Blueridge BR-160A - Review, Unboxing and Sound Test

View this guitar on Amazon - amzn.to/2K5LNm3
Review of a Blueridge BR-160A, including sound tests of finger picking/fingerstyle and strumming. Brilliant acoustic guitar which is designed to be a replica of the Martin D-28.

[@davechavis5676]

I really enjoyed your video and I totally agree about the Blueridge guitars, I've played almost exclusively Alvarez and Alvarez Yairis for nearly the last 50 years, however, I tried out a Blueridge at a music store about 15-20 years ago, loved the sound and feel but couldn't afford it at the time, here in the last 6 months I've purchased 3 used ones, the BR-160, BR-70, and the BR-5060 John Jorgeson signature model, I absolutely love each one of them, plus the fact that they're nearly 3x less expensive than a Martin is super sweet! Your playing and your 160A are both Very good! I'm sure you're going to enjoy your Blueridge as much as I do mine! Thanks for the video! ✌️❤️🎶

[@deanallent4831]

I’ve been looking at these Blueridge guitars and came across this video and comments. All was very helpful - Thank you!

[@Song101uk]

No worries Dean, glad it helped 👍

[@rickycarter7154]

I very much enjoyed your review of the Blueridge 160A. There will probably be one in my future. I purchased two Blueridge guitars (Bg140 and Br183) in 2005. They've really opened up over the years. I'm sure yours will too. Sounds pretty great right out of the box. Good luck and thanks for the review.

[@evanseymour4172]

Man that guitar sounds great! Playing is spot on!

[@thomasbauer4346]

Great and exact review 👍I own a BR-163 since 2006 (it ages well). After spending many hours in the shop with a huge variety I recently purchased my second Blueridge, the BR-240a. Indeed these instruments are going below the radar....

[@Song101uk]

Very nice! Yeah they're great guitars. Still not fully appreciated for some reason 🤷‍♂️

[@christopherhawthorne5395]

Wow, this is the first time I’ve heard another brand sound like Martin. Other reviews I’ve seen on Blueridge, haven’t matched the tone of Martin. This one’s got it

[@sryburn641]

Wow, nice. Was working on the road around 2012 and bought a bluerdge. Absolutely loved it but got in a bind and sold it to my boss. One of the biggest mistakes (music instrument) I ever made was getting rid of that baby. Gonna save up for one this year. Thanks for the review. Great video, bud!

[@Song101uk]

Cheers pal!

[@blakechildress2242]

I have a 160a that I bought new in 2015, you're going to be pleased with how much it opens up over the next few years. Mine is so awesome, it sounds like a dream, nice playing and good luck.

[@Song101uk]

Thanks Blake. Yep, it's already sounding better than when I first bought it. I've barely touched my other guitars since then! 😄

[@artgallery743]

If yours is a 2015 model it is solid E. Indian Rosewood on back and sides, bridge and fretboard, starting with 2017 models they use solid Pau Ferro (aka Santos Rosewood) on back and sides and on bridge and fretboard. This is not all the same woods as a D-28 (it is all different woods) as they don't have solid Adirondack top they have solid Sitka Spruce tops and solid E. Indian Rsw on back and sides. On fretboard and bridge the Martin D-28 has Ebony wood. The solid Adirondack though, is something Martin only puts on their higher end guitars.

[@gingerbeer914]

@@artgallery743 You're right about the rosewood, but when there's an A behind the 160, it's Adirondack.

[@robf7213]

@@artgallery743 Some of the cheaper Blueridge models have Santos Rosewood back and sides, not this one. The 160 A is listed as having Indian rosewood back and sides on their web site. It wouldn't make much sense to have an upgraded Adirondack top and not spring for a standard Indian rosewood back and sides.

[@CaDzS1230]

Beautiful guitar, beautiful sound, beautiful way of playing. Greetings, I am a new subscriber!

[@Song101uk]

Hey! Thanks for getting onboard 👍

[@beneverson754]

When I saw the video I honestly thought there were gonna be millions of views, this dude is getting robbed. People share, great video!

[@ekeldsen]

Noticed and shared!! www.sagamusic.com/shop/guitars/blueridge/blueridge-br-160a-historic-craftsman-series-dreadnaught-guitar

[@leonschievels9866]

Hello! Nice video👌🏻 What kind of strings are good to use on this blueridge guitar?

