# Martin D-45 Replacement?



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Are these Blueridge guitars as good as some purport them to be? Are they really as good as a Martin? 

Has anyone had any experience with them? What is your view?

Blueridge BR-180 (D-42).









































Select solid Sitka Spruce top with hand-carved parabolic top braces in authentic prewar forward X-pattern
Abalone border and sound hole rosette
Premium East Indian Rosewood back and sides
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
Abalone position markers on fingerboard
Body and neck binding
Bone Nut and saddle
Ebony bridge & abalone dot-inlay ebony bridge pins
Full D-45 style ornamentation
Slim mahogany neck has adjustable truss rod and 1 11/16" nut width
Scale length of 25.5"
Rosewood peghead overlay with uniquie, Mother-of-pearl and abalone design
Natural high-gloss finish
Dalmatian-tortoise-style pickguard
*Lifetime Warranty*
*Price: $987.00*

Comparison chart below.



*Model*​* Price*​* Neck Joint*​* Nut** Saddle*​*Case*​*Warranty*​  Blueridge BR-140
vs. Martin D-18V$ 671.25
$2,499.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 11/16"
Bone 1 11/16"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ Blueridge BR-140A
vs. Martin D-18GE$ 787.50
$3,299.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 3/4"
Bone 1 3/4"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ *Blueridge BR-140B*
vs. Martin D-18V$ 671.25
$2,499.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 111/16"
Bone 111/16"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​


 Blueridge BR-143
vs. *Martin OM-18V*$ 671.25
$2,499.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 11/16"
Bone 1 3/4"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ Blueridge BR-160
vs. Martin HD-28V$ 746.25
$3,099.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 11/16"
Bone 1 11/16"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ Blueridge BR-160A
 vs. Martin D-28 Marquis$ 862.50
$4,099.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 3/4"
Bone 1 3/4"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ *Blueridge BR-160B*
vs. Martin HD-28V$ 746.25
$3,099.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 11/16"
Bone 1 11/16"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ Blueridge BR-160C
vs. Martin HD-28V$ 821.25
$3,099.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 11/16"
Bone 1 11/16"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ Blueridge BR-163
vs. Martin OM-28V$ 746.25
$3,099.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 11/16"
Bone 1 3/4"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​​ Blueridge BR-180
vs. Martin D-42$1,237.50
$4,899.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 11/16"
Bone 1 11/16"​Bone
Bone​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​coming soon​ Blueridge BR-180A
vs. *Martin D-45 Marquis*$ 1,346.25
$10,399.00​Dovetail
Dovetail​Bone 1 3/4"
Ivory 1 3/4"​Bone
Ivory​No
Yes​Lifetime*
Lifetime​coming soon​


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

I own a br-180

i've thought about selling it many times because i like getting new guitars, and every time i do i put new strings on it to prep it for sale and fall in love all over again

i don't like the way it looks personally, i think the stained "vintage" top and the abalone everywhere looks excessive and silly
but my god is it a beautiful sounding guitar, and it plays very comfortably.

i would 100% recommend this guitar
as for it being as good as a martin?
i really couldn't say, i've never played a d-45
but for a 1300ish brand new you'll be very hard pressed to find one that compares


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## OldGuitarPlayer (Feb 25, 2013)

The only Blueridge I ever played was the least expensive one that was sort of a copy of a D-18 however it had a very thin and fast neck. It was about $540 retail I believe. I do know another person that has a Blueridge but I don't know what model and I have not played it but it sounds pretty good. It too is a Martin style guitar. Now that being said I have played two different standard Martin D-28's and they both were probably the best playing and sounding flat top guitars I ever played right off the rack. I tried them out at two different L & M shops too. I don't think Blueridge is as "good as" a Martin but they do make fine guitars especially when you get to the higher end stuff.


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## Woof (Jan 13, 2010)

I have the BG-160. It's the Gibson J45 clone/copy.

Given the price differential, it's an excellent guitar and somewhat eases my perceived need for a 'real' J45. And I kinda like the extra bling 

I would not hesitate to buy another Blueridge.


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

I was PMing steadfastly but i suppose i should relay the info here for future people looking for info.

My experience with a 2006 Blueridge BR-180 (non original owner)

The Good:
Nice woods used on body and neck. Provides a very loud yet balanced tone.
Neck is very comfortable (personal preference i suppose)
Abalone border is nice and flashy (if that's your thing)

The Bad:
Tuner Spacing on the headstock is silly. Strings end up touching the tuner below it, which causes rubbing when you tune it. Not really a big deal but why they wouldn't space it better is beyond me.

Fretboard is the low quality point on this guitar. the ebony has blonde streaks that appear to have been dyed and tiny little hairline splits in several places. Also it needed a fret leveling last year. I'm not sure if 6 years of medium usage is a common time for this to happen, but the frets were so indented from the strings that it was buzzing badly. The fret nubs were also sticking out a tad so i had them filed down at the same time.

I thought about trading this in for an off-shore martin that was less decorated but the same price, but i found the dollar value of reselling this was worth less than what i valued the guitar at. despite everything I just said it's quite nice and i really like it. But if i had 1400$ to spend I'd choose something like a martin DCPA4 over it in a heartbeat. but i'm not one to care about cosmetics.


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## Mike MacLeod (Nov 27, 2006)

No. They are not as good as a Martin. They are not built as well, their materials are not as good. They do not hold their value as well.

However, if you are looking for a decent guitar that can be made to play well, sounds quite good, and that you won't mind (too much) if someone drives over it: buy a Blueridge. 

I know that sounds unkind, but it's the truth. On the other hand, I have been known to happily play a Blueridge.

But no. They are not a Martin.


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

hey now, to be fair i'd be quite upset if someone drove over mine. i'd probably even call them mean names.

however if i owned a d45 and someone drove over it they'd be swimming with the fish wearing cement flippers.

so yeah i guess you can't quite compare.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

Just got a Blueridge B 180 B-all black.

I own a Martin D 18 and Larrivee L-05 and other than the excessive bling it is a nice guitar with its own voice.


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

I saw a black model floating around kijiji a few months ago but the guy was dreaming asking 1400$ for it
the abalone on black makes it looks a lot nicer imo. i don't find the faux vintage stain they used on the normal version suits the guitar at all
when it's not my go-to i think i'll sand it off and redo it in a natural satin.


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