band . As a tech director , it ’ s important for me to work on making the acoustic sound present in our worship venues . Having a guitar voiced like this would make that job easier !
So , Dana Bourgeois has been building his brand for close to 50 years and has quite a reputation as a boutique guitar company . His desire with the Touchstone Vintage Series guitars was to deliver Bourgeois Guitars to a much wider range of players by making them more affordable . Looking just now , even previously owned Bourgeois guitars go for between $ 5,000- $ 10,000 . The Touchstone Vintage Series guitars have a list price of $ 3,299 .
When you think about it , it is rare to find a guitar in this price range that has been made by a true , living master . Dana ’ s commitment with the Touchstone Series is to the value of the guitar . The true winners with this new series are the players . As a company , Bourgeois Guitars has been partnered with Eastman Guitars since 2019 . From that relationship , the idea of the Touchstone Vintage Series grew .
The Touchstone Vintage Series soundboards are made of extremely stiff Alaskan Sitka Spruce . The premise is that the soundboard is the most important tonal component of the guitar , and the deflection of the soundboard is matched to the tension of the strings . Dana is very strict about soundboard selection . Along with the stiff Alaskan Sitka , the tops are braced with Adirondack Spruce which is also very stiff . These are the same braces used on every Bourgeois guitar , as Dana puts it , “ the players deserve it .” He personally approves every guitar top made . All the stiff material on the top allows for less material to be used … leading to less weight and more vibration leading to a more nuanced voice and more sound from the soundboard .
The build process begins in Maine at the Bourgeois shop . The tops are created and braced and then vacuum sealed and shipped to the Eastman factory in China . At Eastman ,
there are a small number of luthiers who have been trained in Dana ’ s building techniques and processes . The back and sides are built and assembled by the Eastman craftsmen and then they mount the tops received from Bourgeois . The assembled guitars are then sent back to Maine for final quality control check . From there , the guitars go directly to dealers . The end product is boutique sensibility ( Bourgeois Guitars ) combined with elite manufacturing ( Eastman Guitars ).
Okay , that ’ s a lot of information … let ’ s get to the experience . I mentioned having a big , clear sound . This is an OM . I love smaller guitars , but there is often a sacrifice that needs to be corrected with gain and EQ to raise its presence in the mix . This Bourgeois honestly sounds huge . Big and bold ! The magic that Dana creates on the top with the choice of spruce and the bracing really works . Check out my video to see and hear the guitar . The signal is dry just using an overhead condenser microphone .
As of now , the Touchstone Vintage Series does come with electronics . If I were able to keep this guitar … as I most certainly wish that I could … I would most probably install an L . R . Baggs Anthem SL system and a front strap button and it would be ready for the worship platform . I see this as a bonus . I just named my preferred electronics , but you may have your ear tuned in a different direction . It ’ s nice to have the option to install whatever you want into the guitar .
The guitar is notably light weight with beautiful herringbone binding around the body that really makes it stand out . The Schaller vintagestyle tuning machines are solid and very tasteful for this guitar . Diamond mother-ofpearl fret markings are elegant and the Indian Rosewood back and sides are absolutely eyecatching . The nut width is 1 23 / 32 ” and is very comfortable to play .
If you ’ re in the market for a guitar , the Bourgeois Touchstone Vintage Series is a must play .
$ 3,299 Street Price BourgeoisGuitars . com