Eastman or Furch ?

Universal8 · July 2020

I’m looking at solid wood dreadnoughts at around the £750-900 mark. I’ve heard good things about both brands ( more about Furch ). Is one brand better than the other ?

Teyeplayer · July 2020

Bloody hell that’s hard. Despite being a huge Eastman fan, I’d also throw Auden into the mix if you don’t mind another option -they really are very good.

DiscoStu · July 2020

Being a Stonebridge owner, I'd totally recommend Furch.

earwighoney · July 2020

Universal8 said:

I’m looking at solid wood dreadnoughts at around the £750-900 mark. I’ve heard good things about both brands ( more about Furch ). Is one brand better than the other ?

I kind of have both.

For the kind of my Furch, isn't a Czech made one but a Stanford which was a MIC version of a Furch OM32, exactly the same dimensions as the Furch, I also have a Eastman E10-00.

In that price range for Eastman, there are a few all solid dreads,

£500 - E1D (Sitka/Sapele), £529 E2D - Cedar/Sapele, £900 - E6D Sitka/Mahogany

Furch

£900 - Blue D CM - (Cedar/Mahogany), and if you look around, £900 Blue D SW - Spruce Walnut.

Ok, the differences - I wouldn't say one is better than another I'd look at which woods suit your playing more. All the guitars above come with a gig bag aside from the E6D, which comes with a hard case.

The vintage style Furch guitars I have played (and kind of own) are very lightly built, and mine will move around with the slightest bit of humidity, my Eastman on on the other hand is a bit more robust.

Furch guitars can have quite a shallow neck angle, and quite a low string height at the bridge, whilst my Eastman has a slightly steeper neck angle and a slightly higher string height at the bridge.

As for necks, both guitars have around 1 3/4" nuts (the Eastman is a touch less, Furch a touch more) and both have around 55mm string spacing at the saddle.

I like both equally, and would consider buying another one of each again.

Another dread in the price range I'd consider is the new Gibson G-45 Studio at around £800.

danishbacon · July 2020

Having owned Furch from lower mid to highest end, can’t fault them.

enjo · July 2020

I love my Eastman E1OM. Went from a Larrivee to the Eastman and checked out a lot of guitars in that sort of price range before deciding on it. I haven't play a Furch though...
We're not making this any easier are we?

GTC · July 2020

I've had a Furch and an Eastman. Both were great. The Eastman was probably better value whilst the Furch had undeniable understated class in appearance and tone. The Furch is probably likely to have better long-term resale value.

Winny_Pooh · July 2020

Electrics yes, but I'd not buy an acoustic unseen. Try some in person. To give you an idea, last time I was in Guitar Village I tried about 17 acoustics and liked 2 (one was £650, the other was £2600). I've also been in shops trying Martins, Larrivee's, Guilds etc and not liked any.
I've played 3x Gibson Advanced Jumbos and only liked mine.
I think you get what I mean.

richman6100 · July 2020

I have a Furch G23-CRC (cedar/rosewood), it's a wonderful guitar. 45mm nut, so great for finger picking, but big enough for strumming too. A perfect all-rounder, if you like. Beautifully built, equal to anything I tried at the higher end from Martin and Taylor in terms of build quality. A bit higher priced than what you're looking at though. I also own two Audens, a dreadnought and a parlour. A fair bit cheaper, but bloody amazing. I find myself reaching for the Audens more, not because they're better, but they do their own thing specifically, and really well. The parlour is so comfortable that it gets the most use, obviously better suited to finger picking. When I was looking for a Dreadnought, I erred on the side of Martin, but nothing twice the price of the Auden was better, many were worse. I have no experience of Eastman (though reviews are excellent), but Auden are definitely worth a look.

brojangles · July 2020

I think they're both good - I have an Eastman E8D dread that I got for £700 and it can hang with an HD28, and I've never heard complaints about Furch. With your budget I'd hold out for a second hand Furch or Eastman and choose between them based on which came up first on the used market near enough to try out and at a price and in a model I wanted.

McSwaggerty · July 2020

I've got an Eastman, it's the best Guitar l have ever owned, and l have had plenty, including Martin D18 and a Gibson J45......
Not had a Furch though, which possibly renders the above statement useless.... Haha.

Fuengi · July 2020

I love Eastman, but the best guitar I could find in exactly that budget was a PRS acoustic.

Funkfingers · July 2020

richman6100 said:

I have a Furch G23-CRC (cedar/rosewood) … equal to anything I tried at the higher end from Martin and Taylor in terms of build quality.

I have the same model but with the Stonebridge label and headstock logo. For my tastes, L. R. Baggs Lyric electronics complete the picture.

Universal8 · July 2020

Should I include Faith in my search or are they not in the same category ( quality wise ) ?

richman6100 · July 2020

I've owned a couple of Faith models, a spruce/rosewood Venus (now passed on to my son) and an all mahogany Neptune. They were good for the money, but personally I rate Auden higher.

Teyeplayer · July 2020

This has just gone up in the classifieds, I’ve no connection, just looks lovely and a good price:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/185045/fs-eastman-e1ss-classic-finish-limited-edition#latest

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Eastman or Furch ?

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