Hang in there. About 2 years ago I had arthritis so bad in my left shoulder that I couldn't even hold a guitar. I went over a year without playing. A very good childhood friend of mine, who also played guitar, told me not to give up. He KNEW how good I could pick and that the stiffness and pain would eventually go away. Well, after about a year, I'm well enough to not only hold a guitar but to play it for short times. Sadly, my friend was found kneeling next to his bed, dead. I dedicated my recovery to my friend who I knew for most of my life.
I could feel your pain in this video. Best wishes for the hand recovery. I was thinking of buying one of these, but don’t know how to do set-ups so I don’t know, but thanks for the vid.
I've just Sold a My Taylor 214ce-dlx , because for whatever reason , it would not stay in tune ! Anyway I owned a Blueridge BR-40 , which is the cheapest they make , But it played like a dream & Loud & clear ! Sooo, I found a Used 2014 BR-160a on " Reverb" and was advertised as " Good " condition for $500.00 ! I got to looking at the pics, and it was Flawless and the description said it needed a neck reset & frets . but the body looked great. I took a chance and offered $400.00 and the guy took it ! I got it from " Massachusetts" . It was delivered in about a week , with a nice Hardshell case , that wasn't mentioned ! The guy that owned it had the truss rod tightened so tight , i about needed a cheater on the allen wrench to loosen it up ! the strings were slammed against the frets . So I hydrated and let it set in the sunshine for a couple days and warm up good ! Anyway , I've messed with it for about a month now just letting it settle down ! I put a set of Gold Grover open gear tuners on it ,,oiled to fret board and bridge, new bone saddle , the fret were Flawless , not a mark on em ! Polished the guitar out , and I promise, there wasn't a mark nowhere on the guitar , Bracing was tight , solid and " Flawless" . SOoo after about a month , I've strung it up ,,, I had to just snug the truss rod up & maybe a 1/4 turn to get it set up ! The guy that owned that guitar just about Ruined it ! But Owning Martin D-28's , HD- 28, Taylors , Yamaha's, Sigma ,,, I Can Honestly say ,,, My Blueridge Br-160a 2014 model will stand toe to toe with any of em , anywhere on the neck , Rhythm or lead picking ! Solid Adirondack top, Solid Indian Rosewood Back, sides & neck , Herringbone purfling & Trim , Hemlock bracing Bone Nut & saddle , Grover Gold open gear 19:1 tuners , D'Addario strings And total price , I've got about $600.00 in it ! LOVE IT !
Great video, Randy! :-) I´m sorry to hear that your hand heals not as fast as you expected. Man, I hope it gets better soon! Wishing you a good weekend, my friend.....Jenny ☼
+JennysCountryChannel Jenny thank you so very much! GOD I wish it would heal faster! I didn't break it but had to have came close. I can't imagine a break hurting any more than this does. Thanks again my dear friend! :-)
the injury would heal a lot faster (A LOT FASTER) if u would jst let it! i mean, do u really think playing to the point of pain is a good idea? u may be doing permanent damage?! i wish u well
+Cesar Blues Guitar Thank you brother! I really appreciate the kind words and wishes! Hand only hurts now when it's open or closed, unlike before when it throbbed all the time, so I think it's on the mend! :-)
Great to see you playing, Randy! I know it's still painful, but you're looking better. Sweet guitar! Looking forward to those quick clips brother, rock on!
+guitarstruggles Thank you brother I appreciate it! I love this guitar, it's just different from the Martins I guess is why I like it so much. Thanks again for the kind comment mate! Quick clips coming soon!
Bought a blueridge 160 today at the Stocholm guitar show, love it, i have 5 Martin guitars a 69 D18 and a mint HD 28 from 76 (first Year) herrigbone again. Must say the Blueridge is a whole lot of guitar for peanuts.....its a BR 160 from 2004 and very vell taken care of. Staight as new.......love it !
they really are amazing guitars for the money! I have a friend that bought a Blueridge BR160 back when they first came out, I can't remember the tear but the guitar is getting some age on it and still not a single problem other than a set up now and then. thanks for tuning in here and commenting my friend!
Randy: Thanks for that, I really appreciate learning about setups and tuning the parts of the instrument. I have a suggestion for your hand, as I'm unsure about the very hot water from the microwave. Injuries like yours have deep internal bruising and your lymphatic system might be helped with a boost from Castor Oil. It is applied to the skin and in your case an inexpensive cotton glove will keep the messy oil from contacting anything, and is especially useful at night while you sleep. The oil really boosts the lymphatic response and you may find some good relief from this old, but well documented and still very current recovery technique.Best Wishes and keep resting that hand.
+Al S Thank you Al for watching and posting this info, I will definitely try it! I really thought my hand would be a lot better by now but it's really holding me up and nothing much is working so far, the hot water seems to help the pain but I can't tell it's getting much better. I will definitely try your advice tonight, really wanting to play some guitar but it's nearly impossible to do without unbearable pain. Thanks again for watching and commenting and for this info!
I hope your hand hurts less and it gets better now. Lovely guitar this Blueridge, I like it very much, and your video as well, good suggestions for setting up my old Epiphone. Great as usual, Randy. Cheers!
+Randy Schartiger My ole Epiphone agrees with you Randy, and says: Please, mind your hands, 'cause we need more vids, and your music as well, ok? Thanks my friend!
Just found this video, Nice pickin man. Dont know what happened to your hand but I hope its better by now. If you haven't checked out the Takamine old Nashville series guitars (also called TNV prefix models) you outta. They have excellent build quality and the Cool Tube preamps (especially the CTP-1), are the best I have ever heard for plugged in playing. I have a couple of the high end Takamines and I won't play anything else. I had a few Taylors and love them for unplugged sound but they aren't made for the working musician that's out in 100 degree Texas heat fr 4 hours. Genz Benz makes a great acoustic amp too, I use the Shen Pro and love it, but mostly for solo shows I use a Bose L1M2 pa system with T1 mixer and B2 sub cabinet, I like it because it goes behind me and I can hear what my audience hears and I get complete coverage at lower volumes. I look forward to checking out more of your videos.
Thanks mate and thanks for the info. I titally agree with Taylor's not for the working musician, they don't adapt well to changes from what I've been told and seen, temperature swings and humidity seems to drive them all over the place, not a good thing when you're on the road playing under so many different conditions. Thanks for stopping in!
Like I said I just found your channel because I just bought a BR160 and looked it up on U Tube and found you. I ddid my homework aand Ive owned an HD28 and the closest sounding guitars I could find that I dont have to take out aLoan to buy are The BR160 and the REcording King 328. Both are solid rosewood baack and sides with solid solid sidca sspruce top on the Br160 and the RK has an aanorandike top aaand sells for around 700/800 bucks. Both of these are killer chinese made guitars. Check em out. Theres a few videos on u tube that compare them to Maartin HD 28s I like your channel hope your hand gets better soon. Even messed up Its easy to tell your aaaaaaaaaaa great picker!
+GILLEBRATH Hey thank you man! Yeah the hot water definitely is helping I just wish it would help faster lol Oh well, thanks again for the kind comment my friend!
