Blueridge BR-160

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Hard to believe. When I got the guitar, it had been set up with those aweful buzzy Martin phosphor Bronzes with the bronzed B & E string. I was sent into immediate buyer's remorse. Then I got my head straight, hung some D'Addario Phosphor Bronze lights played for about 30 minutes until it broke in a bit and WOW. Definitely a Martin sound. Big bottom end but not too big. Sometimes Martins are too boomy in the bass for my taste, but the 160 is just right. I'd give it comparable if not better marks against the Martins for Bass end. Mids compare well. Highs are not as complex as most Martins, especially the 28's and 18's. But it has a wonderful evenness of response. I think when it opens up the Martin lead on the highs will probably narrow a bit. No problem with compression either. I didn't find it as loud as some of the reviews here; definitely not a cannon. But it does have the Martin punch. It responds very well to dynamics. Just a slight bit of loss in complexity when you go up the neck. I play a lot of flatpick style (David Grier, Tony Rice, Etc) and I would say it definitely fills the bill for that.

Solid feeling. Very light. Great action! I'm a little worried about the neck. It is made out of a pretty low grade mahagony and is one piece. From what I understand, the strength of the neck in the transition between the fingerboard and the headstock is compromised in single piece necks. For that reason, I don't think I would ever hang mediums on this guitar. Time will tell if this neck has longevity. The fingerboard looks to be fairly low grade rosewood stained to look like ebony. In other words, it looks like they took their short cuts on the neck. The nut is really nice. Looks like they spent some time on it. The interior of the box is really well done. The braces look hand carved. Nice tight fit. Really superb and I think that it shows in the sound. Top is mid grade spruce. Back and sides nice looking rosewood. Finish is pretty good. Typical paint wells where the neck meets the body. There is a little bit of warp on the top horn where the top meets the top binding but overall, a good paint job. I'm not at all bothered by the aging stain or the pick guard. I think it looks pretty cool. I am worried about what the guitar will look like when it is 20 years old though! Something that does bug me that no one else seemed to mention is the rosette. I wish they had put a herringbone ring in the rosette. Its a bit too simplistic without and doesn't balance well with the beautifully done herringbone edge trim. Flawless job on the headstock inlays but there is some epoxy around the fret markers. Bridge is nicely done. I've got no problems with the saddle. Cheap tuners will do for now but I definitely will replace. Already replaced the bridge pins. All things said, this guitar is a real looker and a dream to play!

As mentioned above, I don't know about the single piece neck. I'd check with a few luthiers if it bugs you. It is a very solid yet very light guitar. Sometimes asian made guitars wind up feeling like toys. Not this one.

I've been playing for 29 years and I got to say: for the price, this guitar is astonishing! It really does hold its own against the average Martin. I cannot wait to hear it when it really opens up. If you are like me and can't afford $2000+ for a guitar but have a picky ear for tone, then this is probably the best you're going to do. If it were lost or stolen, I definitely would go right back for another. In fact, I know I'm going to eventually get the 183 for fingerstyle stuff. These blueridge people got me won over! I'm giving it a nine just as a guitar but for the price, it is really a 10.

the spruce top was really tighted grained

its a flatpickers dream! the day i bought my blueridge i played three guitars that a HD-28 and D-40. the blueridge out played the HD-28 but had almost the punch of the martin D-40. also the wife was happy about the extra shopping money

the action was about right. its the best $500 dollar guitar ive ever seen

there is not a day that goes by the it dont played. it should last for years. the tuners look like there mad cheap but for a $500 dallar guitar what do expect every thing cant be perfect

1 year warranty is not long but should last for years

2003 model. I purchased on ebay, mostly due to comments I read here. I was not dissappointed. I sold my Taylor 514 as this is better. Unbeleivable value for the money. I use a lot of alternate tunings, so it's handy to have several acoustics. Blueridge makes that affordable -without sacrificing anything

Very balanced sound, with considerably more bass than my "tinny" sounding Taylor. Great for hard flatpicking as well as delicate fingerpicking.

Set up was not perfect. Had to lose the crappy strings and do a little tweaking. It's fine now. Fit & finish is excellent, although they got a bit carried away with the "aging" toner, making it a bit too orangey. My main complaint was the ridiculous looking "dalmation" pickguard, which was falling off anyway. I immediately replaced it with a Martin style tortoise shell guard (which fit perfectly) Looks great now! I also replaced the bridge pins, as they kept falling out. The tuners do look cheap, but so far seem to work fine.

Appears to be a tank. Wouldn't mind a body strap button. Backup? --you can break strings on anything.

Warranties are for cars & washing machines. The Chinese now appear to be making as good of stuff as anyone, for a lot less money. In this price range -don't fret about warranties...........

Been playing over 35 yrs. Have owned hundreds of guitars, mostly electrics -but among acoustics, have owned Martins, Gibsons, Taylors, Takamines, Larrivees, etc. The BR-160 hold it's own with any of them, for a fraction of the cost. I will probably buy more Blueridges, whether it is lost or stolen, or not. I do wish they made something with a pickup & eq setup.

