Tossing up between a Bourgeois Country Boy and Martin D18 Goldern Era?

coolhand78 · #1 12-10-2018, 09:04 PM

Narrowed my search down to the these two as I just don't see a Bourgeois Ray Lamontagne Sig popping up...

But looking for experiences people have had with the above two guitars...
Is there any appreciable difference in tone? Spec'd up there not dissimilar, with the exception of the neck profile, which doesn't bother me as I think it's nice to have something different... whilst I love the martin mod V I don't need all my guitars to feel the same...

ManyMartinMan · #2 12-11-2018, 12:13 AM

You really can’t go wrong with either. However, they are very different instruments. You need to play them both and decide. What I would do is order both in and choose. Then return the one not chosen.

hifivic · #3 12-11-2018, 02:13 AM

Just something to consider if fit, finish and consistency is as important to you as it is to me. One company makes aprox. 700 HUNDRED THOUSAND guitars a year and the other company makes a little over 400 HUNDRED. Not looking to start a contest, just stating reality. As the poster above said....play both and let your eyes and ears decide, you owe it to yourself.

12barBill · #4 12-11-2018, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hifivic

Just something to consider if fit, finish and consistency is as important to you as it is to me. One company makes aprox. 700 HUNDRED THOUSAND guitars a year and the other company makes a little over 400 HUNDRED. Not looking to start a contest, just stating reality. As the poster above said....play both and let your eyes and ears decide, you owe it to yourself.

Your point is well taken, but to be fair to the original question Martin doesn't make 700,000 D-18 GE's a year. Just trying to keep apples to apples. Out of curiosity, I wonder how many D-18 GE models are built by Martin in a year?

llew · #5 12-11-2018, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Sims

Your point is well taken, but to be fair to the original question Martin doesn't make 700,000 D-18 GE's a year. Just trying to keep apples to apples. Out of curiosity, I wonder how many D-18 GE models are built by Martin in a year?

Right now none. They discontinued that model a while back. You can still order them through the Custom Shop and Jon @ MFG has them built for his shop as well as several other discontinued Martin models.

srick · #6 12-11-2018, 07:52 AM

I've been very satisfied with my Bourgeois 00 Country Boy. However, it did take a full 5+ years to open up (it's 7 years old now).

I will also agree that the Martin is a different beast. I think that you will find either one a great instrument.

drbluegrass · #7 12-11-2018, 07:58 AM

Vanilla ice cream or chocolate? If I had to order sight unseen...the Bourgeois every time. But it would be much better if you could A/B 'em. Live, you (or I) might like the Martin better. But I've just had such great experiences with Bourgeois guitars I would buy another in a heartbeat. The Bourgeois AT Vintage D Brazilian I currently own I'll have the rest of my life.

Goodallboy · #8 12-11-2018, 08:21 AM

If you're going to buy either guitar unplayed, the Bourgeois would be the safer bet. Personally I wouldn't do that for $500 off either model, it's more risk than I would take. Martins can vary from guitar to guitar much more than any group of Bourgeois I've played, but this isn't an endorsement to buy unplayed. Good luck.

drbluegrass · #9 12-11-2018, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

If you're going to buy either guitar unplayed, the Bourgeois would be the safer bet. Personally I wouldn't do that for $500 off either model, it's more risk than I would take. Martins can vary from guitar to guitar much more than any group of Bourgeois I've played, but this isn't an endorsement to buy unplayed. Good luck.

Yeah.....what he said.

Rosewood99 · #10 12-11-2018, 08:47 AM

I wouldn't be tossing up either or you might break them.

Two great choices.

jaycal · #11 12-11-2018, 09:41 AM

I've owned both. From a practical standpoint, the Martin neck is pretty chunky. I much prefer the Bourgeois neck.

Tone-wise, I prefer the Bourgeois as well. I've owned a few Bourgeois, and they just sound sweeter to me. I don't think you can go wrong with a Country Boy.

12barBill · #12 12-11-2018, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llew

Right now none. They discontinued that model a while back. You can still order them through the Custom Shop and Jon @ MFG has them built for his shop as well as several other discontinued Martin models.

Yes Jim. That was my point. Thanks for making that clearer.
Before and now, I wouldn't lump them in with 700,000 guitars coming out of Martin in a year.

catdaddy · #13 12-11-2018, 11:18 AM

I've had the opportunity to play several Martin D18 GEs, and have been very impressed with all of them. The only problem for me is the chunky neck profile; which due to my arthritic hands and wrist make it painful to play for any length of time. I own a Bourgeois AT Mahogany D with a much slimmer neck profile than the GE neck. It fits me well ergonomically. As for tone, the Bourgeois is more balanced while the D18 GEs have more of a bass emphasis. Both sound great, just a matter of personal preference, so playing each before buying would be prudent.

Dwight · #14 12-11-2018, 11:29 AM

I have a Bourgeois 00 and had a very nice Martin 00-28 custom shop. The Bourgeois was/is twice the guitar by any measure (and it cost twice as much).

ataylor · #15 12-11-2018, 02:56 PM

Not sure what your budget is, but having been on the hunt for a classic Martin or Martin-style dreadnought the last several years — here are some other mahogany-based options you might look into (and play, if at all possible):

Martin D-18
Martin D-18 Authentic
Huss & Dalton TD-M
Huss & Dalton RD-M
Collings D1
Collings D1A
Collings D1 T
Bourgeois D Generation

I’m not sharing what I ended up with until Santa officially brings it in two weeks, but I’ve played all but the last two on that list (plus a number of D-28ish models) and would have been happy with any of them.

Good luck!