Blueridge BR-160

It's basic but it's nice. And the rosewood back and sides on mine is the nicest I have ever seen. I have an HD28V that is beautiful, but the rosewood grain on this Blueridge is superior looking. Bought it at Carmine Street Guitars in New York City.

As I said I have a Martin HD28V, a Santa Cruz Vintage Southerner, and a Larrivee L03 Koa. This Blueridge is brighter than the Martin and has slightly less bass, but its separation of notes is far superior to the Martin. It's a much more balanced guitar. It has a lot of depth already, but I can tell that it is just waiting to open up-- the hints of greateness are definitely there.

I have played some great dreadnoughts at Mandolin Brothers here in New York, particularly the Collings and Santa Cruzes, and some Froggy Bottoms at Rudy's. The best way I can describe the sound of this BR-160 is that it's in between the Martin's bassiness and the Collings brightness that I've heard on a D2H or D1A. And it does this with a dovetail neck joint, not the bolt on approach that Collings uses. It's nice enough that I've been debating on selling the Martin I have, but i want to hold off and wait to see how the sound sits with me over time. Also, it's two weeks old and hasn't opened up yet, while the Martin is three years old. Don't want to jump to conclusions yet because the Martin is great. T

his Blueridge is a great bluegrass guitar, and it sounds fantastic for fingersyle. That was surpising to me.

This thing is light but extremely sturdy and well made. The bookmatching on the top is flawless and no seem is even detectible. The rosewood on the back and sides is the nicest I have seen, hands down. The frets are perfect. Could use a little lower action, maybe. Tuners are great. But it plays extremely smoothly. The inlays on the fretboard are quite nice, also.

It's very solid as far as I see.

Haven't dealt with them.

I've been playing 20-25 years and can play just about anything I hear. I began with Al Dimeola style playing, and I've got the Tony Rice thing down pretty well now after some practice. I have a Martin HD28V, a Santa Cruz Vintage Southerner, and a Larrivee L03 Koa, two Fender Teles and A Bill Nash Tele. This is a great guitar; don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You may have to play a few, but that goes for all brands, including the high-end makers. This guitar inspires you to learn bluegrass, and it sounds fantastic. That is probably due the great wood used, plus the scalloped bracing. But also important is the bone material used on the nut and the saddle. Martin doesn't do that on the HD28V. The headstock is maybe a little too ornate and small -- I wish they'd enlarge it to the cize of a Collings, which looks more traditional -- but it's growing on me. And I thought I would have preferred an ebony fretboard, but the sound difference is negligible from what most luthiers tell me. Moreover, neither of these things change the fact that it sounds and plays fantastic. As I said, it's so good that I'm debating selling the Martin, which cost over four times this one. The Santa Cruz Vintage Southerner models itself after a Gibson J-45, but it blows any J-45 I've played away. When I bought the BR-160 at Carmine Street Guitars I played a Blueridge BG-140, another J-45 copy, and that sounds so close to the Santa Cruz or just as good that I'm debating selling that one, too. The Saqnta Cruz cost me $3,000; the Bg-140 about $525. Rick Kelly at Carmine Street in New York sells these at great prices and he services them.

It seems to be well built and carefully made. Flamed top makes the finish look thick and plastic-y. I don't know what the woods are, but the specs are readily available.

I simply cannot undersand how these mid-level BlueRidge models get the good sonic ratings that they do. Jeez guys, go to a real guitar store and play a quality model.

The tone is basically good. Probably due to the top. That is the end of the good news. The sound is not resonant or clear. The bass strings have a hint of a dull thud in there, which is a dead giveaway that this is an El Cheapo guitar. But wait, it isn't inexpensive. At one-half the price I would consider it a decent value.

It seems, as I said earlier, to be a well built object.

It seems, as I said earlier, to be a well built object.

I have played for 30+ years. I have several nice guitars in my possession, and I was hoping to use this as the travel/jam guitar, but I will press one of my older good sounding models into service.

Sonically, I am disappoited with this guitar. Great reputation, looks great, nice to play, sounds clunky. And it ain't just mine, I have since played a few others of these and yup, they sound similar. I think that this and other mid-level BlueRidge models are over-rated.

