For the last 35 years, Blueridge Guitars has carved out a niche for building historically accurate recreations of prewar guitars overseas and selling them at prices much more accessible than their American-made counterparts. Built with a level of quality you don't see from a lot of imports, Blueridge guitars are a great-sounding option to get the features you want at a price that won't break the bank. Based on small-body 12-fret guitars built during the '20s heyday of parlor music, the BR-371 is Blueridge's top-of-the-line parlor guitar. While it's not exactly a cheap guitar, the BR-371 boasts a number of high-end features that you won't find on comparably-priced guitars. It features a 00-size body constructed of a solid Sitka Spruce top and solid Santos Rosewood back and sides. Stunning, hand-inlaid strips of precisely-cut abalone shell outline the entire top and circle the sound-hole rosette, and the ebony fingerboard is also adorned with traditional snowflake inlays. These appropriate high-end details certainly capture the vibe of upper-end prewar parlor guitars, and the balanced tone produced by the solid woods is an appropriate nod to the parlor guitar tradition. It's easy to understand why guitars like this are a natural choice for fingerpicking. This 2018 Blueridge BR-371 is fairly clean cosmetically (see photos), but in acclimating to the dry Southwest climate, its pyramid bridge began to separate from the top. It has been reglued pyramid, and the guitar has been properly re-hydrated. If it wasn't for the slight finish blemish from the repair, you would hardly know anything was amiss. Also, it has the typical "ski jump" (as we call it in Telluride) where the fingerboard sits higher over the neck block. We see this quite a bit on Asian-made guitars that have dried out, but fortunately with this guitar, it has a minimal effect on playability/tone. True to the Blueridge reputation, this guitar sports details you don't expect to find at this price point. It plays nicely, and it produces balanced, parlor-guitar tone. Pleasing high-end smooth off by round bass notes. Its small body makes it especially travel-friendly, but around the living room, it could just as easily become the ultimate couch guitar. Blueridge gig bag included.
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