Bourgeois Acoustics

Browsing Bourgeois Guitars

Bourgeois Guitars are handcrafted in Lewiston, Maine by master luthier Dana Bourgeois. Dana is known around the world for his superb craftsmanship and also as one of the foremost authorities on the voicing, selection and utilization of fine acoustic tonewoods.

Dana selects and matches the woods for each Bourgeois guitar at the beginning of the production process and, once each acoustic guitar is complete, checks it from top to bottom insuring it is aesthetically perfect and sounds and plays up to the demanding Bourgeois standard. Throughout the production process you can find Dana applying bridges, spraying a sunburst top, buffing the final finish coat, selecting and applying pick guards as well as overseeing the eight other individuals working on the various facets of the guitars being built.

2009 Bourgeois Country Boy Deluxe Adirondack Spruce and Figured Mahogany

Bourgeois DB Signature Dreadnought – Madagascar Rosewood – Adirondack Spruce

Bourgeois Custom OM All-Mahogany Short-Scale

2004 Bourgeois OMS Custom European Maple and Adirondack Spruce

Bourgeois Custom OMC Italian Spruce and Indian Rosewood with Cutaway

1998 Bourgeois OMC Bearclaw Sitka and Indian Rosewood Cutaway

Bourgeois “Banjo Killer” Slope Dreadnought w/ Bearclaw Sitka Spruce

Bourgeois DB Signature OM Adirondack Spruce and Madagascar Rosewood

Bourgeois Vintage D Adirondack and Indian Rosewood

2004 Bourgeois “The Soloist” Brazilian Rosewood and Engelmann Spruce

Bourgeois Country Boy 00 Adirondack Spruce and Mahogany

Bourgeois DB Signature Sunburst 00 Adirondack and Madagascar Rosewood

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SOLD: 2009 Bourgeois Country Boy Deluxe Adirondack Spruce and Figured Mahogany

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 23/32" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Mahogany

Dana Bourgeois is known around the world for his superb craftsmanship and also as one of the foremost authorities on the voicing, selection and utilization of fine tonewoods. As testimony to these great instruments, they have become a favorite of many professional country and bluegrass players, such as Ricky Skaggs, Bryan Sutton, Sean Watkins, and most recently, we sold a Country Boy to Michael Harris of Apache Relay. If there is one thing Dana Bourgeois knows, it’s building a knockout dreadnought.

The Country Boy is a dependable, tried and true mahogany workhorse. Mahogany has a quick velocity of sound, relatively lightness of weight, and noticeable midrange overtone attenuation. As a result, mahogany guitars are warm, dry, woody, direct, lively, and famously easy to record. This is especially true with this guitar. Each note has commanding presence, yet is balanced and well represented. Chords ring with powerful, driving volume and lead notes are clear, punchy, and distinct.

This Country Boy features classic appointments such as ebony fretboard and bridge, wooden rosette, tortoiseshell binding, and nickel Waverly tuners. This guitar also features the same diamond volute used on the back of their Vintage Dreadnought peghead. In addition to selecting only the finest quartersawn and matched South American mahogany backs and sides, this Country Boy is appointed with a beautiful Adirondack Red Spruce with nice wide grain at the edges. Dana always builds guitars with only the best tonewoods, and this guitar is definitely worthy of the Bourgeois name... in both tone and appearance!

This guitar has a ding in the middle of the top of the headstock, along with some fine finish scratches due to string changes as shown in the detail photographs. There are also some dings on the heelcap, also shown in the photo. There are also finish scratches on the pickguard. Original hardshell case included.

