Up for sale, a 2002 Bourgeois A-500 archtop in showroom-clean condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. Master luthier Dana Bourgeois has earned a reputation as one of the most celebrated builders in the acoustic guitar pantheon, and the A-500 is his top-of-the-line archtop, first introduced in 1996, featuring a no-corner-cut, traditionally-inspired build approach and the finest tonewoods available, with premium touches throughout.

This A-500’s all-carved tonewood complement includes a tap-tuned X-braced Sitka spruce top, AAA tiger flame maple back, sides, and neck, and a bound ebony fingerboard. Measuring 16 3/4" across the lower bout with a 3 1/4" body depth, full 25 1/2" scale length and Venetian cutaway, the A-500 has an intuitive, familiar feel, owing a debt to Gibson's golden age Pre-War design. This Bourgeois delivers exceptional string-to-string balance and a lively overarching quality with great sensitivity to user inputs. The trebles have an immediate, glassy articulation, highly detailed with exquisite sweetness. The wound strings offer both focus and rich bloom with a clear percussive cut and strong midrange chop. This A-500 weighs 5lbs 3oz, benefitting from a professional setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-54 bronze strings, easy-playing action and accurate intonation.

The two-piece tiger flame maple neck is bisected by a walnut stringer, sporting a medium depth soft V-shaped carve, measuring .830” deep at the 1st fret and .950” at the 9th. The ebony fingerboard is framed by multi-ply grained ivoroid binding and features pearl block inlay, and the slender fretwire is pristine. This guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod, and the bone nut measures 1 3/4” in width. The headstock sports an ebony veneer, also framed by ivoroid binding, and the gold-plated Schaller tuning machines feature ebony buttons.

Hardware includes the gold-plated custom-machines tailpiece with ebony insert and the adjustable ebony bridge; there’s ample room for future adjustments at the thumbwheels, and action the 12th fret currently sits at 7/64” on the bass side and 5/64” on the treble side. The label is visible through the treble-side F-hole, signed by Dana Bourgeois and with a serial number dating to 2002. The ebony pickguard is framed by multi-ply grained ivoroid binding

The gloss Natural finish highlights the stunning figuring in the AAA carved tiger flame maple back and sides; the figuring is very tight and dimensional, extending across every inch of the cut. This instrument is exceptionally well-kept, with barely a scratch on the body as a whole. The smooth gloss finish on the neck profile is similarly pristine.

The original hardshell case is included.