Blueridge BR-160

I have been playing from the age of 12 years am now 70 years of age played just about every kind of guitar there is..my main ones have been the j45 Gibson and the D35 Martin..I ordered a Blueridge got it in today-8-8-03 its alot perttier than the Gibson or Martin eather one tuned it--- it played stright out of the box the set up could'nt have been any better. after about two hours playing I think if i had to sell..the Gibson and Martin will go before the Blueridge will..I have never seen a finer guitar at any price...if Gibson or Martin made a guitar that looked this good and played stright of the wall like the Blueridge does it would cost 4,000 t0 6,000 dollars..Doyle Walker Texas

Bluegrass

could not be better

just bought it.. But it is built ever bit as good as my Gibson j45 or my Martin D35

from the looks of it I will never need them

I been playing for 58 years--Guitar-Dobro-Banjo-Steel-Guitar

2003 model 160,solid sitka spruce top and solid east indian rosewood back and sides,herringbone trim,small but beautifully designed headstock, really fast neck

i play mostly bluegrass gospel music, and this guitar is perfect for that style. Always cuts through and is never buried under loud vocals.This guitar has a sweet tone with the right amount of bass. For the record, i have played Martins that sound just as good, but have never played one that sounds better.

Action on this guitar is average, just right for me, though other players might desire to have it lowered

Everything on this unit appears to be very solid. this guitar will definitely stand up to hard live playing, no matter what type of music. the strap button under the neck is kind of loose, but no big deal, and i would definitely use this unit without a backup

One year warranty, never had to use customer support.

I have been playing for about 15 years, I record all my own music, and this guitar sounds great thru my roland vs1824cd. I would definietly buy this guitar again if lost or stolen, after i killed who stole it. The bottom line is this.....The days of having to pay at least $1800 dollars for an awesome acoustic are over. My friends have Martins and after i bought this, I laughed at them.....all the way to the bank. To take it a step further, I would pay Martin price for this gutiar before I'd pay Martin price for a Martin. Many people cant handle that a foreign guitar is pretty much making void the legacy that Martin has built. Blueridge is the next king.

Made in China for Saga Musical Instruments...beleive me, not as scary as it sounds. Is from '02. Is settling nicely in this climate (Toronto), but will need to be humidified during winter.

Standard, mid-range quality case. Doesn't matter, as it hardly spends any time in it!

Solid Sitka Spruce Top - nicely cut, grains are neat and tight. Should hold up well with age.
Solid Rosewood back/sides. The wood is beautiful and dark, bookmatched nicely. Doesn't present the "reddish tinge" of traditional material selected for guitar making.
Nice herringbone on top, marquetry on back.
14 frets to body. Rosewood fingerboard, no binding/rosewood bridge.
Martin D28 style. Nice inlay on peghead, snowflake inlay on fingerboard..some filler present, but doesn't detract from overall look.
Bone nut and saddle.
Tuners are nice, nickle coated, enclosed 14:1 ratio.

The neck is thin in height and mid-sized in width, Takamine-like in finish. Appears to be two-peice, but I could just be fooled by the grain and staining.

Only surprise: The peghead is beautiful but really, shockingly small at first. Don't worry,it grows on you...and after a few weeks, you've stopped mentally imposing a Martin peghead on it. Angle on the pins is also tight, but not a problem.

Is a bit tight to start off with, but opens up almost immediately with some use. Has big sound, but is balanced, and is especially mellow in the mid-range. Really nice. I play Dave Matthews style, and so work heavily with the top four strings...and man, can this guitar handle it!

Granted, the top is spruce, so will take several years to open upcomletely, but I have no concerns about the sound...it's great now, and can only get better.

Set-up: is fine, maybe a bit too high for my tastes....but I'm working on developing a nice fresh set of calluses, so I'll stck with it for a few months.

Action is reasonably fast, but kep in mind that it takes time to get comfortable with any new instrument. Just becasueit says "fast neck" doesn't mean that you'll automatically get faster, the minute that you pick it up!

There is only one problem: "dead spot" eg. the "pitch" of the new-cut spruce top is apparently pretty close to the 8/9 frets on the A string, so there is little actual sustain there at the moment....but I'm sure with age, the wood will mellow and the sustain will show up. Everywhere else up and dow the fingerboard, the response is lovely and full.

That's my only real and significant complaint.

Nut is fine and the grooves should open with use; saddle has lots of room to play with. Is a matter of preference, really.

Chinsey pins, end peg...would do with a fresh set of your preference.
Strings from factory are Addagio lights and sound horrid. This guitar needs/demands/deserves the best set of mediums that you can afford.

I would have absolutely no qualms taking this guitar on stage, without backup. Stays tuned, standard or alternate, and I have no doubt that it can only improve.

