.

Not one email answered yet from Saga. I think they're still mad about not being able to get in on the Fender licensed necks deal.

A great guitar at a great price. Louder than most Martin's and Taylors I have heard, and built just as well if not better than many. Save yourself some cash and buy one of these. You'll thank me. There is a two year warranty if you buy new, so I guess the dealer would handle it since Saga is too busy to answer customer emails.

This guitar is a 2003 model, made in China and I purchased it new. It is an all solid wood dreadnaught size acoustic, with sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, with a mahogany neck (three piece, according to the specifications). It is a basic copy of the Martin D-18 V, with forward shifted scalloped top braces as the pre-war Martins have, with black/white top purfling and black body binding and a full gloss finish. Differences from the Martin are a fancy pearl and abalone inlay on the headstock and a "dalmation" style (very light with dark brown spots) pickguard. Tuners are closed Kluson style with butter-bean buttons. The guitar is not fancy in appearance but is built with high quality materials. It has the features I want in this type of instrument.

The guitar is designed for playing true acoustic styles, such as folk, bluegrass, and acoustic-based rock. It has a fairly deep bass for a mahogany guitar and good tonal balance. No pickup is installed or available. It works well with a flatpick and with finger style playing (I like to play both styles), and has a wide dynamic range and very good volume. It can get loud! It has a refined tone quality which rivals high end acoustics such as Martin and Taylor, and the sound does not break up when playing hard. Not as deep in the bass as my vintage Martin D-28, but better balanced between the bass and treble, particularly for fingerstyle playing. The trebles really shine when the guitar is finger-picked.

The factory set-up was not bad, but was not optimal for my purposes. I had the action lowered slightly at both the nut and the bridge saddle (both are bone), and had the truss rod adjusted to take some of the relief out of the neck. The slim neck plays beautifully now with medium gauge strings. The top is nicely bookmatched, straight and close-grained with light golden aging toner, and the sides and back are reasonably well bookmatched. The glue work inside is very clean, and all parts inside and out are well fitted. The gloss finish is well done, with the final polish maybe slightly less than perfect, and the pickguard is not the highly polished type that you get with the high-end guitars. The intonation is excellent with the compensated bridge saddle.

The guitar is certainly suitable both tone quality and appearance for a professional player, and the finish and hardware appear to be durable enough to last many years. It holds tuning well and seems to be a very solid instrument, although with all solid wood construction and light scalloped bracing it will need the type of care given to any fine acoustic designed more for tone quality than for physical strength.

I have owned the guitar for only a few weeks and so have not required any work other then the action adjustment. It comes with a one year factory warranty. I have not had any direct dealing with the company (Saga Musical Instruments is the U.S. distributor).

I have been playing for over thirty years, mostly acoustic guitar and some banjo. My other acoustic guitars are a Martin D-28 and a Martin OM-21 (both rosewood bodied guitars, and the Blueridge fit my need for a mahogany dreadnaught at a budget price. I would replace it with an identical model if lost or stolen. It's best features are exceptional tone quality and playability for this price range (the price included a fairly nice hardshell case). It compares favorably with guitars which cost two to three times as much, such as Martin and Taylor mahogany dreadnaugts. One drawback is the small headstock, which makes changing strings a more delicate task than with a large headstock. I chose this guitar based on research and reviews from other owners (I found that many Martin owners also own a Blueridge as a second guitar). Because these guitars are not carried by a dealer in my area, I did not get to play one before purchase, but did get to purchase with a return privilege. It is an extemely high quality instrument for the price paid.