Yes, the orange top is ugly and so are the pick guards. But, these guitars deliver the traditional Bluegrass sound us old pickers are looking for. Thats the pre-war sound! They may be Pacific Rim, but they beat the low end junk Martin is manufacturing. Good quality and price! It's the forward shift scalloped bracing and the bone nut and saddle, that make Blueridge guitars sing, and thats what we look for. I bought one to back up my Martin HD-28V. All you need to do is, put on a set Martin SP light strings and change to Ebony bridge pins, then "Mash it"! The more you play it, the better it sounds.