Blueridge BR-140, Martin HD-28 And Martin D-18 "Golden Era": Dreadnoughts At Old Town School's Music
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- Tim and Tony -- aka T 'N' T -- are back, and in this vid they give us the rundown on the dreadnought body-style, the most common of acoustic guitar body styles. They've got quite the collection at Old Town School Music Shop; for this instructive comparison, the pulled out a Blueridge BR-140, Martin HD-28 And Martin D-18 "Golden Era."
The guitars' tonewoods are discussed and compared, and Tony discusses what makes Martin Guitars' "Golden Ear" series in particular so special.
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The BR 140 is an incredibly well made, great sounding guitar. I’m going to buy one simply because Blueridge is building guitars on quality not just a name brand. People a paying 3 to 5 times for name brand guitars that don’t come close to the BR 140’s sound, quality, and performance.
the blueridge sounds just as good for a 1/8 of the price
A young Tony Polacastro
Nice to hear Tony play some different tunes.
I picked up a Blueridge br-40 in mint condition for $200 at a pawn shop and im amazed. This thing blows my martin d 15 out of the water in every way. It also has foward x bracing and cloth reinforcing strips like the golden era!!! Now i know really high end Martins are better but dollar for dollar a nice blueridge vs a cheaper martin i may give the edge to Blueridge, minus resale value. Used Blueridges have to be one of the better values on the market imo.
God, that D-18 sounded incredible, just from the 1st bar you can tell those guitars are on a whole other echelon from other martins or blueridges.
Holy crap, it's Tony! lol
Steven Shockley i was surprise too haha
at least the mic wasnt clipping . . . oh wait, it was. you cant take the time to properly mic these guitars?
I have owned my HD28 for 2 years now.I used to shop often for guitars before I bought it,even though I owned a top model by a well known American competitor.By far the most satisfying instrument I've owned. Still shop for mandolins but the guitar issue is settled for good.Worth every hard-earned penny .
The D-18GE is one of the best bang for your buck guitars in the Martin line. For the features, quality of wood, and level of craftsmanship, it's a bargain. The tone and feel are unmatched. It holds its own against any modern guitar. There's an old saying "You get what you pay for" and in the case of guitars, it is all too true. I do not regret the money spent. It's an investment into a lifelong companion, and in the grand scheme, a few grand is not that big of a deal for a lifetime of music.
Just keep clicking back to the br140 its the winner to me
I do too and agree. For 1.200 Canadian I don't think there is a better guitar for the price.
I just got back from a store nearby that had a Blueridge BR-140.I was impressed by the Martin- like tone.They also had a D-35 Martin.Both guitars were new.The Blueridge was 699.00. I didn't see the Martin price but I would assume it would be close to 3000.00.I wish they had a D18 so I could compare the same type woods.I can also say I am familiar with Martins because I own an HD28.Played bluegrass on both. Wont put it in High end Martin territory,It easily bested similarly priced competitors.
All I have to say is go play each of these guitars at your local guitar store and you will hear and feel the difference for yourself. and you will see that the Martin HD28 is hands down the best sounding and playing guitar in this group. This is a No brainer here.......
Sound is subjective! I thought the HD was the deadest sounding and the Blueridge a hair better and the D-18 was immediately the winner with it's responsiveness and clarity.IMO!
Fully agree. Although I like the warmer tone of the Adirondack spruce top
over the sitka spruce...it gives a more vintage Martin sound. If you can
even find one made in the 60s, the wood has aged to perfection and
the sound is..well worth the weight in gold.
will pac A no brainer? Lol. No way I'd take a regular HD28 over a D18GE. EVER. Hd28v, you have an argument, but that depends on whether you like mahogany or rosewood. Neither is better. The d18ge is one of the most versatile guitars made.
I agree with you. Comparing guitars by watching on the computers via you tube do no justice. Feel that guitar in person so you can lay your fingers on the frets and hear that beautiful sound. I got an HD 28.My search for a better guitar stopped when I strum this Martin.
no way! The d18ge kills!
Its Tony Polacastro
I always enjoy your video guitar reviews. Thanks!
The sound of the D-18 pleases me better, not taking anything away from the other 2 guitars.
I own Martin's,,,I've owned top end Taylor's. My next guitar will be a blueridge Historic 160.
I have BR 40. And it sound. Incredible. I used to have Martin but let go. But my blue ridge sounds even better. Mahogany will. Vibrate more thats where you get your sound from tone wood. . rose wood is denser. And tends to give a more mellow tone with lots of treble. A mahagony and spruce top solid wood and aged a bit gives you a bright tone. Because spruce. Vibrates real good and even. Witch is a good medium tone wood for the higher pitch. Tones. Like blue grass and country I have 5 dread naught guitars with different tone woods. Each has a slightly different voiceing. But I tend to play the spruce top mahogany. Or the solid mahogany top sides and back. The most. A solid mahogany is bright but a little warmer and with just a little more bass in it. Just thought I might throw that out to those who want to know the difference in tone wood dread naught. Acoustic guitars. It took me many years to learn the difference. I used to think all guitars were the same. But I have learned much over my 50 Somthing odd years. So I'll pass it along to those who read this.,, .
