Furch Blue Series Advice

[Toosharp]

Hi all,

I haven’t had a guitar for a few years but am looking to invest in a new one and after lots of research I’ve decided that I’m going to go with a Furch Blue Series CM.

As I say, I haven’t played an acoustic guitar for a few years and was never any great shakes but am looking to get back into it and hoping to improve.

I was mostly a strummer/flatpicker but would like to try my hand at fingerpicking too, which is my favourite style of playing.

Ideally, I would like to get the OM as I like the shape aesthetically but most importantly from a playing comfort point of view. However, I’m concerned that a cedar topped OM could be too easily overdriven when strumming and I will be playing all different styles on it.

It seems that most would recommend the Grand Auditorium shape if you need an all-rounder so this is the way I’m leaning, but I really would prefer to get the OM.

I won’t be using the guitar for performances, just playing around the house. I have searched this forum for threads about Furch so know there are plenty of members who have experience of them and I’m looking for a bit of guidance on which model I should go for (I don’t want a dreadnought so it’s strictly a choice of OM or GA).

However, there are also a couple of other considerations:

Open pore or gloss top (Blue Plus)? I’ve watched a ton of YouTube videos and am on the fence as to which I would prefer so again I’m asking for guidance here too.

Also, whilst I’d prefer a non-cutaway I see that Furch’s Masters Choice is a GA with cutaway; is there a benefit in getting the cutaway (other than it allowing easier access to frets)?

Forgot to mention, though probably goes without saying (otherwise why all the questions?!), I’ll be buying online and have no way of trying them out in person as no dealers near me.


Thanks in advance!

[gr81dorn]

Based on your playing style (intentions at least) Cedar top isn't maybe the best fit. The Blue series has a spruce top option over walnut or all mahogany, both of which (in my opinion) would suit your style better.

Don't get hung up on the gloss top unless you just want it shiny cuz it's purely aesthetic.

OM's are really versatile and if you aren't playing with big banjo killer dreads in a jam, you'll have all the volume you'll need and all the comfort you'll be glad to have.

Furchs are incredibly nice...really hard to beat at the price point of the Blue Series for sure.

[Toosharp]

Thanks for the quick reply and advice.

I have considered the Spruce & Mahogany options as I understand that most consider cedar to be best for fingerpicking but my only previous guitar was a cedar top (dread) and there’s just something about the sound of cedar that I really like.

If my budget were bigger I’d be more inclined to go with spruce (e.g. Furch Vintage), but realistically the Blue series is my limit and I much prefer the cedar in that range.

Because my budget is around the £1,000 mark, I have also considered some Eastmans OMs (E6 or E8) but something tells me Furch would be the way to go for my first guitar back as the playability is said to be outstanding.

[upsidedown]

Originally Posted by Toosharp

I have also considered some Eastmans OMs (E6 or E8) but something tells me Furch would be the way to go for my first guitar back as the playability is said to be outstanding.

Something to keep in mind about Eastman, their OMs are short scale - 24.9 if I'm not mistaken. Furchs are 25.9.

I'm sure about the whole numbers, but don't hold me to the numbers after the decimal

[Toosharp]

Originally Posted by upsidedown

Something to keep in mind about Eastman, their OMs are short scale - 24.9 if I'm not mistaken. Furchs are 25.9.

I'm sure about the whole numbers, but don't hold me to the numbers after the decimal

Yes, you’re right, and thanks for pointing that out.

Based on my relative lack of experience with guitars (and not even knowing the scale length of my previous guitar) I don’t think it would be an issue for me either way.

[pieterh]

Long time Furch fan and owner of three.

You can’t do wrong with an OM - yes the GA is a great all round shape and size but the OM is amazing for clarity and above all playabity. The reduction in low end is fairly minimal imho but overall a Furch OM competes healthily with anything volume wise.

You can get 43, 44 and even 45 mm nut width which might be worth thinking about - if you’re used to electric or even the old Martin D28 profile then the 43 is very nice (we have it on both of ours). 44 is more “standard”, similar to Taylor I would say. I haven’t played a 45mm neck so can’t comment on that one.

Cutaway - I think the OMs look better without one but it depends on your style. If you play a lot up the neck above the 10th fret etc then a cutaway is nice but even then not essential.