Good video Randy, The best guitar I every played was a Blue RIDGE.Cold weather is coming you might won't to get you a hand warmer to keep with you out side this winter. I guess you can still buy them the ones you can put in your pocket that hand might need that.A lady is bringing me a guitar to repair next week it must be from the 1950s it was hers when she was a kid she my age I am 65 that's old))) I will let you know what it is might be interesting.)))
+Steve Harris Many thanks to you Steve! I have 2 hand warmers here somewhere, I wonder if you can still buy them? I've got a small on about the size of a shirt pocket and a much bigger one, I'll have to dig those out that's a good idea! You should make a video of that guitar and the repairs would be cool!. Well I'm not too far behind you I'm 56 and to me thats old too lol We be gettin grey! :)
Hi Randy...thanks for the update! Sure hope your hand gets better soon! Always enjoy seeing setups & repairs, even if it's just an inspection. I always learn a little something new. I played a few Blueridge models at local music shop awhile back...sounded & played super nice. Not quite the low end that a Martin has, at least to my ears? I'm a Martin lover, lol...just something about the overtones & low end that is hard to match. But believe it or not, I have about every brand out there, but no Martin yet! lol Just don't feel I play well enough to justify the price, but maybe some day! I'm on a Seagull kick right now...just bought another one - 6 string dread with solid spruce top & walnut back & sides...the 12 string I just bought also had walnut back & sides & I was so impressed with it I got the 6 string...both are incredible for the price! Gorgeous overtones...close to a Martin! I have other Seagulls & they sound different...brighter. The walnut I think is what makes these so unique. Would love to hear your opinion of them if you ever get the chance to try one out! Thanks again! Janine
+WindOfTheWisp Thank you Janine! I appreciate the kind words and thoughts! You are correct on the Martin's and I couldn't agree more, this Blueridge hasn't been played hardly at all for the past year sense I used it for a private party show we did, I much prefer the sound of my Martin's over it, the Blueridge is louder but as you said the mid-tones and bass isn't there like a Martin. I'm going to try to play it as my hand heals because of it's smaller neck, hopefully that will help and not be so painful to play. I've worked on a few Seagull guitars here and I remember being very impressed with two of them but I don't think I videoed either one. I will definitely pay closer attention to them tho and let you know what I think if I get anymore of them.Thanks again for watching and posting! :)
+WindOfTheWisp Awesome sounding guitar!! I agree with you I don't know how they can build and sell a guitar that cheap that has such a huge sound! I can see where you would want one haha! I don't do much 12 playing anymore but for the price I could easily get back into it with sound like this guitar projects. Thanks for the link, gonna have to go listen and watch again, that's an incredible sounding axe, especially for the money!
I've had a Blueridge BR-160A (with the Adirondack top) for seven years now, love it to bits. It sounded better than the D-28 and HD-28 in the store where I didn't buy it. Wasn't sure I wanted to spend so much on a Chinese guitar so I left it, but couldn't get the sound out of my head, bought the same model off the local ebay soon after and the rest is history. The stock tuners are kinda crappy, probably why they were changed, but Grover 14:1 tuners bolted straight in and are real nice to use. The fretwork and intonation could probably be a little neater, I'd love to get it cleaned up one day, maybe with a few stainless frets up top. But man the thing sounds good. For anyone lazy to change strings often (like me), Elixir 16052 sound mint on this guitar - and for so long. Now if only I could play anything like Randy, even with a hand injury...
+Woodeso's Guitar Mods Thanks mate! It's a little better than it was yesterday. Hopefully I can start Quick Clips in the next day or two. And yes! Get your acoustic out! :)
Randy, hope your hand has returned to normal, I use glucosamine for arthritis in my knee; which seems to help and it's cheep! Take it to the Lord in prayer, Gods is still in the healing business; some times we just need to lower our heart a notch or two. God bless you sir!
+Greg Taylor Thank you Greg for the kind words and thoughts! It mean a lot to me! :) Hand is much better, not 100% and maybe never will be but it's much better than it was 2 months ago. I've been resting them and not playing much I think is also helping but I'm getting badly out of practice from not playing. Thanks again my dear friend!
randy, what happened to your hand? I got tennis elbow from playing a lot, going to PT to evaluate it. You ever hear of the video Healthy Hands, Arms, and Forearms? Really great stuff on there. Feel better, brother!
+pickinstone Hey thank you bro for the kind words and advice, no I've never heard of that but will look into it, it sounds like something I could really benefit from right now. Two and a half weeks ago I got my left hand closed up in a car door! Ouch! Nothing broken they said but it sure hurts like I broke it completely off! I thought it would be a lot better by now but keep remembering at my age I don't heal fast like I did 30 years ago. Thanks again for the info and watching and commenting my friend!
OHH Yeah, I just bought the exact same guitar youve got there BR 160. Im waiting foeer it in the mail. they said it was mailed yesterday. Thats how I fffound your channel! Peace! I Think
I'm not an acoustic guy so probly why I've not seen tuners like that. What kind are they? I'm also hoping your hand keeps improving as fast as possible along with the rest of us.
+Flat-PickFan Thank you man! I walked into a music store and saw this guitar, picked it up and when I hit the first chord knew it was coming with me! :) The buzzing you hear in this video isn't the guitar, it's my vugged up hand.
Just need to give your hand some time to heal Randy. Only you will know when it's really ready to play. Still sounds good. If the guitar ain't broke don't fix it :-)
+Dale Palmer Many thanks Dale! The buzzing you hear in this video is because of my hand, this guitar has tremendous volume and sounds a lot better than it sounded in this video. Hopefully hand will mend sooner than later and you'll get to hear it. Thanks again! :)
Randy long time no see. Would you recommend a blue ridge to anyone? Thinking about getting one. They a good guitar brand? Better than most? For the 800$ price point for a 160 or 260?
Great looking blueridge! Hope the hand is feeling better. My arm was in a cast for 3 months and that was torture! I did have a question for you regarding your blueridge I have a br-160 as well and it's time for new strings. I'm wondering if I should go with 13-56 or 12-54. My sound board was cracked between the saddle and tail. I rehumidified it and reglued the halves of the top and there are a couple cleats. Would you risk putting mediums on it or go with lights?
Blueridge guitars rock! :) If you got the crack humidified and glued and have cleats on the crack properly you should be ok to go with .013-.056 with no problems, it's probably stronger now than it was without the cleats. An important note on cleats, the wood grain of the cleats should be running cross ways from the direction of the wood grain in the top, this provides the most strength. Plus those heavier strings will make the top move more too. Thanks for tuning in!
