First look at the Bourgeois/Eastman collaboration guitars

[warfrat73]

Originally Posted by upsidedown

is $3K (with a plain ol' case) the target price point B/E is aiming for with its standard "Beastman" (thanks Zissou) line?

I hope not. But what do I know?

I would guess it's around there. There was a post a month or two ago that had some details.

But, they're meant to fit between the higher end Eastmans which top out at around $2200 for the E40 and the Bourgeois entry point which are the Generation series which start at about $4k.

I'd imagine that there'd be at least one model below this in the pecking order, likely a plain Jane mahogany model.

[RvrDxn]

Are these designed in Maine and made in China?

[upsidedown]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

they're meant to fit between the higher end Eastmans which top out at around $2200 for the E40 and the Bourgeois entry point which are the Generation series which start at about $4k.

I see. Missed the thread, but that makes sense.

[tomcstokes59]

Originally Posted by RvrDxn

Are these designed in Maine and made in China?

My understanding is the tops are voiced in US and then sent to Eastman for assembly. I do not know if final set up is in California by Eastman or in Maine by Bourgeois.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by upsidedown

Eastman aficionados have been waiting for some time now to get a glimpse of the first product from the Bourgeois/Eastman collaboration. This FJ Exclusive clouds the waters somewhat; is $3K (with a plain ol' case) the target price point B/E is aiming for with its standard "Beastman" (thanks Zissou) line?

I hope not. But what do I know?

Both B & E said early on that they were targeting a $3-6k range for this new line. It seems to me that this might be the starting place, and later models will go up, not down, in price, as they introduce more models.

[bobster7]

I’d rather buy a used Bourgeois, Collings etc than this. These will likely be £4000 in the UK which is used boutique territory.

[gmel555]

Will these “collaboration” guitars be sold at current Bourgeois dealers or at Eastman dealers? There’s overlap but not every shop sells both labels at this time.

[BrunoBlack]

I still don’t understand the big attraction for these guitars. There are plenty of choices at the $3k level and unless these are noticeably superior, it seems like they will get lost in the mix. But I’m the first to recognize that I know next to nothing about marketing.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by Haasome

There are plenty of choices at the $3k level and unless these are noticeably superior, it seems like they will get lost in the mix. But I’m the first to recognize that I know next to nothing about marketing.

Yep. D-28, D-18, J-45, etc, etc… Lotta fantastic guitars in that price range. I’m guessing this prototype is at the high end of the Touchstone price range. The standards will be notably less. Also, the woods are selected in Lewiston, where the top is assembled and hand voiced by Dana. Then everything is shipped to China for the rest of assembly. Then the guitars are returned to Lewiston for final check/setup. So I suspect the marketing folks will play up the hands-on, boutique angle that you don’t get from production shop guitars.

Will it work? We’ll see…

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by gmel555

Will these “collaboration” guitars be sold at current Bourgeois dealers or at Eastman dealers? There’s overlap but not every shop sells both labels at this time.

My understanding is both. A major reason the deal was struck was for both builders to expand distribution. Keep in mind Bourgeois is using much of the money from this deal to ramp up production of the Lewiston highenders. They’ve already expanded the shop and done a bunch of hiring in preparation for that. Last time I talked to folks there they said they were hoping to go from producing about 400 guitars a year to 1,200 in the next three years or so. To sell all those guitars they’re going to have to ramp up distribution too.

Here’s a recent thread about that.
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=620518

[warfrat73]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Both B & E said early on that they were targeting a $3-6k range for this new line. It seems to me that this might be the starting place, and later models will go up, not down, in price, as they introduce more models.

I don't know, that doesn't sound right to me. That's a significant overlap of Bourgeois' core range.

It seems to me that they're really aiming at the sub $4k range.

Per the Bourgeois website:
"The average Bourgeois guitar retails for about $6,000. The cheapest retails for a little under $4,000. While we have always aspired to build quality guitars at lower price points, the economics of micro-scale US manufacturing dictate that we would lose our shirts if we tried.

As previously announced, Bourgeois and Eastman will address this conundrum by collaborating on a new series of guitars that will be partly produced by each company. Bourgeois will be responsible for design, materials selection, production of voiced tops, final setup and quality control; Eastman will assemble and finish guitars to our specifications. Not only will this collaboration further increase job creation in Lewiston, it will also allow us to crack the $4,000 price barrier, and by a significant margin. US introduction, by the way, is scheduled for the latter part of 2020."

[Fret-O'File]

Below is the email I got from Neil Cosman at Bourgeois a couple of months ago. According to him, MSRP is starting at $2,650.


Thank you for your email and for your interest in Bourgeois Guitars.

We are excited about the upcoming collaboration guitars built in partnership with Eastman Guitars.

These guitars will initially be available in OM and Dread body shapes, a 25.5” scale and a 1 23/32” nut.

We anticipate the guitars to be available from our dealers in quarter 4 of this year with a starting MSRP of $2,650.

These guitars are designed to allow for a lower price entry point to the Bourgeois brand while still incorporating what makes Bourgeois guitars great: soundboards sourced and voiced by the same team in the same manner as all our Bourgeois guitars and guitars built using Bourgeois guitars specifications and standards.

We could not be more thrilled about this new Bourgeois guitar line and believe it has the ability to make a big impact.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one of these to you.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by morebass

This is a disappointment to me. I was expecting guitars in a more affordable price range. Seems pointless to make guitars for 3 or 4k when Eastman is less than half that and Borgouis can be got for a bit more. I don't understand this move.

I was expecting the same thing, something less than $3k.

Looking forward to reading some reviews when people have these guitars in their hands.

[stevecuss]

Originally Posted by Fret-O'File

Below is the email I got from Neil Cosman at Bourgeois a couple of months ago. According to him, MSRP is starting at $2,650.


Thank you for your email and for your interest in Bourgeois Guitars.

We are excited about the upcoming collaboration guitars built in partnership with Eastman Guitars.

These guitars will initially be available in OM and Dread body shapes, a 25.5” scale and a 1 23/32” nut.

We anticipate the guitars to be available from our dealers in quarter 4 of this year with a starting MSRP of $2,650.

These guitars are designed to allow for a lower price entry point to the Bourgeois brand while still incorporating what makes Bourgeois guitars great: soundboards sourced and voiced by the same team in the same manner as all our Bourgeois guitars and guitars built using Bourgeois guitars specifications and standards.

We could not be more thrilled about this new Bourgeois guitar line and believe it has the ability to make a big impact.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one of these to you.

This makes the most sense - a $2650 MSRP with a street price sub $2500. Otherwise it feels like a very tiny needle the thread between the top of the Eastman line and the bottom of the Bourgeois line.

But if they can bring guitars to market close to $2k with Bourgeois design and supplies, that seems like a great market option. I say that as a huge fan of both Bourgeois and Eastman. My thermo cured Eastman is amazing value for $1100 new.

[Rmccamey]

Hope it works for them but that much shipping and that many handoffs and touch-points has to raise production costs and likelihood of errors.

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Yep. D-28, D-18, J-45, etc, etc… Lotta fantastic guitars in that price range. I’m guessing this prototype is at the high end of the Touchstone price range. The standards will be notably less. Also, the woods are selected in Lewiston, where the top is assembled and hand voiced by Dana. Then everything is shipped to China for the rest of assembly. Then the guitars are returned to Lewiston for final check/setup. So I suspect the marketing folks will play up the hands-on, boutique angle that you don’t get from production shop guitars.

Will it work? We’ll see…