Bourgeois OMS-12 Country Boy HS Owned by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (2023), made in Lewiston, ME, serial # 10342, black top, natural back and sides finish, mahogany back and sides, Sitka spruce top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black tolex hard shell case.
This OMS-12 is Dana Bourgeois' offering for "Fingerstyle perfection". As they put it themselves: "In the late 1920s, 12 fret guitars began their historic transformation into the still-dominant designs of the 1930s. Left behind, however, were larger upper bouts, longer air cavities and optimal bridge placement at the center of the widest part of the lower bout. The OMS combines these throwback features with a 25.5" scale neck to recreate a design still coveted by fingerstylists - and not a few flatpickers."
Bourgeois guitars in general are among the finest of the many traditionally inspired modern flat-tops, very finely crafted of extremely high-grade materials, including old-style hide glue, now referenced as "Animal Protein glue". This guitar's label is hand-signed by Dana Bourgeois, with "OMS-Country Boy HS" notated on the label, which indicates the headstock is solid instead of slotted. The woods are notated as "Sinker Sitka spruce" for the top and "Sinker Mahogany" for the body, and the complete spec. sheet is included with the guitar, noting the top is Aged Tone Torrefied Bracing".
The black top with a tortoise pattern pickguard gives this one a rakish look, a bit more badass for a fairly conservative guitar of this type. Dana Bourgeois creations are always high class instruments and beautifully made, and this 12-fret black beauty is no exception.
Overall length is 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm.), 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 23/32 in. (44 mm.).
This guitar appears very little played, and obviously was not a long-time denizen of the Loft as it was only built last year. It shows some very light handling marks and that's about it. It has been strung with the special strings used on Jeff Tweedy's acoustics, which are purposely treated to approximate the darker sound of worn-in strings even when new. This helps give the guitar a deeper, less toppy sound than would otherwise be expected from a practically new instrument. It plays well and resides in the original HSC with Loft markings on the back end and a couple of Wilco picks. Overall Excellent + Condition.
