BLUERIDGE GUITARS ARE THE LOUDEST!!! LOUDEST!!! LOUDEST!!! Guitars I have EVER played in my entire LIFE!!! Honest! And I have played a lot of guitars. They are Louder than my MARTIN D-40, which after playing the Blueridge I sold. (because it was louder and more accurate sounding than my martin and was easier to play since the action was low and the neck was thin. If you are a flatpicker or record music, you will prefer the Blueridge. It is more even toned and accurate, projects sound and has a ringy tone. Martins are overly boomy in my opinion and exaggerate the base, thus the strings interact with each other. I set my Blueridge next to my martin and recorded digitally on both: My martin was flat, the Blueridge was a CANNON: twice as loud, twice as detailed.

Bottom line if you play folk or bluegrass you will love the ringy projected detail this guitar delivers. If you like to be heard, you will burry everyone else at a jam session by playing this guitar as it is the loudest guitar IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Louder than my martin, my friend's gibsons, taylors etc. (and he is a collector) The sound is one hundred percent unique e.g. RINGY, LOUD AND PROJECTED.

Stay away from the BR-3's though. They are really cheap and have too low of action and buzz. BR-6S and BR-7S are the best Bleugrass guitars in the world in my opinion. I am a flatpicker, and I stopped playing my D-40 martin I paid $2500.00 when I discovered the Blueridge.

Go for the sound and playability, not the price tag or name! The Blueridges my not be made of the expensive woods of Martin or Taylor but they sound BETTER than these guitars STILL. Buy this one for your son you will not be disappointed. I've played them ALL and I prefer my $500.00 Blueridge.

Dewey