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: adirondack bracing, adirondack spruce, bourgeois, country boy, dreadnought, figured mahogany

SOLD: Bourgeois DB Signature Dreadnought – Madagascar Rosewood – Adirondack Spruce

Scale: 25.4" | Nut Width: 1 23/32" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Madagascar Rosewood

Hear This Instrument: Bourgeois DB Signature Dreadnought

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

The Dana Bourgeois Signature Dreadnought features "Signature" Adirondack and "Signature" Madagascar RW... this translates into the absolute best examples of each tonewood that can currently be found. The traditional Squares & Diamonds inlay are made unique by cutting them from Certified Fossil Ivory. With finely flamed Curly Koa body binding, Gold Waverly tuners, Bone pins and a premium pickguard you will be hard pressed to find more value and beauty in a single guitar.

Here's what Dana says about Madagascar: "Madagascar rosewood will probably get you closest to the sound of Brazilian, and at a much lower price. Madagascar has much of the same rich overtone range as Brazilian, as well as a slightly "reverby" quality. It's a little heavier than Brazilian, so I have to be careful about selecting the right top and the right neck in order to keep the weight down and not adversely effect its response characteristics. " Since Dana himself still picks every top, back and side for each guitar we build, this isn't a problem with his builds.

The response and balance that this guitar exhibits is nothing short of astonishing. The incredibly straight grained set of Madagascar lives up to every bit of the legend it is known for... and may just be better! The Adirondack top shows nice wide grain with plentiful bearclaws, making the top even stiffer with more headroom.

There is certainly some magic going on with these DB Signature guitars, and this guitar is one of the best! Order yours now before it's too late and this incredible wood is gone!

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: adirondack spruce, bourgeois, db signature, dreadnought, madagascar rosewood, mp3 included

SOLD: Bourgeois Custom OM All-Mahogany Short-Scale

Scale: 25" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Mahogany | Back: Mahogany

Dana Bourgeois has done it yet again! This custom OM, built with an all-mahogany body, is another perfect example of the exquisite build style that Dana is famous for. This guitar is voiced so that it is remarkably rich in tone with a great thump on the low end that we didn't expect to hear. Dana tap tunes all the tops as he is voicing them to ensure they respond evenly across the spectrum, making his guitars feel a little more "alive" than some other builders.

Simple appointments such as tortoise bindings and a sunburst fiber rosette give the guitar a very classy appearance, matching the tone quite nicely. This custom guitar was pre-sold as a special order but we love it so much you can expect another one on our rack sometime in the near future!

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: bourgeois, mahogany, om

SOLD: 2004 Bourgeois OMS Custom European Maple and Adirondack Spruce

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Maple

Hear This Instrument: Bourgeois OMS Maple

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

The OMS model is similar to the classic 12 fret 000 size guitars and embodies the simple elegance and grace players have come to expect from vintage versions, but with the added dimension of Bourgeois' quality craftsmanship and sound. The OMS has a slotted headstock design with side mount tuners. With a 25.5 " scale, 1 3/4 nut width and 2 5/16 bridge spacing you'll feel right at home with this guitar as soon as you pick it up.

This particular OMS is features custom European Maple back and sides with an Adirondack Spruce top, making for a particularly special instrument. European maple is very dense and reflective, producing a loud, powerful, projective sound. The sound of the maple on this guitar really shines and is quite a bit warmer in tone than you would expect from such a reflective tonewood. The Adirondack Spruce top feels comfortably broken in and has warmed considerably since the 2004 build date. Adirondack offers high dynamic range with virtually unlimited headroom, allowing players to dig in and dominate other stringed instruments. This particular guitar, however, also responds particularly well to fingerstyle players offering a tone that is rich, clear, and focused with a clarity that only maple can offer.

This guitar shows very little playing wear, exhibiting only a few dings on the headstock, as shown in the detail photograph. Hardshell case included.

