Furch?

Littlejonny · September 2023

It’s my birthday next week and I have permission to buy myself a decent acoustic. I’m a ‘professional’ player (mainly teacher tbh, but hoping to do quite a bit more gigging soon. I’ve used a Martin 000X1 since 2007, when it won out for the warmest sounding guitar in my budget.

I’m thinking of visiting the dreaded Richards Guitars in Stratford and playing as many acoustics as I can get my hands on. I’m curious about the Furch guitars…are they as good as the internet makes them appear? Anyone here experienced with them?

I’d like something more 3D sounding - more sparkly overtones and more bass. Perhaps Spruce/Rosewood. (Richards Guitars seems to only have Spruce/Black Walnut in stock unfortunately).

I’m open minded about body shape and size, cutaway etc. Guitars I’ve recently enjoyed include Yamaha LL-TA and Taylor AD-17. Self imposed budget is around £1.5K (probably in monthly payments).

ESBlonde · September 2023

Those I’ve heard sound very nice (player always makes a difference). Good value for your pound.

sev112 · September 2023

Try the Dowina’s while you are there. They are and Furch go back a long way. Mostly hand made solid woods at very very good prices

mrkb · September 2023

I think @Snags ;has one, but I dont know which model it is or how spendy

thomasross20 · September 2023

I think We at Halcyon rates their satin finish which lets the sound open up. I'm not usually into rosewood but they did a great sounding one with torrified top.

chromatuna · September 2023

I visited Guitar Village three years ago with every intention of buying a Martin and the cash to do so thanks to a pension commencement lump sum (yes I’m and old geezer). I had done my research, lots of reading etc. Played six or seven and just couldn’t get excited, my forty year old Japanese D18 copy was pretty much in the same league. This is not to knock Martins but they clearly weren’t what I needed. Recalled a comment somewhere about Furch acquiring some great tone woods, picked one up an bham! Yes that’s what I am looking for. I can’t tell you the model as I am away at the moment and can never remember it (cedar topped) but it’s lovely. A friend has a couple of Martins and had a Maton, all very nice but the Furch is just as good and for me the best of the lot, personal taste and all that. So definitely worth trying, I saved myself about £1 - £1.5k although that wasn’t the deciding factor. YMMV p.s. my acoustic ‘heroes’ are guys like Richard Thompson, and Martin Simpson

Snags · September 2023

mrkb said:

I think @Snags ;has one, but I dont know which model it is or how spendy

I have a G23CRC which is the old naming system. Fitted with a Fishman Matrix Blend, and from the aforementioned Stratford upon Avon retail experience.

The whole lot was about £1600 when I got it; I think the current equivalent is over 2k, but I've had mine a few years.

It's still the guitar that gets everyone commenting on how it sounds when I play in public. In a good way.

Jetsam1 · September 2023

Have a good look at them. I have a Furch OM30 that I bought in 2017 I think. Can't really go wrong and sound and build quality are up there. The naming conventions have changed beyond recognition and the price range is wide from basic stuff in the £600 area upwards.

I have been really happy with my mid range Furch for more years than I actually realised!

Littlejonny · September 2023

Thanks for the responses…I’m excited to try them now!

TheBigDipper · September 2023

I own a Stonebridge spruce/maple12-string. An SF-25, I think. I've had it for 15-20 years now. That's a Furch, really, but made at a time when they were trying to break into the US and felt a "foreign" name wouldn't be as acceptable to Americans, so they rebranded for North America. They've dropped that policy, thank goodness.

Very well made, sounds lovely, plays well and stays in tune when it's in the case. No regrets at all.

drofluf · September 2023

I've got a Furch Little Jane travel guitar which I'm really impressed with great sounding and incredible workmanship.

DiscoStu · September 2023

I was looking for a 'lifer' acoustic about 10 years ago. Went looking for a Martin, but bought a Stonebridge DS23CR. It's aged beautifully and is still my main guitar.

tomajoha · September 2023

I *think* furch were/are something to do with Lebeda? I had one of the high end square neck resonators - it was better than all the famous US made alternatives, albeit not a cheap guitar in its own right

Th4fonz · September 2023

It’s like anything you got to try all the models. I’ve tried a super expensive one red series? I can’t remember now and didn’t like it at all. That felt really modern Taylor like with a slim neck which is the opposite of my taste.