[@rugbygirlsdadg]

Sounds fabulous. I'm looking for a replacement acoustic for when I have to my son his guitar back. This is definitely on my list.

[@TheRycooder]

I've had mine for 8 yrs. I've owned a Martin D-35 and a Santa Cruz Dreadnought. The latter two obvioully more expensive but I can tell you, value wise, the BR-160A held it's own. I gave the SC to my son for a Xmas present and we jam together and the tone on the Blueridge is MUCH deepter. I've played other guitars in the same price range as the Blueridge and I can not find one that compares. GOOD LUCK with your choice.

[@voided76]

My grandpa has a BR160 from about 10 years ago. it sounds a ton. I've always liked my alvarez AD80HD (sikta spruce and rosewood) and just got an acoustic/electric AD60 (all rosewood) and both were cheap as chips

[@richardredlight7246]

Good review, i think the guitar sounds very good! I played a Blueridge bg 40 the other day in a music shop and i was blown away by the sound. Never heard of Blueridge before but now i’m thinkin’ to buy that bg 40. Did you ever played a Eastman guitar? I got one, also great sounding and well made.

[@Song101uk]

I think most blueridge guitars are incredible value for money. The bg 40 was on my radar too and I'm sure is an excellent choice. Not played an eastman before, but I've heard good things! I watched a video last night of a guy using one... it sounded beautiful!

[@paulstabin6233]

Sounds better than other BR160 videos-no doubt your brilliant playing helps. But it sounds clear, with great tone. Considering this or the BR180. Prices are up on these, hopefully they are maintaining their quality control. I have had a vintage D18 and Guild D40 in the past, looking for a great rosewood axe that offers some real bang for the buck. Blueridge actually goes a bit crazy/ garish on headstock decoration on some models. I prefer the cleaner look of this model.

[@donaldrezendes2542]

A great reviews. I'm getting the 160 To much being. I have two very top of the line guitars. A company from Nebraska. You think these are close to a d 28?

[@davidlackey4873]

waiting on my br-140...i think when it gets here i'll also put on some marvin gay...guitar sounds great,i hope mine does as well, thanks

[@CargoShorts7]

I was out of town for a wedding when I decided to visit a local guitar shop randomly. I played a Blueridge BR-60, their cheaper D-28 model with solid top and laminet sides and back, and thought it sounded and played surprisingly great. I almost went ahead and bought it, but then I found out about the all solid wood models like this. Now I'm trying to decide if the all solid BR-160/A is worth the extra money. Seems like you can get a used one online for a couple hundred bucks more than the BR-60, but the old ones have a way more crazy headstock and I personally like these newer, more minimalistic ones. Thing is, all the new ones with the revised headstock are all going for over $1000 and are closer to $1200 actually where as a used BR-160 with the crazier headstock can be found used for around $900 it seems like. So now I'm in a pickle. Do I settle for the cheaper BR-60, which I actually greatly liked, but know that I'll eventually want to upgrade again to a fully solid acoustic, meet in the middle with the older version of a BR-160 that has the headstock I don't really care for, or pony up the cash for one of the newer BR-160 models with the cleaner headstock? Ugh decisions haha. Great video mate!

[@ganimatics]

Hey great review! The playing was amazing really, what´s the song you are playing at 9:50 onwards, I just can't put the name of it but it sounds beautiful, is it from 30STM?

[@Song101uk]

Everlong by The Foo Fighters 🤘

[@jeffstanaway5952]

Great video bud- thanks so much. Do you know what gauge strings it came with? Thanks!

[@Song101uk]

Cheers! Not sure what guage strings it came with sorry bud. Currently using elixir 92/8, 13s. Sounds fantastic!

[@skyjockbill]

I did just this about ten days ago - unboxing a BR160A I mean - and I am loving this instrument. Stupendous sound and excellent playability, took a couple of days to get used to the neck profile but adore that too now. I have a 40 year old Martin and already this guitar compares to that in terms of sound quality. Cannot imagine what it will sound like once the wood starts opening up more. Did you compare the ordinary sitka top with the Adirondack? I listened to some recorded comparisons and was clear I wanted to spend a bit more for the A. Thanks for an excellent review.

[@Song101uk]

Hey Bill, excellent guitar choice! I didn't get to do a side by side comparison of the sitka vs adirondack unfortunately. So I went with the one I played. I can't wait for it to properly open up either!

