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Thread: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

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    Default Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Greetings, tenor players,
    I'm planning to buy a tenor to play in GDAE/GDAD, and I'm deciding between the Blueridge and the Ibanez. A friend has loaned me a Blueridge, which I like very much. As a mandolin-and-banjo player, though, I think I might be more comfortable with the smaller body of the Ibanez.

    I'd appreciate hearing the opinions--re sound, playability, factory setup, overall quality, etc.--of anyone who has owned and/or played both.

    Thanks,
    Bruce

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    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Hi Bruce, both nice guitars, I thing the Blueridge is a better built instrument but the Ibanez is still a nice model however …. they both have a 23” scale, you might enjoy one with a shorter scale?

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Thanks, Fox. Any thoughts on shorter-scale options?

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    The Kala is a nice one for the price…. https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-gtr

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    I have the Ibanez. I like it. It feels a bit overbuilt maybe? But it's not so much a fair comparison, with the Ibanez coming in about half the cost. It is also a different body style. I picked the Ibanez because it was a tertiary instrument for me, and the price was part of the decision.
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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Yeah, I've wondered about the Kalas too. None available to try out, but pretty low risk at that price.

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Thanks for the review, Nulty. The smaller body is what makes it interesting to me. A friend of mine years ago had a couple of old Gibson tenors that were similar in size. First tenors I had ever seen, and I was charmed.

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    I dont know if this one is for sale in the US but it is a small body 21” scale model that is popular in the UK
    https://www.gak.co.uk/en/vintage-via...-guitar/113133

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Quote Originally Posted by bsnider View Post
    Thanks for the review, Nulty. The smaller body is what makes it interesting to me. A friend of mine years ago had a couple of old Gibson tenors that were similar in size. First tenors I had ever seen, and I was charmed.
    It feels more like a lightweight tenor banjo than a guitar, if that makes sense? I have a long torso (6'6"), so it's best played with a strap for me.

    I have mine tuned GDAE using the GDA strings from a x-light guitar set plus a 12. 39, 30, 23, 12 I was trying to replicate the feel of my main banjo (a Paramount with a 23" scale strung 38, 28, 20, 12). I use it when I want to play the banjo but don't want to be the loudest in the room (like a session where I'm unsure of the tunes).

    I've had my eye on some older Gibsons/Martins (the Martin's lack of truss rod pre '85 bugs me, and a neck reset starts at 300, but I love those necks)...but...I just bought a Breedlove mandolin so I need to stick a pin in the idea of a new tenor until that's a more distant memory for my wallet and wife.
    Last edited by nultylynch; Dec-16-2021 at 9:17am.
    Collings MF (2004)
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    Breedlove American OO (2013)
    Martin 000-18 (2016)
    Guild D-35 (1976)
    Paramount Style A (1927)
    Vega Little Wonder (1916)
    Ibanez AVT1NT (2019)

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Haven't seen that one over here, but it looks like the right shape and size. I'm going to resist overthinking this and just order something. A big plus with the Blueridge is that it's available from Elderly Instruments, which does a superb setup on every instrument they sell, and I can have them string it for DGAD. The Alvarez and Kala seem to be sold mostly by outfits that ship goods as delivered from the factory.

    Quote Originally Posted by fox View Post
    I dont know if this one is for sale in the US but it is a small body 21” scale model that is popular in the UK
    https://www.gak.co.uk/en/vintage-via...-guitar/113133

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    There are thousands of words written on this forum about the Blueridge, generally they are well built and well liked.

    They are perhaps a little over built with strong bracing and in fact are rated to 100lb of string tension (about 20lb more that most tenors) there are even a few 8 string conversions that handle 140-160lb.
    However even being over built they still sound great and look great.

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Thanks again for the info and advice, fox. Good of you to weigh in, and you know whereof you speak.

    Cheers,
    Bruce

    Quote Originally Posted by fox View Post
    There are thousands of words written on this forum about the Blueridge, generally they are well built and well liked.

    They are perhaps a little over built with strong bracing and in fact are rated to 100lb of string tension (about 20lb more that most tenors) there are even a few 8 string conversions that handle 140-160lb.
    However even being over built they still sound great and look great.

