Bryan Sutton

The mahogany slope shouldered Dreadnought was the first of several Bourgeois guitars owned and played by Sutton. Prized for its deep bass and exceptional volume, Sutton affectionately named the guitar “The Banjo Killer”. “This guitar is incredibly loud, and it’s blessed with the right mixture of tone,” comments Sutton. “I can hear it clearly in a loud jam session without feeling like I have to overplay and also enjoy a full and sustained tone when I want to play softly. It always seems to be to able to handle any dynamic level of play.”

Sutton used the guitar for much of his tenure with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder as well as on numerous recordings, including “When Love Comes To Town”, from Sutton’s 2000 album, Ready To Go. “On that recording the bottom string of the Banjo Killer was tuned down to D and the guitar was recorded flat”, reports Sutton. “In the final mix we actually had to roll off the bottom end of the guitar because it crowded the standup bass”.