SOLD: Bourgeois Custom OMC Italian Spruce and Indian Rosewood with Cutaway

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Italian Spruce | Back: Indian Rosewood

Hear This Instrument: Bourgeois OMC Indian Rosewood

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

"Twenty years ago, Eric Schoenberg dreamed about having an OM with a cutaway styled after the Selmer Maccaferri guitar. I drew up something that he liked and started building, but found that I wasn't able, at the time, to make such a tight bend in the side! So I gave up and substituted the much rounder version that I still use today." - Dana Bourgeois

The OM is already a small guitar. It's unique sound results from the ratio between it's 25.5" scale length, the surface area of its soundboard, and the volume of it's air cavity. The addition of a cutaway, therefore, is no small consideration. Harmonizing beautifully with the classic curves of the original OM outline, Dana's solution offers three additional frets of accessibility while minimally altering the OM's critical proportions.

This OMC, with a custom Italian Spruce top, is a fingerpicker's dream offering great tonal response with suburb balance. Even with a cutaway, low end is rich and balanced to the clear, distinct, and resonant highs and mids. The OMC is simply and elegantly appointed with East Indian Rosewood back and sides, a wood rosette, Short patterned Squares and diamonds inlay, Ebony pyramid bridge, tortoiseshell binding and gold Waverly tuners for a classic appearance.

Sean Watkins, of Nickel Creek, used his Bourgeois OMC to record most of the cuts on his CD, Let It Fall. The solo guitar piece, "Cloudbreak", is an excellent example of what the OMC is all about.

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: bourgeois, cutaway, indian rosewood, italian spruce, mp3 included, omc, ziricote

SOLD: 1998 Bourgeois OMC Bearclaw Sitka and Indian Rosewood Cutaway

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Bearclaw Sitka Spruce | Back: Indian Rosewood

This 1998 Bourgeois OMC is a pre-pantheon Dana Bourgeois build featuring a great Bearclaw Sitka Spruce top with Indian Rosewood back and sides. This guitar is well broken in and the playability is incredible, with low action and a highly responsive tone. The bass response is impressive for any OM, but especially for a cutaway... Dana never loses much tone with his cutaway options and this guitar is no exception. Trebles are smooth and pleasant with no harsh overtones.

Sean Watkins, of Nickel Creek, used his Bourgeois OMC to record most of the cuts on his CD, Let It Fall. The solo guitar piece, "Cloudbreak", is an excellent example of what the OMC is all about.

This guitar has numerous dents, as pictured in the detail photographs. The bridge appears to have been re glued, although we can't confirm. There is finish damage around the sound hole from previous pickup installation. There are imprints on the back of the headstock from the original tuners, which have been replaced. There is finish scratching throughout that does not go through the finish. There is some binding separation on the lower upper bout.

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: bearclaw, bourgeois, cutaway, indian rosewood, om, omc, sitka spruce

SOLD: Bourgeois “Banjo Killer” Slope Dreadnought w/ Bearclaw Sitka Spruce

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 23/32" | Top: Bearclaw Sitka Spruce | Back: Mahogany

This slope shouldered dreadnought, famously dubbed the "Banjo Killer" by Bryan Sutton, is only about 1/4" wider than a standard dreadnought, but what a difference! You can hear the guitar clearly in a loud jam session without the need to overplay; while equally enjoying a full and sustained tone when played softly. With the wood and bracing choices, it exhibits lush top and powerful, driving volume.

This "Banjo Killer" Slope D features a gorgeous Bearclaw Sitka Spruce top and unbelievable highly figured Mahogany back and sides. This guitar is a faithful replica of the famous guitar built for Bryan Sutton. Just like the original, it features Ivoroid body binding on the neck and body but with no binding on the Brazilian Rosewood Headstock veneer. The fingerboard and belly bridge are also Brazilian Rosewood. The pickguard is handmade in the style of Bryan's original Banjo Killer. Subtle appointments included bridge pins made of Ebony with Abalone dots and Nickel Waverly tuners with Ivoroid buttons.

