Collection: Bourgeois Guitars

Bourgeois Guitars

Dana Bourgeois of Bourgeois Guitars is a central figure of the 21st century steel-string acoustic guitar renaissance. His tireless obsession with isolating the factors that made vintage guitars great and then refining and improving these designs for modern players, has resulted in some of the finest instruments of our time. His first success was a subtle reinterpretation of the Martin Orchestra model. When he asked the veteran bluegrass virtuoso Tony Rice how to make his dreadnoughts sound better, Rice suggested that he make them sound, “more like his OMs”.

Three distinctive features of a Bourgeois guitar are the quality and specificity of its woods, its top voicing, and the bolt-neck joint. Dana selects his tonewoods very carefully, determining what model they would be best used for from grain structure and stiffness ratios. He was one of the first luthiers to determine the advantages of using the same species of Spruce harvested for the coveted pre-war Martin guitars, Adirondack Red Spruce. He has also embraced the modern practice of torrefaction, which accelerates the long-term drying process, resulting in an “aged” tone.

When the wood has been chosen, Dana and his small team of luthiers in Lewiston, Maine pay careful attention to scalloping of the soundboard bracing. By balancing the bass and treble sides of the guitar top, they are able to create instruments with incredible power and dynamic range. They also set the neck to the body with a bolt, which allows for easier customization without compromising the translation of vibration.

Bourgeois Guitars currently makes about 400 guitars a year, and it is an honor to receive some of them at Midwood Guitar Studio. We custom order most of our inventory based on the preferences of our clientele, often picking out specific pieces of wood in Maine. Give us a call today if you have any questions about the different models and packages offered by Bourgeois, and let’s build you an heirloom quality instrument.

Contact us for more information or stop by our guitar shop in Charlotte and check out what’s in stock.