SAGA MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
(BLUERIDGE, GITANE, CIGANO)
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When I started to think about having my own guitar store, I never heard of Saga and their brands. In September 2009, I came to California to check on a Music store for sale in O.C. The deal was dead even before I landed in LAX, but it gave me a unique opportunity to visit guitar stores in California, from San Diego to the Bay area. I guess I visited close to 50 stores in one week.
That is the time when I discovered Blueridge guitars. Not all the store where carrying them, far from it, but whenever I was able to get my hand on one, I never have been disappointed. And I never thought that I could get such sound for a budget (a BR-40 goes for around 400$). You can find Blueridge guitars in almost all established acoustic guitar stores in California, and some of them are very selective!
So I decided to know more about the company behind Blueridge : Saga Musical Instruments. First I spent some time on guitar forums, and numerous users confirmed what I experienced myself: Blueridge guitars are great guitar!
Yes they are made in China. But yes, they are made with great care and people of SAGA know their stuff. Richard Kedsen, president and founder, made his first visit in China in 1981 and has been working with China for over 25 years.
Yes they don’t carry a century of guitar history. But yes, people from Saga know about history and know how to bring back the gems of pre-war guitars. Try their entry-level guitar, the BR-40, and check by yourself how good it sounds!
Yes the brand barely rings a bell to you. But yes, a guitar sounds better between your hands than on any magazine. Check on guitar forums to get an idea. I can also tell you that you can find Blueridge guitars in the most respectable guitar stores of California and they are quite serious about the brand they select. So are we.
And what they are doing for Bluegrass with their pre-war dreadnaughts, they are also doing pretty well with their Gipsy guitars (Cigano and Gitane). They bring back gems from early 20 century for a budget. Enough for me to make them available in the store!
And one last thing: you have real people behind Saga. I stopped in South San Francisco, at Saga’s headquarter, before taking my flight back to L.A., and met with David Gartland, Marketing director for the company. I was far to be a potential customer at that time, but David spent an hour to share about his company and his love for bluegrass. I saw him perform in Namm a little bit later, than again at the Musik Messe in Germany, and I can tell you that his love for bluegrass is genuine.
Maybe the secret behind those guitars is as simple as that: a true passion for music.
