Bourgeois Vintage Heirloom L-12/S Limited Edition

A fabulous 12-fret 00 with Madagascar rosewood back and sides.

January 15, 2025

It’s hard to imagine today’s landscape of high-end steel-string guitars without Dana Bourgeois. Not only have his company’s instruments elevated the overall level of the craft, Dana’s influence runs throughout the luthier and guitar manufacturing world through his involvement as a consultant and OEM-manufacturer for other companies and, most importantly, as a valued member of the guitar community. I have been fortunate to follow Dana’s work for more than 25 years, and I’m always tickled when I get to spend time with one of his guitars. Most recently, I was able to check out a gorgeous, limited-edition, 12-fret 00 L-12/S from Bourgeois’ Vintage Heirloom series.

Bourgeois calls its Heirloom series “A tip of the hat to the guitars that inspired our careers,” and while all Bourgeois guitars are based on classic American flattops, the vintage influence is particularly pronounced in this line. The limited edition L-12/S I demoed includes Bourgeois’ Vintage HS package, which features prewar appointments and protein glue construction. While Heirloom series guitars are available in several of Bourgeois’ body sizes, this L-12/S has vintage-style 12-fret 00 dimensions.

All Bourgeois guitars are built with top-notch materials, but the L-12/S has an extra helping of “Wow!” The Madagascar rosewood back and sides have color and figuring that is not unlike some high-quality Brazilian rosewood, and I had to take a look at the spec sheet to make sure it wasn’t actually Brazilian. The guitar’s Adirondack spruce top, which has been treated with Bourgeois’ “Aged Tone” torrefaction process, is beautifully straight-grained and has a honey-like color. The appointments are essentially style-28, with 1930s-style herringbone purfling, ivoroid binding, abalone slotted-squares-and-diamonds fingerboard inlays, a traditional multi-ring ivoroid rosette, and a lovely zigzag back strip. Of course, the craftsmanship, fit and finish, and execution of details is as close to perfect as you’re likely to find.

12-fret 00’s are known for being nimble guitars, and the L-12/S exceeded my expectations. It’s the kind of instrument that rewards what the player puts into it. It has a lightning-fast attack, a great dynamic range, and a wide tonal spectrum that never sounds unbalanced. With slightly narrower and thinner neck dimensions than most vintage guitars of a similar style, the guitar feels more contemporary, and I found it to be an incredibly satisfying fingerstyle machine.

The Bourgeois Vintage Heirloom L-12/S LE is an incredibly impressive guitar. While it is clearly inspired by vintage 00-28s, it’s a thoroughly modern instrument with a refined voice and fantastic playability. I’d highly recommend giving this guitar a try!

Bourgeois Vintage Heirloom L-12/S LE