Blueberry Groove Review

[Rick Turner]

Just regard these as what they are and it's all fine. If you like the looks and sound, all is well. I just think that promoting these carvings as having some great tonal effect is way off base. There is no "sound" reason other than visual to do this.

[Cainenabled]

Hello to all of you,

This is Danny Fonfeder - founder of Blueberry Guitars. We have very thick skins here at Blueberry - we did expect a lot of negative or at least skeptical opinions to surface. If any of you have any questions about the how or why or what of Blueberry Guitars - I would be glad to answer them - and if any of you would like to try one of our guitars and then comment on them - just let me know - it only costs you one way transport charges.

Although we do have thick skin - there is one post #26 - from Jeff M that I find extremely insulting - YOU SAID i HAD A HARD TIME PLAYING A C CHORD - My goodness - I remember you well - you came to our booth at the summer Namm show in Nashville - asked me to play something - I was sitting down - I stood up and played one chord - you looked at me cynically and left-
Jeff - I have been playing guitar for 30 years - I have composed numerous instrumental pieces for guitar and I am a well above average player - your comment is insulting.

Now that I am here - and prior to you guys kicking me off, I would like to tell you all that everyone involved in our Blueberry project is OBSESSED with perfecting the tone of our instruments -we are a three way partnership between a small indigenous Balinese wood carving community - myself - and George Morris - founder of Vermont Instruments - a guitar building school with a very fine reputation and 25 years of teaching students to build fine guitars.

From the beginning - my idea was to build the best looking and best sounding guitars in the world - now - obviously - beauty is in the eye of the beholder and not everyone is an art collector or appreciates carving on a guitar - but I would not have put my daughter's name Blueberry on a product that was not of the highest quality i could possibly achieve. I sought out the best luthier that I could find - many Montreal luthiers told me that I was crazy to try to carve on a guitar - but eventually I met up with George Morris - he had been to Bali - and he agreed to go there on my dime to see what the possibilities were - I would like you all to know that we rejected well over 100 guitars before George was prepared to put his name on the project. I am not a luthier - I am an inventor and a musician and I am also an experienced businessman.
It was clear from the beginning that these guitars would be very easy to critisise if they were not acoustically excellent by all possible standards.

Our partner Wayan Tuges - who has been working with wood his entire life - is also obsessed with guitar building to the point where he puts in 15 hour days studying lutherie and perfecting his skill - I find some of the underlying comments just a little bit arrogant - as if only an American trained luthier can hand build a guitar - and some brown skinned people in Asia are just operating a sweatshop and trying to make a quick buck. There are about 40 wood carvers in our project - their wages are far below what North Amercans earn - but they are well paid and respected in their community - and their livelihoods now depend on them making PERFECT guitars. Their work ethic and skill are second to none - and the result is that our guitars are excellent.

We have sold over 100 guitars - time will tell about their longevity - but our policy has always been 100% customer satisfaction - As soon as any customer writes to me or contacts us with a problem - before anything else - we IMMEDIATELY offer to take back the guitar for a full refund - no questions asked. We are new - our reputation is everything - we can not have grumbling Blueberry customers.

I can answer all your questions about why we grooved the tops and not the insides - our Process for top carving on the guitars is such that our carvers sit on the floor - holding the finished guitar box on their laps - and then they start chiseling - this was the process when we were putting decorated carving on the tops and we noticed that the guitars seemed to resonate better with our top carved guitars - the idea came to me that it was possible that the more grooves we added - the louder the guitar would resonate - so I sent Wayan a drawing that I did on my computer with strait lines carved all over the top and back - and I added the idea of the neck etchings just to see what would happen - George did not like the idea of the Groove at first - he was very worried about the structural integrity of the top - but when the guitar arrived it was clear that it sounded better than any of our other guitars - we showed up the the Namm summer show with it - and the musicians who came to our booth could not stop playing it - and it seems that we had a hit with a guitar that did not have all the artistic carving on it - time will tell about its longevity - the first Groove is only 4 months old - it is mine and I play the heck out of it - and it does not show any blemishes because the grooves hide all scuff marks - and there is no dirt in the Grooves because the grooves are not deep enough for dirt to accumulate. George absolutely forbids us to carve the inside of the top because he doesn't think the structure could take the stress and the guitar would certainly crack - I also wanted to see what would happen (not just all of you on this thread) - but George says no and he is a Master Luthier and I am not.

About Ebay - its like this - when we started - NOBODY WANTED TO GIVE US A CHANCE - and we were accumulating guitars that no one would buy and the bills and expenses were mounting to the degree that i could not finance the project any more. Out of desperation - I started putting the guitars on EBAY -I had no experience with Ebay before and knew nothing about them - but we needed to raise funds quickly - It saved our life - because although we were selling well below our costs - the guitars were going to PLAYERS and musicians- not collectors - and they were posting positive feedback - which can not be bought at any price - regardless of the marketing and advertising we put behind it - if a person with 300 EBAY stars does not like something - they do not praise it - and we were very fortunate to have many positive comments and this encouraged us and eventually helped us get some dealers.

