Blueridge BR-240

'04 Model BR-240 (a guess since I've been playing it in this shop for 1.5 years now, noodling it over ;), China-made dreadnought, sold by Saga out of San Fran, CA, sitka spruce top, mahogony back/sides, butterbean tuners, ebony fretboard, thin-ish neck, did not include a HSC (had to bargain to get that thrown in ;). As others have said, the small headstock has a vintage feel, with Blueridge scripting that's a little over-done and too flowery for my tastes (ymmv), and quite frankly could be a turn-off to certain consumers. Personally, I prefer understated accents on an acoustic guitar (like my '71 Martin D28). Has the pre-war X-bracing on the inside (nice!), and the finish and woods used in this acoustic appear of good quality.

One feature that I really like is that it's a light guitar, but still retains plenty of solid low/mid/high tone and lots of projection. For the money, the features in this guitar are rock-solid and deserve consideration if you're in the market for a budget acoustic. I'd like to compare this to a buddy's high-dollar Bourgeouis some time soon. :)

Given that this is clearly a different animal than my other two acoustics -- a '97 Guild DV-52 and a '71 Martin D-28 -- which sport rosewood back/sides with a spruce top, the mahogony/spruce BR-240 has a nice sound all its own. I agree with others that it's a combination bluegrass Martin-esque sound w/perhaps Guild/Gibson mid/lows thrown in (though not as pronounced as my Guild on the low-end). FWIW, if you're looking for a good cross-over guitar that would allow you to pick country, bluegrass, and alternative rock stuff, this might be right down your alley. For more punchy, rhythm rock and blues stuff, though, I'd pull out my Guild and let 'er ride.

Like others have mentioned, the BR-240 does respond differently -- and well -- to finger-picking vs. flat-picking. This really caught my attention all of the times I demo'ed this product in the store -- which I strummed this guitar probably on 4 different times over a year and a half before purchasing it.

Of course, I'm proud of my purchase, but I will tell you this story -- a guy had just bought a high-dollar Martin the first day I demo'ed this guitar. He was a little sick to have spent all that money on his Martin when this Blueridge blew the doors off his new acoustic tonally. Some people are really attached to brand-names and labels, but if you can divorce yourself from that and let yourself truly listen to this product, I think you'll find this guitar has a great sound -- again, esp. for the money.

I'll give it a 9 simply b/c I personally prefer a little bit more mids and lows out of a dread, and this isn't quite up to snuff for my blood. For a mahogony guitar, though, it's pretty good.

The action: Plays d*mn well, right out of the box. I don't believe the dealer did anything to this guitar except change strings from time to time. Certainly, this was one thing that caught my attention right off the bat.

Fit/Finish: I'm not that big of a fan of the pickguard, but it is a popular guard w/guitars built like this by other hand-made manufacturers that I've seen (ie. Bourgeois). The fit and finish seem to be perfectly fine, esp. for something not "American-made". One thing I'd probably mention is that I'd prefer the neck to be a bit beefier -- it's a little thin, which is good for those w/small fingers (and perhaps beginners).

I don't see any reason why this guitar would not stand up to normal wear and tear on an acoustic. I'm not actively gigging right now, but if I were, I would not hesitate to take the BR-240 out, w/out a back-up, and play tar out of it. However, I've gigged enough to know that a back-up is always a good strategy! :)

1 yr. warranty, no product docs, very little company representation w/this product like there was in the store for Taylor, Martin, Guild, etc. This is one definite area where Saga needs to take it up a notch and improve if they intend to be competitive in the acoustic guitar marketplace.

For those at Saga listening, your product languished on the shelf with little marketing help w.r.t. tags on the guitar, warranty cards, etc. to catch a consumer's attention. Perhaps your upper-end guitars get more treatment, but if you want to make money on the low-end, you need to fix this issue fast. Today, when I bought the guitar, we darn near couldn't find it in the shop (it was in the back, collecting dust). Martin, Taylor, Guild, Gibson, Fender, and other brands are eating your lunch at the moment.

I've been playing guitar since the mid-80's, own several vintage & non-vintage electrics, along with the Guild DV-52 and '71 Martin D-28. The key reason for purchasing this guitar was to use it as an every-day acoustic, not have a lot of money sunk into it, and not be afraid of it being used/abused by my young daughters here at the house or playing it at parties/family gatherings.

