What Makes Bourgeois Acoustic Guitars Craftsmanship Stand Out: Bracing, Tonewood, Finish
Bourgeois Guitars is an American acoustic guitar brand known for traditional craftsmanship with original techniques and approaches to crafting unique, handcrafted guitars. As a well-known brand, these guitars are musician-favorited. Based in Lewiston, Maine, the brand has become popular for its fine tonewoods, including Northern Maine Adirondack Spruce.
The brand’s luthiers work to create custom guitars that are specific to the musician. The commitment to their playing style, tonal choices, and other custom arrangements are important priorities for luthiers of Bourgeois Guitars. Care and consideration for the musician is one of the main aspects that sets this brand apart and why it is so well-known.
The combination of traditional and modern techniques makes these guitars unique. The detail-oriented approach embedded into every aspect of guitar creation also adds to the one-of-a-kind designs behind Bourgeois acoustic guitars. The original tap tuning method is another brand-specific approach to meticulously assessing the guitar’s tonal possibilities.
The X-Bracing System Behind Bourgeois Acoustic Guitars
Bourgeois acoustic guitars are crafted with the brand’s X-bracing system. This system is used to promote balance in tone, particularly for bigger guitars. The brand uses a system that scallops just the bass-side braces in order to improve the balance between the bass and treble braces in larger guitars.
The treble braces are not scalloped and instead only shaped and tapered to attribute to this balance. The single-scalloped approach is also done to avoid dampening the top side vibration. The bass side is typically stiffer and more susceptible to dampening the top’s sound.
Sustainable Practices And Tonewoods
The tonewoods are reflective of the brand’s focus on working with different wood types for personalized voicing. By selecting each piece, unique voicing is established for the Bourgeois acoustic guitars. With every guitar built with careful attention to detail, as well as using sustainable processes, the use of tonewood from Maine’s forests is supportive of the local economy and the greater environment.
Vintage Tone Finish
An additional element that makes these guitars stand out is the thin finish that is used to simulate a material that contributes to vintage tonality and creates resonance. The brand’s ultra-thin finish aims to mimic aged nitrocellulose lacquer, which gives the guitar a resonant, vintage tone. For musicians looking to enhance their music with an old-fashioned, vintage sound, Bourgeois acoustic guitars are designed to offer these qualities with each handcrafted instrument.
The Bolt-On Neck Feature
Features like the bolt-on neck are another brand-specific development that makes Bourgeois acoustic guitars stand out. This development makes it possible to remove the guitar neck without the need for steaming, drilling, or cutting. Additionally, this neck alternative uses a modern truss rod to mimic the sound of vintage guitars.
Leaders In Craftsman Guitarmaking
The brand is also known for its meticulous focus on string-to-string balance, allowing for better playability and tonal character for each guitar. The uncanny attention to detail and use of traditional practices alongside modern techniques allows the brand of Bourgeois acoustic guitars to truly stand out as a guitar-making leader.