-Solid Sitka Spruce Top w/Aged Toner
-Solid East Indian Rosewood Back and Sides
-Dovetailed Mahogany Neck
-Pseudo Pre-War (More-so Parabolic) Shifted Brace & Deep Scalloped
-14:1 Open Butterbean Tuners
-Overthetop Abalone and Mother of Pearl
-Herringbone & White Binding Appointments
-Bone Nut & Saddle
-Rosewood Fretboard and Bridge
-Decent Hardcase

I do NOT care what anybody says, try finding a 100% solid wood guitar for under 700.00. You can purchase 1,000+ dollar Martins and Taylors, high dollar Yamahas, Takamines, Seagulls..and you would still end up with a "hardwood and/or nato" neck, laminate back & sides, and Mortis-Tenon joint.

It may be typical features for a high-dollar American Dread, but at well under 700, the features are not only unheard of, but they are OUTSTANDING!

I've owned this guitar for well over 8 months now, and for the first time, I haven't found myself scouring the walls for a replacement. When first purchased, the guitar was exceptionally bright. Over the past few months, it has mellowed sound with a tinge of lovely chime. It is VERY similar to the D-28, however through experience, it's a touch lighter on the bass register. Overall, the guitar is very well balanced, projects extremely well, and is buttery smooth.

Some cringe at the idea of a Chinese manufactured guitar being compared to the Martin D-28 & HD-28. Pay no mind to the ethnocentric critics, they find fault because they need to justify their 2,000+ dollar purchase and/or they are simply ignorant.

As much as I have strained, I can't seem to find any imperfections that would impact the function, playability, and sound of the instrument. Cosmetically, HARDLY visible glue seep from the neck joint, and a SMALL bit of filler visible on ONE inlay. Seriously, unless you are viewing it with a microscope, by plain sight and even upclose...it's still a knockout!

I can't be honest on the setup, it was adjusted by a guitar-tech the minute it arrived at the store.

I must say, the shallow set neck was somewhat of an adjustment.

This is as durable as my Martin and the components (although no-frills) are simple and durable. The gloss thickness offers the right amount of protection without sacrificing tone.

Who gigs without a backup?

I've been playing for approximetly 13 years now, I've owned a little bit of everything, Samick, Peavey, Custom Fenders, Hamer, Martin, Ibanez, Ovation, Seagull, on and on and on.....this is by far one of the best guitars on the market.

When I was in the market for a new guitar, I was mainly looking at the Martin D-28 and Taylor 310. I stumbled across the guitar by accident. Forget about the name, if you played this thing blindfolded, your impression would be either the same or exceeding that of any Taylor or Martin.

This guitar's features are well known; regardless of its Chinese origin
its materials will give it the same sound as its model, more or less.
This review is based on and about the reasons people sell them on ebay.
For a friend too disorganized to do it, for the past couple of months,
I've undertaken this study.

I don't own one, so except in a hypothetical,I can't comment on this.

n\a

Naturally, most BR-160 for sale are new. Almost all of the used are
sold because their owners have a sense of impending doom. The most
frequent defect is cracks around strap holder; second is splits on the
lower bout. Possible stress marks at the base of the neck have been
encountered and one had an earthquake along severe run-out of the spruce. I'm sure these problems are in a very small number of those
produced, but the potential buyer should be wary. Guitar luthiers
generally play or have played extremely fine instuments and thusly
have points of comparison; I doubt Chinese maker have this chance.

n\a

I've played for decades, I own no-name Chinese guitars, very fine!
and a 1955 Guild, 12 string

You have the drill on the specific features of this guitar from all the other reviewers. Overall, the only thing I'd add is that it's a pretty little dreadnought with a neck that slides across the web of my hand like butter. Inlay is spiffy but not too Minnie Pearl. The color is a little too amber for some people, which is the only reason I'm giving it a score of 8.

It's a funny thing. This guitar really does r-i-n-g when you want it to do so, and when you do the D through low E resonate beautifully and diminish slowly. With practice you can tame it so that it sings quietly and sadly and without a ring, but the resonance and slow diminish stay right with you. Slap a capo onto the neck anywhere south of the 6th fret, fingerpick and, well, yep, that's the sound I like with a dulcimer or acoustic bass.