IMHO, the pro's are: big bang-for-the-buck features for very little money, nice vintage-esque features such as butterbean tuners, small headstock, pre-war X-bracing, etc, and it sounds and looks great. The con's are: Chinese made, relatively a no-name brand (around here, at least -- it sat in the shop for over 1.5 years, nobody bit -- which was good for me in negotiations :), resale will probably not be that great, no case included, and the customer support/warranty/marketing are terribly paltry.

Having said all that, though, overall I rate this guitar as a 9. There's been a lot said on the I'net about solid dreads for under/around $500, and this Blueridge BR-240 needs to be included among those reviews. At the end of the day, I bought this guitar so that I wouldn't be worried about it being lost/stolen/damaged. :) If you can bargain your way into one of these Blueridge's for $500 like I did, you're getting away with a steal, for sure.

The BR240 is dreadnought-sized, and is considered a version of the pre-war D-18. It has mahogony back & sides and a spruce top. The grain of the mahogony is beautiful and catches the light in a delicious, sexy way. The neck is also mahogony with an ebony fretboard and also ebony for the bridge. The neck has simple abalone dots and that's fine with me. The nut and saddle are bone. The ebony and bone features are upgrades from the BR140, and I think they are well worth the extra couple hundred bucks. It is a version of the D-18. The top has an amberish-tint which is a nice touch. The gloss seems thicker than on a Martin,Guild, or Larrivee, and I wonder if it affects the sound in any way, but I don't rightly know. The pickguard is also vintage style, kind of leopard-like in its dappling, but I must say its growing on me. It curls up a bit off the top, which bugs me a bit, but I think it is easy to have corrected. The rosette lines are simple, but classic and elegant. The inlay on the headstock more than I usually look for, but it is understated, lovely, and well-done, so I don't mind it a bit. The headstock is also pre-war size, and smaller than you might be used to--the A an B strings are kind of snug to the E-string posts as they pass by. The width at the nut, which many notice, is narrow, but it plays ok. The bridge pins are plastic and could be better, but hey, lots of $2500.00 guitars use'm too, so make a change if you like, that's inexpensive to do. The tuners are butterbean style, which is not aesthetically interesting to me, but they look OK. The look and feel a little chintzy, but they are pretty stable as far as tuning goes. This might be an area to invest some money in for an upgrade. Also, the guitar has the pre-war bracing inside and it does make a difference in the sound projection from the BR100 series models that I played (BR140 and BR160). Overall, a basic looking, but elegant guitar with many added features that are well worth it. I'll ding it a bit for the tuners and the pickguard, but its a nice looking guitar with a cool, calm vibe.

I have never had a mahogony guitar before, I've either had a Larrivee Jumbo 12 string with indian rosewood, or Guilds (JF30 and G-37) with maple. I have played many Gibsons with mahogony that I did not care for, and they were not cheap guitars, believe me. I always thought the sound was a bit dull, though you could be nice and say it was warm. This Blueridge, though, sounds really, really great. It has rich bass, warmth in the mids, and sparkle on top. The full range is there. That is what I first noticed about Blueridge guitars. I was looking for something in the 600-700 range and I thought everything sucked--no low end, no high end, all mids and trailer-trash Sears banjo sounding. Then I strummed a Blueridge 140 and was amazed at the full tonal range. Even the cheaper, laminate Blueridges had an excellent sound. Anyway, I did some research, found a dealer with a wide selection (Boulevard Music in Culver City, CA), and stumbled onto the BR240. To be honest, it did not sound anywhere nearly as good at the BR260 they had, which is the Brazilian Rosewood model--but then nothing else in the store sounded as good, either, not the D-35, the D-28, the Guild D50, several Taylors--not a one. So, if I had 2 grand I would have bought that over anything else I heard. But, I must say I also preferred the BR240, which is what you want to know about, to several of those others, too. It is very lively and responsive, which I really like. When you are gentle with it, it purrs, but when you spank it a bit--baby growls right back atcha! The sound projects well, and also blends well with your voice, if you're a singer. The BR240 does not have as big a sound as my Guild JF30, but hey, that's a jumbo and maple, so why would it? The decay is nice on the BR240 and lingers nicely. Overall, you would say this guitar sounds as good as one that costs 3 times as much, and you would absolutely not believe that it sounds this good for what you pay for it.