2004 Br-160. Dreadnaught. Sitka/Indian rosewood, all solid. Mahogany neck. "Aging toner" on the top, makes it a little orangy. Gloss finish all over, lots of abalone, herringbone purfling. Bone nut and saddle, TUSQ bridge pins. Rosewood bridge and fretboard. Came with a Geib style case. Very happy with the features of the guitar. Slightly thinner in body depth than my D-28, otherwise very similare in dimensions. Fancier trim than the D-28. Knocking one point off because I would prefer this guitar without the 'aging toner' (orange wood stain). Otherwise, a 10.

Great sound out of this. Nice clean highs and medium bass (not as bassy as the D-28, not as bright as a Taylor... fills a great space right in between). Leads cut through great. Perfect for rythym and flatpicking. Fingerpickers might want to look into the Br-163 with wider string spacing.

Action seems a little high for me, even though I'm a strummer more than anything. Will probably try lowering the action at the saddle and going from there. The finish all looks good. No sloppy glue, even gloss coat. This is picky, but some of the pieces of abalone in the inlay are far less lusterous than others, but that's VERY minor. The pickguard is coming up just a touch at the bottom, not even enough to slip the corner of a piece of paper into. No biggie, looks like it's staying like that. Also, it's a little irritating that they glued the strap pin in. I never use a strap, I'd prefer it gone.

The headstock is too small, changing strings is a bit of a pain, I'm sure others have already commented on that. I'm dealing with it, it's fine.

Seems sturdy enough. I got this guitar as my beater, so we'll see how the beach and car treat it. All seems well made though, and doesn't feel unstable.

1 year wartranty. Fine for a $500 dollar guitar. Haven't had to deal with Customer Service, doubt I will.

I got this guitar to travel with me rather than carting the far more expensive D-28 around. This is the best VALUE out there for a solid wood acoustic. Does it sound as nice as my D-28? No, I can't try to trick myself into thinking that. It's not as complex in sound or as deep on the bass side. Does it sound better than any guitar I've heard under $1000? Oh yeah, especially when compared to the low end models made by some of the high end manufacturers (Martin DM/DX/15 series, Taylor Big Baby/310). I tell everyone about this guitar and am trying to convince some beginning players to skip the typical beginner guitars, save some cash, and start off with a great sounding instrument, the Blueridge. If it was lost or stolen, I'd replace it without a second thought. A great sounding guitar I don't feel guilty about taking to potentially unfriendly environments... it's exactly what I wanted, and haven't seen anything else that could fill that gap for $500.

I think Cylus is wrong about Blueridge guitars going down in value. My dealer told me as of July 1st, Saga is raising the price of all Blueridge guitars $100. For all of us who own Blueridge guitars, they are worth more now! Besides, you ought to own one before you judge them! If mine were lost or stolen, I'd buy another and I'll have to pay more for it. They are a Fantastic value and a great bluegrass guitar!

Solid spruce top with the tightest grain I've seen on any guitar.
Solid rosewood back and sides. Very well made crafted instrument, including finish and the inside is as clean as any of the high end
American made models. This is a solid well made guitar. It deserves maybe some better tuners but they seem to function fine and I have had no promblems with them. Like Cylus I have been playin for a long time and have toured and played in the U.S. and Europe.I still make
my living in the music business.

The sound of these guitars is truly amazing considering the cost. I'm not gonna get into a big list of guitars I have owned or played regardless of the cost of some of them, the bottom line is what do they sound like? I can honestly say that the BR160 rates with the best dreadnaught models I have ever had and that can be a hard thing to admit when you have always considered the American made guitars the best in the world.

Very well crafted the spruce top is the finest grade I've seen and compares easily to my Engleman top guitars I own.

So far not any problems everything performs well including any truss rod adjustments nice and smooth.

So far haven't needed any but I know Saga is a well respected music
company.

If your looking for a guitar that will compete with the big 3 major
U.S. brands then I would suggest to give one of these a try. If you happen to have owned some of the higher end American models you
will have a good basis for judging this line. Last I would like to say
that I'm not bashing any of the American made lines because I own a lot of them and make my living playing and recording with them. I am simply saying in fairness that the Blueridge dreadnaughts are
amazing sounding and will compete with the upper market and in lot of comparisons will out perform them you be the judge.

Nice basic no frills guitar

Played one in a store. It sounded good, but have to disagree with Everette. It didn't sound Gibson good, or Martin good. Someone needs to give Everette a spelling lesson also, and remind him 5 years down the road, his Blueridge will go down in value while a vintage Martin or Gibson will go up in value. I know this, I have a 1955 D28, a 1965 D18, and a 1970 Gibson J50. Yes I have played almost 61 years, so I think I can speak with authority on these matters. Toured for almost 42 years, but now am content to sit and remember the testimony I built!

Well made, liked the faded top.

Have to wait and see, seems well built.

Solid spruce top, solid Indian Rosewood back and sides. Rosewood neck and fretboard. Dovetail joint. etc etc.

