A recent addition to Bourgeois' groundbreaking Touchstone Series, the Slope D “Standard” channels the spirit of classic slope-shouldered dreadnoughts—with ever bit of the refined tone and build quality we expect from Dana Bourgeois. Built in partnership with Eastman, the Touchstone Series brings Bourgeois' legendary voicing and boutique attention to detail to a more accessible price point, without sacrificing the details that matter.
This Slope D Touchstone features a torrefied Alaskan Sitka Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides—a premium combo that delivers a bold, dreadnought sound with nice mid-range and open, woody character. The sloped shoulders help diffuse some of the bass presence, which gives you more focused thump and better balance across the register. Whether you're strumming cowboy chords, laying down rhythm tracks, or fingerpicking folk ballads, the 25" scale lends nice response with a heavy hand or a light touch. Warm and punchy with dry character that reminds us of our favorite vintage slope shoulder guitars.
In 2020, Eastman became Dana Bourgeois' financial partner, and that laid the groundwork for the Touchstone Series collaboration. Eastman is a massive company with high volume and plenty of resources. Combined with Dana's hands-on approach, the Touchstone Series brings the legendary Bourgeois tone and build quality to a wider range of players than ever before.
Each Touchstone guitar starts in Lewiston, Maine, where Dana and the Bourgeois crew tune and voice the top by hand, using solid Adirondack Spruce braces. Each top is adjusted individually to optimize its potential and bring out its own unique character. After that, the braced and voiced top is shipped to Eastman in Beijing where the guitar body is assembled to Dana's "The Standard" spec sheet, including a Sunburst top finish and Firestripe pickguard. Thanks to Dana's expertise and guidance, the level of workmanship is absolutely on par with everything you'd expect from Bourgeois, and the results are impressive.
- SOUNDBOARD: Torrefied Sitka Spruce
- BRACING: Hand-Voiced Adirondack Spruce
- BACK & SIDES: Mahogany
- NECK: 14-Fret Mahogany
- FINGERBOARD: Ziricote
- SCALE LENGTH: 25”
- NUT WIDTH: 1-23/32” – Bone
- SADDLE: 2.2” spacing – Bone
- TUNERS: Schaller Grand Tune Nickel with Ivoroid Buttons
- BRIDGE: Ziricote with Ivoroid Pins
- FINISH: High Gloss with Sunburst Top
- PICKGUARD: Firestripe
If you’re after slope-shoulder warmth, punch, and vintage-inspired tone with boutique character and details, the Slope D Touchstone hits the mark. A hard-working dreadnought that is hard to beat at this price. Bravo!