The Black Walnut Furch is using is gorgeous, my Green Plus 12-string dread has it and it’s lovely.

I don’t have any guitars with cedar tops but both our spruce topped OMs are amazing guitars.

[Toosharp]

Many thanks for your reply, Pieterh.

When searching this forum for previous Furch discussions I’d seen you often chime in and having firsthand experience with Furch OMs the information you provide is very helpful.

Maybe I need to reevaluate and should opt for the Blue series Spruce/Walnut OM. I love the look of the black walnut and it contrasts really nicely with the Sitka spruce top, it sounds really nice in the videos I’ve seen too
& I know it will be more versatile. It also allows me to buy in my preferred OM shape with confidence and if I somehow miraculously become a dynamite fingerstylist then I can always go back & spring for a cedar top to accompany it, right.

[Laynej37]

My cedar/rosewood furch has plenty of headroom and volume. I actually had a spruce/rosewood furch as well and there is very minimal difference in terms of volume and headroom, but the cedar just has more dimension to the tone. There is just something about the cedar top that I love that the spruce didn’t have.
In terms of satin vs glossy, its hard to say which you should get since you’re unable to play them both. I’ve never played a open pore finished furch but it will sound different than the gloss finish. They’re different thickness and hardness and I’ve read people report playing both and preferring the gloss top, although I can’t remember where I read that.

For me, I prefer the grand auditorium shape to an om in general due to the richer bass, but I don’t think you will have any trouble with an OM from furch.

Also, when you do decide what to get, I would highly recommend contacting Bill at the fretted Buffalo. I contacted at least 10 dealers when trying to find what I wanted in stock and he was by far the most helpful and fair in terms of price as well. He was able to get what I wanted right away directly from furch both times.

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by Toosharp

Many thanks for your reply, Pieterh.

When searching this forum for previous Furch discussions I’d seen you often chime in and having firsthand experience with Furch OMs the information you provide is very helpful.

Maybe I need to reevaluate and should opt for the Blue series Spruce/Walnut OM. I love the look of the black walnut and it contrasts really nicely with the Sitka spruce top, it sounds really nice in the videos I’ve seen too
& I know it will be more versatile. It also allows me to buy in my preferred OM shape with confidence and if I somehow miraculously become a dynamite fingerstylist then I can always go back & spring for a cedar top to accompany it, right.

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah I am a bit of a groupie for Furch, I can’t deny it! It all started when my wife had outgrown her maple Baby Taylor and saw this maple OM23sf which came home with us the same day!

Some years later I was wanting to get a Martin OOO28 (rather than the OM28; not because of the short scale specifically but because of the narrower 43mm neck.

And then I picked up this Furch OM34sr…

Two years ago I got to try a Furch 12-string (the one with black walnut back and sides). It also came home to us…

I really should try a cedar topped guitar just to see what (if anything) I’m missing. So far the only cedar topped guitar I’ve tried is my dad’s Gurian classical. Which is lovely of course but not really a fair indication of what a cedar steel string would be like in my hands…

[Toosharp]

Originally Posted by Laynej37

My cedar/rosewood furch has plenty of headroom and volume. I actually had a spruce/rosewood furch as well and there is very minimal difference in terms of volume and headroom, but the cedar just has more dimension to the tone. There is just something about the cedar top that I love that the spruce didn’t have.
In terms of satin vs glossy, its hard to say which you should get since you’re unable to play them both. I’ve never played a open pore finished furch but it will sound different than the gloss finish. They’re different thickness and hardness and I’ve read people report playing both and preferring the gloss top, although I can’t remember where I read that.

For me, I prefer the grand auditorium shape to an om in general due to the richer bass, but I don’t think you will have any trouble with an OM from furch.

Also, when you do decide what to get, I would highly recommend contacting Bill at the fretted Buffalo. I contacted at least 10 dealers when trying to find what I wanted in stock and he was by far the most helpful and fair in terms of price as well. He was able to get what I wanted right away directly from furch both times.

Thanks for the input, Laynej37; I see from your sig that you have the Yellow Series Cedar top, that seems to be a really beautiful guitar and the one I’d really love based on my research and GAS for a cedar top, but unfortunately my budget won’t stretch that far.