Shadow · September 2023

I bought my Blue OM-CM from Richard's last year. Very positive experience, nothing bad to say about them whatever others have experienced. The guitar stood out amongst the others I tried with a particularly full bass but good balance across the strings. I agree with the comment about them having a slightly slim neck but not a deal-breaker for me.

Littlejonny · September 2023

Thanks all. I’m going to take my Martin for comparison and will play on as many as I can within the price range.

im not sure about thin necks but I do want a 1,3/4” nut (my Martin being an older Nazareth-made one has 1,11/16ths) and a cutaway would be really handy, scuse the pun.

The sound needs to be significantly better than the Martin or I’m not going to bother. I tried the Yamaha and the Taylors and they were all a bit better than the Martin…more bass mainly and the Taylors in particular were very responsive. I often feel Taylors are very ‘eager’ sounding…they’re like an excited puppy compared to the old Martin Labrador.

Sorry know why I’ve gone into dog metaphors…

richman6100 · September 2023

My Furch G23-CRC has a 45mm nut and not what I'd call a particularly slim neck, although it's no baseball bat. I think they do three nut widths. As others have said, excellent guitars and beautifully put together. I've played a few now - different body sizes and wood combinations - and all have been superb. I'm on the lookout for a pre-owned spruce/rosewood OM at the moment and it's highly likely to be another Furch.

Tannin · September 2023

My mate - the chap pictured with me outside the Brook workshop in their news column from when we were there ordering my new Lyn - bought his lovely little Auden parlour at Richards, and was very happy with the whole experience.

Littlejonny · September 2023

Thanks - I only wrote ‘dreaded’ because I know some people here are not keen on Richard.

Tannin · September 2023

^ There are some horror stories. Richard seems to be like the Little Girl with the Little Curl.

Cranky · September 2023

The Martin X series is nice and warm, but you’re gonna love any of these other acoustics that are getting mentioned. Something about that Martin HPL lacks resonance and volume. Nothing compares to an all solid wood acoustic. Happy searching.

TheBigDipper · September 2023

chromatuna said:

I visited Guitar Village three years ago with every intention of buying a Martin and the cash to do so thanks to a pension commencement lump sum (yes I’m and old geezer). I had done my research, lots of reading etc. Played six or seven and just couldn’t get excited, my forty year old Japanese D18 copy was pretty much in the same league. This is not to knock Martins but they clearly weren’t what I needed. Recalled a comment somewhere about Furch acquiring some great tone woods, picked one up an bham! Yes that’s what I am looking for. I can’t tell you the model as I am away at the moment and can never remember it (cedar topped) but it’s lovely. A friend has a couple of Martins and had a Maton, all very nice but the Furch is just as good and for me the best of the lot, personal taste and all that. So definitely worth trying, I saved myself about £1 - £1.5k although that wasn’t the deciding factor. YMMV p.s. my acoustic ‘heroes’ are guys like Richard Thompson, and Martin Simpson

This resonated with me. I once (2015?) spent the best part of a day playing different Martins there when I was looking for a smaller guitar than my L'Arrivee L-01. I played lots of OMs and 00s/000s at various bling and price points. All of them were flat and dead sounding. They all played nicely, but didn't sound like anything special at all. I was both surprised and disappointed. Kudos to GV for just letting me get on with it, BTW.

Two days later I was in Project Music and came home with a Brook Taw. And even then it was odd how some guitars speak to you and others do not. There was one Taw (spruce top/rosewood body) that reminded me of all those Martin OMs - a bit flat. There was another (spruce top/bubinga body) that sang like a piano when gently played and that's the one I own.

There's no substitute for playing as many as possible - and putting your prejudices about nut width, neck radius, number of frets to the body to the side. All that does is reduce the number of guitars you might be surprised by and love.

Tannin · September 2023

TheBigDipper said:

Two days later I was in Project Music and came home with a Brook Taw. And even then it was odd how some guitars speak to you and others do not. There was one Taw (spruce top/rosewood body) that reminded me of all those Martin OMs - a bit flat. There was another (spruce top/bubinga body) that sang like a piano when gently played and that's the one I own.