What can you play with this? The sound lends itself over to bluegrass, folk and Celtic music. Not well suited for classical unless you like screwing with history and inventing something new -- which I would highly encourage people to do.

Action's fast, though to get it there I had to adjust the truss. Factory delivered I found the neck adjustement too high, which began to slow down the action at about the 5th fret until it got doughy by the 10th. Since the adjustment and string drop it smokes.

I believe mine arrived with D'Addario light/medium. Got rid of them fast and replaced them with a few combinations of medium-weight strings. Finally hit upon a combination of uncoated Elixir (E,B,G) and Gibson (D,A,E). Ay-yi-yi! That's when the guitar started talking to me. Bridge, saddle and nut arrived intact; hardward is fine.

The BR-160 stands up to live playing -- very well in fact. It also travels well in a Gator and holds its tuning when being carried across town. My guitar is three years old and the finish still looks great. I DO use it in gigs without a backup from time to time, so long as they don't require me to switch guitars for tuning purposes.

I haven't had any relationship with the manufacturer because I've never had reason to call it up with complaints.

I've been playing classical guitar for 25 years and bluegrass for 16. I also own a fretless Fender Standard P-Bass, an Alhambra 9FC, an Antonio Mar??n Montero 2005, a Bourgeois County Boy, a Martin D-28 Marquis and D-40FW, some crappy little Yamahas and a bunch of hand-me-down Frankenguitars, dulcimers and other stuff.

This Blueridge is a great guitar. I really wish people would stop using Martin (even mine!) as THE gold standard. I frequently use the Blueridge as my primary guitar while performing and the Martin as my secondary for unorthodox tunings. Know what? People dance, I smile and my bandmates stop cursing the presence of an Asian guitar on their hallowed stage.



Bad news for lefties. Blueridge is no longer manufacturing the BR-160 in lefty mode. Thinking I'd be bummed if I were to lose mine and couldn't replace it, I bought another one last month.

You already know all the specs/features; mine came w/a strap button installed on the neck; i like the bone nut and saddle, dislike the plastic bridge pins (replacing w/ ebony pins that are on order). My spruce top has dark lines that run w/the grain; they actually give the top a cool look. the pickguard is not as bad as I thought; the headstock inlay is, from what I understand, a 'veneer' or thin sheet that is applied to the finished top- before the topcoat? I don't know; it looks ok, not bad. For the money, the whole thing is GREAT- solid woods, nice bracing, clean.

BRIGHT tone, I'm hoping it mellows a little with the ebony pins and time. It sounds great- very even tone, louder by far than my other guitars. I think it'll end up sounding better and better over time. I haven't tried medium gauge on it yet- lights sound really good and the action is very nice.

Action was great- I got it used on eBay for 366(!) with very very little wear on it ( a few scratches on pickguard!). tuned up great. It buzzes a tiny bit on A and D strings at ~ the 5th to 7th frets. Many people have told me that a simple fret dress will take care of it. I don't even notice it unless I'm really hitting it hard. Some sloppy stainwork on the top-side of the fretboard (by the side fret markers) at the 1st to 3rd frets. barely notice it. One tiny bubble in the topcoat on the spruce top. can't see unless holding it to a light and catching a reflection. Very clean inside. Poorly mounted tuners, crooked and obviously quickly mounted. Pretty small complaints that have very little to do with what I care about, which is how is sounds.

I've only had the guitar for a couple weeks so I can't really speak about how durable it is. It seems solid enough, and aside from some new tuners in the future, I think it will last a lifetime. I think.

No opinion- got it used and will never deal with the company I expect. For the price, who cares!

Been playing for 26 years; I've got two other acoustics (beater laminates, but both play and sound fine), two electrics, lots of electronics, mandolin, lots more. I love this guitar- plays great, and I think it will just sound better and better with age. I'd get another if lost or stolen, maybe another model just to check it out- they're cheap enough! I played a few Martins, ranging from 15s, 16s and one D-18, range in cost was from 900.00 to 2100.00 (electronics included in the pricey ones). I liked this one better than any of them, and saved 600 to 1800.00! I'll get it professionally set up soon, and then it'll be even more righteous.

