Bourgeois OM - too balanced??

[MikeInBethesda]

I recently have the opportunity to buy a used Bourgeois OM at a good price and am deliberating. The guitar has a really warm, clear tone, but seems to be almost too balanced if that is possible. I think of a guitar being balanced as a good thing, but I kind of miss the accentuated bass I’ve had in the Martins that I’ve owned. The Bourgeois seems like a higher end version of a Larrivee OM that I once owned and ultimately sold as I couldn’t bond with it. I’m still considering buying the guitar given the price and tonal quality but am a bit stuck given the relative lack of bass. Have others found this to be the case with Bourgeois?

[brencat]

Hi Mike. It's going to be hard to replace that bass biased Martin tone with something other than a Martin. I've been through a lot of OMs by Collings, Martin, and Santa Cruz. All great guitars, and mostly all are gone now because they were not dreads and never will be. And my ears just want that big guitar sound.

Sending you a PM about something we discussed in the recent past...

[hifivic]

My guess is the Bourgeois is mahogany and the Martin your referring to is rosewood, correct?

[MikeInBethesda]

Originally Posted by hifivic

My guess is the Bourgeois is mahogany and the Martin your referring to is rosewood, correct?

Yes, the Bourgeois is mahogany, but compared to a 000-18 (also mahogany of course)

[Tnfiddler]

I have a Bourgeois Slope D Banjo Killer and a Reimagined D41. Does the Bourgeois have the big bass of the Martin, No......BUT I prefer the fast, punchy, hard hitting bass of the Bourgeois over the boomy, sometimes too much bass of the D41.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by brencat

Hi Mike. It's going to be hard to replace that bass biased Martin tone with something other than a Martin. I've been through a lot of OMs by Collings, Martin, and Santa Cruz. All great guitars, and mostly all are gone now because they were not dreads and never will be. And my ears just want that big guitar sound.

Sending you a PM about something we discussed in the recent past...

Yeppers...I agree totally with brencat.

I too prefer the bigger more Martin style tone of a dread, 0000M, or Jumbo. Martin style tone being warm and strong and resonant in the bass, with a hint...or more...of "boom" in the bass.

Martin's OM's tend to have that more warm, thicker, bass biased tone, compared to many/most other brands of OM bodies...as brencat alluded to.

You may just be one of the folks...like us...who prefer that tone/timbre. If so, you will not as easily find it...but you can with some effort...outside of the Martin brand.

Don't try to talk yourself around, and thus into a guitar that tonally has you asking the questions you are right now about the Bourgeois. It rarely works out when you go against your gut.


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[zmf]

Yes, Bourgeois' are balanced. I have a rosewood dread without the mid scoop and love it.

I have the same problem with all OM's. They don't have strong personalities. That's both a plus and a minus, depending on what you bring to the table.

[Jaden]

Both the Martin 000-18 and rosewood OM is mentioned here, generally speaking - the OM I found to have a big and defined bass, defining a strong tonal foundation which of course, expands to sparkling highs, fingerpicked. I found the 18 deficient in the deep bass department - a midrange prominent instrument with of course, typical sweet trebles. The OM is crystal clear with the right strings, imparting a sense of headroom or space with its defined parameters.

[hairpuller]

I've had a couple Bourgeois OMs, and both were lovely guitars. However, neither had that "umph" provided by my Martins. If you want a bit fuller sound with more bass, you can't beat some of those Martins.

I'd go back and play it again before buying,
scott

[justonwo]

I find that all OMs have some variability. I’ve played OMs from Martin that have a big bass, and some that were leaner. Same with Bourgeois.

[sevenpalms]

I had a 1996 Bourgeois OMC...man it was great! I find the Bourgeois OM’s to be the most balanced, sweetest sounding guitars. Not boomy but super musical. Although I don’t think I’ve ever played an OM that had a lot of bass...Now, my Martin Simpson has tons of focused thump!

[BrunoBlack]

I’d say if what you like and are looking for is the scooped unbalanced sound of Martin dreads, then yes, the balanced Bourgeois sound is probably not a good fit. Trust your instincts.

[UncleJesse]

I had the same issue with my Eastman E20OM-TC. Too balanced not enough bass. I recently traded it for an Eastman dread because it comes closer to the sound of a Martin dread which is what my ears prefer.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by MikeInBethesda

I recently have the opportunity to buy a used Bourgeois OM at a good price and am deliberating. The guitar has a really warm, clear tone, but seems to be almost too balanced if that is possible. I think of a guitar being balanced as a good thing, but I kind of miss the accentuated bass I’ve had in the Martins that I’ve owned. The Bourgeois seems like a higher end version of a Larrivee OM that I once owned and ultimately sold as I couldn’t bond with it. I’m still considering buying the guitar given the price and tonal quality but am a bit stuck given the relative lack of bass. Have others found this to be the case with Bourgeois?

You could always go a little heavier on the wound strings to bring up the bass a bit. It's subtle but its there. Going from a 52 to a 54 or 56 might give you that, but then there is more tension if you're in standard tuning. I'd rather have a balanced guitar and lean on the bass a bit while playing, then the other way around.

[Pitar]

The lack of bass is a hallmark contrast to any dread. I chose the jumbo concert I have because it does have easier access to bass, if you want it, without digging too hard like you have to do on other concerts. Use of the typically 1mm cellulose thumb pick gives you a lot of control, plus the power to accentuate bass when needed. I can't say the lighter duty thumb picks (Fred Kelly Delrin types) can do that, having used them for a couple years. The latter thumb picks are good for dreads where they can be manipulated effectively to bring out or tone down the bass. Basically, I'm alluding to technique over guitar type as the primary control of tone versus the characteristics of the guitar itself.