Blueridge BR-163

Blueridge BR-163 Historic Series 000 Acoustic Guitar Features:

Select solid Sitka spruce top
Hand-carved forward X-pattern parabolic braces
Solid select Indian rosewood back and sides
000 body size
Slim mahogany neck
East Indian rosewood fingerboard
Dovetail neck joint at 14th fret
Bone nut and saddle
1-11/16" nut width
25-1/2" scale length
East Indian rosewood bridge
Rosewood headstock overlay
Unique mother-of-pearl and abalone design headstock inlay
Delicate herringbone top inlay and back center stripe
Aged natural finish
White binding
Dalmatian tortoise pickguard
Vintage-style 14:1 ratio nickel-plated tuners
Butterbean-style tuner buttons


With hard shell case .

My uncle has a Martin 000-28ec ... i was astonished by the small body 000 and the sound of it . having a dreadnought and small finger , i choose to start looking at martin guitar 000 ( auditorium ) small body . then i heard about blueridge and the guy at the store told me there were awesome .


They are fantastic . better than any entry level Martin in the 1000ish range . fantastic look and playability . sound great . i havent try the br-183 but the br-163 is one of the greatest guitar i have play ( and can be compare to the Martin 000-28ec )

I find mine MINT on ebay for 500 $ and its the best buy ive ever made . You know that feeling that you have now a guitar that will last you for several years cause youre holding a quality instrument in your hand . thats what this guitar bring you .


made in china ... who cares . whats better : cheap wood , laminating etc.. crafted by Martin in USA , or top quality solid wood crafted in China . dont let the china fool you .. this guitar is built of quality . Martin couldnt bring you Indian rosewood under 1000 $ for sure .

this guitar sound beautiful . very rich . more powerful than the 000-28ec id even guess to say .

Now let me say im not a purist . ive play the 000-28ec and my br-163 .

does my blueridge sound like a martin ... id say yes and no ... does it sound great .. hell yeah . i dont want it to sound like the 000-28ec it has his sound and its beautiful .

you want a martin sound ... buy a martin .. but expected to pay 2500 + for a indian rosewood/spruce guitar from Martin . Blueridge bring you one in the 700 $ brand new .

Bottom line : Awesome guitar at a fantastic price . just enough quality without being a piece of art and craftmanship ( like the guitar in 4000 + ) .

Buy one without any hesitation and highly recommend it . a solid 10 /10 for a solid wood guitar . Thanks to SAGA and blueridge to bring a quality guitar at a price that wont break your wallet .

not everyone are professional or have the money to buy a 3500 + guitar that is the top of crafting and workmanship . Im playing guitar as a hobbie and i dont have 3000 $ to spend on a guitar . Blueridge bring me the quality and feeling of playing a 3000 $ 000-28ec martin without breaking my wallet . the 25.5 scale vs the 24.9 ( of the Martin 000-28ec ) didnt change a thing IMO ( im a small finger player and the guitar is just perfect ). it give a bit more power to the guitar IMO and its jsut perfect. dont let the 25.5 stop you . its a fantastic value .

Cheers


Buy one , you wont regret it . if the 000 small body is your thing and cant /dont want to spend 3000+ on a guitar that is more a piece of art /relic than a guitar actually . then get Blueridge br-163 . a total worth every penny youll spend .

I bought mine MInt on ebay , perfect condition . no flaws .

Action is low which i love.

finish is awesome .. really feel like your holding a 2000 + Martin 000 in your hand .

I havent had the guitar for long enough , but its top quality so it should last for a while if oyu take care of it .

ive been playing electric guitar for several years .

i bought a dreadnought guitar and mostly didnt play with it ( too big for me ) small fingers .


then my uncle bought the Martin-00028ec ... thats were i discover the auditorium size ( 000 ) guitar . and couldnt resist buying one .. i jsut couldnt ( or actually didnt want to ) spend 3000+ on a guitar . so i bought the blueridge br-163 . fantastic guitar .

