Bourgeois The Standard L-DBO 14

A great L-00-style guitar that’s part of an expanded Touchstone series.

April 3, 2025

At the recent 2025 NAMM show, Bourgeois Guitars announced that it is expanding its Touchstone series of guitars. Previously limited to square-shoulder dreadnoughts and OMs in various wood combinations, the line now encompasses a slope-shoulder dreadnought and an L-DBO — both long-time Bourgeois favorites. Like all Touchstone models, these new instruments (which are part of a Touchstone “The Standard” sub-series) are built in collaboration with Eastman Guitars. Specifically, the tops are braced and voiced at Bourgeois’s Lewiston, Maine, shop, then sent to China, where the guitars are completed according to the same designs Bourgeois uses for its completely U.S.-made instruments. In this video, I demo The Standard L-DBO 14. We’ll feature the Slope D in an upcoming installment.

Bourgeois’s L-DBO models take their inspiration from the classic L-00 design. Often associated with blues players, these guitars offer a distinct tonality that works well for many different playing styles. The Standard L-DBO 14 is constructed with a torrefied Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and a ziricote fingerboard and bridge. The guitar’s top has a great-looking sunburst, and the mahogany back and sides have attractive coloring. As with every other Bourgeois Touchstone that I’ve checked out, even under close examination, there are no telltale signs that hint at the fact that these instruments aren’t fully made in Lewiston. Original L-00s tend to be simple guitars, and accordingly, The Standard L-DBO 14 has the modest appointments associated with the style, including ivoroid body binding, a black-and-white rosette, and basic dot position markers in the fingerboard. A firestripe pickguard looks great with the sunburst finish, and the guitar’s open-back Schaller Grant Tune tuners sport ivoroid buttons.

The Standard L-DBO 14 has a lively, dynamic voice that instantly delivers the character that’s expected of this instrument type. Great lower mids give the guitar an assertive quality, and its lightning-fast response make it especially fun for playing fingerstyle. It sounds fabulous in open-D tuning, which I used for a spin through Duane Allman’s “Little Martha,” but maintains the refined balance that Bourgeois guitars are known for when played in standard tuning. The guitar’s neck is a little wider than on some other interpretations on the L-00 design, which makes for comfortable string-spacing.

As is the case with all Touchstones, The Standard L-DBO 14 is a welcome option for players who have been wanting a Bourgeois L-DBO but couldn’t swing the cost. The Standard L-DBO 14 delivers a refined L-00 vibe and great playability and compares well with other guitars in this style. Bravo, Bourgeois, for creating yet another excellent Touchstone offering!