It's funny that as nice as the Martin necks are, there are guitars that have a smaller neck...or in the case of my Guild, not so much smaller as it's a different shape I think? I'd have to check the dimensions of each online. I know the Martin D18's neck is a nice small size but I tend to grab the Guild first 'cuz I can actually get my thumb over the top of the neck to catch the E string. And...it's funny you're talking about this Blueridge neck because it was just a few days ago a friend was telling me he'd been trying it out in a store & loved the neck...until he picked up the Guild... He was looking for a cheap second guitar & was stunned at the playability of the Guild...said if you liked the Blueridge, the Guild was like butter. I've never played a Blueridge so can't say much but I know this Guild is a dream for people with wonky hands. Have you tried a Salonpas patch on your hand for while you're playing? They work pretty well...expensive as h*** tho'! You need to stop beating yourself up about not getting us some vids up!!! We'll all survive & you need to concentrate on that hand...top priority, okay? I should sound so good on my best day as you do on your worst. ♥ I recorded a practice session on the 12 string a couple of weeks ago, using my webcam & I'm going to scrap the video part of that...lol! But I'm going to use the restoration pictures of the 12 string & make a video of that session...are you ready to be killed by noise? As soon as I get the nerve, I'll post it! ~G~ ♪
+Gingerjake2 ahh coolness! I'll be watching for that upload! I would really like to see the video too, maybe you could half it up with half vid and half pics? However you do it I'm sure I'll love it much! :) Yeah I need to focus more on getting this hand/channellock lol back in condition, soaking it in extremely hot water I think is helping it more than anything else. I think if I didn't have focal dystonia it wouldn't bother me as much, one thing I've noticed is this injury has REALLY stirred up the dystonia effects I was fighting so hard to overcome. Not sure why that is but it's definitely a factor and effecting the healing process. Thank you Ginger for the kind words and for watching! Now I'm prolly gonna have to go buy a Guild! =P
+Gingerjake2 I saw that one frame you're talking about! :-) And can relate to the felling it expresses! Really enjoyed your video and even went back twice so I think I watched it a total of three times, & may have to check it again! :) Ahh yes hot water! There must be something to it helping, when I soak my hand in it, it feels soooooo much better, but that feeling doesn't last very long. I have been working on barely touching the strings with my left hand, applying just enough pressure to get the notes cleanly and if I can master that I believe as you said I"ll be able to play better than before. That's actually what I've been doing retraining my hand to work around this dystonia. Since this injury, when I get a chord or a note, the longer I hold it the more the pain comes, and when it really gets bad my hand wants to draw up and squeeze even tighter! So I'm hoping to kill two birds with one stone here, retrain, attacking from different angles than before, AND lighten up on the left hand. Thanks for the info you gathered from your doctor btw! It is very much appreciated! :-) Ok so I'ma go watch that Guild review, those are beautiful guitars!
Randy: My pal Joe owns a waay newer BR160 than this one. At our monthly BG jam session I played his BR160 (has a dalmation style pick guard) IMO his 160 put the 3 Martins (D18m 28 and 45) to shame!!! I own a Martin and thought they had the best sustain, volume etc, But the Chinese made BR guitars are Hoss guitars. I'll never badmouth BR again. I offered Joe $300.00 more'n he paid for it and he turned my offer down (I think his wife laid down tha law. No selling this guitar) Im gonna surf the www for a 160 or 140.
Randy really enjoy your channel. I was wanting to buy a Martin D28 but after hearing these Blueridge guitars it made me wonder....are the current Blueridge 160 or 180 on part with the Martin dollar for dollar? I've never owned a Martin but can't see spending 2700 dollars on a guitar if I can get one that sounds almost as good for 1000 or less. If the materials and workmanship are close which would you recommend? The one you are playing sounds darn good to me.
they really are the best bang for your buck IMHO, when you start getting up into the BR140 and higher models the quality of the woods used quickly gets better and better. it's amazing they can even build such a high quality guitar for the prices they sell them for. the BR160 and BR180 I think are the best sounding ones for the money and they are very well built. Martin guitars for the most part is the name and history, they do use some very rare and expensive woods in some models but as you know the price of those is thru the roof! thanks for checking out my videos! I hope this helps!
Randy Schartiger Thanks a ton. You pretty much backed up what I was thinking. I will one day pick up a nice Martin maybe a HD 28V or there abouts. I mostly play bluegrass, country (not the pop stuff lol) and gospel all around. But I really like the sound those Blueridge guitars are bringing. They are so close and less than half the price. I'm sure it will serve me fine while I start my Martin fund lol. I did play electric guitars off and on and may sell my Les Paul Custom I've had for well over 20 years to grab me a Martin. Would have already done so but just haven't been able to let the LP go. As I said love the channel and will keep watching and supporting ya my friend! Thanks for the quick reply God Bless!
Thanks man. Sorry abput your hand. Can't imagine being limited like that and I'm not a good player as it is. I am looking at a BR 160 or 160A. Seems Blueridge makes a pretty good guitar for the money to me.
Thanks for the kind words my friend, I'm still having all kinds of problems with my hands but they are slowly getting better with each month that passes. Yes Blueridge for the money is very hard to beat! I've played a few that were better than others but have never seen a Blueridge that sounded bad.
Hey, Randy, have you played the BR-180 by any chance? And what are your thoughts if so? Also, what happened to your hand, man? Is it any better now?? I'd sure hate to see you out of commission. That actually happened to me just a couple months ago. I had gotten an impinged nerve that basically pretty much paralyzed my right arm for about 3-4 weeks! I couldn't do anything with it! Man, that was scary. Turns out from the MRI I had to get done I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, and at only 31 years old! Yikes!! They only looked at my neck yet found 3 bulging discs in my cervical spine! Although I obviously still have the one ailment (the DDD), the paralysis finally cleared up. I guess whatever nerve was impinged worked it's way out or healed or whatever. Luckily there was no nerve pain involved. I've had that in the past when I broke my left arm when I was a kid in a go-cart accident. Man, you want to talk about nerve PAIN? That was 4 months of absolute hell! Literally felt like my hand had fire ants all over it, like electrical pain that was just constant all over the front of my left hand, palm and fingers, which were also paralyzed during that time. Just constant burning. Couldn't hardly sleep or anything but just sit there and try to no avail to think about anything other than the pain. I mean I had never experienced anything like it. I mean just to _touch_ the front of my hand, even just very lightly, especially the palm area, sent me reeling and throbbing with an unbelievable burning sensation (I liked to scream and nearly just about punched my dad in the face when he did that just to see how bad it was).....Add that to being in a cast with a broken humerus during that time that was excruciatingly painful in it's own right...phew.... hope I never have to go through anything like that again. So what do you have arthritis or something? Or did you have some sort of accident/injury? Hope you're either getting or got better since then. I'd hate to worry about ya. Well, if it ain't back to 100% by now I hope it gets well again. I know how much you love to play, just like I do. Well, anyhoo, best wishes and blessings to you brother, and Merry Christmas my friend!