I've only had it a few months, and have played it in small pubs where I didn't even need to amp-up. Fills the room with no problem, so based on my experience with it live so far, I think it'll be my regular axe for years to come.

Don't know...don't really expect much. There's no distributer for the Blueridge line in Canada, so I pretty much figured that I was on my own, anyway.

No worries either...know plenty of talented, reliable luthiers,should the need arise.

Been playing for 15 years, and have been working with a '60's Framus and a mid-80's 12-string Takamine for most of those. As a general rule, I try to stick with playing other folks' Martins. Too rich for my blood. This guitar ensures that I won't have to re-mortgage my home to sound as good as they do!

I would be devestated if I lost it ten years from now, I'm sure. The only consolation would be that I could replace it with a used one that's already been broken-in!

I took chance on a guitar that I could not play before-hand, and am not disappointed in my choice. It's not a Martin, but then again, I've only been impressed with a few of those over the years. It looks, feels and sounds like one though, and that's what counts. You'll fool and depress your musician friends by wading into a jam with this baby!

This is a solid, well-made guitar, and is definitely worth the list price of $800 US. If you're looking for a cheap guitar with that small luthier feel and sound, then this is the one I would recommend.

Solid Sitka Spruce Top, Solid (Beautiful) Indian Rosewood back and sides, Mohagany neck with no visible luthiers joint (one piece neck?). The inlay on the headstock is amazingly beautiful, and it has snowflake position markers on the neck. The top is bound with a solid white strip and a herringbone inlay. I was not impressed with the original "vintage" looking pickgaurd (very open tortoise shell), so I changed it to a "tighter" grained tortoise shell pickgaurd. Amazing features for the price!

I play a lot with a group of folks with some VERY nice guitars...high end Taylors, a Martin, and some original Mossmans, and I think this guitar compares nicely. It has all the "boom" of the Martin and Mossmans, and a really overall tone. It is a little "bright" at this moment, but I am convinced that over time it will do what most solid guitars do and "mellow" or "open up" nicely. I am very pleased with the overall sound. I have played in a couple of jams, and the guitar cuts through the mix well...it is LOUD!

I had to adjust the neck as the guitar acclimated to our weather. I may adjust the saddle some when I install a pickup. The saddle is bone...not sure about the nut. It was set up as well as any new guitar I've seen. Action is good, but may need to be adjusted to suit your personal taste.

Finish: High gloss finish all around...1 small glitch on the side of the fretboard, but nothing annoying. The inlay strip on the back joint and the end joint is a nice wood marquetry. Be warned though, that the color of the top is a little "orange"...I think it is stained this way in an effort to look vintage. It is not awful, it is just not what I expected.

I have only had the guitar for 2 weeks, but I have no concerns about durability. I think it will stand up well under heavy playing.

Supposed to have a one year warranty...but I haven't dealt with them, and I do a lot of my own work (setup, minor repair, etc.)

I have been playing for 15 years, and have owned a Yamaha knockoff and a couple of Takamine's. I love my early 80's Tak, but this guitar is a great substitute. I play lots of styles (Contemp. Christian, Gospel, Country, Bluegrass, Acoustic Rock, etc.), and this guitar works in all of them. It is very versitile. I took a chance on a guitar I couldn't play, and I am more than pleased!

Copy of Martin HD 28,forward X bracing, parabolic scalloped bracing, made in China. Beautiful finish. Looks like a Martin. All solid wood, spruce top, rosewood back and sides.

Full, deep, clear sound. Really everything you can ask from a D guitar. Rich, mellow and it is brand new. Loud. As Tony Rice says of his Martin, a cannon.

Guitar was well set up. Just brought down the nut and saddle to my taste, neck needed no adjustment.

Feels solid. Quality enclosed butterbean tuners. Its new so I really can't say more.

I have no idea. 1 year warranty.

This guitar eliminates the need to spend big bucks on an expensive guitar. I love it and have quite a guitar collection. It really is as good as it looks and can recommend it without reservation.

this is a 2002 model br160 blueridge by saga full size acoustic it has a solid sitka spruce top solid east indian rosewood back and sides abalone snowflakes on the fetboard and beautiful inlays on the headstock with blueridge on ascroll white herringbone binding on the body butter bean tuners hold tuning very well rosewood bridge and fretboard mahogany neck is solid very impressive

this guitar is awesome sounds great with flat pick or fingers it does every thing will sound even better as this wood ages very good action and intonation harmonics bloom like jewels

this guitar was spick and span clean it rivals many top brands on the market has avery nice gloss finish i did not have to do any adjustments

this guitar seems very durable will handle live playiny everything is solid

customer support is great only downside is one year warranty but i ordered direct they said inspect play it if you dont like it send it back no problem

i have been playing for 27 years i have a carvin colbalt acoustic a martin dm alvarez 12 string the br160 is sweet i would buy again if stolen i would compare it to a martin d28