# Boucher Guitars



## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

I need some information on Boucher guitars. I know that Claude and Nicolas Boucher started Boucher guitars and Richard Boucher started Guitars Richard.

The latter no longer seems to have an operating web site and I need feedback from someone who knows or owns a Richard guitar.

Thanks


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

I also stumbled upon trying to find information about it. From what i gathered they're factory direct models. No clue on the quality, i've never played one. If you're talking to the guy who is selling one on kijiji, i've already spoken to him and 2 things made me skeptical

1) he's from montreal and he's posting the ad as far away as toronto, which aside from making it a pain in the ass to play before you pay, makes it seem like he's a little desperate to sell or trade for something else

2) he thinks he should get about 3400 trade value, claiming his guitar is basically "custom shop" he told me he was offered a mint hummingbird on trade, and if you're in the negotiation process with him that means he turned it down (or vice versa, i suppose)

It's been a week or more since i spoke with him, so maybe he's snapped out of his delusional market value expectations. who knows.


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## Ship of fools (Nov 17, 2007)

*What a joke*

Boucher guitars started after the old man passed years later ( 2003 ) they were the ones who first thought of trying to age the top woods by blasting them for three years with music ( resonance aging ) they started back up in 2003 I remember only one in all of my time decent construction. After a couple of years they changed the name of the company to Boucher Adirondack Colllection Company. I think they folded a ways back as I have never seen another one and I have never heard of Richard Guitars.ship
My mistake Boucher guitars is still active its Richard guitars that looks to have gone by the way side
http://www.guitareboucher.com/index.php?lang=en


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## cwittler (May 17, 2011)

From what I know, Boucher is the descendent of Norman guitars that operated in the 70s and were used by bands like Gentle Giant, etc. Robert Godin bought the brand and they are not the same guitars made by Norman Boucher who closed up shop. His sons opened Boucher guitars. I can't tell you anything about Richard guitars.


Twelfth Fret in Toronto thought highly enough of Boucher guitars that they gave them about 5 hooks in the store to hang their guitars on. They liked them and thought they were good guitars. But outside of Quebec and a few European countries they were not a popular brand and were a very hard sell at the price point they were at. Last I heard, Twelfth Fret blew them out at cost. 


I owned an AVT5 Mahogany Goose that was a very, very good finger style guitar. But I didn't like it for flat picking, etc. It brightened up a little too much for my ears with the pick. But for fingerstyle it was superb. I considered buying a Walnut Goose once upon a time that was also a nice guitar and a little more versatile, except that I didn't like how it took about twenty minutes of play time to open up the Walnut (not Boucher's fault). I personally think they make nice guitars that are well crafted and sound and play as good as anything in the realm of Taylor in terms of sound and quality.


Also, Boucher has a very good stock of adirondack red spruce that they sell to companies like Martin and Bourgeios, etc. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if they have shifted focus to that market over guitar making.


As for the resonance aging of their guitar tops with music, that is nothing new and many pros have been doing that for years and years. Whether it is worth the premium price Boucher charged for it is in the ears of the beholder. My guitar came to me second hand but in "as new" condition and was a custom order from Boucher. I would recommend Boucher guitars to anyone, but like any guitar, I think you should play it before you pay for it.


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## dradlin (Feb 27, 2010)

I played a couple of Boucher guitars during a trip to Montreal last year... they were as good as any and better than most guitars hanging on a music store wall. I wasn't familiar with them and was very pleasantly surprised. Based on their sound, feel, fit, and finish and comparing to Martin's and Gibson's hanging along side them they seemed to be reasonably priced in the $2k to $3k range in a market were their name is recognized. Of course the couple that I tried were a small sample and not necessarily representative of the whole lot.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

I've owned a Boucher also am am trying to get info on Richard Guitars built by Richard Boucher for a while.


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