+51MontyPython Hey brother thanks for tuning in! Yeah I've played several BR-180 guitars and must say every one of them I've played have been really good sounding! Blueridge rocks! Oh man sounds like you've been thru the mill as many times as I have, I wish I was 31 again I can tell you that. My hand/s... that's a long story but heres a short story about why I can barely play most days. 20+ years ago banjo was my main axe, I practiced 12-16 hours per day when not on the road playing. I started noticing my hands clinching up and hurting a LOT, mostly my right one. No arthritis back then showed up in x-rays, doctors didn't know why my hands hurt so bad and my playing ability was constantly and rapidly getting worse, to a point I quit playing music completely because I couldn't even play tunes I had written. Well after 20+ years picked up a guitar in 2009 and started playing again, only to be reminded something really funky was going on with both hands. I went to several doctors until finally was recommended to see a neurologist and about 3 or 4 years ago diagnosed with Focal Dystonia in both hands. There is no cure for this disease and very little treatment, they didn't even know it existed back in my banjo days. As if that wasn't enough, in August or September I had a car door shut on my left hand, crushing it but they said nothing was broken but it sure did a number on it. Supposedly the Dystonia can be beaten by re-training your brain to use your hands differently, like different angles and different muscles and approaches, so I've been retraining for a little over a year now. Also am now told arthritis in both hands as well. So I guess it's a wonder I can still play at all! I am finally making some recognizable progress but it's happening really slowly, which I guess is good or so I'm told. Anyways thats a quick version of why my hands give me fits, eventually I'll beat the dystonia or die trying. Thanks for your kind words man and for tuning in! Happy Holidays mate!
Randy Schartiger Holy crap! Man, that's rough! ...and that you had to give it up for so long. Dang, that sucks. Well, I'm glad you were at least able to pick it back up to some extent, and I hope you keep improving. And the car door on top of that! holy, shit...wow, man. a bit of rough luck there.... Had never heard of that focal dystonia, but looking it up on wiki...phew,....man, I don't like the sound of that! I'll be sure and keep you in my prayers, my friend.
Really like your videos.. wondering if you have any experience with the Epiphone Masterbilt series of guitars... was looking at them and saw a comment on the Blueridge guitars which brought me to your videos. Im looking at the Masterbilt DR500-MCE
+godwillhunting2 Yes! The Masterbilt DR500MCE is an excellent choice! Especially if it's in decent condition, I worked on the action on one a few months ago but didn't video it. They are very well constructed guitars! Thank you for tuning in my channel!
Hey, Randy, what do you call that special ruler you use that measures thousandths of an inch -- the one that looks like a metal index card? ...tried to buy one last year when I was at a Guitar Center (and in town as I am now for the holidays with my folks where I'm actually close enough to one), but unfortunately they were out at the time.
+51MontyPython It's called a string action gauge, very handy for measuring a lot of things. The metal ones are best but paper ones are cheaper. I'd recommend metal, they last a long time.
Randy Schartiger Hey, thanks, man. (Seemed like I had a hard time explaining it to one of the guys there before. I asked for "one of those rulers that measures thousandths of an inch," and he's all looking at me like I'm from outer space or something..... He's like, I know there's ones that measure 32ths and 64ths, but..." And then finally after explaining to him what I meant, he's like "OHHH! you mean,...." "Yeah, one of _THOSE,"_.....ha ha :)
The tuners look like Ibanez Velvetune machineheads. They´re interesting for collectors of vintage Ibanez guitars and vintage Tama guitars. They were made by Gotoh Japan of course. Normally they use open Waverly type or Grover type tuners on Blueridge guitars. Open tuners may look cheap, but they can be good and even expensive, especially original Waverly tuners are... So, there was probably no real reason to replace the tuners. Nothing a drop of sewing machine oil couldn´t have solved, I guess. If the OEM tuners are much cheaper, you could make some money selling the Ni-Chrome Velvetunes. They fit on the Ibanez Studio, Musician and Artist series (electric), the cheaper models such as the ST50 and the AR50, because the Artist AR100 and higher have gold tuners. And I have them on my TAMA TW-07, same tuners but with the TAMA brand. Maybe the SAGA distributor can get you a set of the right OEM tuners for the Blueridge for much less than you can get for them, because I have seen some crazy prices on eBay. Most Ibanez players who have broken tuners are more or less forced to buy Grovers, if they want to use the same drill holes. And then they wait until they find the real deal.
I think someone was trying to squeeze all the sound out of this guitar that it was capable of, they shaved the braces on the top slightly and had put in a bone compensated nut, and I'm guessing by these tuners having a very low and short peg they installed them to get more down force on the nut, the closer you can wind the string to the peghead the more pressure you'll get on the nut. It's hard to tell tho, maybe it was all they could get at the time but from all the other upgrades that had been done to it I'd have to guess that was why they installed them. Who knows lol Thanks for having a look!
Just had my shoulder replaced and cant get my elbow out enough to play. I know how you feel.Its killing me! aaand when I try it sounds terrible. Thiss to shall pass brother! But until then, it FUCKIN SUCKS!
+Terry Creech Hey thank you Terry! Yeah I've been taking it easy lately on the hand, man it's taking forever to heal but getting there. Thanks for watching and commenting brother!
I'm not an acoustic guy so probly why I've not seen tuners like that. What kind are they? I'm also hoping your hand keeps improving as fast as possible along with the rest of us.
+CJ99 W Thank you mate I appreciate that! I just now looked and there doesn't seem to be a name or anything on the tuners. The buttons on these are much larger than the original ones, it's possible since the pegs are so short, they were changed to get more down pressure on the nut, a lot of acoustic players does that and it's the only reason I can think of they would be changed.
Randy Schartiger Yeah they look very unusual. visual style reminds me of the late 30's early 40's modern look, almost like the SF visuals of that time period. I know it blows chunks having any kinda injury. Had sprained ankle back in may that was buggin me for a couple months. Real annoyance it was.
CJ99 W That's exactly my thought, they remind me of something I'd seen as a child but I can't remember what or where, but something extremely old. They seem to work really nice but look funky I think. Yeah I told wife yesterday I wish it was my foot or leg, anything besides my hand would been nice lol
Hang in there. About 2 years ago I had arthritis so bad in my left shoulder that I couldn't even hold a guitar. I went over a year without playing. A very good childhood friend of mine, who also played guitar, told me not to give up. He KNEW how good I could pick and that the stiffness and pain would eventually go away.
Well, after about a year, I'm well enough to not only hold a guitar but to play it for short times. Sadly, my friend was found kneeling next to his bed, dead. I dedicated my recovery to my friend who I knew for most of my life.
I could feel your pain in this video. Best wishes for the hand recovery. I was thinking of buying one of these, but don’t know how to do set-ups so I don’t know, but thanks for the vid.
I've just Sold a My Taylor 214ce-dlx , because for whatever reason , it would not stay in tune ! Anyway I owned a Blueridge BR-40 , which is the cheapest they make , But it played like a dream & Loud & clear ! Sooo, I found a Used 2014 BR-160a on " Reverb" and was advertised as " Good " condition for $500.00 ! I got to looking at the pics, and it was Flawless and the description said it needed a neck reset & frets . but the body looked great. I took a chance and offered $400.00 and the guy took it ! I got it from " Massachusetts" . It was delivered in about a week , with a nice Hardshell case , that wasn't mentioned ! The guy that owned it had the truss rod tightened so tight , i about needed a cheater on the allen wrench to loosen it up ! the strings were slammed against the frets . So I hydrated and let it set in the sunshine for a couple days and warm up good ! Anyway , I've messed with it for about a month now just letting it settle down ! I put a set of Gold Grover open gear tuners on it ,,oiled to fret board and bridge, new bone saddle , the fret were Flawless , not a mark on em ! Polished the guitar out , and I promise, there wasn't a mark nowhere on the guitar , Bracing was tight , solid and " Flawless" . SOoo after about a month , I've strung it up ,,, I had to just snug the truss rod up & maybe a 1/4 turn to get it set up ! The guy that owned that guitar just about Ruined it ! But Owning Martin D-28's , HD- 28, Taylors , Yamaha's, Sigma ,,, I Can Honestly say ,,, My Blueridge Br-160a 2014 model will stand toe to toe with any of em , anywhere on the neck , Rhythm or lead picking ! Solid Adirondack top, Solid Indian Rosewood Back, sides & neck , Herringbone purfling & Trim , Hemlock bracing Bone Nut & saddle , Grover Gold open gear 19:1 tuners , D'Addario strings And total price , I've got about $600.00 in it ! LOVE IT !