Crafted with a select solid spruce top, hand-carved X-bracing, choice solid rosewood back and sides, with herringbone top trim and a traditional dovetail neck joint.
Select solid Sitka Spruce top with hand-carved parabolic top braces in authentic prewar forward X-pattern
Solid, Select Indian Rosewood back and sides
Delicate herringbone top inlay and back center stripe
White binding
"000" body style with a 14th-fret body joint
Dovetail neck joint
Slim mahogany neck has adjustable truss rod and 1 11/16" nut width
Scale length of 25.5"
Rosewood bridge and bridge plate
bridge pins
Rosewood peghead overlay adorned with a unique Mother-of-pearl and abalone design
Saga's exclusive Dalmation style pickguard
Natural high-gloss finish with aging toner for perfect vintage look
klusion style tuner's like the 50ies styled Martins
This one has a pasive under the saddle pick. No idea of the brand but it works great. Made in china on 4\2004

I flat pick, strum, and finger style. I am a student so anything that gets thrown at me I'll try on it. The sound is very much like a 00028 EC. One thing I could tell a few weeks ago that the Clapton low e was a tad bit deeper. Like a Dreadnot. Been playing around with differnt types of strings. Martin sp4100 lights, sp4050 custom lights, and sp4200 med. I found that like most will say the lights are the best for it. Rich lows and clear highs. Very clear and even sounding. This br-163 was made in 4/04 so it has a couple of years on it.It seems to have opened up nicely. It really resonates long and clear. Tried some tosq bridge pins and it made the sound brighter than the plastic ones that were on there. I am now using some ebony pins and it looks like I found the right combo for this clapton killer. Wow!! I have a few other guitars a blueridge BR-183,Dean Zen, and Dean sweetwood DR. The two dean's were both worked with ivory nuts, saddles and Tosq bridge pins. The bone nut and saddle are perfect for the br-163. I only wish it came with an ebony bridge and finger board. This guitar came with a under the saddle pick up. Its very clear plugged in too.

Because it was used, the last owner had the action set low. Its about 2/32 at the 7th frett. No buzz what so ever.No need to adjust it. finsh on mine had some pitting on the top but it was used quite a bit but the rest is fine the back and the rosewood sides are all book marked. finsh looks thick and very glossy. I have read that some people don't like the orange top look. I love it. The OEM pick guard was removed by the last owner and I may buy a martin one to make my br-163 look more like the Clapton. The neck is thin but easy to handel. its slick to play.

So far I have it for a couple of months and its been very solid. The tuner are fine and keep the guitar in tuned very well. I would 100% depend on it. so far the 2 years of it's life look fine.

Well only tried to email saga for the br-183 and they never answered me. but I have not had the time to push the issue with them. Warranty only a year?? Wish they had more at least 5 year or better yet lifetime. One for the wish list...

Been playing for close to a year. Or better yet a student of the art for that time. What I love about the Br-163 is the sound and it's bang for the bucks. I fell in love with the Martin 00028ec but it was over 3500 at gc and on a tight buget that dream was not going to be realized anytime soon. Its worth its price gold. I only wished I had discoverd it sooner. If stolen I'd be heart broken. It would take a while to find one like this one. Yes,I would buy another one.
My other guitar's are Blueridge BR-183 (bought new playing it a few times a week to break it in.) Dean sweetwood DR solid wood, east indian rosewood, sitka top, and Dean Zen sitka top with maple back and sides.

This BR-163 was Made in China, all solid wood, spruce top rosewood back and sides,mahogany neck no pickup. Auditorium/000 size, high gloss finish,yellow toner not orange, open butterbean tuners. Jumbo frets very low profile neck. Ornamentation on headstock and Martin-style small snowflakes on fretboard, herringbone trim, white plastic binding.I guess that the Blueridge guitars has very nice features but it might not be up to standard of the more expensive brands, the finish being glossy polyester(not nitrocellulose) and a little overdone but all considered a very nice guitar in my point of view. However I think the "bigbrother" BR-183 looks too flashy to me, much like Martin D-45 and thats like wearing Armani and white italien shoes to me.I immedeatly had the pickguard switched to a tortoise because the "Dalmation" one was kind of ugly.

