Blueridge or Yamaha

[Kitkatjoe]

Banjoscotty do you really want us to make your decision for you?


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[Cas-v86]

Blueridge. Better tone, quality, finish.

[countryblues75]

I would get the Blueridge, because I like the warmer, traditional sound they have.

[Chrstian9090]

Of course you should pick what you like best, but if you've ever browsed how-to guitar repair videos on YouTube, you might have noticed how many times the guitar being worked on is a Blueridge.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

I am a fan of Blueridge and I've never found a Yamaha with the tone I like, so I vote for Blueridge. But, you should play both and pick what's best for YOU.

Todd

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I too, prefer the Blueridge tone. I prefer the Yamaha neck though.

Feel is just as important as tone, perhaps more so for some of us. Blueridges have thinner neck profiles and are gloss. I prefer satin necks with a thicker profile. YMMV

[cary]

Blueridge makes some very nice guitars.

It comes down to the individual instrument of course, but my fiddle player has a Blueridge BR-163 that I actually like better than my Martin 000-18GE.

Go figure :/

[alien]

Blueridge BR-43


Select, Solid Sitka Spruce top with hand-carved parabolic braces in the authentic Pre-war forward X-pattern
Mahogany back and sides
Carved Mahogany, low profile neck with, dove-tail neck joint
Natural high-gloss finish
"000" body size with a 14th-fret body joint
Black Multi-ply body binding (B/W/B/W/B)
M-O-P dot position markers
East Indian Rosewood fingerboard and bridge
Maple bridge plate
Ornate M-O-P peghead inlay
Bone nut and saddle
Black pickguard
Accurate vintage-style 14:1 ratio nickel-plated open-back tuners with butterbean-style buttons
Nut width: 1 11/16"
Scale length: 25.6" (650mm)
Lifetime Warranty

Yamaha LS6 Mahognay

Manufacturer Yamaha
Condition New
Body Style/Shape Small Body
String Material Steel
Number of Strings 6-Strings
Right/Left Handed Right
Top Solid Engelmann Spruce A.R.E.
Back Mahogany
Sides Mahogany
Neck Mahogany & Rosewood 5ply
Fretboard Rosewood
Bridge Rosewood
Cutaway No
Electronics SRT Zero Impact Pickup
Tuner Built In No
Scale Length 25-9/16" (650 mm)
Nut Width 1-3/4" (44 mm)
Finish Urethan
Hardware Die-cast Gold (TM-29G)
Case Included No


The hi-lited areas are where they differ, at least according to published specs. Both guitars are nice, though I personally like the looks of the Yamaha better. Also I prefer a 1 3/4" nut. I have not played either guitar, but have played a Blueridge. They have good tone, but a skinny neck IMO. If you desire a pick up the Yamaha has one. These are all things that you will need to work out on your own. Try to play them if possible.

My only true advice is...If you decide on the Blueridge, Give Maury's Music a call. He is great to work with and also a sponsor on this forum. He will give you the best deal possible.

Good luck!

[AgentKooper]

If you can add another $150 to the budget and swing the all-solid BR-143, that would be my recommendation. I've owned a Yamaha (an FG-700s), and thought it was okay, but I replaced it with a Blueridge that is superior in all respects. I don't have experience with the LS6 though.

I know I'm going afield from your question. But I've found marked improvement in quality (both build and sound) just making that last jump into the $500-$600 all-solid range. If you keep your eye open for deals, you can find even better prices, and you'd have a wider range of good brands to check out - Eastman, Alvarez, Guild, Recording King, Seagull, etc., in addition to the ones you asked about.

I don't think you can really go wrong between the two you're considering, though, if you're set on those two.

[Foster99]

Originally Posted by Cas-v86

Blueridge. Better tone, quality, finish.

Tone....subjectively maybe.

Quality and finish...hardly.

[rlb9682]

Originally Posted by sublro

both excellent. have owned both. blueridge will have much thinner neck, more traditional tone.

I agree, the Blueridge has a much thinner neck and traditional tone. The Yamaha has a nice tone all it's own and if you haven't, play both of them to see which one you like best. But for me, the Blueridge is much better for the slimmer neck and more traditional tone.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by ADG

Major neck difference. Yamaha's have C-shaped matte finish necks and, to me, are very playable. Blue ridge is a thicker D-shaped gloss neck. To me the gloss finish interferes with smoothly sliding the hand along the neck. Only you can decide which works best for you.

I've owned 2 Yamaha's (FG730S and LL16). And I think their builds are great in all the ways that matter (frets/ necks etc, sound boards etc) as well as finish details. They are bright guitars that tend to deliver a more balanced tone as you head up the product line. I agree with the earlier comments about traditional tone from BR but I was not overly impressed with the BR instruments that I have inspected.

Are you sure the neck width on the Yamaha is smaller? The Blueridge super thin D shape is so small I have at times wondered if it's structurally sound. It is defeinately thinner than the Yamaha FG700S and newer FG800. Not sure about the specific model the OP has in mind.

You're right about the high gloss finish on the back of the neck. I guess they think it gives it a more vintage look and feel. It's annoying but nothing a little #0000 Steel Wool can't take care of.

See
http://www.premierguitar.com/article...-neck-syndrome

[AgentKooper]

Originally Posted by Foster99

Tone....subjectively maybe.

Quality and finish...hardly.

My only experience with Yamahas are the FG and FS 700 series. Perhaps the LS6 is a big step up from those. But the Blueridges in my signature, in terms of fit and finish, are -- objectively -- far superior in every way to the Yamahas I've owned and played.

[Cas-v86]

Originally Posted by AgentKooper

My only experience with Yamahas are the FG and FS 700 series. Perhaps the LS6 is a big step up from those. But the Blueridges in my signature, in terms of fit and finish, are -- objectively -- far superior in every way to the Yamahas I've owned and played.

I agree. I do like the overall looks of Yamaha dreads though. Frankly, my Blueridge BR60 is the only Blueridge with the clean looks I like.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by AgentKooper

If you can add another $150 to the budget and swing the all-solid BR-143, that would be my recommendation. I've owned a Yamaha (an FG-700s), and thought it was okay, but I replaced it with a Blueridge that is superior in all respects. I don't have experience with the LS6 though.

I know I'm going afield from your question. But I've found marked improvement in quality (both build and sound) just making that last jump into the $500-$600 all-solid range. If you keep your eye open for deals, you can find even better prices, and you'd have a wider range of good brands to check out - Eastman, Alvarez, Guild, Recording King, Seagull, etc., in addition to the ones you asked about.

I don't think you can really go wrong between the two you're considering, though, if you're set on those two.

I played a 143 and a 143A at Maury's live and in person and I loved them both. I have zero experience with Yamaha so I can't compare, but I like the sound of the Blueridge stuff. As far as the necks go, I find them easy to play and very comfortable. I've read on here some say they are too thin or narrow or whatever. That's totally subjective and I advise to take that with a grain of salt. In your price point, I would buy one of these:

https://www.laguitarsales.com/index....-11155837.html

The actual price is what Ted would quote you over the phone. No pickup, just a darn good guitar.

[sublro]

clarifying re neck profile. I was pretty into Blueridge for a long while and have owned probably 15 over the past ten years. the ones with 1 3/4 are their adirondack series (anything with an A at the end) the br-43 will be 1 11/16 and Blueridge's interpretation of a 1 11/16 neck is very slim. same on br-143 which is all solid and slightly nicer hunk of spruce. though there's NOTHING wrong with the tone on the 43...