Features:
Year: 2003
Blueridge BR160
Aged Toner Finish
Headstock Inlay (beautiful)
Bone Nut/Saddle
Spruce Top/Indian Rosewood Back and Sides
No electronics
Tuners: Sealed Butterbeans

Golden Gate Hardshell Case.

The Blueridge 160 that I own is full of volume and tone. I have heard many guitarists with age and experience say that a guitar conforms to it's owner's style. I play mine with a vengence. It rings like a liberty bell. I personally play in a bluegrass band in which my uncle plays rhythm on a 1964 Martin D-28 (with the genuine Brazilian Rosewood) and my 160 stays right with it easily. They actually sound very similar. He'll agree. Granted the 64 is worth about 10 times what my 160 is though. haha I love Martins and I love Blueridges. I own two Martins myself including a Limited Edition HD-28. Every guitar is different. I won't claim that my 160 will be better than anyone elses guitar without hearing the proof with my own ears, but this one is truly a jem. Many fans of our group tell me to put my Martins up and ALWAYS play my Blueridge after they hear me play each of them. These are folks who mostly aren't guitarists. They are folks that know if music sounds good or doesn't. As for playablility, all my guitars play just as I want them to. I set them up myself. I don't prefer one over the other. I love the distinction of my Martins. But for some odd reason, the blueridge does out-perform them in virutally every catergory. Just include this in the list of guitars to own. Don't pass a Martin or any other high-quality guitar up based on any single opinion. Every guitar has it's beauty and personality. Blueridge is simply a great guitar and I confidently stand by that claim based on my 160.

Was set-up quite well from the factory. Wood and workmanship looks excellent. I'd have to say perfection for the money. One flaw that has appeared, is a crack in the top-side in the valley of the slope. It's about 3 inches long and runs parallel with the grain. Will it continue? We'll see. Does it hurt the sound? Hasn't hurt it yet. Will I get it repaired? Within another year if it gets worse. I build instruments and I would do it myself. It's not a drastic law though.

I bought my 160 to perform with. I own Martins and I'm afraid to let anyone touch them. The 160 is my workhorse. I encourage people to play the heck out of it. Very durable guitar considering the abuse it has taken. And yes, I have used it many times in gigs without a back-up. Never has let me down a single time.

I would assume it would be based on the dealer. I have never had to have mine repaired. Saga is a good company though. I wouldn't say great, but good.

I have been playing 23 years and I have owned/played a substantial amount of guitars in those years. Yes it it were stolen I'd try (hope and pray) to get another 160 that even came close to comparing to this one. I have yet to hear a bad one though. Action is great (factory). Flatpicking is phenominal on it. Many guitarists/listeners have fell in love with it. Sound is extraordinary. I have owned this guitar for a few years now and there's definately no box sound here. It slams most dreadnoughts like Andre The Giant. 20 years from now? Mercy.

Chinese made Dreadnaught guitar, basically a Martin D-28 clone. Has a bone nut and saddle, vintage style open back tuners and a slightly "aged" high gloss finish. This guitar looks like a Martin HD-28 (but with a VERY over the top "fancy" headstock design!), and has according to the Saga website a "pre-war" forward shifted scalloped bracing like the old Martin HD-28s... This is not true - the bracing is not forward shifted, and it is more "parabolic" than scalloped... The construction is much more comparable to an after-war standard D-28, and so is it??s sound...

I play kind of folky stuff, Neil Young type of stuff, Indie, Alt Country, etc... mostly strumming rythms with a pic. Therefore this guitar beats most other guitars in that price range - big, clear american Dreadnaught sound in the tradition of Martin guitars... It sounds very much like a standard D-28, and has basically the SAME sound as the Guild GAD-50 (no wonder, same construction, same factory!!!). Compared it to a Guild GAD-50, a Nashville Takamine, an american made Guild dreadnaught for about 2000 $ and a Taylor 210... I did like the expensive Guild a little bit better, the GAD-50 sounded exactly the same (but the Blueridge felt better), the Taylor was VERY nice too but a bit too open and glassy sounding for me - and - the Blueridge was the better deal price wise!!!