I’m 64 and have degenerative joint disease. I feel your pain. Literally. Nice guitar.
sorry to hear it man! old age is not any fun! all the best to you! and thanks for checking out my videos!
Randy Schartiger thanks, I appreciate it. I’ve learned a lot from your videos. Take care and be safe out there.
Great video, Randy! :-) I´m sorry to hear that your hand heals not as fast as you expected. Man, I hope it gets better soon! Wishing you a good weekend, my friend.....Jenny ☼
+JennysCountryChannel Jenny thank you so very much! GOD I wish it would heal faster! I didn't break it but had to have came close. I can't imagine a break hurting any more than this does. Thanks again my dear friend! :-)
the injury would heal a lot faster (A LOT FASTER) if u would jst let it! i mean, do u really think playing to the point of pain is a good idea? u may be doing permanent damage?! i wish u well
Love the BR-160, I'm planning for it to be my next guitar. Love your vids and your expertise, Randy, thank you.
Hi Randy, great video as always and I see your hand is getting better and better. I know how painful it is so all the best vibes from here.
+Cesar Blues Guitar Thank you brother! I really appreciate the kind words and wishes! Hand only hurts now when it's open or closed, unlike before when it throbbed all the time, so I think it's on the mend! :-)
They are amazing instruments I think your playing is fine ! I have bad hands too ! I feelo your pain my friend !
Great to see you playing, Randy! I know it's still painful, but you're looking better. Sweet guitar! Looking forward to those quick clips brother, rock on!
+guitarstruggles Thank you brother I appreciate it! I love this guitar, it's just different from the Martins I guess is why I like it so much. Thanks again for the kind comment mate! Quick clips coming soon!
Bought a blueridge 160 today at the Stocholm guitar show, love it, i have 5 Martin guitars a 69 D18 and a mint HD 28 from 76 (first Year) herrigbone again. Must say the Blueridge is a whole lot of guitar for peanuts.....its a BR 160 from 2004 and very vell taken care of. Staight as new.......love it !
they really are amazing guitars for the money! I have a friend that bought a Blueridge BR160 back when they first came out, I can't remember the tear but the guitar is getting some age on it and still not a single problem other than a set up now and then. thanks for tuning in here and commenting my friend!
Randy: Thanks for that, I really appreciate learning about setups and tuning the parts of the instrument. I have a suggestion for your hand, as I'm unsure about the very hot water from the microwave. Injuries like yours have deep internal bruising and your lymphatic system might be helped with a boost from Castor Oil. It is applied to the skin and in your case an inexpensive cotton glove will keep the messy oil from contacting anything, and is especially useful at night while you sleep. The oil really boosts the lymphatic response and you may find some good relief from this old, but well documented and still very current recovery technique.Best Wishes and keep resting that hand.
+Al S Thank you Al for watching and posting this info, I will definitely try it! I really thought my hand would be a lot better by now but it's really holding me up and nothing much is working so far, the hot water seems to help the pain but I can't tell it's getting much better. I will definitely try your advice tonight, really wanting to play some guitar but it's nearly impossible to do without unbearable pain. Thanks again for watching and commenting and for this info!
I hope your hand hurts less and it gets better now. Lovely guitar this Blueridge, I like it very much, and your video as well, good suggestions for setting up my old Epiphone. Great as usual, Randy. Cheers!
+Andrea Biscaccianti Thanks so much Andrea for the kind words and for watching and commenting! Those Epip's are nice axes when set up properly.
+Randy Schartiger My ole Epiphone agrees with you Randy, and says: Please, mind your hands, 'cause we need more vids, and your music as well, ok? Thanks my friend!
Andrea Biscaccianti
Will do! :) And thanks to you as well my friend!
Just found this video, Nice pickin man.
Dont know what happened to your hand but I hope its better by now.
If you haven't checked out the Takamine old Nashville series guitars (also called TNV prefix models) you outta. They have excellent build quality and the Cool Tube preamps (especially the CTP-1), are the best I have ever heard for plugged in playing.
I have a couple of the high end Takamines and I won't play anything else.
I had a few Taylors and love them for unplugged sound but they aren't made for the working musician that's out in 100 degree Texas heat fr 4 hours.
Genz Benz makes a great acoustic amp too, I use the Shen Pro and love it, but mostly for solo shows I use a Bose L1M2 pa system with T1 mixer and B2 sub cabinet, I like it because it goes behind me and I can hear what my audience hears and I get complete coverage at lower volumes.
I look forward to checking out more of your videos.
Thanks mate and thanks for the info. I titally agree with Taylor's not for the working musician, they don't adapt well to changes from what I've been told and seen, temperature swings and humidity seems to drive them all over the place, not a good thing when you're on the road playing under so many different conditions. Thanks for stopping in!
Love my my Blueridge's I have a BR-240 and a BR-160A I like them as well as any Martin I ever had.
they definitely are great guitars, I've never seen a bad one or one that didn't sound good. thanks for watching!
Like I said I just found your channel because I just bought a BR160 and looked it up on U Tube and found you. I ddid my homework aand Ive owned an HD28 and the closest sounding guitars I could find that I dont have to take out aLoan to buy are The BR160 and the REcording King 328. Both are solid rosewood baack and sides with solid solid sidca sspruce top on the Br160 and the RK has an aanorandike top aaand sells for around 700/800 bucks. Both of these are killer chinese made guitars. Check em out. Theres a few videos on u tube that compare them to Maartin HD 28s I like your channel hope your hand gets better soon. Even messed up Its easy to tell your aaaaaaaaaaa great picker!
Nice guitar sounds great from here. main thing right now, your hand is really improving. Good point with Humidity note. Thanks Randy.
+GILLEBRATH Hey thank you man! Yeah the hot water definitely is helping I just wish it would help faster lol Oh well, thanks again for the kind comment my friend!
wonderful guitar Randy thank's for playing ,hope you'r hands better soon,cheers
+Midnight Welder Thank you brother! This guitar is easier to play, hopefully that'll help my hand heal faster, that's the plan anyways! Cheers!
Good video Randy, The best guitar I every played was a Blue RIDGE.Cold weather is coming you might won't to get you a hand warmer to keep with you out side this winter. I guess you can still buy them the ones you can put in your pocket that hand might need that.A lady is bringing me a guitar to repair next week it must be from the 1950s it was hers when she was a kid she my age I am 65 that's old))) I will let you know what it is might be interesting.)))
