Dana Bourgeois video showing him voicing a top

ToneControl · January 2018

Fascinating to see this in progress

Winny_Pooh · January 2018

Cheers for that. Nice to hear the actual tapped tones

AliGorie · January 2018

yup - I'm a Dana fan -
I put this up a while ago - a general vid about his approch to making guitars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=HMGtTD4bH-w

If folks are interested in what makes a guitar work - or not in the hands of an experienced maker can I advise John Greven's videos on soundboards and bracing - the heart of the instrument -

these videos and more are on the
Guild of American Luthiers site - worth a visit.

earwighoney · January 2018

IMO, he's one of the best guitar makers in the US.

A shame their guitars are so incredibly expensive in the UK though!

AliGorie · January 2018

The ‘back’ story to DB’s rise to where he is now was what made me seek out and eventually but his JOM model.
Think I’ve posed this before - but the details are quite fascinating, and now widely known - his work, in conjunction with Eric Schoenberg and “ T. J. Thompson, Dana's former apprentice jointly completed a final batch of Schoenberg Soloists at C. F. Martin & Company in 1990.”
This work gave Martin the ‘back to the future’ direction viz their Golden Era more recently ‘Authentic’ series.
Also the JOM was designed to be PRS’s foray into acoustic land back in 1992 - heres the original design complete with f/b inlays and PRS headstock, which DB remodelled into his ’Snakehead’ h/stock when he set up on his own and used his JOM design as the centerpiece of his model range.
The PRS venture fell through - something about QC !.
All the info info here -
http://www.gansz.org/David/Guitars/Schoenberg/1990.htm

http://www.gansz.org/David/Guitars/Schoenberg/PRS/prsa7.jpg

CloudNine · January 2018

They are really awesome guitars. I had an 00 that I wish I hadn't sold, and had one of his Slope D's for quite a while, but now have this below!! It is ridiculously good. It whispers, it roars, just handles anything at all, way too good for me really.

Model: DB Signature

Top: Eastern Red "Adirondack" Spruce
Back: Madagascar Rosewood
Rosette: Signature Wood
BodyBinding: Figured Koa

Purfling: DB Signature Herringbone

Backstrip: Multicolor Herringbone
Head Shape: Square Head With Diamond
Head Veneer: Ziricote
Head Inlay: Bourgeois Logo
Head Binding: None
Fretboard Wood: 14 Fret Ebony
Nut Width: 1 23/32" Scale length 25.5 "
Fretboard Inlay: Fossilized Mammoth Ivory Squares & Diamonds
Fretboard Binding: Ebony
Pickguard: Tor-Tis
Bridge: Ebony Belly Bridge
Signature Label: Dana Bourgeois Signature Label
Tuners: Waverly Gold with Snakewood Buttons
DB Signature Specs. Bone Pins.

earwighoney · January 2018

CloudNine said:

They are really awesome guitars. I had an 00 that I wish I hadn't sold, and had one of his Slope D's for quite a while, but now have this below!!

I played the OM version of your guitar in Ivor's and it was a superb guitar.

What was the OO you had? OO's are my personal favourite body shape to play and IMO Bourgeois's 14 OO's are up there with the very best around

CloudNine · January 2018

It was a 14 fret Adi over EIR. Really responsive little guitar, and I am seriously considering tracking down something similar.

jrc2806 · January 2018

Great series of videos. Never had the pleasure of playing one but their L-DBO Presentation series (I think they only made 10) sounds fantastic - keep going back to the review by Eddies Guitars (Youtube) of this model!

AliGorie · January 2018

that'll be a super sounding guitar Cloudnine - how old U had it?.

AliGorie · January 2018

jrc - small Gibsonesque and that bling are not my thing but ya just know that even a stripped down one of those is gonna be a killer.

CloudNine · January 2018

Got it last year @AliGorie. Was not planning on another guitar, thought my current J45 was all I would ever need, but played it and had to have it.

The guitar in this vid sounds incredible. Not sure I would want a dread with that bling, and actually not sure it is really the specific kind of tone I would want either, but in terms of sounding big and impressive, definitely got it.

AliGorie · January 2018

seriously big sound - just right for the mighty session -
I was trying to ask - badly, how old your dread was. Reason being though my JOM is humble IER + Sitka it has developed a lovely full tone over the 20 yrs I've had it. Equal too my L25 Lowdie which is 30 yrs - meaning - it's all there, on tap and I certainly have no need or desire for anything built with more 'exotic' materials.
IIRC, the Bourgeois took about 4-5 yrs regular playing (I bought it to gig solo with) - Bill Kelday thought it had a superb top, very stiff and considered that a good thing (stiffer=lighter) = longer to 'play in'.
In the vid above I find it fitting that DB uses baked braces on the baked top as it's ALL a 'system' and interdependent - just the degree he and the likes of GL go to viz, GL would only use 'split' timber for bracing (whenhe's been in charge) at Lowden.
When you hear detail like that you know these guys intrests lie with the customer rather than the shareholder.