Well the sound is what it all comes down to.I'm a singer and when I sing I strum most of the time as backup, but I also like old-style fingerpicking so I need a guitar thats versatile. My previous guitar a Martin DM which is a pretty good allrounder and fits most musical style was ok but I needed an upgrade in quality and all guitars with American brands are about 35 percent!! more expensive in Denmark(and Europe) than in the US.Therefore I tried brands like the spanish made Alhambra which originally is a maker of spanish guitars and their steelstrings are very good sounding but is also a blend of western and spanish sound that is too special for me. Then there is the Czech brand Furch also known as Stanford or Stonebridge. These guitars are also very high quality with bright tone that sounds like a mix of Taylor and Larrivee, and a good deal cheaper than any american brand. I had settled on a Furch 00028EC copy that sounded amazing but then by coincidence I had the oportunity to try a BR-163 and found out that this guitar was kind of special and a lot more affordable too. The sound is to me a lot like the "real" 00028EC very focused loud and powerful but not so dark/warm like the Martin, a bit more open and bright sounding with a little better sustain. The volume is impressive for a small guitar and beats a lot of dreadnougths in power and loudness.From the listeners point the most audible sound is mids and the guitar sounds very loud when strummed but gets annoying when it's pushed too hard, flatpicked it's also nice. Fingerpicking and bluesy lead stuff is where it really shines but I guess in two or three months it will really show it's true potential. If you're more like a strummmer you should probably go with the BR-160 instead.I also tried the mahogany/spruce BR-140 which is a bit brighter sounding than the BR-163 but also sounded great and my original plan was to buy a dreadnought too but the top on the BR-140 was VERY orange and considering that I'd buy a Furch some other time, the quality is quite similar to Blueridge. I think the guitar is versatile and sounds very much like the big expensive brands, if it sounds exactly like a Martin I really don't care it sounds like a top quality guitar to me.

The action was high but I like medium high action. However the shop offers one year free adjustment so I can get it just right. I can't find any flaws on the guitar exept little too much finish but I've seen worse the tuners seem to work fine. The frets are jumbo size and that takes some practice to deal with if your'e used to Martin frets which are pretty low, it demands a lot lighter touch or else your'e fingers will sore with a more tight touch, but I don't think it's any problem it just takes some time gettin in to.The slim and very low profile neck is fast and easy to play but I'm used to a little wider neck but it's ok just takes some practice. I understand some players find it too slim. The abalone seems like nice work. As said above I had the shop change the dalmation-dotted pickguard to a tortoise because it emphasizes the orange tone of the top which by the way on my BR-163 is a nice kind of yellow pretty much like the original Martin 00028EC. The rosewood on the back and sides look very nice. I think the ornamentation on the BR-163 is just right but I can understand if somebody consider the headstock abalone being over the top I personally like allthough I must admit it looks a little "chinese"

I bought the guitar a few weeks ago so I can't really comment on that. The guitar is built in light materials it's not heavy at all but the finish seems kind of thick. I guess it will last.

One year warranty. Haven't dealt with Saga Music.

I'm 37 years and have played guitar since the age of 15, not proffesionally but I can hold my own. I started on a spanish Bjarton then a Gibson Les Paul, later on a Strat. Six years ago and up to now I studied Music and History at the University of Copenhagen. During my College-time I switched over to acoustic guitar first on a Seagull Folk', later on the Martin DM and eventually the Blueridge BR-163.I understand that Blueridge is hitting the big time in the US and I agree that there is nothing lacking here, everything seems to be top notch. The Martin dealers in Denmark wants to categorize Blueridge as a medium quality guitar like Cort, Garrison, Yamaha and lower Martins. To me there is'nt much that seperates BR to Martin if anything at all. I was looking for a medium priced high-quality guitar and I guess I found it in a chinese made Martin copy, it seems very unlikely but true. The power, tone and built quality says that this is not just asian made crap but a real fine instrument.

Headstock was a littlt to blingy for me but in person the guitar looks a lot better then in online pictures. The all solid wood body was nice with IRW sides and a spruce top for only 5 bills.

I have a Martin DM previously and I am really starting to like the sound of the blueridge a lot more. Sound seems a lot fuller and crisp

Action was great, very easy to play. Some issues with a little rattling in the inside of the guitar but this was due to some small pieces of wood that were easily shaken out.

Just got it yesterday so I don't really know how long it will last, but it seems to be sturdily built

Been playing for a couple years and own a couple other acoustics. If this were stolen I would find who stole it and beat them up with my esteban guitar

This is a new BR-163, 000 size body, solid sitka spruce top, solid RW back/sides, MAH neck, RW fingerboard/bridge. bone nut/saddle, plastic bridge pins, 14 frets clear, 1-11/16 nut and 2-1/4 bridge spacing. Gloss finish, some sort of open gear tuners - nickel, included free case and setup from seller - Onlineguitar.com. price $499 US. Very nicely finished, very clean inside, braces sanded well, no obvious glue drips, contact edges very beautifully fitted. Top is tinted about like Martin vintage toner, very nice deep amber, not at all orange. Rosewood is very evenly grained, very attractive, all inlays, bindings done very well. Pickguard is weird looking (to me) and I removed it as I will be playing fingerstyle on this guitar almost exclusively.

