Thanks Mike, SW’s price when I called them was 1999.00 shipped, so they discount off the posted price, but I am going to call the place in Nashville and see what they say to, need to wait until the holiday is over, on their site they just show full msrp on them. I will check tomorrow. As far as taxes there is no sales tax on anything in Oregon so that’s no issue. One reason we live here, Jerry
So I walk into the guitar store
They are probably open Saturday, but waiting until Monday is not a bad idea. That way it will ship it at the start of the week to minimize the time it sits somewhere. I’d hate to have a nice guitar sitting in a trailer in the cold over the weekend. Happy hunting!
I neglected to mention the 1999.00 price was for the D28P I haven’t gotten a price on the D18 yet but I think it will be around 1884.00 a little less. Jerry
Jerry and others:
I am here in Nashville. If you ever are thinking about purchasing and want me to go look at or play a guitar from Gruhn or Artisan or “wherever” then let me know and I could potentially go check it out…I’m always looking for a new reason to head into Gruhn and slobber all over their instruments for awhile! 
As Mike mentioned, I would have 0 problems or concerns about dealing with Gruhn, good guys there and they know what they are doing…probably one of the best if not the best guitar shops in the U.S!
Oldhat
Hey Jerry,
I’ve been out of town all week, sorry for the late reply.
I really hate to hear that about the Guild, but that was the same reason I sold mine. I liked the 1 3/4 nut on my Taylor 414 and I liked the dread sound so I got both options in one guitar with the Martin D28 Marquis.
I paid $1895 out the door at my local Guitar Center for my D18. It took some haggling though. They had it for $2199 and I mentioned what I could get it online for (I forget which online stores I mentioned). They came back and said Maury’s had them for like $1775, I think, so you might check there. My reciept said $1600 for the guitar, $134 for the case and $160 in taxes.
Good morning guys, and thanks for all the assistance and suggestions, I did order my D18 from Sweetwater and took my pick of the three they had, it comes in at exactly 4 lbs. so about 2 1/2 lbs. lighter than the Guild I had and they gave it to me shipped for 1899.00 so I feel that’s a fair deal. Guitar center beat them by 30 dollars, however they needed to order it from Martin and call it a special order item with no return and payment in advance, so I declined.
All the reviews and so on I read on Sweet Water seemed good and the service on the strings I buy from them has been very fast and professional. The warehouse and showroom are temp. humid. controlled and all guitars ship with setup and 2 yr warranty and unconditional return for 30 days so sounds good.
I hope it is as nice as I have heard. I put my Eastman 08 up on Ebay Thurs. night thinking it would help finance the new one and it sold in less than an hour, couldn’t believe it! so the new one is only setting me back 1200 cash and that works good for me.
Really struggled choosing between the 18 and 28 but I really like the single note clarity on the 18 not so much going on, my Rosewood Eastman gets a little boomy and muddy at times.
Well it’s supposed to be here around Thurs. so as you can imagine I am pretty anxious about getting it. Wish me well…Jerry :mrgreen:
Hey Shawn,160 in taxes on 1600? Wow that’s a kick.
Yeah, I could have got it cheaper online, but you don’t get to play 'em first. I will say that every 2012 D18 I have played has been a good guitar, they’re very consistent. All had great looking tops. Good luck on yours, I’m sure you will be happy!
Let us know what ya think.
Looks like I’ll be gone this week too. See y’all later.
Thanks Shawn hoping for the best…Jerry
HI guys well I got the D18 from Sweetwater and it came in fine shape nice top, and all, and I sent it back today! The price was good, the service was good, and the guitar was ok but not for me, just could not warm up to it, the neck was not comfortable for me and fretting in the first position was stiff and hard to explain but it just didn’t work out for me. That’s it, no more mail order for me!
My wife says I am getting crazy trying to find a cheap guitar I like and will keep, so she suggested just go and buy one you really love and forget the money because a year from now you’ll forget the cost and have a guitar you really want. Aren’t wives wonderful? They always seem to know our dark secrets.
So my wife and I take a couple hundred mile ride to McKenzie River Music Co. in Eugene Or. and I as of this evening am the very proud owner of a Bourgeois Slope D in Sunburst and this thing is the sweetest guitar I have ever played owned bar none and I have tried a few let me tell you…The tone on this thing is just flat amazing!!! I can see why Bryan Sutton calls this the banjo killer, the sustain on a fretted note is unbelievable and the action is just perfect.
Trying out all the guitars I did was a good thing in retrospect because once I picked up this guitar and strummed the first chord I was sold, I also like the comfort of the slope shoulder while sitting the thinner waist makes it just snuggle in so nice.
I will admit however I’m still recovering from the stress of writing the check but finally I have a guitar that I love and will most likely have forever, I wouldn’t even let them have it back at a profit… :mrgreen: So it’s taken a long time a lot of miles traveled and a million ( exaggerated a little) tryouts but finally found the one. Jerry PS: did I tell you I LOVE this guitar?! Oh I forgot to mention ,I"m Broke but happy
Glad your journey had a happy ending, at least. Let us see a picture of your baby!
Haha! Congrats on getting what you want Jerry!
I eneded up taking my D18 back, too. I just can’t justify having that much money tied up in guitars. I liked everything about the D18 though, it’s a great guitar.
Love to see some pics when you can tear yourself away from it. 
P.S. Anybody wanna buy some motorcycle gear? 
Here are a few pictures don’t think my cheap camera and poor light are very good looks much better in person…
Well Shawn I understand as I have taken back more than one to GC, it’s hard to really evaluate them there as well, loud people and so on, this one sounds sweeter now than I thought it did last night, the notes are so clear and so easy to play. I have had a couple of hours playing time into it now and I really like it, it has the 13/4 nut I like and 2 3/16 spaced at the bridge and it’s like it was made for me. And by the way I got a new Elliot Elite Capo for it Wow! this is another sweet item, thought my Paige was ok till I strapped this on.
