Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar Natural

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

Wow! I had tried a Blueridge several years ago and was really impressed. But I didn't decide to get one until the Adirondack top appeared. I used to have a Martin HD-28V but had to get rid of it. I've been looking for a replacement ever since but couldn't afford a Martin right now. I also wanted a 000 type and when I saw the BR-163A, I was impressed. When it arrived and I got it tuned up I was astonished! The tone is amazing. The whole guitar resonates throughout! It also feels very lightweight. I was thinking that I'd have to take it to get set up, but it is not necessary! It is set perfectly for me with a low action and no buzzing! I would recommend this guitar to anyone.
This guitar is amazing. It has all solid woods with adirondack top and rosewood back, sides, fretboard and bridge. Bone bridge and nut. Forward shifted scalloped X-bracing. Dovetail neck joint.
Extremely well built. I found zero imperfections. The set up is fantastic with excellent string height and a perfect neck relief!
Huge value!

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

I've had this guitar for three years and I love it. The price is fantastic for an all solid wood guitar. Perfect for country blues!
It is what it is.
Solid and well built. Very resonant and easy to play. Was set up well right out of the box.
Great value for the money

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

Alright I have had my 163a for 5 months as of march 2013 and let me tell ya this thing is a little animal. Ive played live shows, recorded, and a blue grass circle here and there and this thing shines over most everything. Im not saying its number one but its a contender for most, its been beside martin d28's and a couple of gibsons and I would'nt trade them for my little blueridge "no way". I did upgrade it a little bit tho its not perfect, I had the acton lowered just a hair, added Tusq pins and a strap button the tusq pins really set it off its got so much sound it still puts a smile on my face. If you have the cash for this bad lad you wont be upset one more thing the picture up top shows the fancy head stock they only come in a regular head stock now which to me is better "I dont play banjos so I dont want my guitar to look like one" BUY IT!

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

Have had this guitar for a year and a half now and am not nearly as impressed with it as I was when I first got it. This guitar is mainly used for practice/fingering exercises as I prefer my Gibson 335 over any other guitar on the planet. The Blueridge has a nice tone and very playable neck, but construction is far from impressive. Right out of the box it comes with cheap soft plastic bridge pins which I promptly replaced with tusqs. The bone saddle was way to high for any sort of real playing, but this worked out in my favor because after an hour of meticulous filing I was able to shape the saddle to my specs with the higher strings being a little closer to the fretboard than the lower strings. I could easily overlook these flaws due to the tone produced by this guitar which is phenomenal. Very 'Martinesque' and high end Martin at that. But now after owning the guitar for a year and a half the Adirondack top is splitting right down the middle below the bridgeplate. The top is actually peeling up from the bracing. Still sounds great though. Today I'll purchase some quick set 'Jet Glue' from a RC model shop, then apply spar urethane and refinish the top. Blueridge's warranty is useless, just a piece of paper. If my repair efforts don't do the trick I'll spring for a Martin 000. This flaw, or lack of craftsmanship was not apparent when the guitar was new so if you're considering buying one, proceed with caution.

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

tried them all; martin,takamine,gibson,combines all the great things of these guitars at a working mans price. So what that it may not be worth as much as other brands in twenty five years? I"m enjoying it now.

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

About 10 years ago I damaged my shoulder and found myself unable to play a dreadnaught, so I got into ooo guitars. I had a lower-end Martin that I loved, traded it in for a Martin OM which I never bonded with, sold that and bought the Blueridge BR-163A. I am VERY pleased with the Blueridge.

Out of the box, action was a bit high and the nut was about 1/32" out of alignment. Also, the strings were pretty nasty. After dealing with those small issues, I hardly put it down for a week.

The tone is exceptional: plenty of fundamental and lots of chime and complexity. String balance is absolutely stellar. It's very sweet if you're gentle with it, with plenty of headroom if you are less gentle. If you bang on it, it still sounds good but that's not my thing so I will defer to strummers in this regard.

Playability is also exceptional. The neck feels very natural and fast. I hesitated to go as narrow as its 1 11/16" width, but it doesn't feel too skinny at all.

I have been playing for over 30 years in various capacities including full time guitar player by trade. I have owned way too many acoustic guitars, ranging from utter junk to Martins and Taylors. This one sounds best, and happens to play best too.

Cosmetically, the Adirondack top has some striping and what I am assuming is mineral stains. I actually like that. If you don't like that, consider Sitka or another brand. I know there is some discussion about that issue. Personally, I think the sound is phenomenal and I care more about that than the authenticity or origin of the wood. It is good wood. Just listen.

