Dear Bill, Ellie, et. al.,
Your thoughtful, very Human approach to the placing of fine guitars with new owners, and the product of Mr. Bourgeois's genius, have greatly enhanced my dream guitar experience. The closing of my local Bourgeois Dealer, and a burning desire for that dream guitar led me to Artisan Guitars.
Your website was visual, artistic, and most impressive. For once, I could see every detail of every guitar.
I then had a very pleasant conversation with Bill, Who knew the subtle nuances of guitar construction, tone woods, and the builders themselves. Most importantly, he took the time to answer all of my questions, and invited me to call back with more. I liked all the answers, so I placed a deposit on an incoming D.B. Signature / hide glue Dreadnought.
When my wife and I arrived at Artisan, we were greeted by Bill's wife, Ellie, as family, hugs included. Ellie invited me to play as many guitars as I liked, and padded me up to protect the guitars. As an anal-retentive guitar owner myself, it pleased me to see that she had as much respect for the beautiful instruments as she did for the customer. The power, clarity, appearance, and value of that D.B. Sig. confirmed my decision to buy the incoming guitar with the hide glue construction.
The guitar arrived as scheduled, packed with the care it deserved. After waiting more than the appropriate time for package warm-up, my wife photographed the grand opening. We were quite taken with the dazzling appearance. The grain, and paleness of the Adirondack contrasted so very sharply with the darkness and dramatic figuring of the Madagascar, and both were enhanced by the flame grain maple binding. Wow!
The sound is equally dazzling with incredibly fat, clear, highs, and booming lows that you can feel in your belly. I find myself striving to play cleaner, because this guitar sounds so much better than my Martins. Playing cleaner is easier too, due to better string placement and set-up. If this guitar were any more luscious, it would be fattening. If asked to sum up my total experience with Artisan Guitars and my beautiful new Bourgeois, I think I might just want to quote Humphrey Bogart, who at the end of "The Maltese Falcon" said, "This is the stuff that dreams are made of."
RB / Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
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