“Should find Bourgeois a broader audience, including fans who can’t muster the money for a full USA build”: Bourgeois Touchstone Signature OM and Dreadnought review

The Bourgeois Touchstone Series is interesting on several levels, and the new Signature models are now at the top of that line. Dana Bourgeois is a highly respected luthier, and his handcrafted instruments are highly coveted, but they come at high cost.

The Touchstone Series is intriguing because of its hybrid design and a build concept that involves Eastman Guitars overseas, making the crossover product much more affordable than a full USA hand build. The intention is to deliver the essence of a full Bourgeois experience at almost half the price. We were very curious to get our hands on these OM and Dreadnought Touchstones.

Primary Bourgeois hallmarks include a hand-tuned top and a six-bolt neck attachment, and all Touchstone Series models – including the Vintage, Country Boy and new Signature lines – retain these features. In fact, there are more similarities than differences.

All three lines include two body styles – OM and Dreadnought – and have Alaskan spruce tops. The new Signature Series, however, features old-growth Sitka that’s been torrefied – heated in an oxygen-free environment – to remove compounds that dampen vibrations and deliver optimal tone right out of the box.

Bourgeois and his team in Lewiston, Maine, tap-tune the top and meticulously voice it, carving Adirondack spruce bracings by hand before vacuum sealing and shipping the Touchstone tops to Eastman’s workshop in China. Luthiers trained in the Bourgeois style integrate the tops into back, sides and necks of his design.

That’s a notable trend. Builders are experimenting with new ways to keep costs down while having more confidence in well-trained craftspersons beyond American borders, resulting in more foreign involvement in fancier stuff.

The Touchstone Signature Series guitars that I received are medium fancy and built beautifully. The tri-color herringbone purfling is distinctively cool and classy, as is the gorgeous back stripe, which looks almost three dimensional. The pearl script logo and fret markers add elegance, and the gold Schaller open-gear tuners with ebony buttons look as fine as they work.

The woods are choice, and the finish is nice and glossy. In fact, I couldn’t find a blemish or sharp edge anywhere. You can’t help but notice the natural Adirondack spruce bracing. It stands out, since torrefied spruce is darker than natural, and the inside of the back is dark rosewood from Madagascar.

Playability is wonderful on both guitars. The neck profile is modern slim, and the factory action was nice and easy, but it’s not trying to play like an electric guitar. A slight V is a historic nod that’s great for a bit of a thumb anchor without being severe, like some classic acoustic designs.

The width at the nut measures a unique 1.72 inches, making it slightly narrower than the modern standard of 1.75 inches and not quite as narrow as the 1.69 inches more common in the past, particularly on dreadnoughts. 

Touchstone specs remain the same whether one orders the Dreadnought or OM. As you would expect, the OM caters more to fingerstyle playing, while the Dreadnought excels when played with a pick, either with big strums or a bluegrass-style flatpicking attack.

Touchstone Signatures have their own sonics that I’ll relate to more familiar bench- marks, given that Bourgeois traditionally makes about 500 guitars a year. Considering an OM and a dreadnought made of rosewood and spruce, it’s impossible not to think of a Martin in Style 28 as the historic standard. The shape, aesthetic and overall MO of these modern takes on traditional builds is close to Martin’s Modern Deluxe concept, but the lower cost is more like a Standard.

They both have even balance from low to high and impressive projection. They are not boomy like some rosewood builds. The bolt-on neck, lively response and hi-def articulation is more relatable to Taylor. But Touchstones are pure acoustic, not acoustic-electric. Ultimately, this crossover series, from Bourgeois via Eastman, is unique.

Bourgeois should find a broader audience with these Touchstone Signatures, including fans who can’t muster the money for a full USA build and fans of macro brands who would appreciate a more personal touch.

And while aficionados may dislike the brand becoming less boutique, the OM and the D Signature/TS represent something never quite seen or heard before, yet quite familiar and traditional as well. A Bourgeois guitar is always worth checking out, and that’s certainly the case with the new Touchstone Signature Series. 

Specifications

• CONTACT Bourgeois Guitars
• PRICE $3,599 street 
• NUT WIDTH 1.72”, bone
• NECK 14 fret mahogany
• FRETBOARD Ebony, 25.4” scale, pearl inlays
• FRETS 20
• TUNERS Schaller Grand Tune, gold open-gear with ebony buttons 
• BODY Solid Madagascar rosewood back and sides, solid torrefied old-growth Alaskan Sitka spruce top 
• BRIDGE Ebony with bone saddle 
• FACTORY STRINGS D’Addario XT Light Gauge
• WEIGHT 4.6 lbs (as tested)
• BUILT Designed and hand-voiced in USA, handcrafted in USA and Beijing