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

I needed a smaller OOO-sized guitar to take out to gigs instead of my expensive Gibson Jumbo, so after hearing good things about Blueridge for years, I decided to try one of their models. I went for all-solid woods, and after finding a Level 2 BR-163a, I thought the rosewood model would be the ticket. I'm SO happy I chose this one, because it's an AMAZING guitar.

It was set up reasonably well when I received it, and I could find no blemish on the entire instrument. The only thing I could figure, the Adirondack top does have some darker streaking and maybe the previous customer returned it for that reason. But, as most know, that is the hallmark of Adirondack spruce, some color variations being more pronounced than others, so to me it's a definite plus. And, I'm very pleased in the overall tinting of the top, as the picture on the website is wrong - - it shows a much brighter butter yellow (like their other models) which this model does NOT have. More of a lighter natural tone, and the nice herringbone trim and simple white binding really set it off.

The woods all over seem to be book-matched and of the highest quality, clean inside, even the one-piece neck (except for the piece at the heel) which is an added surprise. Mine came minus the rosewood headstock overlay, just plain mahogany like the back of the neck, and oddly enough it makes the whole guitar stand out even more. Simple "Blueridge" in script MOP makes this guitar's appearance so much more understated and elegant.

I did lower the action a bit at the bone nut by grinding off the back side a tad, and had to replace the tuners (which were too stiff) with some nice V97N Grover Sta-tites, which required no modifications at all - - even the screw holes lined up - - what a difference that was! Intonation up and down the neck is spot-on, and I just can't say enough good things about the sustain this guitar has - - just shimmers all up and down the neck. Tremendous volume, too! Lovely guitar!

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

I had been debating buying a Blueridge Guitar since I first started seeing them on line years ago. I kept looking for negative reviews such as: The top warped, the tail piece came loose or the neck broke. Such reviews never came. I stopped practicing a couple of years ago and I hoped that buying a new guitar would help to light a fire under me so I would start practicing again. I had also wanted a 000 or OM because I primarily play finger style and the body size is great for practice.
Well, I'm practicing again and I am somewhat amazed by the quality and sound of my BR163A. The fit and finish are excellent and leave nothing to be desired. I cannot find any craftsmanship issues. The bindings are perfect as are the inlays. The back and sides are the quality of wood one might expect to find on a far more expensive guitar. The Adirondack Spruce top looks and sounds great. I have not had a chance to play my guitar next to a similar, higher priced guitar, but it definitely plays as well as a one and I feel that the tone and projection (loudness) are equal to higher end guitars. To sum it up; my Blueridge 163A has met or exceeded my expectations. I have only had it for a couple of weeks, so I can't say about the test of time, but I have no reason to believe that my guitar will fall short in that area.
I did purchase an SKB 000 hard shell case. MF offers a case at about half the cost of SKB, but I an a diehard fan of quality hard shell cases. SKB are very high quality.
The only negative thing I have to say about my BR163A is that it came with strings which were far too heavy, 14's. I noticed it in a hurry and changed to lighter strings. 14's will rip the tail piece out of a dreadnaught and they have no place on a 000! So you might want to check with a micrometer before you tune.

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

This is a great little guitar: the workmanship is excellent throughout. The finish is beautiful (high gloss, no defects). The feel of the instrument and playability are excellent and of the 000 size guitars out there, it is one of the prettier ones. Sound is very good: clean projection, good intonation, good response for both fingerstyle and playing with a pick, way better that you would expect for it's price.

I got this as a pactice guitar for my studio. It comes with no case and no electronics built-in, which will limit it's usefulness for playing out. However, if you get one of these, I predict it will become one of the guitars that you pick up most often to play because it plays and feels so great.

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

Completely happy with this guitar. Shaved some material off of the bridge saddle to lower the strings. Got them real low and no fret buzz. Replaced bridgepins with tuscs. Sounds even better. Fun guitar to play. Much more comfortable than a dreadnaught and has great tone and volume. I will keep this sweet guitar for the rest of my days. Also changed the strings to D'Addario extra lights. Tone is rich and resonant similar to a Martin D-28. Get one, do a little tweaking on it and you'll be happy with it.

Comments about Blueridge BR-163A Adirondack Top Craftsman Series 000 Acoustic Guitar:

Returned item as it was split from bridge to end of guitar top and had been reglued. Next purchaser buyer beware.