The set-up is low and really comfortable for me. The top is well-matched. The frets are smallish and well-dressed. The neck seems straight and well-fitted. The ebony fretboard overlay is perfect. This aspect of the guitar was also of much higher quality than you would expect for the price range.

Here is where only time will tell. I would gig without a backup in terms of relying on it to make it through a show, but I always bring another guitar to change up the sound anyway. The strap button did pull out, but hey--I put it right back in! I will not drill a second strap button in near the neck. I found this product by Martin that is a little leather strip that wraps around the headstock and then has a button that goes into the other end of the strap--voila! The BR240 is very light, and I'm used to a heavier, more-solid feeling acoustic, so we'll see how it holds up. I'll ding it a bit just because I feel unsure, and maybe I'm unsure only because I'm used to more expensive guitars that have lasted me decades--so call it conspicuous consumerism dubiosity. Maybe it will outlast the cockroaches for all I know.

Have not dealt with Saga so I can't say. It has a one year warranty. It did not come with any tags or product information booklet or warranty card, so I am banking on my receipt and my dealer if I need anything. I think the company could easily improve this aspect of things by including some product information, booklet, card, etc. It's just paper, guys. C'mom! Look, it's a guitar, not a toaster or a cd player. Guitar players love tags, pamphlets and warranty cards--it's part of the mythos of guitar. I'll ding it just because they didn't even try on this one.

I've been playing for over 30 years. I started with a Yamaha and an Ovation Custom Balladeer in the '70's, then I had my Guild D37 for about 17 years and wish I still did. I had a wonderful D35 for a few years that was a divorce casualty, and I've had my Larrivee 12 string for 10 years. I recently got the JF30 and the BR240. I would say the BR240 may hang around for a while, but I would give it up for the BR260 or even the BR1060 Carter Stanley model. If I'd had the jack at the time I would have chosen the BR260, but who wouldn't have? That's like having to pick Elizabeth Hurley v. Sally Field! If I could only keep one of the two six strings I have now, I'd keep the Guild, but if I only had the BR240 and no credit card balance to play with, I'd be darn happy. There is nothing in particular I dislike about it, and plenty I love. For under $800 street price, and for the sound and the features, it is superb and nothing else can touch it. The Blueridge line, in general, is the most happening thing going in terms of acoustics from what I can see and hear, especially in the price range. I'll probably still look for a Larrivee D60 and a Martin D35, but in that price range I would also be looking seriously at the Blueridge BR260, and the big boys would be sweating it, let me tell you. But in this price range, you are getting twice to three times your money's worth with the BR240 in terms of sound and value.

This is a fantastic guitar. Made in China. Mahogany back and sides. Fine Sitka spruce tob (to orange). Very well made. This is my third Blueridge. Love this guitar.

Have no particular style. This guitar sounds great. this guitar plays great.this guitar projects with an angelic tone. I have had the oppertunity to play all the best american hand made guitars and though some of them are a tad better maybe but over all I prefer the 240 because of the price.

I HAD TO HAVE THE ACTION SET TO MY COMFORT ZONE,BUT I HAD TO do the same on my Martins Mossmans and all the guitars that I have had the fortune to own. This 240 is perfect in wood selection in constrution, is very clean in the inside of the guitar. And the finish is fine(to shiny put that's ok.

This 240 is a guitar I would take and play anywhere and be proud to be seen with.Like any fine guitar you must take care it and it should hold up like any other fine guitar.

I had to have all new tunning machines for this guitar. Saga sent them to my dealer and he put the new ones on, no charge to me the dealer was taken care of by Saga all in a very short time. this guitar has only a one year warranty. Could be longer put I take good care of my babies.

I have been playing for 35 years.If this guitar was stolen I would not get another one I would get the 260.Played one the other day and before I could deal with the salesman my brother bought it out from under me. I will trade this guitar for a 260 in the future. But this is a fine guitar so do not hesitate to buy one.