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    Registered User dulcillini's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    I have the Ibanez. It is a very solid guitar. I also like the smaller parlor size of the body. I have it set up GDAE, like an octave mandolin now, but I think I might experiment with the Chicago tuning. Not sure at this time. It seems to have nice sustain, etc. It was not expensive, so it was a good place to start in the tenor guitar world. Once you move up, you hit $3,000 pretty fast for custom built tenors. Hope this helps your decision. I might want to sell my Ibanez for a very good price, if you don't find one. The only reason I am thinking about selling was that a group I hang with needs a base guitar, and I would get one of those. Just let me know if you are interested, no pressure. I wasn't going to list it until after Christmas, if at all. We are in a no smoking, no Covid, no drama home. Comes with a gig bag.
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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    i am just learning to play the tenor guitar. I got a Ibanez for my birthday. I LOVE IT! My background it violin. I played it years ago. So my memory is G D A E. I am having trouble with an instrument tumed to C G D A. can I tune my tenor like a mandolin/violin? will I raise the strings or lower them? which is better?

  15. #15

    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    I once was lost, but now I am found.

    If I understand your question you are tuned GDAE one octave
    lower than violin. From where you are now to get CGDA you
    go up 7 steps. I think you need smaller diameter strings. For
    CGDA 23 inch scale I have 0.010, 0.014, 0.022w, 0.32w inch
    strings from the factory. This is D'Addario EJ66

    I think you cannot go further up to violin GDAE. The scale is
    too long for those frequencies. For that you need mandolin.

    I am still a beginner, but CGDA notes do not give me trouble.
    The longer scale frets being further apart does present some
    challenges for chords. Otherwise I can switch to or from
    mandolin pretty well.
    Thanks,
    sounds_good

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    I think Lost in Croatia is wanting to go the other way, from CGDA to the more familiar GDAE. For that you need to go down in pitch to octave mandolin tuning and use heavier gauge strings. I'm usually somewhere around 42-30-20-12 (for a 23" scale) but there's room for variation based on what feels & sounds good to you. sounds_good is correct, you won't be able to tune up in pitch to mandolin tuning - there's no string that will tune up to E at that scale.

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    To the kind people who replied to my initial question: I ended up with the Blueridge, and I must say that I'm impressed. The construction is extremely clean, and the sound is big and handsome. It's louder and more open than the cutaway version I borrowed earlier, which was very nice itself. Kind of what you'd expect from a bigger sound chamber without the electronic stuff inside, but I'm still really pleased with the difference. The 23" scale length doesn't feel like a stretch for my hands. It might be fun at some point to try a shorter-scale tenor for fast Irish tunes, but I don't feel limited. In GDAD, you often have to shift up for the high parts anyway, and after decades of being stuck in first position on the mandolin, it's good to have a reason to venture up there. Thanks again for the input and advice.

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    A nice Christmas present then, if in the future you should ever want to tune the guitar closer towards its full potential, it is quite possible to reduce and reshape the soundboard bracing.
    I am not suggesting everybody should do such a thing as the standard guitar is very nice but considering a custom tenor will cost several thousands then a few hundred spent for a luthier to do the work might be worth it for some people.
    Last edited by fox; Dec-29-2021 at 2:59pm.

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    It's an intriguing concept, Fox, taking a mass-produced piece and adding the luthier's touch that wouldn't be cost-effective for the manufacturer to build in. The Blueridge certainly seems like a sound basis for such a project. I'll remember that if I ever feel like I'm outgrowing it in its current state.

    Quote Originally Posted by fox View Post
    A nice Christmas present then, if in the future you should ever want to tune the guitar closer towards its full potential, it is quite possible to reduce and reshape the soundboard bracing.
    I am not suggesting everybody should do such a thing as the standard guitar is very nice but considering a custom tenor will cost several thousands then a few hundred spent for a luthier to do the work might be worth it for some people.

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    Default Re: Blueridge BR40T or Ibanez AVT1?

    Chiming back in here with some further observations on these two tenors, which I've been playing daily for the past couple of weeks (I bought dulcillini's Ibanez for my son). The Blueridge is a more polished product--no surprise--but the Ibanez seems quite well made, and despite the plainer materials and finish, it's still very appealing. The Blueridge came beautifully set up, but I tweaked the Ibanez to match it, and it plays just as slick now. Going strictly by look and feel, if I had to keep the Ibanez and hand over the Blueridge, I would hardly mind. The more important difference is in the sound. The Blueridge sounds a lot like a 6-string guitar: big, open, and resonant. The Ibanez, with its narrower, shallower body is more like a 4-string octave mandolin: fundamental, direct, and punchy. It feels like it responds more quickly, so it's great on fiddle tunes, but it sounds good strummed or flat-picked too. I'm going to keep the Blueridge, but if my son wants to trade off now and then, I'd be fine with that.

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