I have rather small hands and short fingers so the thin neck and the REALLY BIG LOVELY sound suits me perfectly. The last new guitar I played that sounded this nice with no play-in time was a Martin Brazilian RW Eric Clapton sig model that went for about 4,500 hundred. The sound is very bright and crisp, partly becasue of the new bone saddle. Bone takes some break in time and for a few days or weeks it will sound tinny and have some ringing sorts of overtones. I put on a set of Martin Fingerstyle strings 80/20 bronze and it sounds much nicer. In a week or so I'll go back to regular Phoshor strings. The sound is large, open, with deep harmonics and a very strong balance of volume. Great thumping bottom end and shimmering top as RW should sound. I couldn't be happier.

see above

I'd never gig without a backup, or use a strap without straplocks. There is a warranty from the seller.

see above

I've played for decades, all sorts of music, picks and fingers, loud soft hard whatever. I'm thinking of buying another one now to have a backup becasue the value is so great.

This is made in China. Saga Musical Instruments. All solid woods.Fancy inlay in headstock. Spruce top, rosewood back and sides, ebony fingerboard. Mahogany neck with stacked heel.Thin neck. Could be wider. I am used to 12 string guitars. More playable than a lot of 000 28's. Snow flake inlays. The finish is such that close inspection is necessary to see the stacked heel. Tuners are open gear Waverly copies. Dalmation pick guard. Reminds one of the old combs grandma had or the frames for spectacles. Herringbone trim. No pickup. Appears to be Tusq nut and saddle. Guitar is a copy of a Martin 00028 with forward X bracing. Hard shell arch top case. Martin copy and I do mean copy.

I do not have a music style. I tend to play a lot of Americana. (I frail, flat pick, finger pick, beat, pound into submission, strum and delicately attempt to cajole out of the instrument any sound possible that does not involve illegal acts.Someday, I hope to develop an actual technique.) This includes everything from Caravan and Moonlight in Vermont to That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine and my personal favorite, Angelina Baker. This instrument is very versatile. It is balanced and even in loudness through out the register. It is not overpowering in the bass or treble. It is loud. It tends to have a wide tonal pallate depending on where the string is picked. It sounds great.

I tuned it up and went with it. No adjustment necessary. It came with D'Addario strings. No finish problems. It was similar in workmanship to the D500 Gitane I had. Looks like the same factory. Very high quality workmanship.

Hell, I have gone on gigs with a Harmony Sovreign Jumbo and no back up. I bought this as a player, not for an investment. For $575 I don't expect a hell of a lot.
I don't know how it will hold up in the long run, but I am 63 1/2 years old. It should out live me. Anyway, they are making more of them every day.

I got it from Music123 and they were great. Nice folks.Nothing from Saga though.

I got my first guitar for Christmas of 1958. This is the reason I've not amounted to much in this life. Most of the time since then I've played 12 string. I wanted something versatile and dreadnaughts don't fit the bill.
I heard a br 160 Blueridge and thought this might be interesting.
I have the following
1893 Washburn 5 string banjo
1975 Banzer 12 string redwood and black walnut
1950 something Gretsch New Yorker Banjo
1990 Roumanian mandola
1960 something Kay j200 12 string conversion by Mark Ehrlic of Grand Junction Colorado.
1999 Gibson WM 45
2004 Larrivee L03 BW 12 String.
Gitane d500. recently stolen.
I'd probably replace it.

My BR-163 was built in October 2005, purchased in late Feb. 2006. It had just been hung on the wall the morning I stopped in to shop (to shop, not to purchase -- things don't always work out as planned). All the details have been mentioned in other reviews, so there's no real need for me to recap. I went for the "plain" 163 over the abalone-inlaid 183. (Given the Blueridge headstock design, "plain" really is never the appropriate word.) No case included in the purchase price. No free picks, no free polishing cloth, no accessories, and that's no problem. These shops run on a pretty low profit margin, so to expect a bunch of free stuff would be ridiculous.

