Dana Bourgeois built his first guitar in his dorm room during his college days at Bowdoin College in Maine. In 1978, Dana became a luthier full-time and shortly thereafter was contacted by Eric Schoenburg to build an OM (Orchestra Model) cutaway in a traditional design. This led to a ten-year partnership with Schoenburg and the basis of Bourgeois' first small handcrafted guitars. These first guitars were labeled Schoenburg, but they had the sound Dana had created in the tops. In 1990, Dana started as a designer for Paul Reed Smith's acoustic line. Dana was also a consultant for the setup and construction of the Gibson Montana Acoustic plant in Montana. Dana started building guitars under the Bourgeois name in 1993, and he established Bourgeois Guitars as a company in 1995. Due to financial problems, Bourgeois went out of business in 1999, but that was only temporary. In October 2000, Pantheon Guitars was established to "promote and support the lutherie trade" with seven original luthiers, including Bourgeois. Pantheon/Bourgeois currently build their guitars at an 1840 Textile Mill located in Lewiston, Maine. For more information on Bourgeois or Pantheon, visit their website or contact them directly.
Instruments currently produced in Lewiston, ME since the early 1990s.