Blueridge BR-243 Prewar Series 000 Guitar

This guitar didn't sound nearly as good as a Blueridge BR-343 that I already owned, even though it had an adirondack top. Also the tuning keys must have been bent or defective, because 2 of them were nearly impossible to turn. The guitar had a nice finish and the tuning block had a gorgeous rose inlay and beautiful wood grain. It just didn't sound good and was nearly impossible to tune, so I sent it back.

I have been really happy with Blueridge guitars ever since I purchased a br-41 a few months back. The smaller body of that guitar left some to be desired, so wanting a bigger, 000 style guitar, I decided to give this one a try. I considered many different blueridge models, and narrowed it down to this guitar and the br 43as. Now, when I was doing my research, Amazon had this guitar listed for $564 and the br 43as listed for not much cheaper, so for me it was a no brainer. Solid adirondack spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides (beautiful wood grain by the way) tortoise body binding, rose inlay on the headstock, and an ebony fretboard all pointed to an incredible value for a sub $600 guitar. So, sight unseen I purchased the guitar, hoping that it was the real deal, and not a mis marked blueridge of a different model. I received it two days later, and it was exactly what I had ordered! This guitar sounds amazing. Definitive, clear, surprisingly loud for a 000, and just a pleasure to look at. I got an amazing deal, and would recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a high quality box, with a beautiful, solid adirondack top. From what I have read about this wood, the top should continue to sound sweeter as it ages, so I am really looking forward to that. Ok enough of my rambling, go out and try one for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

The BR 243 A is a fine little OOO size guitar. Factory set up was quite good, small truss rod adjustment and she's ready to go. Very nice fit and finish all around. Bone nut and saddle, could use something nicer than plastic bridge pinsbut that's standard on lots of really good instruments. Equally nice for flat picking and finger style playing. One piece mahogany neck is very comfortable and easy to play. All solid mahogany back and sides, nice adirondack spruce top. This guitar holds it's own with guitars two to three times it's price.

I looked for a long time to find the "A" version of this guitar, the "A" stands for Adirondack (Red) Spruce. It is a fantastick sounding and playing guitar and I'm glad I found one for about $800. I was dissapointed with the case that goes with it and would recommend buying another brand of 000 size case.

This is an excellent guitar, especially for the money. For less than $1000 (including a case purchase --- hey, get a good case for this guitar), this guitar is worth it. I've played for over 30 years. I was looking for a less expensive guitar that I could reasonably travel with that didn't sound like 'bad things.' I've owned a few less expensive guitars and was unsatisfied. Now, for some, $1000 is not cheap. Let's consider this a mid-price guitar. I've seen reviews on the web about the guitar that relate it to a Huss and Dalton TOM (Traditional OM) or Santa Cruz PW (Pre-war) OM. It's not at all. However, what you get for 1/4 the price (retail) with this guitar is one that has a crisp response, sounds great (comparing to the previously noted guitars, give this one a 90 out of 100 and the H&D/Santa Cruz 100/100). But it's 1/4 the cost. Okay... the Chinese thing. Some feel that buying Chinese is a bad 'political' thing. I suppose I have some guilt about that. But I will continue to support and buy American and Canadian brands because right now, I know that the build (and cost) is better. Bottom line: Great guitar and good sounding guitar -- especially for the money.