Chinese made BR240 Dread for Saga. Features bookmatched solid sitka spruce top and gorgeous solid mahogany back, sides and neck. Ebony fingerboard and bridge, nice big frets, bone saddle and nut. Kluson butter bean tuners. Top quality components excellent craftsmanship.

Wow! Knock out killer sound from a mahogany Dread!! This baby oozes very balanced and well defined rich tone. Strongly voiced mids and bell like highs. Came setup with D'Addarios. I mostly flatpick and strum. You can fingerpick this baby soft or you can let 'er shine. She loves to do both. This quality sound out of the box, can't wait to hear how she opens up!!

Dealer is a renown luthier so made some minor adjustments only. Action is near perfect. A Sleek neck on an ebony fingerboard. Big frets. No buzz, big big sound. Construction and finish is second to none, truly a beautiful guitar.

Solid guitar, superior finish, built for the long haul.

Never had to deal with and hope to never require their assistance (that would mean I'm having problems....). Solidly built, no reason to think she'll fall apart. Warranty only 1 year.

I have been playing everything since the mid-seventies and have not owned as many guitars as I would have liked. Kids got me sidetracked. My first guitar was a Yamaha FG375 and later I purchased an EF304c Takamine. I have however played on a lot of guitars and I have grown to appreciate the differences in qualities of guitars. I am not a collector and so not really influenced by an instrument based on the maker. I have been intensely shopping around for guitars for the past two years. I had three important criteria: sound, more sound and playability. Sure, the big names make excellent guitars. I've spent countless weekends trying every new guitar imaginable, from top end Gibsons to Taylors to Martins to Larrivees and then some. I knew that one day, I would have to shell out some decent cash for that special guitar. When I picked up this guitar and strummed an open E, I knew my search was over. The price was just icing on the cake. This is by far the best value price-sound ratio out there. If stolen or lost I would cry. Then I would run out to get another.

Quaility instrument. Very well built. Beautiful mahogany back and sides. Obvious high quaility wood. Matchbood sitka top. The aging tonner was on a little too much. It has an orange tint to it. I'm not to crazy about that but sound is what you buy and instrument for and this guitar has the best sound I've ever heard from a mahogany guitar. It does indeed have the martin sound to it that everyone is talking about.

WOW!!! what a sound. Martin has to be nervous about these guitars. They sound just as good as Martin, maybe even a little better in some cases, and the cost is half of what you would pay for a Martin. I'd say the Martin D18V has some serious compitition here. The Martin D18GE has a slight edge on sound over this instrument, but it's really close.

The action was a little high but that was easily fixed. There was plenty of room to lower the saddle and the neck needed a slight adjustment. Nothing unusal. All Martins are set too high from the factory too and most need the neck adjusted once the saddle is lowered. And by the what, the saddle and nut are made from bone, not plastic. You'd think for the price of a Martin that they could at least use bone on the saddle and nut for there guitars.

Only a 1 year warranty, but this guitar is built solid. I see no reason to worry about it lasting a life time. 9 only because of the short warranty time.

I've not dealt with Saga and I hope I never have a need to deal direct with them. The company I bought this guitar from, Censible Sounds, was great to work with though. I was givin a 7 day money back garantee if I did not like this guitar. No questions asked. All I had to do was ask for my money back and it was done. Needless to say I didn't ask for my money back.

Outstanding guitar. Truly a bargan. You get high dollar sound and quality for much less money than you'd expect to pay. By the way, I got the opportunity to play a Brazilian BR-280 after buying this guitar. My local music store owner ordered one for himself. WOW!!! What a guitar. The sound of that thing blows away anything I've ever heard, and it is a beautiful looking instrument too. It looks like an old D45. To me Blueridge is now the best sounding Martin out there.

2004 dreadnought model in the "prewar" series. Solid sitka top with aging toner, beautiful solid mahogany b/s, ebony fretboard and bridge. Tortoise binding on body. Rosette is alternating rings of white and tortoise (nice). Kluson style tuners on the standard "undersized" Blueridge headstock. Very tasteful floral headstock inlay. Pearl dots on fretboard. Nice medium height frets. Low oval, easy playing neck.

