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Blueridge BR-70AS ... Adirondack / Brazilian?!
Guys...ive seen some Blueridges lately that have called my attention... the first one i saw was the BR-160A ... wich had Adirondack ... i was totally impressed, since i thought Adi was a very expensive high end top wood (correct me if im wrong please)... the price was about XXX, no more than 3 digits... but today i visited Maurys Music, i entered in the Blueridge section and i saw this "line" if may call it like that... that all of them have Adi tops... and this model Blueridge BR-70AS even has "Brazilian Rosewood" b/s ... this sounds like the specs from a suuuper high end Martin, it doesnt looks bad at all to be honest... looks good to me... any thoughts in sound... does it makes justice to the adi/braz combination? thanks!
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GabrielRO 1998 Taylor 810ce 2005 Taylor 214e 2006 Regal SG *beater* My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul, this is my glory. •Psalm 108.1• http://laibi.org/ |
#2
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You might want to check out Maurysmusic.com He has short video clips up there that compare several Blueridge models with the equivalent Martin models. I gotta say I can't really tell the difference.
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#3
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I have a BR-160A-2 which is a custom model of the BR-160A. I wrote a short review of it on the UBGF (blueridge forum) under the name "harmonic soul". I have had this guitar for almost two months. One way to describe it's sound would be addictive. Lately, when I'm not playing it, I hear it playing in my head. My other guitars have never done that to me. There is something special about this axe. I would recommend a Blueridge if you don't like parting with good money without just cause. You can check out the reviews at Harmony Central on Blueridge, there are some experienced players of both Martin and Blueridge who have left very well written reviews. |
#4
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The BR-70's are wonder guitars with really great value. I'd be afraid to hear one with red spruce for a top.
I spoken to several US luthier friends. They all say that the "Brazilian" used on this is a laminate of Jacaranda. I understand this to be another type of rosewood. Alvarez used to ship a lot of Jacaranda b/s guitars. Beautiful, none the less. |
#5
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You'll see Blueridges get slammed on a lot of guitar forums as cheap Martin knock-offs. Well, I've owned one of these "knock-offs" for four years now and I absolutely love it. As a matter of fact, I've attempted to replace my BR-160 with a "real" guitar a couple of times and simply cannot find a guitar anywhere near it's price range that sounds anywhere near as good.
Simply put, go check out the new 'ridges that've caught your eye-- try out as many as you can. I bet you'll be amazed how great they are for the money involved. |
#6
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Blueridges are Martin knockoffs - they also use banned Cities wood , which i wouldnt buy-- Brazilian is a fantastic guitar wood but the chinese goverment doesnt follow international regulations on using banned materials ( New growth BR )- plus a few other thoughts - they are braced very lightly with thin tops , thats why they sound good-- lets see how they look and play 20 years from now with constant tension -- i dont trust them ... Buy something of quality not from China, in the long run you will be alot happier -- Their is also questions about slave labor in China - or should i say human rights violations ! You can get phenominal sounding guitars for not alot of dough ( that are not Chinese ), Id put my Larrivee OMv60 up against any Blueridge guitar - seriously !
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#7
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Stockard
Blueridge,and a few other companies are making "good" sounding guitars available to people at a price that is affordable for a lot more of us. I am grateful for that. If you already own a "good" sounding guitar that casts a lot more-it's kinda like finding out that your kids Nissan performs just as well as your Cadillac. Progress sometimes brings mixed feelings.
Peace 512 Taylor 355 Taylor D35 12 s Martin Ibanez (75) Dred Epiphone Masterbilt Box of Suzuki Harps |
#8
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2004 BR 160 blueridge. greven pickgaurd, grover sta-tite 18:1's... fossilized mamouth ivory bridge pins... a very old piece of hard Ivory for saddle.. |
#9
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Tony - I've been following Blueridge closely (including owning 4 or 5) for 4 years now. Facts and sources to back up your assertions please? By the way, I think if I'm not mistaken that the woods used in their guitars are sourced from the American side of the business and not by the Chinese... anyway, please give us some specifics to back up the assertions you're making, or get back to playing... |
#10
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You should back your claims -China has a reputation for not caring about the environment , BR is on the Cities list which makes it illegal to import or export out of the US - Adirondack Spruce comes from the adirondacks in New York state ( Ive seen some of the trees , they are beautiful - but not as big as some spruce- because the British cleaned out most of the Spruce their for ship masts in the late 1700's - but its not endangered ) Their is also the human rights concern of the chinese people , a little bit better than slavery but close . i am a peaceful person and am sorry for upsetting you - But we need to think about the world as a whole rather than just ourselves if we want this to be a better place to live. I wish you well ! By the way i have had different Blueridges in my hands , Beside being an active semi-pro guitarist for many years- and they play nice - but you can guess the rest ! |
#11
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Like I said, Blueridges get slammed on a lot of guitar forums. I've actually stopped visiting one particular guitar forum because of stuff like this. Tony, you seem to have issues with non-American made products: is everything in your house American made, or are you mainly concerned when it comes to guitars? I ask, because in the relatively short amount of time I've frequented guitar forums (although I've been playing for about 25 years now), I've learned that a lot of importance is placed on the name on your guitar's headstock. |
#12
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As you can see, lots of "Ford vs Chevy" when it comes to Martin vs Blueridge.
Best to play them side by side and see which you prefer. (Martin fan here....though at the prices BR sells for I would seriously consider one...if only the neck wasn't so skinny and narrow. If they were selling for the same price as the Martin "standard" line/16 series and had comfortable necks, I'd go with Martin...but that's just me.)
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"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." Henry Van Dyke "It is in the world of slow time that truth and art are found as one" Norman Maclean, |
#13
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Oh, regarding the "Braz" and "Adirondac", I have some nagging doubts about them.
Several different species are called "Brazillian Rosewood" by different suppliers. Some time back the issue of CITES certification of Blueridges "Braz" came up. Last I recall nobody was able to track it down. Same thing with "Adirondac". You really can't tell one spruce from another just by how it looks when it is cut. You have to trust your supplier. In the case of products from China, as recent news has shown...this can be an issue. Anecdote from Frank Ford at his "Frets,com" site. Frank is a moderator over at the AG Magazine Forum "Luthiers Corner", owns Gryphon Stringed Instruments..a gem of a guitar shop...and is a very well respected repair expert/luthier; "Various species of spruce have been used for steel string guitar tops over the years, and each have their devotees. I'm not going to get into speculating about predicting the sound of individual species, partly because of the extreme difficulty in making a positive identification. Time for an anecdote: I attended the A.S.I.A. Symposium in 1995 and saw a number of vendors selling guitar tops in the exhibition hall. At dinner that evening I sat at a large table with Tom Humphrey, the well known classical guitar builder. Tom was talking to one of the spruce suppliers and describing how he had selected the Adirondack spruce (also known as red spruce) tops he'd bought earlier. I asked the vendor about his spruce, "Do you know why it's called 'red' and how can you distinguish it from other spruce." He told me," I really don't know. I can't tell it apart from other species. I just have to take the word of the man who brings me the logs. He says it's red spruce." "
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"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." Henry Van Dyke "It is in the world of slow time that truth and art are found as one" Norman Maclean, |
#14
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Stockard
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#15
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You should participate in the "Loading Dock" discussions more.
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"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." Henry Van Dyke "It is in the world of slow time that truth and art are found as one" Norman Maclean, |