1998 Bourgeois COUNTRY BOY Very Good, Hard, $2,495.00

Crafted by Dana Bourgeois in Lewiston, Maine, Bourgeois guitars take the traditional forms of American guitar craft and bring them to life with superb craftsmanship and expert wood selection. Dana Bourgeois has a reputation as one of the best "guitar-voicers" ever, and his work over the past four decades has helped set the mark for what luthier-built acoustic instruments should be. By the year 2000, Dana Bourgeois Guitars had crafted about 1,500 of the finest acoustic instruments played by musicians around the world for more than a quarter of a century. Now re-incorporated as Pantheon-Bourgeois Guitars, this “boutique” company sells guitars for prices into five figures, such as the Bourgeois Aged Tone OM42 with Brazilian Rosewood for a retail price of $13,295.

Some player comments from the web:
You'll be knocked out by the beauty, the tone, and the playability - you'll be impressed with every facet of these incredible instruments!!! These are the type of instruments that you play the first thing in the morning when you get up and the last thing at night before you go to sleep--please warn your significant other.....

Their sound runs more along Martin lines than Taylor. Each Bourgeois guitar is voiced individually to suit a specific set of specs, so tone varies more between Bourgeois guitars than Taylors; ours has the voice of a mature Martin HD28V, maybe not quite as loud, but louder than most….Conclusion? If I really wanted the Martin sound I'd get a Bourgeois. Are you listening Martin? TRUE, TRUE, TRUE.

Bourgeois guitars are handmade, and you can bet the build quality is going to be even better than Taylor’s. The sound--well, my Bourgeois Slope D is a very different animal compared to my Taylor. It has a wonderful mellow, woody, throaty sound, not too bright, nice deep but not overpowering bass.

I've only played one once...and it was in my pre-Taylor days. I was completely blown away by the playability and the sound. I should have said I was literally stunned. I think they sound wonderful. I have an 814ce and I play my Bourgeois more. They are very different.

As to my Bourgeois, it is "so damn good" that I could care less about torrification and other modern technology. I have played quite a few Bourgeois guitars and they are insanely great instruments.

Dana Bourgeois is possibly best known for the "Country Boy,” a version of the Martin style dreadnought shape, which was first built for country star Ricky Skaggs. Most folks order this guitar with Sitka spruce tops and Mahogany back and sides and feel it is a wonderful dreadnought with a clear clean balanced tone, with a strong punch for single note runs. As the Bourgeois site says, “Mahogany has a quick velocity of sound, relatively light weight, and noticeable midrange overtone attenuation. As a result, mahogany guitars have their own sound. Warm, dry, woody, not particularly complex, but direct, lively, and famously easy to record. We dress the Country Boy in classic appointments such as ebony fretboard and bridge, wooden rosette, tortoiseshell binding, nickel Waverly tuners, and the same diamond volute that we use on the back of our Vintage Dreadnought peghead. In addition to selecting only the finest quartersawn and matched South American mahogany backs and sides, the Country Boy Dreadnought is appointed with an [AAA] spruce top, whether Adirondack or Sitka."

Bourgeois adds “When Ricky Skaggs suggested the name ‘Country Boy’ for our mahogany dreadnought, we all fell on the floor. We still wonder where he got such a great idea for a name! Over the years we have considered changing the name but we can’t, it was a gift!”

Some on-line player reviews of the Country Boy:
Just awesome, this is what a mahogany Dread should sound like. Old enough to be full of life and power, young enough to look great.

I guarantee you Ricky would be happy to own this one himself.
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.

At a recent show, after playing 10s of guitars, the best guitar in the place was a Bourgy Country Boy. Absolutely righteous. Loud, beautiful tone, perfect set-up and it even fingerpicked like a dream.

The Ricky Skaggs model is an exceptionally fine dreadnought. Currently the "Country Boy Deluxe" guitar lists for $4695, and sells for $4225... OR, you could buy this one in very good condition for only $2495!

This particular Ricky Skaggs Country Boy dreadnought is a great example of Dana Bourgeois' work. The serial number is 001306, which I believe indicates a build date of 1998. It has choice Honduran Mahogany back, sides, and neck, with a select Sitka Spruce top, Kluson closed-back tuners, Ebony fingerboard and bridge with small dot inlays in fingerboard, black white-dot bridge pins and endpin (also possibly Ebony), and a bone nut and saddle. The full body binding and pick guard are vintage tortoise, the inlaid rosette is natural wood, and the headstock veneer appears to be Brazilian Rosewood.

This is a Ricky Skaggs Signature Model guitar, with Ricky’s signature on the label and a beautifully figured bearclaw Sitka Spruce top. Most luthiers believe that bearclaws indicate that the wood is stiffer and possibly older, creating a larger stiffness/weight ratio that allows for a thinner and therefore more responsive top. Bluegrassers—any guitarist!--will love this guitar, as it plays like a dream and is very responsive across the entire fretboard. The notes are clear and distinct, the attack is quick and sure, there is plenty of "growl," and the balance from bass to treble is perfect. This guitar really shows the difference between a true "voiced top" instrument and a factory formula-built guitar.

The action is very fast at just 2/32” at the 12th fret low E, making intricate solos effortless to play, especially with the slightly longer 1 23/32” nut. There is some visible fret wear in the first five frets, and a professionally repaired crack in the bottom lower bout side. The excellent Gearlux hard shell case is near perfect, including a key—this is essential, because everyone’s gonna want to play this guitar!

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, or personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this outstanding guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Please read the description carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before purchasing this guitar. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.

Thank you for your interest in this wonderful guitar.