+Steve Harris Many thanks to you Steve! I have 2 hand warmers here somewhere, I wonder if you can still buy them? I've got a small on about the size of a shirt pocket and a much bigger one, I'll have to dig those out that's a good idea! You should make a video of that guitar and the repairs would be cool!. Well I'm not too far behind you I'm 56 and to me thats old too lol We be gettin grey! :)
Hi Randy...thanks for the update! Sure hope your hand gets better soon! Always enjoy seeing setups & repairs, even if it's just an inspection. I always learn a little something new. I played a few Blueridge models at local music shop awhile back...sounded & played super nice. Not quite the low end that a Martin has, at least to my ears? I'm a Martin lover, lol...just something about the overtones & low end that is hard to match. But believe it or not, I have about every brand out there, but no Martin yet! lol Just don't feel I play well enough to justify the price, but maybe some day! I'm on a Seagull kick right now...just bought another one - 6 string dread with solid spruce top & walnut back & sides...the 12 string I just bought also had walnut back & sides & I was so impressed with it I got the 6 string...both are incredible for the price! Gorgeous overtones...close to a Martin! I have other Seagulls & they sound different...brighter. The walnut I think is what makes these so unique. Would love to hear your opinion of them if you ever get the chance to try one out! Thanks again! Janine
+WindOfTheWisp Thank you Janine! I appreciate the kind words and thoughts! You are correct on the Martin's and I couldn't agree more, this Blueridge hasn't been played hardly at all for the past year sense I used it for a private party show we did, I much prefer the sound of my Martin's over it, the Blueridge is louder but as you said the mid-tones and bass isn't there like a Martin. I'm going to try to play it as my hand heals because of it's smaller neck, hopefully that will help and not be so painful to play. I've worked on a few Seagull guitars here and I remember being very impressed with two of them but I don't think I videoed either one. I will definitely pay closer attention to them tho and let you know what I think if I get anymore of them.Thanks again for watching and posting! :)
+WindOfTheWisp Awesome sounding guitar!! I agree with you I don't know how they can build and sell a guitar that cheap that has such a huge sound! I can see where you would want one haha! I don't do much 12 playing anymore but for the price I could easily get back into it with sound like this guitar projects. Thanks for the link, gonna have to go listen and watch again, that's an incredible sounding axe, especially for the money!
Get well Randy. Great videos. Very instructive.
thanks Jose!! finally getting a little better, videos are going to be slow for a while but at least I'm almost able to make them again.
I've had a Blueridge BR-160A (with the Adirondack top) for seven years now, love it to bits. It sounded better than the D-28 and HD-28 in the store where I didn't buy it. Wasn't sure I wanted to spend so much on a Chinese guitar so I left it, but couldn't get the sound out of my head, bought the same model off the local ebay soon after and the rest is history. The stock tuners are kinda crappy, probably why they were changed, but Grover 14:1 tuners bolted straight in and are real nice to use. The fretwork and intonation could probably be a little neater, I'd love to get it cleaned up one day, maybe with a few stainless frets up top. But man the thing sounds good. For anyone lazy to change strings often (like me), Elixir 16052 sound mint on this guitar - and for so long. Now if only I could play anything like Randy, even with a hand injury...
Love that playing style of yours:-) Hope your hand gets better:-) Nice axe too... reminds me I need to pay a little attention to my acoustic.
+Woodeso's Guitar Mods Thanks mate! It's a little better than it was yesterday. Hopefully I can start Quick Clips in the next day or two. And yes! Get your acoustic out! :)
Randy,
hope your hand has returned to normal, I use glucosamine for arthritis in my knee; which seems to help and it's cheep!
Take it to the Lord in prayer, Gods is still in the healing business; some times we just need to lower our heart a notch or two.
God bless you sir!
+Greg Taylor Thank you Greg for the kind words and thoughts! It mean a lot to me! :) Hand is much better, not 100% and maybe never will be but it's much better than it was 2 months ago. I've been resting them and not playing much I think is also helping but I'm getting badly out of practice from not playing. Thanks again my dear friend!
Very informative.
I have a BR 160 and it sounds absolutely great, but the guitar feels hard, very hard although the action is low.
randy, what happened to your hand? I got tennis elbow from playing a lot, going to PT to evaluate it. You ever hear of the video Healthy Hands, Arms, and Forearms? Really great stuff on there. Feel better, brother!
+pickinstone Hey thank you bro for the kind words and advice, no I've never heard of that but will look into it, it sounds like something I could really benefit from right now. Two and a half weeks ago I got my left hand closed up in a car door! Ouch! Nothing broken they said but it sure hurts like I broke it completely off! I thought it would be a lot better by now but keep remembering at my age I don't heal fast like I did 30 years ago. Thanks again for the info and watching and commenting my friend!
OHH Yeah, I just bought the exact same guitar youve got there BR 160. Im waiting foeer it in the mail. they said it was mailed yesterday. Thats how I fffound your channel! Peace! I Think
Ya I'm ready for that quick clips man !
+Flat-PickFan I think I'm going to start working on the clips tomorrow night, some easy stuff to start.
Thanks Randy Always Good
Thank you for having a look my friend! I'm glad the videos are helpful. :)
Great Sounding Guitar indeed. Hope your Hands getting better soon.
+CrawfishParish Many thanks my friend! It's a slow process but coming along! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Nice sounding axe, ready to see some new licks. better to let that hand heal completely though.
I'm not an acoustic guy so probly why I've not seen tuners like that. What kind are they? I'm also hoping your hand keeps improving as fast as possible along with the rest of us.
Nice guitar.. I always liked those sounds great
+Flat-PickFan Thank you man! I walked into a music store and saw this guitar, picked it up and when I hit the first chord knew it was coming with me! :) The buzzing you hear in this video isn't the guitar, it's my vugged up hand.
Which so you like better this or that Johnson JD-27 you fixed awhile back?
Thats a great sounding box, I owned a br-40 but traded it!
+KY. T.O. Thank you Tim! It's amazing how much volume this thing has!
Healing hands of time.
+Tim Fergel lol yes! And how slowly they move lol Thanks for watching mate!
Sweet! Hope that hand mends up quick man
+Flat-PickFan Thanks brother!
Just need to give your hand some time to heal Randy. Only you will know when it's really ready to play. Still sounds good. If the guitar ain't broke don't fix it :-)
+Dale Palmer Many thanks Dale! The buzzing you hear in this video is because of my hand, this guitar has tremendous volume and sounds a lot better than it sounded in this video. Hopefully hand will mend sooner than later and you'll get to hear it. Thanks again! :)
Randy long time no see. Would you recommend a blue ridge to anyone? Thinking about getting one. They a good guitar brand? Better than most? For the 800$ price point for a 160 or 260?
Great looking blueridge! Hope the hand is feeling better. My arm was in a cast for 3 months and that was torture! I did have a question for you regarding your blueridge I have a br-160 as well and it's time for new strings. I'm wondering if I should go with 13-56 or 12-54. My sound board was cracked between the saddle and tail. I rehumidified it and reglued the halves of the top and there are a couple cleats. Would you risk putting mediums on it or go with lights?
