# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > Tenor Guitars >  Has my Blueridge BR40T turned into a piece of worthless junk?

## cb56

I've had a BR40T that I bought new about 5 years ago played it quite a bit for awhile but other interests took over. 
Last week I took it to 2 music stores that have a reputation for buying instruments. The first one turned it down because they could slip a piece of paper under the bridge. No offer at all.
The second store (that is also known as a repair shop) noticed the same about the bridge and didn't like the fact that I added a JJB pickup system and mounted the jack on the side of the guitar.. They offered my $100 for the guitar! These sell new for almost $700 now. I figured they could do the bridge repair at their shop and sell it for $4oo easy. I was willing to take $250 or maybe even $200 but $100? No way.

The guitar has great action, a straight neck and sounds great acoustically and plugged in.
So I guess I have a wall hanger or kindling for the fireplace this winter???  :Disbelief:

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## sunburst

"Has my Blueridge BR40T turned into a piece of worthless junk?"

Just about.
Those things are not made to be repaired, necks cannot be reset normally and repairs in general are too expensive to justify, so when they are new they are pretty good sounding guitars that can be set up well but as they age they loose value and major repairs are not generally justified financially.

Removing and re-gluing the bridge may be possible, depending up what was used to glue it in the first place, but It would likely cost close to $100, so if the store gave you $100 for it and repaired the bridge they would have $200 in it and would need to get considerably more for it to make money. Not easy, especially if there is a hole for a jack in the side of the guitar.

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## cb56

Ok, now I know. Off to the firepit it goes

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## poul hansen

Give it to a young person to try guitar repair and maybe succeed and then learn to play.

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## DavidKOS

> I figured they could do the bridge repair at their shop and sell it for $4oo easy. I was willing to take $250 or maybe even $200 but $100? No way.
> 
> The guitar has great action, a straight neck and sounds great acoustically and plugged in.
> So I guess I have a wall hanger or kindling for the fireplace this winter???


Why not just repair the bridge yourself and keep playing it?

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Simon DS

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## Dave Sheets

Put it up for sale here,  disclose the bridge issue and see what you can get for it.   I would think somebody around here would take the risk to get a tenor at a low price, in the range you hoped to get for it.

If you follow the 2/3 rule, the store might hope to get (2/3)* 700=$466 for it, or about $450 in good shape.    To make a profit, they will pay you about 2/3 of that, more or less, so $300, if it's in good shape.

The bridge repair represents a risk, as it may not work out well, but it does cost the shop $100 to do it.   Tough situation,  and tenor guitars are a bit of rare item, perhaps hard to sell, so that makes matters worse.

Good luck!   Try for a private sale with full disclosure of the issues.  You could also try your local craigslist or facebook marketplace if you don't want to ship.

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## WoodyCTA102

I have one too, that's just not worth selling with shipping, etc. It has a center seam split that runs to the bridge. I occasionally play it, but prefer my bouzouki. Honestly, I think the BR40T sounds better now (it's loosened up a bit, I'd say). 

I had a 1930s Martin 0-18T and the Blueridges are a pretty good replica in many ways, plays and sounds nice. So, they are worth picking up if you are having a hard time finding a decent tenor, especially if you can do some basic repairs.  But, don't expect to make any money off them, break even, or even get a decent used price.

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## sunburst

> ...I had a 1930s Martin 0-18T and the Blueridges are a pretty good replica in many ways...


Not in all ways though. The choices of adhesives and design make it a completely different guitar to the repair person. 
Martins retain significant value and are routine to repair. Blueridges loose more value and are not routine to repair. That puts them in the category that many call "throw-away guitars". When the neck needs to be re-set it's more practical to throw it away and get a new one.

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## cb56

Just for the record, the neck on mine does not need to be reset.

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## cb56

_Removed by Moderator, Posting Guidelines_

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## cb56

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