I had seen this guitar before about a month ago when it had come into McKenzie River but thought it was to much money for me to spend so farted around for the last mo. looking trying etc. and after the D18 disappointment went back and decided this was it. My playing and practicing have taken a hit the last few weeks as well with all the time I wasted looking for what was right there.
The guitar is used, it is a 2007 and was originally bought there and one owner, must not have played it much as it’s mint condition and had a setup done by their luthier. I need to return next week to get the strap button installed, the luthier wanted to verify with Bourgeois as to the exact measurement as to placement on the heel. Said he had done the D’s but none on the Slope D and wanted to make sure. No charge to me and I appreciate the good care.
The guitar cost me 3K even, including the case that weighs a ton, but very nice. I am done looking at guitars for a long time as I will never be able to top this one in my price range, new it is 4500.00.
I wish I had the words to describe the difference these handmade guitars make, kind of like Ben’s McPherson they are just totally different and the wood is just beautiful. Jerry
You ain’t broke, you’re just badly bent. And to comfort your separation from the cash, you have THE guitar. Sounds like a good trade off to me. Congrats!
It’s pretty neat when you pick up THE guitar and you know it at the first chord. It’s even better when you don’t do something silly like go home without it.
Oh man! That is sweet Jerry, congrats!
Mine has the 1 3/4 nut too. Those necks are thin and fast. I like it, but it’s different than the Martin. I have also used a Paige capo for the last 8 months on the Martin and when I put it on the Slope it seemed like it didn’t really clamp down good on the high strings. I don’t know if the fretboards are slightly different or what. I’ve had my eye on the Elliots too. Slope sounds good capoed doesn’t it? I think it gets louder as you play up the neck. Just a great guitar.
Congrats on getting what you wanted. For the years of enjoyment you should get out of it, I think it’s a small price to pay.
Btw, mine’s a 2007 too. Those pick guards are awesome, aren’t they? Love the colors and how they are thick and beveled.
Thanks Shawn, this neck for me has solved a problem I was having, pain and fatigue in my left hand, it has subsided over the last week since playing this guitar, like the neck shape and feel is made for my hands, Yes the pickgaurd and the whole darn guitar is awesome!!! Every time I open the case I am excited. The Elliot Capo I just got is the Elite push button, very thin and very light weight, works like a charm and the people at Phill’s shop are wonderful. Yes these are expensive and the only way you can justify it is it will last a lifetime, and it works so well, it is Very thin and doesn’t bang into my hand as much as my old Paige.
As far as the tone on this guitar like yours I’m sure it’s just outa site! :mrgreen: I can’t say enough about Bourgeois, the craftsmanship on these is unbelievable…Jerry
By the way Shawn your’s is just stunning, they had one like that on the wall at McKenzie but it was new and another 15 hundred bucks so I went with the used. I didn’t even pick up the new one didn’t want to be temped to much. for me and my level of ability this guitar is all I’ll ever need.
I have been thinking of buying a cheap Taylor Dread for the summer to keep in our RV for travel rather take this one out in all the different climates and all, but time will tell, I am pretty much a one guitar guy never had more than one at a time. I actually stopped at GC today to check one out but some nut was in the acoustic room plugging in guitars at top volume so I left, I guess louder makes you better…LOL Jerry
Have you found any strings you like Jerry? I got a tip to put some 80/20 light guage on it to see what I think and …WOW!
I went with the Martin Lifespan 80/20 lights and I can’t believe my ears. I have the same strings in medium gauge I’m going to try next.
Seems like I’ve heard of people recommending 80/20’s on Mahogany guitars, I don’t know, really my first hog git. Yours may sound different from mine with the Adi top though. Is yours short scale?
Man that 'burst looks good! :mrgreen:
Hi Shawn, mine came with DAddario mediums on it, and about 3 days ago I changed over to DAddario lights 12/53 and it plays even better than it did for me, I am not a fan of heavy gauge strings, I have a couple sets of the Martin lifespans in light but I haven’t tried them on this guitar yet, that is what I had on my old Eastman. Mine is the standard scale, my last guitar was short at 25 this one is 25.4 and I for some reason find I like it better than the short. I thought the SS would make it easier to play but my fingers fall in place on the frets better with the std. scale. But that’s just me, I was originally looking for a short but didn’t notice any big difference when I played a Colling SS. I learned on std. scale so guess I am just used to it.
Now that I have had the guitar a couple weeks I took it in and had the strap button put on and since it’s been living at my house and used to the climate I did a neck adjustment. It had a slight hump in the middle maybe a couple of thousands of an inch so I backed the truss off about 1/2 turn and man this neck is just perfect now. Didn’t want to adjust it until I played it a while changed to the lighter strings and it had adjusted to where it lives. Most would not have noticed but I do most of the setup on my own guitars for the last year or so and have gotten fairly good at setting actions. I learned on the less expensive guitars I had after reading a book on it. Not super hard just takes a little knowledge to understand how it all comes together, and I don’t have hundreds to lay out for such work, that’s what got me going in the first place.
I Love this guitar!! It’s the best I ever had for sure, being five years old I think it’s pretty open even though the pre owner I don’t know but must not have played much, I average four hours a day and in five years I will most likely need a fret job, these show no wear at all. It’s just gettin better and better, so glad I was fortunate enough to find it and happened to have enough saved to get it.
I might give the Martin LS a try on my next string change but for now the DAddario 80/20’s sound real good, I’ll wait till next month. Jerry