Blueridge guitars rock! :) If you got the crack humidified and glued and have cleats on the crack properly you should be ok to go with .013-.056 with no problems, it's probably stronger now than it was without the cleats. An important note on cleats, the wood grain of the cleats should be running cross ways from the direction of the wood grain in the top, this provides the most strength. Plus those heavier strings will make the top move more too. Thanks for tuning in!
I thank you for your video.I've watched it well.Thank you....(BF)
+Bluesfeeling Thank you Bluesfeeling! I appreciate you watching and commenting!
It's funny that as nice as the Martin necks are, there are guitars that have a smaller neck...or in the case of my Guild, not so much smaller as it's a different shape I think? I'd have to check the dimensions of each online. I know the Martin D18's neck is a nice small size but I tend to grab the Guild first 'cuz I can actually get my thumb over the top of the neck to catch the E string. And...it's funny you're talking about this Blueridge neck because it was just a few days ago a friend was telling me he'd been trying it out in a store & loved the neck...until he picked up the Guild... He was looking for a cheap second guitar & was stunned at the playability of the Guild...said if you liked the Blueridge, the Guild was like butter. I've never played a Blueridge so can't say much but I know this Guild is a dream for people with wonky hands.
Have you tried a Salonpas patch on your hand for while you're playing? They work pretty well...expensive as h*** tho'!
You need to stop beating yourself up about not getting us some vids up!!! We'll all survive & you need to concentrate on that hand...top priority, okay? I should sound so good on my best day as you do on your worst. ♥
I recorded a practice session on the 12 string a couple of weeks ago, using my webcam & I'm going to scrap the video part of that...lol! But I'm going to use the restoration pictures of the 12 string & make a video of that session...are you ready to be killed by noise?
As soon as I get the nerve, I'll post it!
~G~ ♪
+Gingerjake2 ahh coolness! I'll be watching for that upload! I would really like to see the video too, maybe you could half it up with half vid and half pics? However you do it I'm sure I'll love it much! :) Yeah I need to focus more on getting this hand/channellock lol back in condition, soaking it in extremely hot water I think is helping it more than anything else. I think if I didn't have focal dystonia it wouldn't bother me as much, one thing I've noticed is this injury has REALLY stirred up the dystonia effects I was fighting so hard to overcome. Not sure why that is but it's definitely a factor and effecting the healing process. Thank you Ginger for the kind words and for watching! Now I'm prolly gonna have to go buy a Guild! =P
+Gingerjake2 I saw that one frame you're talking about! :-) And can relate to the felling it expresses! Really enjoyed your video and even went back twice so I think I watched it a total of three times, & may have to check it again! :) Ahh yes hot water! There must be something to it helping, when I soak my hand in it, it feels soooooo much better, but that feeling doesn't last very long. I have been working on barely touching the strings with my left hand, applying just enough pressure to get the notes cleanly and if I can master that I believe as you said I"ll be able to play better than before. That's actually what I've been doing retraining my hand to work around this dystonia. Since this injury, when I get a chord or a note, the longer I hold it the more the pain comes, and when it really gets bad my hand wants to draw up and squeeze even tighter! So I'm hoping to kill two birds with one stone here, retrain, attacking from different angles than before, AND lighten up on the left hand. Thanks for the info you gathered from your doctor btw! It is very much appreciated! :-) Ok so I'ma go watch that Guild review, those are beautiful guitars!
Randy: My pal Joe owns a waay newer BR160 than this one. At our monthly BG jam session I played his BR160 (has a dalmation style pick guard) IMO his 160
put the 3 Martins (D18m 28 and 45) to shame!!! I own a Martin and thought they had the best sustain, volume etc, But the Chinese made BR guitars are Hoss
guitars. I'll never badmouth BR again. I offered Joe $300.00 more'n he paid for it and he turned my offer down (I think his wife laid down tha law. No selling this guitar) Im gonna surf the www for a 160 or 140.
Randy really enjoy your channel. I was wanting to buy a Martin D28 but after hearing these Blueridge guitars it made me wonder....are the current Blueridge 160 or 180 on part with the Martin dollar for dollar? I've never owned a Martin but can't see spending 2700 dollars on a guitar if I can get one that sounds almost as good for 1000 or less. If the materials and workmanship are close which would you recommend? The one you are playing sounds darn good to me.
they really are the best bang for your buck IMHO, when you start getting up into the BR140 and higher models the quality of the woods used quickly gets better and better. it's amazing they can even build such a high quality guitar for the prices they sell them for. the BR160 and BR180 I think are the best sounding ones for the money and they are very well built. Martin guitars for the most part is the name and history, they do use some very rare and expensive woods in some models but as you know the price of those is thru the roof! thanks for checking out my videos! I hope this helps!
Randy Schartiger Thanks a ton. You pretty much backed up what I was thinking. I will one day pick up a nice Martin maybe a HD 28V or there abouts. I mostly play bluegrass, country (not the pop stuff lol) and gospel all around. But I really like the sound those Blueridge guitars are bringing. They are so close and less than half the price. I'm sure it will serve me fine while I start my Martin fund lol. I did play electric guitars off and on and may sell my Les Paul Custom I've had for well over 20 years to grab me a Martin. Would have already done so but just haven't been able to let the LP go. As I said love the channel and will keep watching and supporting ya my friend! Thanks for the quick reply God Bless!
Thanks man. Sorry abput your hand. Can't imagine being limited like that and I'm not a good player as it is. I am looking at a BR 160 or 160A. Seems Blueridge makes a pretty good guitar for the money to me.
Thanks for the kind words my friend, I'm still having all kinds of problems with my hands but they are slowly getting better with each month that passes. Yes Blueridge for the money is very hard to beat! I've played a few that were better than others but have never seen a Blueridge that sounded bad.
Hey, Randy, have you played the BR-180 by any chance? And what are your thoughts if so?
Also, what happened to your hand, man? Is it any better now?? I'd sure hate to see you out of commission. That actually happened to me just a couple months ago. I had gotten an impinged nerve that basically pretty much paralyzed my right arm for about 3-4 weeks! I couldn't do anything with it! Man, that was scary. Turns out from the MRI I had to get done I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, and at only 31 years old! Yikes!! They only looked at my neck yet found 3 bulging discs in my cervical spine! Although I obviously still have the one ailment (the DDD), the paralysis finally cleared up. I guess whatever nerve was impinged worked it's way out or healed or whatever. Luckily there was no nerve pain involved. I've had that in the past when I broke my left arm when I was a kid in a go-cart accident. Man, you want to talk about nerve PAIN? That was 4 months of absolute hell! Literally felt like my hand had fire ants all over it, like electrical pain that was just constant all over the front of my left hand, palm and fingers, which were also paralyzed during that time. Just constant burning. Couldn't hardly sleep or anything but just sit there and try to no avail to think about anything other than the pain. I mean I had never experienced anything like it. I mean just to _touch_ the front of my hand, even just very lightly, especially the palm area, sent me reeling and throbbing with an unbelievable burning sensation (I liked to scream and nearly just about punched my dad in the face when he did that just to see how bad it was).....Add that to being in a cast with a broken humerus during that time that was excruciatingly painful in it's own right...phew.... hope I never have to go through anything like that again. So what do you have arthritis or something? Or did you have some sort of accident/injury? Hope you're either getting or got better since then. I'd hate to worry about ya. Well, if it ain't back to 100% by now I hope it gets well again. I know how much you love to play, just like I do.
