Bourgeois SJ Heirloom (2022)

Description

Bourgeois may be best known for their bluegrass guitars, but this beautiful little 2022 SJ Heirloom proves that Dana and his team excel at building just about any type of instrument they put their talents to. A compact, short-scale six-string that takes classic American jumbo designs as inspiration, the SJ slots neatly into the Lewiston, Maine build shop's lineup of traditionalist instruments, while still providing a fresh and innovative take on what new voices in the world of the steel-string guitar can sound like. As part of the company's Heirloom Series, it utilizes an Adirondack spruce top with delicately hand-scalloped bracing in combination with a mahogany neck, back, and sides bound together with high-tensile animal protein glue for a powerful and present sound whether strummed, flatpicked, or fingerpicked. Appointments lean towards the classic, albeit with subtle touches that push it up and over the top into boutique territory, including a beautifully figured ziricote fingerboard, a jumbo celluloid pickguard, and grained ivoroid binding and tuning buttons.

This instrument arrived in our store in very good condition with relatively minor cosmetic wear that falls well within the norm for one of its age. Some minor finish delamination has begun to occur around the headstock as a result of the wood shrinking beneath the lacquer; this is a natural part of the aging in process, and we do not expect this guitar to require any significant finish work in the near future. Two aftermarket alterations have been made - a chrome strap button on the underside of the neck heel, and the installation of a K&K Pure Mini piezo pickup, both of which were installed almost immediately after purchase. It has recently seen a full set up including a fret dress, level, and crown, and it plays extremely well in all positions. Included in the price is the original hard-shell case.

*Please note, per our return policy, all sales on used and consignment instruments are final.*