[@skyjockbill]

@@Song101uk Hello again! Well, three years later I have two (!) Blueridge guitars now. Only about a month after I got this one I ordered a BR140A as well. I had been gigging with a takamine TAN16C SUPERNATURAL (handbuilt in Japan), another 40 year old Takamine, and a pretty Recording King RAJ-126-SN, and I didn't love to play any of them. So these two guitars with K&K Pure Mini pickups (so as not to mess with the saddle) are my gigging guitars. The aged Adirondack spruce tops were a big part of the decision tree for me - very rare to get an old spruce tonewood in anything but a super high-end guitar.

[@HowardFrischer]

Very nice

[@johnwashburn3793]

Now that you have had this guitar for 9 or 10 months, what do you think? I am considering a BR143,the OOO spruce and mahogany. Used,but great price.

[@JK-cj9vf]

This guitar does come with a free case or where I bought mine it comes with a blueridge soft case. Amazing guitar!

[@Song101uk]

Ahh lucky you! Luckily I only plan to use this for recording so it'll be in the studio most of the time. But yes, agreed, fantastic guitar.

[@JK-cj9vf]

I hope it comes in handy for you like it has me! If you're looking for a case for it try calling Banjo Ben Clark where I got mine and maybe they can help you out? They seem like pretty good people. Also I subscribed to you because you had good content and I really like your guitar playing. I hope the best for you man. Thanks for getting back with me.

[@Song101uk]

Fantastic, thanks for the info bud 👍 And also for subscribing... New content coming soon!

[@JK-cj9vf]

Awesome! Can't wait to check it out

[@drogba4evah672]

Well, it has been two years since you uploaded this video and you said you'd let us know how it held up, so how's it holding up?

[@Song101uk]

It's awesome. I absolutely love this guitar. Sounds better than it ever has :)

[@drogba4evah672]

@@Song101uk Noice. Thanks for the update!

[@Song101uk]

No worries!

[@TaylorMauck-sv2bp]

What kinda Taylor do you usually play with?

[@Song101uk]

GS Mini. Love it for gigs because it's so small but still sounds ace! 🤘

[@1980bwc]

Definately no longer 3x cheaper than a Martin anymore. I love how these Blueridge guitars look and sound. They can definately hold their own up against a Martin, but thats what you can expect with an almost exact copy of a Martin. As great as these guitars are, their rising prices are really defeating the purpose of why people have always bought them in the first place. Because at the end of the day, no matter how well these are built and how great they sound, they are not a Martin. If you dont care about resale value, and dont mind that its never going to be worth more than what you paid for it, then this guitar is definately the best choice for you. I mean, it has it all. Except for the monetary value.

[@LUCKYB.]

Let me get an answer in your honest opinion how does that BR 160 compare to the D28 in Sound .?? I have asked many and yet to get an answer .. thanks Anyone that would not get up in front of 10 thousand people with that Guitar something is wrong with them People dont care if its martin or fender .. its the sound .. it has the sound of a good Blues Guitar .

[@Song101uk]

I felt like the blueridge was slightly brighter.... Certainly not in a harsh way, they both sound fantastic in their own right. But to say that the two guitars sounded 'identical' would be a lie. I'd say they're equally great in terms of sound, but I much prefer the price tag of the blueridge! And yes, totally with you on that last point. I'm not fussed about the name on the headstock, so long as it sounds good!

[@JamesBond-kb4de]

音色👍，我也有一把

[@jimross9429]

If you like the guitar now just wait till it gets some age on it. Mine came to life int 2011 and it just gets better and better with age.

[@Song101uk]

Yep, it's already sounding better since I bought it (it gets played a lot!) Looking forward to seeing how it changes over the next couple of years

[@artgallery743]

Yours is E. Indian Rsw.

[@ruthjj2469]

This is Electric Acoustic guitar right?

[@Song101uk]

Just acoustic my friend. You'd have to install your own pickup/preamp etc if you wanted to plug it in

[@stevenmcguire9368]

WOW! Its own cardboard BOX! REAIIY!

[@mr.popoballballl745]

0:18 160 Er.....

[@jimbrunett5025]

I’m sorry but with Martin, you pay for the name. These sound every bit as good and quality is same maybe better. I have found workmanship on many martins to be sloppy.