People saying that tese guitars are nothing for pros and just sound like chinese junk are ignorant snobs - this guitar holds up against many more expensive guitars, those Chinese do such a good job that Guild (GAD series) and Epiphone (Masterbilt) are making their guitars in the same factory now as Saga...

Very good setup from the factory - had not to change everthing!

As with all massive guitars this guitar cannot be beaten as an electric - the open tuners do a fine job, the finish is flawless - very good. I??d have an older Ovation for stage use, though...

I play for about 14 years and I??m mainly playing electric. But this guitars sounds so nice that I??m playing much more acoustic stuff than before.

Basic well put together all solid wood dreadnaught guitar; nothing fancy except the headstock which is lavished with MOP. I'd have been happy with something a bit more restrained, but the rest of the guitar suits me fine. The woods used are beautiful, the finish essentially flawless.

I purchased the left handed version of this guitar, the only LH guitar Blueridge makes, and had to pay $100 more than the RH version. Having said that, for the sound this thing puts out it was worth every penny. A word of warning though, when I played it literally straight out of the box it didn't sound like what I expected, I guess that is the "boxy" sound that others are describing. Now that I have owned it and played it for a few months things have really loosened up and the sound is incredible. I'm wondering if it will keep changing and keep getting better. If it changes will it be better? Is there a better guitar sound than the sound this BR-160LH is making right now? If there is, I have not heard it and I have played lots of guitars for a long time. No doubt this is a fantastic sounding guitar and the best thing out there for the money, or a lot more money, or any money at all that I know of.

On initial inspection this guitar was perfect, not a flaw anywhere, and the setup was excellent, low and fast. It is very easy to play and the frets are very smooth. After a month or so I did find one flaw, on the upper side of the upper bout there is a very very small dimple in the finish. It is so small that I would never have noticed it but for the very smooth shiny surface. By holding it in the light just right I can see the flaw, but it takes a minute to find it. Given the way the guitar is sounding, I wouldn't consider returning it over this extremely small imperfection.
There was one curious thing at first and that was an odd smell to the guitar, almost like freshly cut wood, but strange smelling wood. In any case, the smell was gone in a few days. I suspect it had something to do with the wood, glue and finish as well as being packaged up inside plastic. This smell wasn't exacly bad, but it was a smell and I'm glad that it went away swiftly.

I regularly use this guitar in my church, mainly playing for the teenagers, and at a local old folks home, it has yet to give me any problems. It seems to be well built, but this is something that only time will tell. For any rough treatment, camping and so on, I use my Yamaha beater.

Never had a reason to contact them.

I have been playing guitar for about 24 years and own Martin and Yamaha acoustics as well as a few electric guitars. I have played a lot of guitars over the years (I can play both left and right handed) and this Blueridge is undoubtedly an excellent guitar; in there with the best. It plays very well, like a Taylor, and sounds fantastic, like - but not identical to - a good Martin D-28 (not all D-28s sound the way a D-28 should). I'm not sold on the open backed tuners and the headstock is a little garish for my tastes. With those very minor caveats, I don't hesitate to recommend this guitar, it is undoubtedly one of the best values out there and I have no regrets about not paying 4 times as much for a Martin D-28. It is the best gamble I have ever made on a sight unseen and, more importantly, unheard guitar. If $ 600 is your price limit, the Blueridge BR-160 is the guitar to get.

2004 model, rosewood back and sides, sitka spruce top. All solids.

i write and record a range of musical styles; ballads, pop-rock, jazz, souls, country. You name it!
The BR160 is terrific for the big, strummy stuff ( i have a BR163 for the fingerpicked, detailed parts) both have taken precedence over my Taylor 613CE, Gibson J200jr, and Guild D15.

well set-up, well put-together, and very well-finished.

looks good and durable. Mine'll live in the studio, but this looks the business all-round.

easy to deal with the uk distributors, and the retailer (County Music Supplies, Shrewsbury, UK)

i have played for 25 years, taught for 7, and work as a guitar technician. I own pretty well every guitar/amp i could have dreamed of in my youth, numerous Gibsons, Gretsches, Guild,Taylor, Yamaha,Rickenbackers .... no Martins! I bought the Blueridge BR163 over a Martin OM42, saving nearly three thousand pounds ( just under $5000 US)