What about the Martin D35? My favourite.
Try an AKG c451 pointed at the 12th fret for a full balanced sound or an ADK a51 below the bridge poited toward the 12th ftet for a more mid range soud.
hey, thats the guy from music villa. those of you interested in guitars should check them out. really cool ( really expensive) guitars haha.
Is that the guy from Music Villa?
Not sure what to make of the intro music. Very odd mix of sound and imagery. Thank you for the comparison.
@mikecosgrove The story I always heard was the heavy gauge strings people used in the 30's were causing a lot of warranty work on tops, neck resets, etc. so they moved the bracing closer to the bridge for more support, but the tone is much different.
It would've been a more honest comparison if they compared the Martins with a BR-260. The 140 is a really awesome guitar, that beats any Martin (style) at it's pricerange. But the 200 series gives just a completely different quality and pricerange to compete with. I have played both an OM-45 (1st edition clapton sig) and a BR-283A-BRZ and it was really hard to find a winner based on tone. The biggest difference was that the Martin had a value of over 20K and the Blueridge (3K) was modded to have a FMI saddle, nut and bridgepins.
I wonder if Tony has changed his mind about the sonic characteristics of mahogany and rosewood. Sounds just the other way around here. I've always heard and also thought that: Mahogany: clearer articulation and rosewood: louder bass response. Essentially, like a graphic equalizer setting towards the bottom end on rosewood, comparatively.
I liked the sound of the blueridge the best. Think I've found my next guitar.
I am new to acoustics. Have 3 Electric guitars so far. I didn't realize the subtle differences everything makes in the acoustic world. LOL I have finally narrowed it down to a Martin HD-28. I played a lot of Martins and while I do like the necks on the new Performing Artist Series the HD-28 just sounds too good to pass up. I can get used to the neck in time. I mean if I can get used to a Gibson LP LOG size neck the Martin seems small by comparison. LOL
Bought the HD-28 from MFG 2 Mo. ago and love it. Nobody sells em' cheaper than MFG :-)
Martin D-18 by FAR!!
I bet those guitars all sound great now. But the only fair comparison is the Golden Era and the BR-140, since the others are different animals. a 2011 BR-140 is on reverb for 600 bucks. a 2011 Golden Era is $3200 Is the Martin 5 times better?
@hawg427 Try the HD-28V, forward shifted braces give much better sound and volume.
got the money? D-18GE....want a great inexpensive option? Blueridge
Martin the best !
Strings: gauges and types?
what's the name of the song for his fingerstyle???
The Golden Era is the best guitar of the group. it is actually RED SPRUCE. Check out Henderson guitars and get the real story about what they call Adirondack. D18 GE Retail $3,200 and worth every red cent.
So if forward shifted x bracing is so good for bass response , why did Martin move it back?
Its fwrd on the new 18’s n 41’s (maybe on more models)
If I had my choice from all three I would choose the Gibson J-45. Now that's a guitar.
Tony!!!!!
Tony Polacastro know him anywhere.
They were pegging the levels (too much pre-amplification) and for that reason the sound comparison is worthless. If they wanted us to hear it, they should have taken some care to record it without distortion. But I do appreciate the effort, and the other parts of the video (i.e., the playing) are fine.
The blueridge had a clearer sound when stummed
The D-28 sounded dull compared to the Blueridge imo and costs about 5 times more than it. D-18 sounded pretty nice though. Whether Blueridge guitars are made in China or not, they are made with the sort of materials you would expect to see on much much higher end acoustics. I know which one i would go for...
i seen that player before ??
Tonyyy!
I have a 160A Blueridge, great guitar, better neck than Martin in my opinion, guitar opened up, perfect.
The arandeck top is well worth the extra money..👍👍
You're overmodulating the mic.
Overmodulating? The signal is clipping.
martin all the way..cant beat quality
Yaco21 What’s low quality about the other brand? Do you own one?
Mahogany reflects, rosewood absorbs...mahogany bright and punchy, rosewood has more bottom...
mahogany has always been know and a warmer sound . . .
+Jukebox Rosewood is warmer hence the reason why mahogany records better.
+muscles662988 Correct! Why rhythm players like D-28's and flat pickers like D-18's! Or, in the Blueridge world, BR-160 and BR-140! I have 2 BR140A's and they are loud and punchy, not much warmth, but, with the 2-3 guys playing rhythm with me, I don't need warmth! LOL!