It’s a shame I can’t get to try some out before buying as I was pretty much set on the Blue OM CR, but there’s just that nagging doubt about whether it will ‘break up’ when strummed; I have seen a few videos where that model is strummed moderately and seems to handle it ok, but that’s my concern and what had me considering the GA as an alternative.

I’m in the UK so will probably be going with Richards Guitars, who provide a full set up free of charge prior to shipping, but would definitely be contacting The Fretted Buffalo if I was in the US.

[Aimelie]

Hello Toosharp!

I know you’re in a quandary, but I sort of envy you. Anticipating a new guitar and second guessing choices is all part of the fun.

Here’s a video for you (if you haven’t already seen it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfTf7oMqrI

To my point of view, the Plus option is a superior esthetic. I love that no wood is covered by an opaque pick guard. And the gloss top is wonderful for showing off the character and grain of the top wood. (Also, some months back, I was browsing Reverb listings for Furch and the Fretted Buffalo had a heavily reduced price Furch Little Jane. It was the matte, open pore finish, and the top was really marked up with dings and what looked like fingernail scratches. I don’t know what the story was behind that guitar, but seeing that, I decided that the very hard top gloss finish was definitely the way to go.)

I also like how the clear pick guard sets the guitar apart from so many other, more typical looking guitars. It’s nice to have something different.

Sound wise, I found the cedar played next to spruce Furch guitars had more color and warmth…much more to my liking for my personal playing style.

As for OM versus GA, there is no doubt (for me) that it would be more comfortable. And if I ever buy a second Furch, now that I have a GA, it would absolutely be an OM (but that would be an additional guitar, not a replacement).

For now, I can’t say firsthand how the two compare, although I probably will know more on that in the next month or so. My local shop has just got in some Furch OM Blue models, so I’ll be sure to pop in one of these days to see how they feel and sound. (However, “local” is a relative term, since they’re about a 45 minute drive away. I’m going to have my Yellow’s action lowered one of these days, so it will probably have to wait until then to try out those OM’s.)

I don’t know if this was helpful, but I just can’t resist chiming in on a Furch thread. Best wishes on your decision (and please do keep us updated on what you decide).

[Toosharp]

Originally Posted by Aimelie

Hello Toosharp!

I know you’re in a quandary, but I sort of envy you. Anticipating a new guitar and second guessing choices is all part of the fun.

Here’s a video for you (if you haven’t already seen it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfTf7oMqrI

To my point of view, the Plus option is a superior esthetic. I love that no wood is covered by an opaque pick guard. And the gloss top is wonderful for showing off the character and grain of the top wood. (Also, some months back, I was browsing Reverb listings for Furch and the Fretted Buffalo had a heavily reduced price Furch Little Jane. It was the matte, open pore finish, and the top was really marked up with dings and what looked like fingernail scratches. I don’t know what the story was behind that guitar, but seeing that, I decided that the very hard top gloss finish was definitely the way to go.)

I also like how the clear pick guard sets the guitar apart from so many other, more typical looking guitars. It’s nice to have something different.

Sound wise, I found the cedar played next to spruce Furch guitars had more color and warmth…much more to my liking for my personal playing style.

As for OM versus GA, there is no doubt (for me) that it would be more comfortable. And if I ever buy a second Furch, now that I have a GA, it would absolutely be an OM (but that would be an additional guitar, not a replacement).

For now, I can’t say firsthand how the two compare, although I probably will know more on that in the next month or so. My local shop has just got in some Furch OM Blue models, so I’ll be sure to pop in one of these days to see how they feel and sound. (However, “local” is a relative term, since they’re about a 45 minute drive away. I’m going to have my Yellow’s action lowered one of these days, so it will probably have to wait until then to try out those OM’s.)

I don’t know if this was helpful, but I just can’t resist chiming in on a Furch thread. Best wishes on your decision (and please do keep us updated on what you decide).

Many thanks for chiming in, Aimelie; you’re another member who I had seen comment in other Furch discussions and was hoping would do so again.

I’m very excited to be getting a new guitar and just itching to get started again after a few years out of the game, but this is somewhat tempered by my having to wait for a house purchase to go through before I can place my order so I could have to wait anything up to two months!