I would like to go on record as saying that we have NEVER pay anyone to say anything positive about our guitar on line or anywhere - if some of the reviews seem scripted - well - that is just the way it is - Although I do need this project to eventually make money - the reason I got into this is for the love of the instrument and for the goal of making something beautiful that will please people visually and musically for a long time to come.

I am here and if any of you want to write to me - I am happy to answer you. The rules of this forum are somewhat unclear to me as to if I am allowed to remain here - so I hope I am not thrown off the site.

Best wishes to all of you.

Danny Fonfeder

[gtr4me]

As someone that has been to Bali and spent some time with the almost not to be believed skilled artists and has also owned a Blueberry, I can attest only to what I have experienced.

There are no greater wood artists in the world than those in Bali. These are not sweat shop, mass producers. These guys have a very long tradition of remarkable ability. While I may not find everything they produce (on a guitar or otherwise) to my taste, I respect the pinnacle of the craft they have achieved.

The Blueberry I purchased was on a lark. I have owned a lot of guitars, never a classical. I made the decision to buy a classical, looked around a lot, set my limit knowing it likely would not stay with me long no matter what it was (I'm just not a classical guy but wanted the experience). I ended up with a Blueberry off of eBay just because I had been to Bali, seen their work, knew of the Vermont luthier and his reputation and thought it would be a fun experience.

As I expected, I will never be a classical guy and so it found a new home after about six months. For what its worth, the tone, particularly the bass and mids resonated like a piano. The tone was a step up from the other classicals I had been trying out.

I can only reflect my own experiences. The crafstmanship (aesthetic preferences aside) was really very good. The carvings almost machine like, though I know for fact they are all meticulously by hand. The guitar tone and resonance left me very satisfied.

They will definitely not appeal to many people, they will appeal to others. Those that do end up buying will get a very well crafted guitar that plays and sounds very good. There are lots of choices out there. Blueberry is just one.

Try it before you make too many decisions about what you think. I have never met anyone from the company and speak only for myself.

[JohnRII]

Originally Posted by Cainenabled

Hello to all of you,

The rules of this forum are somewhat unclear to me as to if I am allowed to remain here - so I hope I am not thrown off the site.

Best wishes to all of you.

Danny Fonfeder

Welcome Danny Fonfelder. It certainly isn't my call but please stay. Maybe you'd like to become a sponsor? And besides we might all learn a thing or two from someone willing to go beyond the norm. I mean after all, isn't this how progress is made?

[Cainenabled]

Thank you very much for welcoming me - I do hope that I will be allowed to stay here.

Two nights ago I was watching a documentary about the first space shuttle that exploded (at 4:00AM - I could not sleep) - Ronald Reagan said in his comforting speech to American school children- "the future belongs to the brave" - it is true - if we never pushed the envelope we would still be living in caves and foraging for food.

We never wanted to create a "me too" guitar - my personal favorite guitar for the last 20 years (before the Groove) has been an old beat up Guild that I bought second hand at a local guitar show in New Orleans - I never had G.A.S - there are plenty of really good guitar builders who make excellent sounding guitars and we never had any intention of competing with them - If I had not had that chance encounter with Wayan Tuges in Bali, I would have spent the rest of my life with just my Guild and have been perfectly happy.

We are most interested in trying new things - different shapes and sizes - new wood types - aesthetics - different bracing - working with the Balinese gives us the chance to experiment constantly with new ideas at relatively low costs -they can do almost anything with wood - and they now can instinctively select woods from the local markets that they sense will have fine acoustic value - we are even experimenting now with two local woods that have never been used on guitars before but we think can have great results on acoustic guitars.

Since the visitors on this BLOG are clearly acoustic guitar addicts and experienced luthiers - it would be great to hear some new ideas that may have been lingering in all of your minds - if we can - we can try some ideas that are put forward on exprimental Blueberries -we can ask the Balinese to give it a shot and see if it works - this forum may be used constructively to make ground breaking guitars - if it turns out to be a success - we will name the guitar after you. By the way - one of the posters keeps talking about putting hundreds of holes on the top of the guitar - I had also thought about that but George Morris says that it can not possibly be done even with the best bracing because the structure wont hold ( that doesn't mean that we cant give it a try)

Thanks,

Danny

[Eugenius]

Originally Posted by Cainenabled

Hello to all of you,

This is Danny Fonfeder - founder of Blueberry Guitars. We have very thick skins here at Blueberry - we did expect a lot of negative or at least skeptical opinions to surface. If any of you have any questions about the how or why or what of Blueberry Guitars - I would be glad to answer them - and if any of you would like to try one of our guitars and then comment on them - just let me know - it only costs you one way transport charges.

