Reddit reviews Blueridge Guitars 6 String Acoustic Guitar, Right, Solid Adirondack (BR-40AS)
We found 2 Reddit comments about Blueridge Guitars 6 String Acoustic Guitar, Right, Solid Adirondack (BR-40AS). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Solid Adirondack spruce top with scalloped braces provides you with superior note clarity and volume to spareMahogany back and sides for a robust sound and resonanceSlim mahogany neck offers fast, easy action and inherently long-lasting stabilityChoice Santos rosewood fingerboard ensures silky smooth playabilityEvery Blueridge now comes with an exclusive sturdy, padded Blueridge logo bag
For around $1,000, you should definitely be looking at a solid wood body guitar all around (solid back, sides and top, of course).
Depending on what you want as a bluegrass guitar depends on what kind of guitar you want to start looking at. A rosewood back and sides guitar with a spruce top is a great rhythm guitar. It has a punch lower end and good volume.
However, if you want to flatpick, typically a mahogany back and sides guitar is better. You lose the lower end, but you gain in the mids and treble which allows for a more even tone across the entire register.
Understand that a mahogany guitar is going to be less expensive than a rosewood guitar.
Typically I tell people to go to a well-stocked guitar shop and play a number of different guitars. Each guitar is different. You can have two of the exact same models from the same company, and one will be better than the other. So the more instruments you play, the more likely you are of getting a guitar that is right for you. But being a Brit, I'm going to guess you'll be limited on selection. Plus, the price is going to be higher than the guitars in the U.S., so I'm taking that into consideration when suggesting guitars.
One of my favourite rosewood guitars in and around that price range is the Blueridge BR-160. Scallopped bracing, sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides. It's imported from Asia, so there is a high likelihood that you may be able to find a couple different BR-160s in a good acoustic guitar shop in Britian to try out.
For a mahogany, I would suggest the Blueridge BR-40AS. This is like the BR-40, which is a good guitar in its own right, but with a few upgrades. Including the Adirondack spruce top, which is a really nice upgrade. Again, all solid wood, scallopped bracing (forward shifted). This is a fine guitar, and I'm a sucker for sunburst.
Another guitar brand that I really enjoy, though I've heard that there have been problems with inconsistency, is Recording King. They are designed by Greg Rich, who has a pretty amazing history in regards to building guitars and banjos.
The Recording King mahogany guitar I would suggest is the RD-310. Very similar in attributed to the Blueride BR-40AS. If you want to upgrade from that, you can't go wrong with the RD-316. It would still fall in your price range.
As for a rosewood... I absolutely love the Recording King RD-227. AAA Sitka spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and the torch inlay and abalone is absolutely beautiful, in my opinion. Of the guitars I suggested, this guitar will be the most expensive though.
I may get downvoted for this, but I would stay away from Martins in this price range ($1,000). You MAY be able to pick up a D18 Martin for this, but it will likely be a 1970s Martin, which are not the best quality, or a Martin with a lot of problems. Martin does have 'lower-end' guitars in this price range, but they typically have laminate back and sides. Something I would stay away from in this price range.
And for bluegrass, you don't want too low of action.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Link: Blueridge BR-40AS
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