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: adirondack bracing, banjo killer, bearclaw, bourgeois, dreadnought, mahogany, sitka spruce, slope shoulder

SOLD: Bourgeois DB Signature OM Adirondack Spruce and Madagascar Rosewood

| Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Madagascar Rosewood

This guitar sold within 5 minutes of it being out on the floor... we tuned it up, gave it a few test strums and the customer that happened to be in the store at the time immediately snatched it up! We were so pleased with the massive tone coming out of this guitar, Bill immediately called Dana and ordered another! Check out the DB Signature OM we have on order!

Madagascar Rosewood is known for being the most similar tonewood to the Brazilian species. Offering many of the same sonic characteristics, Madagascar is also becoming difficult to harvest and export. Madagascar has much of the same rich overtone range as Brazilian, as well as a slightly "reverby" quality... and with examples such as the set used on this Dana Bourgeois Signature 00, it is hard to imagine a more beautiful back and sides on any guitar.

The DB Signature upgrade is an especially elegant combination reflecting the masterful craftsmanship of Dana Bourgeois. A new rosette and herringbone purfling was designed for the DB Signature models to compliment Dana's earlier design of the DB backstrip. The binding is finely flamed Curly Koa, and accents this set of woods better than we could have ever imagined.

Regarding the tone, Dana has chosen the wood specifically for the way it sounds, rather than it's appearance, although they usually look amazing, regardless. The Adirondack and Madagascar on this DB Signature models is some of the best sounding examples of each species... especially after Dana's tuning and bracing techniques. It's hard to imagine a nicer sound coming out of a OM... the guitar sounds much larger than it's small size and is smooth and balanced. An instant shop favorite!

SOLD: Bourgeois Vintage D Adirondack and Indian Rosewood

Scale: 25.4" | Nut Width: 1 23/32" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Indian Rosewood

Adirondack spruce, also known as Eastern Red Spruce, was the legendary topwood used on most pre-war American-made guitars. Properly sawn, Adirondack is much stiffer than Sitka and Engelmann spruce, both along and across the grain. This allows builders to make thinner, lighter tops, resulting in lightning-quick response with power to spare.

The Adirondack on this Vintage D is exquisite, featuring beautiful grain and a few small bearclaws in the lower bout area. According to Dana Bourgeois, bearclaws can indicate the tree was older, making the wood even stiffer... further enhancing it's projection and headroom.

The Indian Rosewood Dana chose for this guitar is also very special, with large streaks of red flowing through the grain... a feature that instantly sets the guitar apart visually from other Indian Rosewood models. Rosewood provides a deep, extended low end when compared to mahogany and certainly shines when combined with Dana's masterfully tuned Adirondack top.

The result is a Vintage D that is very loud and extremely well balanced. The low end is clear, distinct and incredibly powerful, without sacrificing the strong high end. Headroom seems unlimited, very typical of Dana Bourgeois dreadnoughts... the louder it is strummed the louder it plays! Lead lines are powerful and clear.

At this point, you will have to wait until we get the next awesome dreadnought from Bourgeois... it will definitely be worth the wait!

SOLD: 2004 Bourgeois “The Soloist” Brazilian Rosewood and Engelmann Spruce

Scale: 25 1/2" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Engelmann Spruce | Back: Brazilian Rosewood

Introduced at the 2004 NAMM convention, the Bourgeois #5515 is a new model prototype, "The Soloist."

Dana says:
"Nearly 20 years ago, inspired by the vision of Eric Schoenberg, I built what I believe was the first cutaway OM in a style that has since become something of a modern classic. (It was the first guitar of this style that I, at any rate, and the guitar community at large, was aware of.) Eric and I later became partners, founded a guitar company, and produced the new model under the name "The Soloist", after an elegant Victorian fingerstyle guitar associated with the early 20th Century guitarist, Vadah Olcott-Bickford. After the dissolution of our partnership, Eric and I agreed to produce our own separate versions of the Soloist. Aside from a handful of one-off examples, this is my first formal introduction of the Soloist as a regular model.