+Matt Ross Absolutely. I'm hoping to get a Gibson J-15 for that same reason. I already have the warmth of a Martin but if I'm playing with multiple guitars, warmth can make things hairy haha.
+muscles662988 Ha! Yes, I play with 2-3 banjo players, talk about hairy!
That HD-28 was left in the dust! The Blueridge is an outstanding value and sounds neck and neck (pun) with that D-18. But really guys, how about a decent Condenser mic or two, into a decent preamp or two, to really capture the nuances. Next time I guess. LOL
I aggree D18 GE for my taste
i owned a h-d 28 for twelve years and had to sale it due to bills i kick myself in the ass every day.
Actually I like the BR better. The HD28 sounded muffeled IMO
@CameronIsGodless 100% right ;)
Tony was just barely growing his beard.
Tony back when he had the ninja turtle lunch box and LA Lights!!! Jk
This video is ancient!!!
If $$$ factor into decision at all, Blue Ridge wins. Beats this particular HD-28 IMHO. The Golden Era D-18 sounded better to me, but not by much and it's 4-5 times more expensive
martin d18!!!
Blueridge was less boomy in a good way, had more pleasing harmonics and also more note sustain than the others. That's what you get when a Chinese company makes better Martin guitars than Martin does at a fraction of the price, also with a lifetime warranty.
Oh...and no crappy richlite or "green" woods.
You're high, and you haven't a clue.
Is it only I who hear the massiv distortion when the strumming begins? Great demo otherwise ...
No comparison. D18 GE blows them away
Respectfully disagree. I had a 1966 D-18 and once I bought the Blueridge BR-180 I put the Martin up for sale. Blueridge guitar sounded SO much nicer.
@@douglasleftwich3936 Respectfully disagree. OP nailed it.
Blueridge are nice guitars. You people saying there better then a Martin are clueless. I own a br 160. I owned 2 of them. I own a 1976 D 35 Martin. I own a D16 Martin. I owned a HD 28 Martin. I owned HD 16 LS Martin . I owned a 1973 D 35 Martin. Like I said, blueridge is a good guitar, but there not in Martins class. Martins build and quality is way better. That being said, blueridge is the best foreign made guitar. Saga makes great instruments, but they're not in Martins level. Blueridge is better then a Taylor. I also would choice blueridge over a Gibson.
sounds like you have a lot invested in Martin...
Polecat..
To compare a Blueridge to a Martin HD28 or a Martin D18 (Golden Era or not,) is like comparing a tricycle to a Cadillac. Are you all serious? Blueridge guitars are not much more than a New york Pro or a First Act guitar that you buy at Walmart. I can see why your music store isn't very well known. People if your looking for a quality instrument and not a POS, contact Sweetwater or at least Guitar Center and you'll get a honest analogy of what a guitar supposed to be. And for those who commented that the Blueridge sounds just as good, you need to clean the wax out of your ears and get a good set of speakers for your computer.
Oh ok, can you direct us to your video comparing Martin to First Act to Blueridge?
hahahahaha You're hilarious.
You couldn’t be more wrong. I just bought a Blueridge BR-60 and it’s one of the best sounding guitars I’ve ever played. While I didn’t do a shoot out with a Martin, I changed the strings on all my acoustic guitars to D’Addario .12 phosphor Bronze and did a shoot out. The Blueridge outclassed my Takamine EF-360 CE (retail CAD $2000 +) and my Epiphone Masterbilt DR 500 CE (an all solid wood guitar with Sitka top and Mahogany back and sides). I used a Neumann TLM 102 to mic all the guitars and the mic placement was identical. The Blueridge has the best bass response, is louder, more articulate and has incredible sustain. I had never heard of Blueridge and grabbed it at a local antique shop for CAD $350. I thought I was buying a back up but once I set it up and changed the strings, it was a tone machine. To compare it to First Act etc is laughable. These are pro grade guitars. You may prefer Martin, since nothing sounds as much like a Martin as a Martin, but Blueridge guitars are the real deal. I’d take this one over a Taylor any day. I’ve rented countless Taylors and never been as impressed as I am with my BR-60 and that isn’t even their top of the line guitar.
... Only in the USA do people actually think stuff made there is superior to other countries. The chinese people making the guitar aren't less talented, they work with lower quality wood, have a lot more time pressure on them, and have less time for QA. Which is why people think instruments made there is worse. There is nothing wrong with Epiphones, Eastmans, Guilds, Fenders etc. made outside of the US.
it's like a man once told me son it's not the wood in front of the man, it;s the man behind the wood. if you can play it don'/t matter if your playing a 2x4 with strings nailed to it it could sound better then the best guitar if that person can't play.
Big SCIOTEeeeeee..........
You didn't read anything I wrote, stop embarrassing yourself.
And you demo the guitar with a stupid mic?
that intro music is so cringey