Bourgeois OMC

Indian Rosewood back and sides. Engelmann top. Installed LR Baggs Dual Source pickup system. Venetian cut-away. Waverly tuners. All excellent tonewoods (top-notch rosewood and engelmann). All excellent 'hard' parts (tuners, etc.). 14 frets to body. 25.4 inch scale. 1 3/4 inch nut.

Great sound. I have a Huss and Dalton with a European top that notches the tone of this OMC out just a bit. Based on my 3+ decades of playing, I'd give it a 9.8 rating... so I'll round up to 10.

This is what I love about this guitar. The neck profile and string set-up makes this a great fingerstyle guitar. I don't strum using a pick, but I can say that this is the most comfortable fingerstyle guitar that I've ever played (along with my Huss and Dalton OMC).

I purchased this guitar used from ebay. Ebayer listed it as excellent and 'like new' which was b.s. I sent the guitar to Elderly to have a set-up and to have many surface scratches buffed from the guitar. The case was also trashed when I received it from this ebay scammer... Not an issue with the guitar company at all - but an issue with some eBayers who have no integrity. Elderly cleaned up the guitar quite a bit, set it up perfectly and it was returned to me in excellent condition (not excellent + or new, since it still has a few scratches). The guitar's construction, now that it is in a safer/more cared-for environment, is sound and solid.

I called the company since one of the tuners was slipping. They were very friendly. Referred me to Stew MacDonald for a tuner replacement. Stew Mac sent out the replacement tuner along with a return envelop at no charge! (again, the tuner was not mentioned in the eBay ad). In summary, both companies, Bourgeois and Stewart MacDonald, receive an A++ on customer support. Both promptly responded and I had a good solution (to a problem that I didn't even 'cause').

I have gigged out for over 35 years and have played well over 50 guitars. I'm now down to 3 guitars: this guitar, a Morgan OMC and a Huss & Dalton OMC. These guitars are what they'll bury me with.

Small, OM style body with cutaway; Beautiful mahogony back/sides, spruce top, ebony fretboard; cool retro-style tuners + Bourgeois logo on headstock; glossy finish; fitted case also included (good quality, although the balance is a little weird, so if you are carrying it by the handle it wants to lean backward out of your hand)

Had a strap button put on at the base of the neck and installed an iBeam passive pickup (run through a Pro-EQ external pre-amp) - these added another ~$150 to the total price

I play mostly fingerstyle these days; using custom light Elixirs (the lightness of the strings sucks fullness out of the tone, but alas, I am plagued by chronic tendonitis, hence the extra need for ease of playing) sound is balanced and rich. No huge bottom end, but this is to be expected from small guitar/mahogony. Harmonics are clean, bright and easily produced. Perfect for fingerstyle, maybe a bit weak when strumming (unamplified, that is; plugged-in this guitar and the iBeam complement each other perfectly - the sound is flawless. For the first time I can imagine recording directly off a pickup without sacrificing sound quality. But, that is an entirely separate review ;-)

Here is where is this guitar really shines. Play a Martin OM and then the Bourgeois, and you will find no contest. Action is perfect. Construction also flawless - makes this instrument a pleasure for the eyes as well as the ears.

Well, no problems so far; I've been playing live for about 3 months with this guitar and no issues. Time will tell I guess.

Not had to deal with the company yet; although I will give one piece of advice to anyone looking to buy a guitar (esp. an acoustic) of this quality: go to a small, local shop with people who know what they are doing. You will pay a little more than say, Guitar Center or some other big place, but it is more than worth it in the long run because you can actually forge a relationship with knowledgable folks who live closeby, in case you do have any trouble with your instrument.

I have been playing now for about 5 years; just graduated from college last year, so finally had some resources to buy my "ideal" instrument. This one has met every desire I had for an acoustic guitar. The size and playability make it extremely comfortable for long practice sessions, and I do not sacrifice sound quality (volume is lower than the Larrivee D03 it replaces, but this is OK with me, considering all the benefits). No regrets at all; I would seek another like it if this one were to be taken out of comission somehow. The iBeam pickup, as I mentioned before, is also a major plus; there is, IMHO, no reason whatsoever for anyone to ever buy a saddle transducer ever again.