Maya de Vitry describes how she came to play a Blueridge BR-143 and why it’s the guitar most suitable for her songwriting, performing and touring.

Here’s what de Vitry had to say:

“I play a Blueridge guitar, and the model is a BR-143. I got this guitar in 2017, and I ordered it off the internet. All almost every song that I've written since has been written on this guitar.

“My former bandmate, Oliver Craven — who was with me in the Stray Birds, the trio I used to play in — he was in touch with Blueridge about an artist, some kind of artist deal or artist discount. We were touring really heavily at the time, and we just needed a different option to take on the road, and I didn't want to travel with a guitar that didn't have a flight case anymore. And I knew I wanted a smaller guitar, because I had been playing like a more bluegrass style, like Dreadnought body shape. So I wanted this kind of body style because it's easier for me physically to play and carry.

“So I got this Blueridge, and then got a Calton case for it, which ironically, is more expensive than the guitar. So I went to the vintage guitar shop to get a brand new Calton case, which I got at Carter Vintage Guitars [in Nashville]. And then I ordered this thing off the internet, and I'm all set!

“My role in a band at that time and my role now, is, you know, to provide like, strong rhythmic foundation on the acoustic guitar and chords. And I'm not like a lead player, and I don't do really fancy finger-picking stuff. So I just needed a guitar that felt really stable, felt really stable when played in louder settings, too; like, I have a K&K pickup in here. I don't usually put a microphone in front of it. I like to be able to move around onstage, so I have a K&K that goes into a DI box. This guitar is just really reliable for me, and that's what mattered the most at the time, and honestly, it's what still matters the most to me, that value hasn't really changed. I haven't actually played this one much in the recording studio. On my records, I'm usually borrowing guitars that are available to me in a studio that I'm working in, and they're like, beautiful, also small body, maybe like vintage Martin guitars, or maybe a Collings, or, you know, just these different, different kinds of guitars and wood and feels that are maybe much darker than this one feels, or woodier, or has a different low end or something. This is just the right guitar for me to be touring with.”

Credits

Guest – Maya de Vitry
Producers – Mike Pengra, Luke Taylor
Video – Evan Clark
Audio – Derek Ramirez
Camera Operators – Evan Clark, Eric Xu Romani
Graphics – Natalia Toledo

External Links

Maya de Vitry – official site

Saga Music (Blueridge Guitars) – official site

K&K Sound – official site

Calton Cases – official site

Carter Vintage Guitars, Nashville – official site