Acoustic Guitar Magazine | 8 years ago
Play a Bristol BM-15 or BD-15 and you get the warm, midrange-forward tone you’d expect from a high-quality, solid-wood, all-mahogany guitar. But these instruments feature laminated soundboards, backs, and sides, and sell for only $200—about the same price as a decent hardshell case alone. Both guitars are a reminder of how good even the least expensive imported instruments can be these days.
The BM-15 and the BD-15—a triple-0 (auditorium) and dreadnought, respectively, share the same appointments. Each guitar has a mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard and a thin satin finish that allows the wood to vibrate more freely than the thick glossy finish often found on entry-level instruments. The appointments are minimal, but the headstocks are graced with an elegant torch motif inspired by fancy prewar instruments.
The fit and finish on both of these hogs are consistently excellent. The frets are cleanly crowned and polished and smooth at the fingerboard’s edges; the black ABS plastic nuts and saddles are notched with precision. Things often get messy on the insides of inexpensive guitars, but not here—the braces and kerfing in both guitars are cleanly sanded and fitted.
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