Stunning Bourgeois OM Madagascar, review and pictures

[keyshore]

Hi Folks,

I have been meaning to post a review of this exceptional guitar I got from Buffalo Bros for a long time so here we go.

1) SOUND
The first requirement for me as a musician is the tone. For an almost brand new guitar the tone is stunning. The Adirondack top coupled with the Madagascar back and sides produces a magical sound. It’s loud and clear very articulate with a great balance and plenty of sustain along with wonderful overtones. My playing style is mostly soft finger style and this beauty responds to the softest touch. The sound is just beautiful. It’s twice as loud as my Larrivee. The Madagascar RW produces a bell like chimy tone with beautiful overtones. Dana Bourgeois’s legendary voicing skills are very much evident here.

2) WORKMANSHIP AND APPEARANCE
The workmanship, fit and finish is a notch above my Larrivee. The Adirondak top is very clean and has a very interesting grain pattern, its wide grain at the sides and much tighter towards the sound hole. They say that Ed Claxton makes guitars with very clean Adirondack tops, I am sure he would have been pleased with this top. The Madagascar RW back is stunning and spectacular as Kevin Kinnear of Buffalo Bros described it. Bonni Lloyd of Pantheon guitars told me that they had ordered this wood way back in 2004. The fret board has got very dark ebony which sets off the diamond inlays very well. Fret work is 1st Class. I love the Bourgeois tortoise pick guards, Bonni says they are made of the same material as Greven pick guards. All in all the guitar is a beauty, in short I will say that I am enchanted by her beauty and mesmerized by her sound. The neck is bolt on type which is attached by 6 nuts. Neck resets whenever needed will be a quick job.

This guitar has dispelled a lot of myths for me, I always thought that Adirondack takes a long time to open but this guitar sounds great. It’s ready to hit the stage with me. I am waiting for a Bone LB6 from Bob Colossi which should reach me any day now. The other myth I had was that I thought that bolt on necks were not as good as the dovetailed versions. I am now convinced about the wisdom of having bolt on necks and this will my prerequisite for any future guitar purchases.

I am lucky to get this guitar and it’s indeed a guitar of a lifetime.

Here are the pictures which are originally from Buffalo Bros





Regards

keyshore

[sharkydude50]

Glad to see it doesn't have sloped shoulders. I just cant cotton to the look of slope shoulders. Applogies to all those acoustic Gibby owners. Nice axe bra! Best of luck pickin' her for many moons to come. Post a sound clip when u get a chance.

[grayn]

What a beautiful OM. Classic lines, beautiful woods. I can only imagine how lovely it sounds. Congratulations.

[Joost Assink]

Congrats! That madagascar looks amazing! Adirondack/Madagascar is an incredible combination on an OM. As you might've read, I recently got a Martin OMC-28M adi/madagascar that is just amazing. You hit the nail on the head with your description of the tone and yes it's loud! Everyone who hears mine says so.

[TaylorKoaFan]

As a fellow Bourgeois owner, congratulations. That is a beautiful guitar. I wished I could own about 3 other Bourgeois'.

I think Bourgeois' motto "Known for pure tone, played for pure pleasure" hits the nail on the head with their instruments. Truly wonderful instruments. Congratulations again!

[Billy Boy]

keyshore, What a beautiful guitar! Your description of tone is exactly what I would have expected from a guitar with these woods from a luthier who builds of this quality. Congratulations! Billy Boy

[JedimasterPaul]

I like that pyramid bridge.

I'm glad you like the adi/madrose combo. In fact, I will be getting an OM in a few weeks with that same combo, built by John Slobod (Circa Guitars), who also happens to work at Pantheon.

[billgennaro]

very nice guitar. seems like, judging by recent posts here at agf, that the combination of adirondack/madrose is one that people are fond of. i'm happy to hear it because i've got the same combo. every time i hear someone try to explain the tonal characteristics of this combo it always sounds similar to the way i would describe my guitar. must be something about putting these two woods together in a smaller guitar size, built by a reputable luthier.

what kind of strings are you using? i found elixir pb's to be a little bright for my guitar. now i'm trying kevin ryan's strings but onlyrestrung my guitar last night.

bill

[beach bob]

That is some kind of classy. It's almost enough to make me kick my sunburst addiction .

Folks, remember that OM's are where Dana first made his mark, so to speak, with the Schoenberg series for Martin. He's been at 'em a long time, and pretty much makes an OM as fine as they come.

Congrats on a truly lovely looking guitar; I am sure it sounds better than momma calling you for dinner

[Tim McKnight]

Wow, congrats on a magnificent looking guitar. Dana builds some awesome guitars.

[ricks]

Can't say too much here, I have the same wood combination by the same builder.
Just in a little bit bigger package is all. She's on the stand behind me right now.

[bcaylor]

Congrats on a beautiful guitar! Love that rosewood. Bet it sounds fantastic!

[yowech]

Congrats! The clean classic design look very nice...

[keyshore]

Thanks a lot all of you for reading my review. Thanks for your kind words.

Somehow I think guitars and their owners are fated together. My Bourgeois was born on 26th february 2007 and was shipped to Buffalo Bros and she was there for almost 9 months when i spotted her and made her mine.

I asked Kevin Kinnear of Buffalo Bros as to how no one picked this guitar. Kevin said that many times in his store lot of lower quality guitars are grabbed quickly and the real good ones are missed out. Kevin helped me in my decision to pick up what he described as one of the best looking and sounding guitars to have come through his store. i am over the moon with this beauty.

Regards

keyshore

[keyshore]

Originally Posted by billgennaro

what kind of strings are you using? i found elixir pb's to be a little bright for my guitar. now i'm trying kevin ryan's strings but onlyrestrung my guitar last night.

bill

i am using D'addario eXP phosphor bronze 0.11 guage strings. I love them

keyshore