Bourgeois Aged Tone M5O Black-Top Octave Mandolin

Joe K. Walsh demos Bourgeois’ new A-style instrument.

December 18, 2024

Although there has been a big rise in popularity in octave mandolins in recent years, there is still a relatively small number of production instruments to choose from. Dana Bourgeois is best known as the mastermind and luthier behind Bourgeois Guitars, but his partnership with Eastman Music not only opened up the opportunity to build the company’s more affordable Touchstone guitars, it also gave Bourgeois access to Eastman’s expertise with mandolin-family instruments. In 2022, Bourgeois introduced A- and F-style mandolins, and more recently, the company has added an octave mandolin to its line. Peghead Nation instructor Joe K. Walsh (who teaches our Octave Mandolin course) recently had a chance to check out the new Aged Tone M5O Black-Top.

The Aged Tone M5O Black-Top has an A-style body with f-holes and a 21-inch scale, making it a bit more compact than most octave mandolins that have guitar-shaped bodies. It’s built with Bourgeois’ Aged Tone woods, which are chosen by the Bourgeois team in Maine before they’re shipped to Eastman’s factory in China. “Aged Tone” refers to Bourgeois’ process of torrefying the wood by treating it with heat, thereby accelerating the aging process. For the Aged Tone M5O Black-Top, the woods used are Adirondack spruce for the top and curly European maple for the back and sides. As the instrument’s name indicates, the top is finished in gloss black, while the back and sides are left natural, showing the gorgeously figured maple. The Aged Tone M5O Black-Top includes an ebony fingerboard and bridge; a custom-engraved, Bill James tailpiece; and satin nickel, Golden Age tuning machines.

In this video, Joe shows closeups of the instrument’s woods and demonstrates its full sound by playing throughout its range, finishing up with an arrangement of “Angeline the Baker.”

It’s fabulous to see Bourgeois expanding its mandolin-family line. The company’s collaboration with Eastman has resulted in some fine additions to the choices available to musicians, especially in the small field of octave mandolins, and these efforts are highly appreciated!

To study mandolin with Joe K. Walsh on Peghead Nation, enroll in his Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites, The Advancing Mandolinist, Octave Mandolin, or Improvising for Mandolin and Fiddle courses!