The 2004 Bourgeois Soloist is a true fingerstyle OM, featuring an Engelmann spruce top, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, a 2 5/16" pyramid bridge, and the original Soloist style cutaway. Maintaining the spirit of the original Soloist, I have combined the only finest woods with the simplest of appointments, most notably Brazilian rosewood body bindings. While on the subject of decoration, I will take advantage of this opportunity to note that the marquetry backstrip that I first designed for the Soloist (and now use on many of my guitars) has been copied by more than one marquetry manufacturer, and is now available through a number of distributors. Far from being offended, I am delighted that other makers have mistaken this for a vintage design!"

The Brazilian on this guitar features very straight grain and sounds rich and vibrant, everything you would expect out of Brazilian Rosewood. Lots of sustain and complex overtones with lightning fast response thanks to the Engelmann Spruce top, which is much softer than Sitka, offering more volume and ease of playing with a lighter attack.

This guitar has been recently setup and had a plek job done by Glaser Instruments. There is some wear on the rear binding on the lower bout, as shown in the photograph. Ameritage case included.

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: bourgeois, brazilian rosewood, cutaway, engelmann spruce, fingerstyle, NAMM, om, prototype

SOLD: Bourgeois Country Boy 00 Adirondack Spruce and Mahogany

Scale: 25 1/8" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Mahogany

Hear This Instrument: Bourgeois 00 Country Boy

Recorded In-House on a Sony PCM-D50 handheld recorder with no compression or eq.

We are always pleased to have new and exciting models from all of our luthiers, but when Dana Bourgeois introduces a new instrument - we know how much time Dana has tinkered and adjusted to make it the best it can be. When we received our first 00, we were blown away at how much projection it has for a small body. This time, we opted for an Adirondack top - I can't begin to talk about how loud this little guy is!

Bourgeois' 00 is slightly larger then other luthiers in the lower bout and length. This sweetheart is a versatile and articulate workhorse. The 00 is appointed much like the Country Boy. It features an Adirondack Red Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. Amazingly, it can easily stand up to a flatpick and bare fingers alike! When Adam picked it up, the first thing he noticed was how open, airy, and crisp it is. Much like most everything that makes its way out of Bourgeois' shop, this 00 is well balanced with a mellow bottom end and crisp trebles, but still ample projection and power. Adirondack Spruce tops have the highest volume ceiling of any topwoods, yet they also have a rich fullness of tone that retains clarity at all dynamic levels. The stiffness of the wood makes for a lightning-quick response with crisp top-end. According to Dana, Adirondack may very well be the Holy Grail of topwoods for the steel-string guitar. If you just can't settle on one playing style and need a guitar to be as versatile as you are - this is the guitar for you.

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: 00, adirondack bracing, bourgeois, bourgeois 00, bourgeois country boy, country boy, mahogany, mp3 included

SOLD: Bourgeois DB Signature Sunburst 00 Adirondack and Madagascar Rosewood

Scale: 25" | Nut Width: 1 3/4" | Top: Adirondack Spruce | Back: Madagascar Rosewood

The DB Signature appointments, combined with a rich sunburst finish, is an especially elegant combination reflecting the masterful craftsmanship of Dana Bourgeois. A new rosette and herringbone purfling was designed for the DB Signature models to compliment Dana's earlier design of the DB backstrip. The binding is finely flamed Curly Koa, and accents this sunburst better than we could have ever imagined.

Regarding the tone, Dana has chosen the wood specifically for the way it sounds, rather than it's appearance, although they usually look amazing, regardless. The Adirondack and Madagascar on this DB Signature models is some of the best sounding examples of each species... especially after Dana's tuning and bracing techniques. It's hard to imagine a nicer sound coming out of a 00... the guitar sounds much larger than it's small size and is smooth and balanced. An instant shop favorite!

This instrument has been spoken for. Please call 866-265-5993 or email info@artisanguitars.com to inquire about a similar instrument. Tags: 00, adirondack spruce, bourgeois, db signature, madagascar rosewood, short scale, sunburst