People often ask, what's with all the pearl and bling on a 42-style guitar? And does it really make a difference? While we often advise our clients to never buy a guitar purely for looks, we also know that the adornment on a top end guitar should be reflective of the tone within (there are some opinions out there that the pearl itself somehow adds to the tone--more on that perhaps in a blog post). The verdict on this particular Bourgeois OM-42 Aged Tone is that style indeed mirrors function.  We've heard some straight-up, basic OM's from the Bourgeois team and they are wonderful guitars. This 42-style is something much, much more. Yes it's clear and balanced: it projects beautifully and offers plenty of volume. All very typical for a topnotch OM. What this guitar has above others is a glorious overtone series that pushes the accomplished player to explore more open chord voicing. There's a voice that's both warm and brilliant within this guitar that comes out in lightly strummed chords as well as delicate fingerstyle runs. It can be driven a bit harder if one needs to but it really excels under a lighter attack. Overall, this is an extremely musical OM with the potential to be a real powerhouse.  Given its very young age, one can only wonder at how beautifully it will mature under the next owner's tenure. 

• Aged Tone Package xTorrefied Adirondack Top
• Aged Tone finish
• Madagascar back and sides
• Animal protein glue ("hide")
• 1 3/4" nut
• 2 5/16" Spacing
• 25.5" Scale
• Ebony pyramid bridge