There's no substitute for playing as many as possible - and putting your prejudices about nut width, neck radius, number of frets to the body to the side. All that does is reduce the number of guitars you might be surprised by and love.

Just so, only excepting nut width which is a non-negotiable for me. I'm flexible within a certain range, but anything less than 44mm is unplayable in my book. (At least not if I want to sound any good, which I still have fantasies about doing one day.) Very much prefer a bit more than that, but 44mm will do if everything else is right.

^ But all of that is off the topic I wanted to pick up on. Like you I also played two very similar Brooks in Project Music when I was there in July, both of them in spruce and rosewood. Same body as I recall, or perhaps just very similar, I forget already. And they were quite different! I wouldn't say one was better than the other, though my friend and I did both prefer the first one to the second one. But we both liked them both. Just a matter of personal taste - but for two guitars with theoretically identical timbers in the same body from the same maker to be so different really was interesting.

One thing to watch out for. I do two things when I go guitar shopping which I think really hold me in good stead.

* Use a known reference guitar to calibrate your ears. Every room is different, and I think one hears things differently on different days. So I always bring one of my own guitars in as a baseline. If that is impractical, I ask to play something I know well and like. (In my case, being far from home, it was one of Project Music's Matons - guitars I know very well and like. For another player it might be a J-45 or an OM-28 - anything you reckon will give you a known starting point before you play the other ones you fancy.

* Tune to standard! I take a clip-on tuner with me. At Project Music (and I've seen the same in other shops) all the guitars were more-or-less in tune, but they were not all in the same tune! Several were in about Eb and one was closer to D. This makes a huge difference to how a guitar sounds and feels! You can very easily conclude that (say) the Furch is dull and flat compared to the Lakewood when in fact the former is tuned to Eb and the later is in concert pitch. Or you might think the Lakewood is harder to play and bend notes on when actually it's the same as the Furch, just tuned higher.

ditchboy · September 2023

If you get the chance try a Larrivee too, I always regretted moving mine on. I have owned a Furch also, both are really well made guitars.

thomasross20 · September 2023

ditchboy said:

If you get the chance try a Larrivee too, I always regretted moving mine on. I have owned a Furch also, both are really well made guitars.

Thank heavens somebody said this as I didn't want to (again) lol....

Littlejonny · September 2023

Annoyingly, I’ve realised that Richards Guitars is closed on Sundays and only open until 4pm on Saturdays. Fair enough, but I work on Saturdays until 12:30 and this Saturday my daughter has to be taken to a birthday party. We can do it next weekend, and I’ll have approx 2hrs to make my choice. I’ll update you all then!

BigPaulie · September 2023

I'd love a bash on a Furch.

If you're going to Richard's try a Dowina as well.

I've had words with Richard in the past. If you disagree with any of his opinions, or his business model you'll fall out with him. I know people who have bought from him purely on be a customer/supplier basis and they can't recommend his products and service highly enough.

guitarjack66 · September 2023

BigPaulie said:

I'd love a bash on a Furch.

If you're going to Richard's try a Dowina as well.

I've had words with Richard in the past. If you disagree with any of his opinions, or his business model you'll fall out with him. I know people who have bought from him purely on be a customer/supplier basis and they can't recommend his products and service highly enough.

So avoid speaking about anything other than your purchase?

Tannin · September 2023

He has a heap of lovely-looking instruments, that's for sure.

Benm39 · September 2023

I tried a Furch at Coda, beautiful limited edition OM model 2018 LX

https://furchguitars.com/en/instruments/limited-editions/2018-limited-edition/

I was intent also on trying some Brook guitars. The Furch was a lovely instrument and it's only really the small scale production of Brook and that I grew up in Devon that ultimately meant I bought the Taw instead of the Furch.

Smellyfingers · September 2023

I traded a lovely 2019 Furch dreadnought to Glenn’s guitars in Enfield, I think it is still on sale for around £700(don’t worry - he’s probably cleaned it!), I think it would cost about >£1200 new.

Maybe because they don’t have the wide name recognition of the big American(or British) brands their used values can be a bargain.

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