My style is still developing. I have owned a Takamine N-10, purchased over 15 years ago. Nice cedar top guitar with mahogany back and sides. Warm tone, easy playing. I wanted something else, and found the Blueridge articles and "BUZZ" on the Net. Bought the BR140 first, and have had that for about 2 months now. Nice solid mahogany guitar with identical appointments to the BR160, minus some purfling and inlay details.

The BR160 is the much better guitar in my opinion. The bone nut and saddle make a big difference, as does the Rosewood. The sustain is excellent and very ringing. The guitar is very lightweight, which is an indication of a very resonant instrument.

Guitar was setup with almost perfect action. Much lower than standard factory setups. Its just right. Finish is virtually flawless. The pickguard on this 160 is beveled, (whereas it was not on the earlier BR140.) Believe it or not, the "vintage" orange-ish finish of the top looks better on the 160 than it does on the 140. I can't explain why. The whole thing just looks better, (and I've been studying the 140 for 2 months in contrast.)

My only knock on it is that the B string buzzes a bit if you strum it hard and don't press very firmly right behind the frets. I've had this issue with guitars before, so its nothing new. The BR140 has it as well, and that one came with a plastic compensating saddle. (Didn't help.)

Seems very durable. Everyone reports no problems. Saga certainly has dialed in a winner here.

This is an instrument that will let you play to your ability without getting in the way. How deceiving in how the cheap guitar makes you so less confident about your playing. You don't have to worry about that with this guitar. It will go anywhere you want. Its a great deal.

For the money, it is the guitar deal of the world right now. I've strummed Martins, and for the money, there is no comparison. Sure, I would say the Martin I most recently played, (HD-28LV, new) was better. (It sure smelled better! Wow!) But not $2300 better!

Everyone should be paying around $1200 for this guitar. I made sure to snap one up before the prices went higher. They seem stable on eBay for now, but who knows what might change in the future. If Saga keeps this up, you can be sure we will all soon be playing these orange guitars with dalmation pickguards.

I thoroughly reviewed the Blueridge Guitar line before I purchased one, and only heard good things about them so i bought one. I was contemplating purchasing a Martin HD-28, before I became turned on to these guitars. Beautiful Solid Spruce Top, Perfectly Matched Solid Indian Rosewood Back and Sides. Beautiful and Tasteful snowflake inlay on the fretboard. I personally think the pickguard and vintage toner on top really make the guitar look cool, and set it apart from the crowd. I like the thinner neck it has. Tuners stay in tune great, and love the vintage look on those too.

What more can I say about the sound of this guitar than to say that it is a CANNON!! Like I said, I was seriously contemplating purchasing a Martin HD-28 before I played one of these, and I know this will offend the die-hard Martin players out there, but this guitar sounded better than two of the HD-28's I played prior to the purchase of this guitar. I play a lot of bluegrass, and mainly then, its rhythym guitar. This thing is perfect for that. But it is also perfectly suited for lead playing as well. It has a slightly better bass response than the HD-28, and tons better mids and treble response than the HD-28. It's really unbelievable that this guitar only cost $500!!!!!

I have looked this guitar over thoroughly and have found absolutely nothing that would be thought of as "cheap" or "typical" of a foreign made instrument. In fact this guitar, being foreign made, seems much nicer than many domestic guitars ive come across.

This guitar seems rock solid. The woods are very solid, and the finish seems of very good quality. Ive heard negative things about the tuners, but from what Ive experienced they seem very good,a nd stay in tune great.

No dealings

I cannot say enough good things about this guitar. I am constantly amazed. I would have bought this guitar if it had cost $2500+, but the fact that they only cost $525-$550, makes them, in my opinion the best deal in the guitar market. Keep an eye out, Blueridge will be the next big brand. If this guitar were stolen I would waste no time in buying me another one. I love the sound of the guitar. I just think its the perfect bluegrass guitar.

Made in 2003. Features as noted in other reviews. Solid woods with spruce top and back with rosewood sides. Not overly fancy, but well equipped.

The soud is amazing. I have had experienced players go wide-eyed when playing my guitar. First question most have asked is how much did you pay for it? Most did not believe the price. For me, the clarity and sustain are amazing and it is the best sounding guitar I have played

The action was low, which suits my fingerstyle playing. I have looked hard to find flaws in the fit and finish, but haven't found any. The frets are excellent. I love the grain of the wood. It is well matched.

I have only had the guitar for 3 months now, but it gives every appearance of being very durable and reliable. All of the construction is tight and solid

I have not dealt directly with Saga. Surprisingly, there is only a 1-year warranty. The quality merits a better warranty.

I have been playing guitar and banjo for 30 years. I would defintely go for another if this one was lost or stolen. It is the best guitar I have ever owned. I really love the overall appearance. It is classy without being gaudy. The neck is wonderful and fast. It stays in tune and is a joy to play. I looked at everything available in the price range and there was no comparison. I might put a pickup on it someday, but it is plenty loud enough to be heard.