Bourgeois Guitars | Touchstone - Signature OM

The Bourgeois Touchstone Signature OM guitar represents a notable addition to the Touchstone Series, showcasing high-quality materials and the meticulous craftsmanship for which Bourgeois Guitars is recognised. This Signature model features a soundboard crafted from torrefied, old-growth Alaskan Sitka Spruce, a tonewood selected for its strength-to-weight ratio, contributing to a resonant and sustaining instrument. The back and sides are constructed from select Madagascar Rosewood, known for providing a rich complexity, full midrange frequencies, and a subtle natural reverb. The hand-voicing process, involving precise brace carving and tap tuning, ensures that each guitar's soundboard is optimised for its maximum tonal potential.

The aesthetic of the Touchstone Signature reflects an understated elegance. The body, fretboard, and headstock are bound with Ziricote, a figured wood that complements Dana Bourgeois' distinctive tri-colour herringbone top border and delicate pearl inlays. According to Dana Bourgeois, the design was conceived approximately two decades ago with the aim of creating a unique look for their Dreadnought and OM guitars, favouring understated wood bindings and historically inspired marqueteries and inlays to harmonise with classic aesthetics.

The guitar offers a comfortable playing experience, featuring a 14-fret, one-piece Genuine Mahogany neck with a 25.5" scale length and a 1 23/32" bone nut. The inclusion of an Ebony bridge and ivoroid pins further contributes to the instrument's quality. Tuning stability and accuracy are ensured by Schaller Grand Tune Gold/Ebony tuners, adding to the boutique feel of the guitar.

A key element of each Touchstone Signature guitar is the masterfully hand-voiced Adirondack Spruce top and braces. This crucial process, carried out with precision in Bourgeois' Lewiston, Maine workshop, ensures that every guitar produces notes with clarity, depth, and the characteristic Bourgeois sound. The application of Bourgeois' signature high-gloss finish serves to protect the instrument while enhancing the natural beauty of the premium tonewoods.

Christopher Fleming, CEO of Bourgeois Guitars, highlights the company's philosophy of being partners in the creative journey of musicians. He believes the Signature design effectively balances utility and elegance, embodying the essence of providing real value to artists. The integration of this model into the Touchstone lineup is seen as an opportunity for a wider range of players to experience the inspiring tone and beauty that Bourgeois guitars offer.

As the third largest 14-fret body size in the Bourgeois line, the OM distinguishes itself from the 000 by its longer 25.5" scale neck. This popular body style appeals to both fingerstyle players and flatpickers due to its balanced tonal characteristics, presence, power, and comfortable playability. The OM experienced a resurgence in popularity starting in the mid-1980s, partly due to the efforts of Schoenberg Guitars, co-founded by Dana Bourgeois, in collaboration with C.F. Martin to reintroduce production models.