Although we do have thick skin - there is one post #26 - from Jeff M that I find extremely insulting - YOU SAID i HAD A HARD TIME PLAYING A C CHORD - My goodness - I remember you well - you came to our booth at the summer Namm show in Nashville - asked me to play something - I was sitting down - I stood up and played one chord - you looked at me cynically and left-
Jeff - I have been playing guitar for 30 years - I have composed numerous instrumental pieces for guitar and I am a well above average player - your comment is insulting.

Now that I am here - and prior to you guys kicking me off, I would like to tell you all that everyone involved in our Blueberry project is OBSESSED with perfecting the tone of our instruments -we are a three way partnership between a small indigenous Balinese wood carving community - myself - and George Morris - founder of Vermont Instruments - a guitar building school with a very fine reputation and 25 years of teaching students to build fine guitars.

From the beginning - my idea was to build the best looking and best sounding guitars in the world - now - obviously - beauty is in the eye of the beholder and not everyone is an art collector or appreciates carving on a guitar - but I would not have put my daughter's name Blueberry on a product that was not of the highest quality i could possibly achieve. I sought out the best luthier that I could find - many Montreal luthiers told me that I was crazy to try to carve on a guitar - but eventually I met up with George Morris - he had been to Bali - and he agreed to go there on my dime to see what the possibilities were - I would like you all to know that we rejected well over 100 guitars before George was prepared to put his name on the project. I am not a luthier - I am an inventor and a musician and I am also an experienced businessman.
It was clear from the beginning that these guitars would be very easy to critisise if they were not acoustically excellent by all possible standards.

Our partner Wayan Tuges - who has been working with wood his entire life - is also obsessed with guitar building to the point where he puts in 15 hour days studying lutherie and perfecting his skill - I find some of the underlying comments just a little bit arrogant - as if only an American trained luthier can hand build a guitar - and some brown skinned people in Asia are just operating a sweatshop and trying to make a quick buck. There are about 40 wood carvers in our project - their wages are far below what North Amercans earn - but they are well paid and respected in their community - and their livelihoods now depend on them making PERFECT guitars. Their work ethic and skill are second to none - and the result is that our guitars are excellent.

We have sold over 100 guitars - time will tell about their longevity - but our policy has always been 100% customer satisfaction - As soon as any customer writes to me or contacts us with a problem - before anything else - we IMMEDIATELY offer to take back the guitar for a full refund - no questions asked. We are new - our reputation is everything - we can not have grumbling Blueberry customers.

I can answer all your questions about why we grooved the tops and not the insides - our Process for top carving on the guitars is such that our carvers sit on the floor - holding the finished guitar box on their laps - and then they start chiseling - this was the process when we were putting decorated carving on the tops and we noticed that the guitars seemed to resonate better with our top carved guitars - the idea came to me that it was possible that the more grooves we added - the louder the guitar would resonate - so I sent Wayan a drawing that I did on my computer with strait lines carved all over the top and back - and I added the idea of the neck etchings just to see what would happen - George did not like the idea of the Groove at first - he was very worried about the structural integrity of the top - but when the guitar arrived it was clear that it sounded better than any of our other guitars - we showed up the the Namm summer show with it - and the musicians who came to our booth could not stop playing it - and it seems that we had a hit with a guitar that did not have all the artistic carving on it - time will tell about its longevity - the first Groove is only 4 months old - it is mine and I play the heck out of it - and it does not show any blemishes because the grooves hide all scuff marks - and there is no dirt in the Grooves because the grooves are not deep enough for dirt to accumulate. George absolutely forbids us to carve the inside of the top because he doesn't think the structure could take the stress and the guitar would certainly crack - I also wanted to see what would happen (not just all of you on this thread) - but George says no and he is a Master Luthier and I am not.

About Ebay - its like this - when we started - NOBODY WANTED TO GIVE US A CHANCE - and we were accumulating guitars that no one would buy and the bills and expenses were mounting to the degree that i could not finance the project any more. Out of desperation - I started putting the guitars on EBAY -I had no experience with Ebay before and knew nothing about them - but we needed to raise funds quickly - It saved our life - because although we were selling well below our costs - the guitars were going to PLAYERS and musicians- not collectors - and they were posting positive feedback - which can not be bought at any price - regardless of the marketing and advertising we put behind it - if a person with 300 EBAY stars does not like something - they do not praise it - and we were very fortunate to have many positive comments and this encouraged us and eventually helped us get some dealers.

I would like to go on record as saying that we have NEVER pay anyone to say anything positive about our guitar on line or anywhere - if some of the reviews seem scripted - well - that is just the way it is - Although I do need this project to eventually make money - the reason I got into this is for the love of the instrument and for the goal of making something beautiful that will please people visually and musically for a long time to come.

