UK Retailers and Setups

bertie · December 2021

Lewy said:

sev112 said:

Very good useful document from a manufacturer

but wow, to be kept within 35% to 40% humidity - that’s quite low, and pretty difficult to that level of precisiom

That's the lowest range I've seen a maker recommend ... it's usually 45%-50% quoted, sometimes 45% - 55%. I'd have to have a dehumidifier running near enough 24/7 to maintain 35% - 40% RH.

TBH, ive not read it, at all.......................... and yes that is a tad low - we have a de-humidifier running during the day, at 50% our cottage can shoot to 60% without issue during the winter - and they're talking about using a HUMIDIFIER to raise it to 40% - TBH Ive always read on "US" based forums that they ahve more issue with being too dry, rather than too humid

me Furch is kept in its case, in a different upstairs room - never had an issue with it (touch wood)

Greatape · January 2022

bertie said:

Shadow said:
Yes, Exeter.

ahh, gods county - I "think" one of my old school mates son works there..............(dont ask me his name ) I remember back when the only good shop was Bill Greenhalgh - (there was Minns and a place in Sidwell St. - I bought a Yamaha dread there in about 1984)

Also Kev Chilcott and a bit later, Fat Norman (RIP)

bertie · January 2022

Greatape said:

bertie said:

Shadow said:
Yes, Exeter.

ahh, gods county - I "think" one of my old school mates son works there..............(dont ask me his name ) I remember back when the only good shop was Bill Greenhalgh - (there was Minns and a place in Sidwell St. - I bought a Yamaha dread there in about 1984)

Also Kev Chilcott and a bit later, Fat Norman (RIP)

who was the guy that worked at Bill's had the tache and "curly" hair ?

Snags · January 2022

FWIW I've got a Furch (G32CRC so the older model numbers). As it happens it came from Richard's, but that in and of itself means nothing.

Played great in the shop, and they fitted a Fishman Matrix Blend then shipped it on later. When it arrived I needed to give it a minor truss rod tweak to stop the G buzzing slightly.

Came with a little branded baggy containing a few spare frets, and some other gumf. Don't think there was a COA.

It lives in a house which I now know maintains around 49% humidity (Mrs Snags just got a new gadget that's heading for the greenhouse) and it still sounds absolutely fine. Whenever I play it at various open mics someone always comments how good it sounds (the guitar, not my playing!) and at one a mate always used to nick it in preference to using his own guitar, which was hardly a cheapo one itself.

Obviously the G23 is a bit further up the range, but not massively, so I suspect you'll be just fine with it. And don't stress about the humidity guidance

bertie · January 2022

@sundance ;

what news ?

Greatape · January 2022

bertie said:

Greatape said:

bertie said:

Shadow said:
Yes, Exeter.

ahh, gods county - I "think" one of my old school mates son works there..............(dont ask me his name ) I remember back when the only good shop was Bill Greenhalgh - (there was Minns and a place in Sidwell St. - I bought a Yamaha dread there in about 1984)

Also Kev Chilcott and a bit later, Fat Norman (RIP)

who was the guy that worked at Bill's had the tache and "curly" hair ?

Hmmm dunno. I only really went there a few times and I dealt with a younger hippy guy.

An odd place that didn't move with the times. But I kind of miss it.

TINMAN82 · January 2022

I think this whole topic is a double edge sword. I’m firmly of the opinion that a lot of the big retailers (especially nowadays with mainly online sales) do very little in the way of genuine setup, despite their claims and adverts.

That said, I’m also aware of one big retailer who are very fastidious about tweaking every guitar but whose tech feels the need to lower acoustic guitar action to heights traditionally reserved for electric shredder guitars. Unfortunately by the time an acoustic saddle is shaved that far it’s already too late.

sundance · January 2022

bertie said:

@sundance ;;;

what news ?

Been a wee while since my last visit to this thread but I am pleased to report some exciting updates!

With Christmas and New Year getting in the way, it took a wee while for the guitars to be setup, checked over, dispatched and delivered. To be fair to Richard's Guitars, they kept me informed and wanted to make sure that everything was done properly rather than rushing them out to me, so I was happy to wait.

The great news is that both guitars arrived yesterday, just in time for my big birthday which is tomorrow!

I tried the Furch (Blue OM CM) first because I still had the memory of the previous Furch in my head and wanted to see how this one compared. Wow, what a difference a good setup makes! This one was so much more resonant, much nicer to play and felt like how I had imagined a Furch should be. I was very impressed.

Then I tried the Eastman (E6OM-TC). Well, this is also a fantastic instrument which plays beautifully and sounds great. I knew right away this would be a tough decision!

However, after playing just about everything I know on both guitars, comparing their sound, their playability and simply how they made me feel, there is a clear winner...the Eastman!

If I hadn't had the chance to play these in advance, I would probably have chosen the Furch. I prefer the idea of a Czech-made instrument rather than one made in China. I like the look of the open-pore finish (although I think both are beautiful in their own way) and I thought I would prefer cedar over spruce.

But, there is no doubt in my mind that the Eastman is more resonant and more full-sounding. I hear beautiful overtones that makes it seem that more is going on than just the notes I am plucking. The song that really clinched it for me was the Simon & Garfunkel version of Scarborough Fair...even with one single guitar, I felt like there were harmonies and multiple layers overlapping that seemed magical. I didn't feel that with the Furch, although it is still a great guitar. Also, the Furch sounds similar to my cedar-topped dreadnaught whereas the Eastman gives me something different. It still sounds mellow but there is an additional clarity which the Furch doesn't quite have. The Eastman comes with a very nice hard case too

I've never played any guitars that were setup so well as these two, it makes playing so much more enjoyable. I even found myself using keys and chords which I tended to avoid because I found them difficult previously. Hopefully this will allow me to play new material and give me a lot more pleasure from playing guitar. It's been a long process but I'm so happy with the outcome!

Here they both are:

Mellish · January 2022

Glad it's worked out. Happy birthday for tomorrow btw. Easy on the cake

bertie · January 2022

Mellish said:

Glad it's worked out. Happy birthday for tomorrow btw. Easy on the cake

^^ this

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