CloudNine · January 2018

Sorry Ali, understood, it's a 2012 guitar. It may have some even greater things ahead of it in tone, but if it never changes, I would be more than happy. I can't get over the versatility of it. It sounds great with light strumming and finger picking, but has a huge amount of power on tap when called for? Quite exhilarating to play.

I have owned quite a few Collings and they all have that same power, but they just don't seem to want to do anything else, it's kind of all or nothing, the demand to be pushed all the time, the Bourgeois definitely doesn't.

Totally agree re. bracing, it all counts. I think Bourgeois use only Adi bracing on their guitars, and it is an upcharge with virtually everyone else.

ToneControl · January 2018

earwighoney said:

IMO, he's one of the best guitar makers in the US.

A shame their guitars are so incredibly expensive in the UK though!

they aren't when buying used in the UK, Everyone is buying Taylors and Lowdens, etc. and they haven't heard of Bourgeois

I had A Bourgeois OMC Sean Watkins signature, that would be about £5.5k new, and I struggled to sell it for £2200

CloudNine · January 2018

A lot of boutique stuff does take a hit on used values, for sure. Don't think Bourgeois much different to Collings, SCGC etc, in that respect. I have bought and sold lots of each, and not noticed any particular worse than the other.

In terms of having heard of Bourgeois, most guys I know who are into guitars have heard of them, and are aware of the quality etc. I think the issue with your OMC was more likely people not having heard of Sean Watkins, as well as many people being generally not keen on artist signature guitars, unless they are real fans. So you are looking for a big fan of Sean Watkins, in the UK, hoping they have £3k to blow on a guitar, narrows the options a bit...

I would never buy an artist sig guitar, even of someone I really liked.

TAMCO · January 2018

I own a Bourgeois OM Custom and it is sensational.

Dana and his team turn out incredible instruments on a consistent basis and generally they're great value too.

Far too many players head down the Ma@#in, Ta^2or, Gib!@n path without exploring the smaller makers.

Lewy · January 2018

CloudNine said:

I would never buy an artist sig guitar, even of someone I really liked.

I would if I happened to like all aspects of the spec and the artist's name wasn't all over it (i.e. signature inlaid on the fretboard). The Collings OM1A Julian Lage model is a good example. Perfect spec, name not even on it. I'd have one of them in a shot.

The other pitfalls with sig models are that artists stop using them....can't remember the last time I saw Sean Watkins playing anything other than an old Gibson (either his J45 or one that Jackson Browne gave him) so you can find yourself with a guitar whose association is with someone who thinks something else is better. And then there's the issue of the artists themselves and what they get up to....can't imagine anyone trying to sell a Santa Cruz Bob Brozman has had much luck in recent years......

TAMCO · January 2018

The best signature on a guitar is the maker's....

BigLicks67 · January 2018

To be fair you do not have to go down the American route, there's a prewar style D28 in Peach at the moment built by Atkin for 2k new in the sale.

http://www.peachguitars.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/atkin-retrospective-d28.htm

Back on subject of Bourgeois here's a great player on a JOM :

TAMCO · January 2018

Great playing and a lovely guitar.

ToneControl · January 2018

CloudNine said:

A lot of boutique stuff does take a hit on used values, for sure. Don't think Bourgeois much different to Collings, SCGC etc, in that respect. I have bought and sold lots of each, and not noticed any particular worse than the other.

In terms of having heard of Bourgeois, most guys I know who are into guitars have heard of them, and are aware of the quality etc. I think the issue with your OMC was more likely people not having heard of Sean Watkins, as well as many people being generally not keen on artist signature guitars, unless they are real fans. So you are looking for a big fan of Sean Watkins, in the UK, hoping they have £3k to blow on a guitar, narrows the options a bit...

I would never buy an artist sig guitar, even of someone I really liked.

The cost I gave for that Bourgeois was just what the extra features would cost when added to a base model, I'm not sure what the actual new price was

I bought it (used in the UK) for the same reason that I could not sell it for much: the used price in the UK is much lower than in the US for an excellent small-output-maker guitar. The only reason I sold it was that I prefer larger bodied guitars

I would buy a signature model from anyone, even if I didn't like them, if the price was nothing more than the guitar would be without the association. Having said that, any visible weird signature on the headstock would put me off completely. I have considered buying an Yngwie a couple of times

ToneControl · January 2018

TAMCO said:

The best signature on a guitar is the maker's....

I wish the large-shop/factory makers would get their luthiers to sign their work

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Dana Bourgeois video showing him voicing a top

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