Blueridge BR-243

The BR-243 is an all solid wood guitar of the orchestra size (OOO). Mahogany body, high quality Sitka spruce top, mahogany neck, black ebony fingerboard and bridge. Abalone dots in the fingerboard, abalone inlay in the head, equiped with open tuners. All high gloss finish, tortoise binding and pickguard. The neck width is 1 11/16. It has no electronics and is sold without a case.

I play bluesy stuff by flat picking or finger picking. This guitar really sound beautiful for that kind of music. It's a mixt of the old fashion sound with a contemporary little wink.
The sound is big, bright, resonant and very full. The sound is thicker than a BR-183 and deeper. The colour of the sound is warm. Very balanced sound, more suitable for finger style. The bas is beautiful for fingerpicking. Good sustain for solo work. Melodious voicing. The guitar is also suitable for flat picking because of its deep bas and balance.
By hard strumming there is some compression in the sound which is typical for smal sized guitars.
I like the sound of this guitar.

The set-up was right for my kind of playing. No buzzing strings, even if played hard. The frets are nicely polished.
The top and the back are bookmatched. The top has a nice silky aspect and the back is made of beautiful striped mahogany. The top has a little flaw in the finish (not in the wood), but it's not so much visible. I only saw it after two months of having the guitar and it's only visible under a certain angle of light.
The string balance and intonation is correct.

I have the guitar now for 10 months and I think it will withstand for a very very long time. It's well build. The high gloss is strong. There are no scratches in the finish for the moment (I have to say I respect my guitar very much).

I didn't need customer support.

I play for 32 years, not on stage, only at home and sometimes with friends. I played almost on a Takamine N2 jumbo, laminated mahogany body with a solid cedar top. No negative about this guitar. I sold it because I really wanted an all solid wood guitar. I bought a Blueridge BR-183. A bit later the BR-243. I've compared the two very thoroughly and kept the BR-243 for its deep rich sound with bright trebles and balanced voicing. The BR-183 (rosewood body) was thinner, especially the bas. No need to keep both of them.
I also bought myself a Yamaha LL-16, all solid wood, with a rosewood body. With this two guitars a have a good mahogany picking guitar and a very beautiful sounding versatile rosewood guitar.
It are two keepers.

Made Aug. of 2004.I had to have an ebony fret board. I can't believe Blueridge can produce these for this price. The tuners aren't acceptable.

OK, but not great. Balanced. I added a K&K pickup.

I had to put in a compensated bone saddle. I also lowered the action slightly. The neck was perfect from the factory. Great construction.

Bridge is too high (tall)for the neck set. Bad break angle. Trying to fix this because it breaks strings every two hours of playing.

Contacted Saga about dating the guitar and received a quick incorrect response. (unless my guitar was made in 2008)

I have been playing guitar for 25 years. I have owned 6 Martins, 4 Taylors, 2 Ovations and 1 Alvarez. I play professionally. I am very critical of guitars as you can see from my ratings. This Blueridge is the best playing guitar I have ever owned. I love the neck on this thing. If I could get this neck on a Taylor or Martin... Anyway, I will be getting a Blueridge dreadnaught soon. I changed the tuners, saddle and strings. I added the K&K pickup. I sanded the plastic coating off of the neck. I also had to re-glue the nut. I like the pickguard even though mine has a flaw. The case is not awful.

From Saga Music's website:
* Select solid Sitka Spruce top with hand-carved parabolic top braces in authentic prewar forward X-pattern
* Premium, solid mahogany back and sides
* Ebony fingerboard with pearl dot position markers and ebony bridge
* "000" body style with 14th-fret neck joint
* Neck is a low profile, solid mahogany with a dovetail neck joint and adjustable truss rod
* 1 11/16" nut width
* Scale length of 25.5"
* The headstock is beautifully adorned with a rosewood overlay and an original, floral design, abalone and mother-of-pearl inlay
* Natural high-gloss finish with aging toner is applied to the top for that perfect vintage look
* Tortoise body binding and soundhole rosette
* Bone nut and saddle
* Saga's exclusive Dalmation, tortoise-style pickguard
* Nickel-plated, Kluson-style individual closed back tuners with an accurate 14:1 ratio
* Shop adjusted

It's an acoustic guitar, and has everything I'm looking for -- so
I give it a 10.

It's not as loud as a dreadnought, but it is a very responsive
and even sounding instrument. The bass is not as present as it
would be on larger guitars, but then I don't expect it to be.
The bass is, however, very pleasing -- lacking in "mud." The
guitar really shines as a fingerpicking instrument. I've experimented
with a variety of strings, and it sounds best (to my ears) with
light (12s) 80/20s. As far as character goes, you can really hear the
wood. It is a warm sounding guitar, but not as dark as the Martins
it was designed to copy.

It is an extremely well-made instrument -- no flaws that I can see
in the wood or finish. The top, however, is not bookmatched -- the
shades of spruce are slightly different. Doesn't bother me, though.
The spruce is obviously silky & high-quality.
The mahogany is beautiful, and all of the inlays & binding are tastfully
done -- they showed a bit more restraint than I've seen on other
Blueridge models. The pickguard is that uniquely Blueridge tortoise
pattern that some people find awful, but that I'm learning to like.
If it really bothers me, I could always change it.
The "aging toner" that they applied to the top is not really to
my taste, but it's not as orange as I thought it would be. I'm
learning to like it too. The action came nearly perfect, although
I did adjust the truss rod slightly (it turned smoothly). I LOVE having an ebony fretboard & bridge -- one of the
perks of getting a 200 level Blueridge. Real bone nut & saddle is
great too, and probably contributes a bit to its sound. The neck
is thinner than that typical "baseball bat" feel of
a Martin. I like this -- for me it's more comfortable to play.
And I particularly like the 000/orchestra size -- I find it
to be more versitile and comfortable than a dreadnought. Although
if you are looking for a dreadnought I HIGHLY recommend this guitar's
big sister, the BR-240. I played one a Rudy's Music in NY, and
loved the sound.

The finish is glossy throughout -- even the neck. It appears to be quite durable. I worry a bit about all of those satin-finished guitars
out there -- will they last? This one seems like it will. It is a
solid wood guitar, and I know that it will require more care than
a typical laminate. I'm using a soundhole humidifier during the
winter. The tuners are accurate. The fifth and sixth string tuners
are placed in a way that makes those strings almost touch near
the winding posts -- other Blueridge owners have complained about
this on other models. It's a problem, but an incredibly minor one.
Over all, it seems reliable, but since I've only had it for a few
weeks, I'll give it a "9."

I e-mailed Saga Music with a few questions comparing this model
to a BR-143. The guy who responded was very helpful and friendly.
Hopefully, I won't need to use their customer support for anything
major! The warranty is only 1 year.

I've been playing for over 20 years. This is among the best acoustic guitars
I have ever had the pleasure to play. It is, so far, the best
guitar that I have played in its price range (or well above its
price). Personally, I prefer its feel and sound to both Martins (often too dark) and Taylors (often too bright). You can really hear the
wood on this guitar. It resonates and is alive. I would replace this
guitar with another Blueridge if I had to.