I'm comparing this to the various high quality spruce/mahognany dreads I've had the good fortune to own or play over the years--new and vintage. Soundwise, it's killer. Equal to any new D-18V I've played, for example. Overall, slightly better than my custom Gibson dread, which has been my favorite for a while. While clearly aiming for a vintage D-18 vibe, this guitar strikes me as having it's own voice: Martin-esque to be sure, but with a bit more sparkle and an airier top end. Some have said the Blueridge guitars sound like a cross between a Martin and a Gibson ... yes, I can hear that. With this 240, however, I think the best comparison might be something like a Huss & Dalton TDM; not *quite* as good out of the box as the latter, but surprisingly close. Surprising is the word for this guitar: for the dollar, the sound quality is obscene!

About the BR-240 vs. the BR-140: I owned a 140 model for a while (very nice guitar), and this 240 is definitely superior to that. Both more refined and more powerful. The difference between them strikes me as being much like that between a Martin D-16 and the D-18V. I don't doubt that a really great 140 could equal or surpass a below average 240, but my 240 is a distinct step up from my 140.

Despite Blueridge's reputation for little inconsistences in this area, my 240 came set up very nicely (action being about the Martin dread standard) and the workmanship is immaculate. Very, very good. The detailing inside (braces, glueing, etc.) is very clean and superior to the 140 I owned as well to that of a couple of other Blueridges I tried out (though they weren't bad at all). Super finish work on this guitar. The headstock inlay is very well done.

Hard to know, but I see no reason to believe that there will be any problems. This guitar is constructed with classic, time-tested elements such as dovetial neck joint, maple bridgeplate, scalloped X bracing, and so forth, so I'm not sure what I should be worrying about ... I guess time will tell if there were subtle comprises in the making of the instrument that could lead to problems in the future. It's possible the tuners may not be fully top-grade but no issues there so far. For now, looks good! I give it a "9", though I'm not sure exactly how to rate this category.

The one-year warranty is hardly generous or a vote of confidence, but thus far there is no evidence among Blueridge owners that the instruments are designed to fall apart on day 366 or that there some other hidden fatal flaw in the guitars ... as far as customer support, I haven't used it or had need to. The buzz online is that Saga is good with customer service, but who knows? The shorter warranty is the only potential issue here.

I've been playing for too many years to count (let's say 20+). I own a custom Gibson "Songbird" (2002 prototype #8 f 10" for what became the "Songwriter" model, signed by Ron Ferguson), a Larrivee L-05, a 1963 Guild M-20, and a great old late 60's Yamaha FG-140 that sounds wonderful but languishes unplayed because it needs a neck reset (someday). Beyond these, I've owned quite a few high end guitars, by most of the usual suspects (Martin, Taylor, Collings, Santa Cruz, etc.). The BR-240 is very special and the deal of a lifetime. The best thing about the guitar is certainly it's SOUND. It is wonderful. I mostly fingerpick--and like dreads as well as small bodies for this--and strum with my nails, though I flatpick some as well. It is a great fingerpicking dreadnought and responds really well to strumming with my nails. The best indicator of the quality of this instrument is it's tremendous response to a soft touch: here's where I notice the biggest difference betwen the 240 and the 140 I had. The 240 is completely alive when played softly: you do not have to "dig" the sound out of the guitat by wailing on it. Overall, a winner and a solid "10"!

Made in China, imported by saga in Californina, a quick swipe with a majic marker on the label inside gets rid of the china and then it looks like an american made guitar. 14 fret D 18 V look alike, solid sitka spruce top and solid honduran mahogany. Gloss finish with againg toner on top. Low oval really fast neck. ebony fingerboard, rosewood bridge, bone nut and saddle. Case included. Copy of a D 18 but saga cutomized the look by using lepard skin type pick guard and matching side inlay. Tastefull headstock design

Unbelievazble sound for az mahogany guitar, quite possibly the best one I have heard, even comnpared to or older martins. It is built to compare to the prewar Martin D 18, and I would say it comes real close, right out of the box

Set up was perfect for Bluegrass/country

God solid guitar

Excellent. Have an authorized repaiorman right in town

I would say if this is an indication of how ther high end Blueridge guitars are going to be , I'm going to have to check out the others too.