Well, anyhoo, best wishes and blessings to you brother, and Merry Christmas my friend!
+51MontyPython Hey brother thanks for tuning in! Yeah I've played several BR-180 guitars and must say every one of them I've played have been really good sounding! Blueridge rocks!
Oh man sounds like you've been thru the mill as many times as I have, I wish I was 31 again I can tell you that. My hand/s... that's a long story but heres a short story about why I can barely play most days. 20+ years ago banjo was my main axe, I practiced 12-16 hours per day when not on the road playing. I started noticing my hands clinching up and hurting a LOT, mostly my right one. No arthritis back then showed up in x-rays, doctors didn't know why my hands hurt so bad and my playing ability was constantly and rapidly getting worse, to a point I quit playing music completely because I couldn't even play tunes I had written. Well after 20+ years picked up a guitar in 2009 and started playing again, only to be reminded something really funky was going on with both hands. I went to several doctors until finally was recommended to see a neurologist and about 3 or 4 years ago diagnosed with Focal Dystonia in both hands. There is no cure for this disease and very little treatment, they didn't even know it existed back in my banjo days. As if that wasn't enough, in August or September I had a car door shut on my left hand, crushing it but they said nothing was broken but it sure did a number on it. Supposedly the Dystonia can be beaten by re-training your brain to use your hands differently, like different angles and different muscles and approaches, so I've been retraining for a little over a year now. Also am now told arthritis in both hands as well. So I guess it's a wonder I can still play at all! I am finally making some recognizable progress but it's happening really slowly, which I guess is good or so I'm told. Anyways thats a quick version of why my hands give me fits, eventually I'll beat the dystonia or die trying. Thanks for your kind words man and for tuning in! Happy Holidays mate!
Randy Schartiger
Holy crap! Man, that's rough! ...and that you had to give it up for so long. Dang, that sucks. Well, I'm glad you were at least able to pick it back up to some extent, and I hope you keep improving. And the car door on top of that! holy, shit...wow, man. a bit of rough luck there.... Had never heard of that focal dystonia, but looking it up on wiki...phew,....man, I don't like the sound of that! I'll be sure and keep you in my prayers, my friend.
51MontyPython Thank you bro I appreciate that! :)
Really like your videos.. wondering if you have any experience with the Epiphone Masterbilt series of guitars... was looking at them and saw a comment on the Blueridge guitars which brought me to your videos. Im looking at the Masterbilt DR500-MCE
+godwillhunting2 Yes! The Masterbilt DR500MCE is an excellent choice! Especially if it's in decent condition, I worked on the action on one a few months ago but didn't video it. They are very well constructed guitars! Thank you for tuning in my channel!
Hey, Randy, what do you call that special ruler you use that measures thousandths of an inch -- the one that looks like a metal index card? ...tried to buy one last year when I was at a Guitar Center (and in town as I am now for the holidays with my folks where I'm actually close enough to one), but unfortunately they were out at the time.
+51MontyPython It's called a string action gauge, very handy for measuring a lot of things. The metal ones are best but paper ones are cheaper. I'd recommend metal, they last a long time.
Randy Schartiger
Hey, thanks, man. (Seemed like I had a hard time explaining it to one of the guys there before. I asked for "one of those rulers that measures thousandths of an inch," and he's all looking at me like I'm from outer space or something..... He's like, I know there's ones that measure 32ths and 64ths, but..." And then finally after explaining to him what I meant, he's like "OHHH! you mean,...."
"Yeah, one of _THOSE,"_.....ha ha :)
They are basically automotive "feeler guages"
I want a BR-160!
The tuners look like Ibanez Velvetune machineheads. They´re interesting for collectors of vintage Ibanez guitars and vintage Tama guitars. They were made by Gotoh Japan of course.
Normally they use open Waverly type or Grover type tuners on Blueridge guitars.
Open tuners may look cheap, but they can be good and even expensive, especially original Waverly tuners are...
So, there was probably no real reason to replace the tuners. Nothing a drop of sewing machine oil couldn´t have solved, I guess.
If the OEM tuners are much cheaper, you could make some money selling the Ni-Chrome Velvetunes.
They fit on the Ibanez Studio, Musician and Artist series (electric), the cheaper models such as the ST50 and the AR50, because the Artist AR100 and higher have gold tuners.
And I have them on my TAMA TW-07, same tuners but with the TAMA brand.
Maybe the SAGA distributor can get you a set of the right OEM tuners for the Blueridge for much less than you can get for them, because I have seen some crazy prices on eBay.
Most Ibanez players who have broken tuners are more or less forced to buy Grovers, if they want to use the same drill holes. And then they wait until they find the real deal.
I think someone was trying to squeeze all the sound out of this guitar that it was capable of, they shaved the braces on the top slightly and had put in a bone compensated nut, and I'm guessing by these tuners having a very low and short peg they installed them to get more down force on the nut, the closer you can wind the string to the peghead the more pressure you'll get on the nut. It's hard to tell tho, maybe it was all they could get at the time but from all the other upgrades that had been done to it I'd have to guess that was why they installed them. Who knows lol Thanks for having a look!
You might try some Aspercreme on your hand. It's pretty good stuff.
+Jim Akin I definitely will, I've tried about everything else. Thanks!
Just had my shoulder replaced and cant get my elbow out enough to play. I know how you feel.Its killing me! aaand when I try it sounds terrible. Thiss to shall pass brother! But until then, it FUCKIN SUCKS!
Sounds thin
Nice sounding axe, ready to see some new licks. better to let that hand heal completely though.
+Terry Creech Hey thank you Terry! Yeah I've been taking it easy lately on the hand, man it's taking forever to heal but getting there. Thanks for watching and commenting brother!
I'm not an acoustic guy so probly why I've not seen tuners like that. What kind are they? I'm also hoping your hand keeps improving as fast as possible along with the rest of us.
+CJ99 W Thank you mate I appreciate that! I just now looked and there doesn't seem to be a name or anything on the tuners. The buttons on these are much larger than the original ones, it's possible since the pegs are so short, they were changed to get more down pressure on the nut, a lot of acoustic players does that and it's the only reason I can think of they would be changed.
Randy Schartiger Yeah they look very unusual. visual style reminds me of the late 30's early 40's modern look, almost like the SF visuals of that time period. I know it blows chunks having any kinda injury. Had sprained ankle back in may that was buggin me for a couple months. Real annoyance it was.
CJ99 W
That's exactly my thought, they remind me of something I'd seen as a child but I can't remember what or where, but something extremely old. They seem to work really nice but look funky I think. Yeah I told wife yesterday I wish it was my foot or leg, anything besides my hand would been nice lol