I have very briefly mentioned the Blueridge line of acoustic guitars in my previous blogs. Let me spend this blog covering my experiences with these guitars and why I value the old ones, just like many players value the old Martins (including me, of course!).
Blueridge guitars are marketed in the US by Saga Instruments. During the line’s history, they have been like most imported guitars from Asia, being manufactured in Korea, then in China, and eventually also in Indonesia. The brand has been around since the 1980s, and made a big comeback around 2000, producing a line of acoustics that were re-vamped with extra visual frills (i.e., fancy headstock inlays) to target the bluegrass market.
It was around that time that I started taking an interest in the brand. At the time, I was playing with a Martin DXM, which was the lowest-end Martin that was still being made in the Nazareth, Pennsylvania factory. While it was a good, solid acoustic guitar, it still lacked a lot of tone that one would expect from a Martin. I began seeing on the internet some stories about older Blueridge acoustic guitars that had a great tone comparable to Martins. I spent some time surfing eBay and found a model called the BR-OS going for about $125.00. I took a chance and purchased it.
I was amazed at how great the thing sounded! A nice, warm sound, almost too close to a Martin, just a wee bit quieter overall. But this guitar was excellent to say the least, especially for what I paid. It showed some road wear, with a few small dents in the body and a small piece of binding missing along the fretboard. The BR-OS was made in China, based on the Martin D-28, with a solid spruce top along with rosewood back and sides. The inner bracing is also similar, and the headstock is reminiscent of Martin, with a simple cursive logo. I have owned this one now for over 20 years, and it is still one of the best acoustic guitars that I have ever played.
I immediately sought out to purchase more of these models. I came upon another BR-OS for about the same price and grabbed that one up as well. However, it had a lot of differences. It still sounded great, but the neck had a much more “V” cut to it, and the headstock had a curved “V” cut as well, similar to the Dean electric guitars. I kept it for a while, and sold off the Martin DXM for the same amount that I had paid for it a few years back (about $300.00). Side note: While Martin still has the X series of acoustic guitars, they stopped making the DXM long ago. It was a good guitar, and if you can find a decent used one for about the same amount of money, I would recommend it, especially as a back-up acoustic.
I was also checking out the newer models of Blueridge the were coming out at the time. I purchased the lowest-priced model, the BR-40. While it had a decent volume, I was not too satisfied with the tone, and re-sold it soon after, losing a few bucks in the transaction. I also came across a BR-OM on eBay, and snagged that for about $100.00. This is similar to the BR-OS, only with a laminated top, which doesn’t have as rich of a tone. I did like that the neck was very similar in comfort, so I decided to put a pickup in it and use it for my live solo shows.
When I got my 1981 Martin D-28 around 2005, I knew that it would be my main acoustic from that point on. My acoustic collection was a bit big, and I eventually sold off the V-cut Blueridge for the same amount that I paid. It was around that time that I was finding more articles about the old Blueridge acoustics and how great they were compared to the newer models. From my experience with the BR-40, I could attest to that thought. Saga has been putting out much more quality models of Blueridge guitars over the past two decades, including the limited-edition Carter Stanley and Larry Sparks models. I have noticed that the prices for new models have jumped up in price to almost double than what they were going for about 10 years ago. Of course, that is true with just about all guitars today, be it acoustic or electric. Guitar Center and Elderly Instruments are selling the BR-40 for about $645.00. To get at the beginner market, Saga introduced a lower-priced Bristol line of acoustic guitars. This reminded me of when Martin put out the Sigma guitars years ago. These Bristol guitars are good beginner guitars, but do not have that great of a tone, due in part to so much laminated wood being used.
The older Blueridge models have also seen a price jump, probably due to the reputation that they have. Scanning eBay recently, I did see a few V-cut BR-OS models going from $300.00 to $500.00, and a Martin-style headstock BR-OS for $598.00. There was also an early made-in-Korea model labeled BR-O5 going for $350.00. If these were in great shape, it would be worth looking into. However, purchasing a used guitar online without trying it out is a risky chance.
As for the newer Blueridge models, the “Pre-War” and “Historic” models seem to have a great tone and volume, and are a lower-priced alternative to a Martin. Elderly sells these models anywhere from $865.00 to $1,995.00 with a gig bag. Personally, after playing some of these models, I am pleased more with the Sevillana 2208 dreadnought that I secured back in 2022 from a distributor in China (https://luegra.design.blog/2022/07/16/this-dreadnought-needs-to-come-to-the-u-s/). I am still hoping that this guitar can make it to the US before the world sees more international turmoil.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 