Pura Vida, I don’t know why you were told that Blueridge guitars don’t have aging toner in their finishes, because for the last thirty years or so all of the solid wood models have had aging toner - that along with the Dalmatian spotted pickguards has been one of their trademarks. Those two things make it easy to spot a Blueridge guitar from across a room or onstage.
Most guitar company sales reps are not employees of the companies themselves but work on commission and typically carry several different product lines from different manufacturers. So the ability of Saga Musical Instruments (parent company of Blueridge guitars, Kentucky mandolins and many other brands besides) to rein in the misinformation that this sales rep is spreading is limited.
But you’ve caught him in two blatant lies:
1.) Nobody bleaches spruce guitar tops;
and
2.) All-solid wood Blueridge guitars most definitely have aging toner sprayed onto their tops, and always have. The only exception to that are those Gibson-derived models that have sunburst finishes.
You can check this for yourself tomorrow during West Coast business hours if you call Saga at their toll-free number: 1800-289-7242.
My guess is that the sales rep wasn’t deliberately being deceitful so much as lazy and trying to close a sale (whether immediately or down the road) by casting aspersions on other guitar companies by claiming they bleach their tops.
It’s a sleazy and disreputable move, either way, but I know for a fact that it’s not because Saga told the guy to say ANY of that: on the contrary, they’ve always been very straightforward about those details whenever they’re asked. I’m pretty sure that the aging toner gets mentioned in their promotional literature.
So that guy was improvising, and in a kind of sleazy way.
Wade Hampton Miller
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