I've been playing an Epiphone Les Paul Standard ("playing" may be a stretch; perhaps "practicing" would be more accurate) for around two years. Wanting to add an acoustic to my household, I researched online and shopped in five of NYC's guitar shops for about six months before finally pulling the trigger last month. After restricting myself to a price range ($500-$1,000) and narrowing down my list of candidates to Breedlove (Atlas series), Avalon (Silver series), Walden, and Blueridge, I set out a few Saturdays ago to do some A-B comparisons. First off, I have nothing bad to say about any of the other models. Long story short, the BR-163 that was handed to me at Rudy's just stood out from the others, including its siblings, the BR-143 and BR-183. Maybe in the end it's only this individual guitar and not Blueridge in general. Whatever the case, I'm pleased with the guitar's sound: very loud when strummed, very subtle when fingerpicked. Nice clarity and balance from high to low. For the price, I found only guitars close to it, none its equal, and certainly none surpassing it.

No flaws that I've discovered so far. In fact, the more I look at this guitar, the more amazed I am by its apparent quality. The factory set-up was tweaked a bit at the shop (Rudy's) so that the action was just right for me. Solid-wood top and back are nicely book-matched.

I may come back in a year or so to comment more on this. It's a bit silly to say anything about the guitar's reliability/durability when I've had it less than a month. For now I'll say that, because all my initial impressions have been positive, I hope my BR-163 lasts a good long time.

No need to comment on Saga, since I didn't deal with them directly. I did look over their Web site, though, and it seems like a good place to find information (apparently the Blueridges have a one-year warranty). I'm saving my praise for Rudy's, on 48th Street in Manhattan. If you've ever shopped for guitars, then you'll know that the shops can be a bit intimidating for beginners. The two gentlemen who helped me in Rudy's second-floor acoustic section during my three shopping expeditions were very helpful, very patient with a "guityro" like me. They talked about their first acoustics and about learning to play, and they didn't try to bump me into spending more than I planned to spend. When I had an issue with the guitar case (a touch too spacious for a 000-size), they hunted throughout the shop to find me a better fit. Should I have need of repairs or upgrades sometime in the future, Rudy's is the first place I'll stop.

I've answered some of the questions in other comments, so I'll skip to the others. I'm not sure there's anything I wish I'd asked before making this purchase. I did ask the salesman if there were any other models in my price range that he'd care to show me, and he said I'd have to step up to the $1,500+ range before I'd notice any real difference, which meant he didn't switch me up to the more-expensive-than-the-BR-163 Taylors, Avalons, and Martins (much less the Santa Cruzs, Lowdens, and Petroses. I'm hoping that nobody steals my guitar and that I don't lose it, but if that happens . . . I'll start saving up for a new Blueridge.

Bought it on Ebay store (hard case, tuner, strap and string set).
All solid woods. Rosewood back and sides.
Inlays. Not too much... PERFECT

AWESOME sound.

A little buzzing on 3rd fret. Still working to solve it... Maybe the nut, saddle..

Made 2003, CHINA
I added a L.R. Baggs M1 and also using a Para Acoustic DI, bought it in a piano dealer, the brand doesn't ring a bell in Thailand. Hardshell case included! Just bought it about 7 days ago.

I am usually a folk rock player, the sound is quite warm, with a wholesome tone when a note is individually played, especially a good attribute if one where to finger pick. Not sure how long the guitar will last, hopefully over 10 years. havingalot of sound technicians looking at it, they agree to one thing that the sound is far bigger than the price or of any brand in this price range.

Action and touching was rigid from the factory but had some guitar technicians fix that and now, smooth as silk! I bought the display model instead, since it was handled and set on the display for for over 11/2 years, i figured the sound would might just be right for the picking. Compared to a new lot that just came in, didn't like the sound so bought this one instead. The shop cleaned it up real fine and it was quite like finding a diamond in the rough.

No warranty apparently

Made2005/2006............. 000 style, 25+ scale, solid woods, minimal aged/colored top.

Sounds much better after I literally pounded on it as a drum for 30+ minutes. It was very dull for yhe first couple of hours of playing when I thuoght I had to do something. It sparkles now and has a nice tight bell like bass.I was comparing it with one of my alvarez/yari d-45's. Initally the d45 was better but not so now.

Action was way to high. I had to lower the saddle over 1/8th inch and it can still come down. Neck zero relief at this point. No fret buzzes. One fret sharp and knarly.Finish very nice.

Playing since 1967. I own a taylor 420 (bridge poped off and I cant give a comparison yet).d45 alvar/yari X2 nice guitars.