That being the case, I’m kind of jumping the gun on raising this topic but it’s been on my mind and I want to be sure that I make the right decision for me. Since I can’t pull the trigger for another month or two, if you do manage to check out any of those Furch cedar OMs in person within that timescale (and you haven’t seen a NGD post from me in the meantime) I’d really appreciate your feedback in the form of another reply to this topic.

Thanks for the information, it’s definitely very helpful; I agree too that the gloss finish will provide some much-needed protection for that soft cedar top and since all the models in the series above Blue come with the full gloss finish as standard, I can’t imagine it would be a detriment to the guitar’s sound either.

[Aimelie]

Originally Posted by Toosharp

Many thanks for chiming in, Aimelie; you’re another member who I had seen comment in other Furch discussions and was hoping would do so again.

I’m very excited to be getting a new guitar and just itching to get started again after a few years out of the game, but this is somewhat tempered by my having to wait for a house purchase to go through before I can place my order so I could have to wait anything up to two months!

That being the case, I’m kind of jumping the gun on raising this topic but it’s been on my mind and I want to be sure that I make the right decision for me. Since I can’t pull the trigger for another month or two, if you do manage to check out any of those Furch cedar OMs in person within that timescale (and you haven’t seen a NGD post from me in the meantime) I’d really appreciate your feedback in the form of another reply to this topic.

Thanks for the information, it’s definitely very helpful; I agree too that the gloss finish will provide some much-needed protection for that soft cedar top and since all the models in the series above Blue come with the full gloss finish as standard, I can’t imagine it would be a detriment to the guitar’s sound either.

I’ll be delighted to report back on this once I’ve had a chance to check out those OM’s (provided they don’t sell before I get to the shop again ). But, really, I’m sure you can trust Pieterh’s remarks on the subject of OM’s. The man knows what he’s talking about.

As for the gloss finish top, I’m sure I saw in a video with Petr Furch that he said their (then “new”) gloss finish not only provides better protection for the top wood (while being extremely thin), but also enhances the sonic qualities of the guitar.

Don’t worry about jumping the gun—that’s what this forum is for … information and dreams, both.

[jklotz]

I just recently pickup up an OMc-SR. I really like it. It's kind of the Taylor I always wished Taylor made, if that makes any sense. It holds tune really well, sounds really good and plays easily. I don't think you could go wrong with Furch. For around the house, I prefer an OM to a GC any day.

I am primarily a finger style player. Since you mentioned wanting to learn fingerstyle, please let me make some unsolicited suggestions. Make sure and get one long scale (25.5" or longer). The shorter scale guitars don't do as well with drop and alternate tunings, which you'll probably encounter if you go down the fingerstyle path. (are all Furch's long scale? I don't know their catalog very well) Also, you'll probably want to go for the wider nut (45mm). That extra string spacing is pretty much a necessity for me. Just something to think about.

Cedar vs spruce - cedar can be really nice for fingerstyle. I've got some cedar topped guitars. I personally think that spruce (sitka) is more versatile though. Given the styles you want to play are kind of all over the map, I think a spruce topped guitar might serve you better. To me, cedar is nice when you are looking for a certain flavor, that warmth and bloom, but it is a bit of a "speciality" thing. Sitka is more of a swiss army knife, do anything kind of sound and feel.

The above is just my opinion. Others might disagree. Best of luck with your search and I hope that helped a little.

[Toosharp]

Originally Posted by Aimelie

I’ll be delighted to report back on this once I’ve had a chance to check out those OM’s (provided they don’t sell before I get to the shop again ). But, really, I’m sure you can trust Pieterh’s remarks on the subject of OM’s. The man knows what he’s talking about.

As for the gloss finish top, I’m sure I saw in a video with Petr Furch that he said their (then “new”) gloss finish not only provides better protection for the top wood (while being extremely thin), but also enhances the sonic qualities of the guitar.

Don’t worry about jumping the gun—that’s what this forum is for … information and dreams, both.

Just realised that I forgot to check out the video you linked, which is one I missed when searching through them (though I’ve seen others of Doug from the Fretted Buffalo); it does seem that the OM can handle moderate strumming without issue, which is reassuring.

If you do get to play one yourself though, I would love to hear your thoughts on it too.