I am here and if any of you want to write to me - I am happy to answer you. The rules of this forum are somewhat unclear to me as to if I am allowed to remain here - so I hope I am not thrown off the site.

Best wishes to all of you.

Danny Fonfeder

Hi Danny, thanks for the post and explanation and again, your strategy is risky, and one has to respect that.

I have but one question, did you, or somebody from your company, write the first post in this thread? I've read just about every guitar review on here and I've never seen one written in a fashion quite like that.

[Cainenabled]

Stewart wrote the first post and he is not a Blueberry Employee but he seems to be a big fan- he bought the 6th Groove Guitar and we gave him a break on the price - I was really happy to read the review - but I didn't know it was there until someone else from from this forum wrote to me directly - and told me that there was a review of our guitar here - by the time I saw Stewart's review there were already 3 pages of thread - and I was starting to feel that I could clear up a lot of questions by jumping in.

[stewart4328]

Hi Danny,

Welcome to the forum! It is nice to see you post some of your ideas and explanations behind your thoughts on Blueberry Guitars and guitars in general!

I am the one who started this original thread after purchasing a Blueberry Groove. I am still absolutely thrilled by the guitar and anyone who lives in the Ottawa area who would like to try one can PM me and I would be more than happy to let them test drive the Groove. In fact I am meeting with another member of the forum today who had posted some of his thoughts on the Groove. That member is Grenvilleter. I am sure he will post his thoughts on the Groove once he has a chance to play it.

It doesn't make sense to me how someone can say that removing some of the mass from the back and front of the guitar will not impact the sound. My thought is that it will, whether that be in a positive or negative way. It has to change the sound somehow. In my case it has been more than positive regardless of what the pattern of the grooves are.

With regard to my original review I am just some one who absoulutely loves the guitar they just purchased and all I wanted to do was to let people know.

Just my additional two cents worth.

Stewart

[ScottAllyn]

I've been avoiding this thread since reading the first several replies. There's just too much negativity for my "light" morning forum surfing - I already get my fill of bitterness from the office coffee.

'Not sure why I decided to read the thread this morning, but I wanted to say Welcome to the forum Danny and I do hope that you stick around and contribute to the discussions, despite our efforts to drive you away.

Pseudo-Subliminal Suggestion #1: Road Trip...

[Eugenius]

Originally Posted by ScottAllyn

I've been avoiding this thread since reading the first several replies. There's just too much negativity for my "light" morning forum surfing - I already get my fill of bitterness from the office coffee.


Pseudo-Subliminal Suggestion #1: Road Trip...

I can relate!!!

[surfoxy]

Whatever the truth about how these guitars sound and play (I've not played one), I'm glad there has been some balance added to the one-sided bash-fest which existed previously.

[james55]

Originally Posted by hawgadi

Whatever the truth about how these guitars sound and play (I've not played one), I'm glad there has been some balance added to the one-sided bash-fest which existed previously.

Amen to that!

Welcome to the forum Danny.

[steve nm]

Welcome Danny Glad to have you here.
Steve

[cotten]

Hi Danny,

Welcome to the AGF!

Actually, though, I don't think our rules about your representing your business here, without becoming a Sponsor, are unclear. Here's a quote from our FAQ:

*** ATTENTION Manufacturers *** You Must be a sponsor to represent your company on the Acoustic Guitar Forum. (See above information on sponsorships or contact us for more information: here)

Sorry that link didn't copy.

I'll leave your replies up for now as a show of good will, though they are in obvious violation of our long standing rule on the subject. Plus, I'll PM you with information and an invitation to become an AGF Sponsor.

Best wishes,
cotten
AGF Moderator

[bruce]

Stewart and Danny - welcome to the world of sticking your neck out for all the world to take a shot at. You are not the first, and I'm confident you won't be the last. When a funny looking guitar made by Fylde came to the attention of the AGF, you wouldn't believe the comments (actually maybe you would after reviewing the comments you have received) about a guitar made from reclaimed oak from 60 year old whiskey barrels. How could this funny looking guitar possibly sound good. The burn marks on the reclaimed Oregon Pine were just a gimmick. Someone dared to be different. But the guitar world is very fortunate to have luthiers that dare to be different. And being different, or innovative, is what leads to future improvements. I have no idea what your Blueberry guitar sounds like. My thoughts on the appearance of the guitar are exactly that -my thoughts. Some folks are quite vocal on expressing their thoughts. Perhaps that is what forums are all about. As you can tell from the above note, I do not post very often. But I just wanted to assure you that you are both very welcome to this forum, and you both have every right to be proud of your guitar. I am very proud and content with my funny looking whiskey barrel guitar, and if I am the only one that feels that way - SO WHAT!