Furch and heel stacks

[TBman]

I noticed on a sponsor's page that the Blue series has a heel stack instead of a one piece neck. Can anyone confirm that? Do they use the stacks on higher models?

Furch Blue cedar/hog

[vld]

Hi Barry,
The heel stack seems to be standard even for Red series. I have it on my G25 (now Red) and 2018 limited (Little Jane does not have it for obvious reasons

You can configure the Rainbow series model with one piece neck, and the premium is 268EUR according to Furch website.

I do not see the heel stack as a problem mainly because of this:
https://furchguitars.com/us/features/furch-cnr-system/
The wood serves just as a cover for neck reinforcement. Esthetically also OK for me.

Regards

Vlada

[ChalkLitIScream]

I played some red and orange series guitars and remember having a 2 piece neck with the stacked heel.Im going to assume that the green and yellow series also have it.
As was mentioned above, there is an option for a one piece neck, but the upcharge isn't worth it, and Im not even sure if its a plus point.

I would have preferred if they attacked the headstocks with a scarf joint, instead of having it made with one piece of khaya.

[Dwight]

....and every Taylor

[gr81dorn]

Not to hijack, but other than some potentially mis-matching grains and colors, is there some perceived structural disadvantage with the stacked block heal considering it's a bolt-on neck?

Obviously, from a manufacturing standpoint, you can buy thinner lumber, have a much greater yield, etc by stacking and scarfing, but I am just curious if the OP's question stems from the appearance or some quality characteristic.

[hat]

If getting quality lumber in large enough sizes to do a one piece neck is an issue, I would much prefer that they laminate lengthwise like Gibson and Yamaha does. Much stronger, helps to resist twisting and warping, and doesn't look nearly as tacky.

[Earl49]

I have no issue with heel stacks, since it allows for the use of smaller billets of wood during manufacture - better use of a limited resource. Ditto for a scarf joint at the headstock. A properly executed glue joint is considered by most woodworkers to be stronger than a single piece of wood.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by TBman

I noticed on a sponsor's page that the Blue series has a heel stack instead of a one piece neck. Can anyone confirm that? Do they use the stacks on higher models?

Hi Barry
I've never even looked at the heel on the Furch guitars that I've played. They are not contributing to the tone or playability. If it's well matched it's not noticeable.

The only time I ever rejected a guitar because of a heel stack was a Taylor which whoever chose the parts-from-a-bin during assembly chose the upper half in a dark toned wood and the bottom of the heel in a very light wood. Looked terrible…

Many necks have the headstock attached by finger joints, and heels split etc for the sake of efficiency. Technically they are at least as strong and possibly stronger than single piece construction.

I have a 5 piece neck on both my Bashkin and Olson, which means they are made up of slices of wood which are glued together for strength.




I don't even 'see' the 5 piece necks on my instruments after 14 and 26 years respectfully…I was neither attracted to nor repulsed by them on either purchase. Not sure I was aware of them till pointed out by other obsessive players.

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Earl49

I have no issue with heel stacks, since it allows for the use of smaller billets of wood during manufacture - better use of a limited resource. Ditto for a scarf joint at the headstock. A properly executed glue joint is considered by most woodworkers to be stronger than a single piece of wood.

This is where I stand on the issue as well. My Wingerts have 5 piece necks similar to the Olson and Bashkin guitars that Larry references. My Alvarez has a stacked neck and it doesn't bother me at all. But, you are the one that has to make peace with it - or piece with it - as the case may be.

Best,
Jayne

[TBman]

I've never spotted them on Taylors. Hmm. Ok. I guess if the grain matches ok it's not a big deal.

[DanR]

Originally Posted by TBman

I've never spotted them on Taylors. Hmm. Ok. I guess if the grain matches ok it's not a big deal.

I've never noticed a 2 piece scarf joint on a Taylor until I tried out a new 317 and 517 model and both had that joint.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Barry
I've never even looked at the heel on the Furch guitars that I've played. They are not contributing to the tone or playability. If it's well matched it's not noticeable.

The only time I ever rejected a guitar because of a heel stack was a Taylor which whoever chose the parts-from-a-bin during assembly chose the upper half in a dark toned wood and the bottom of the heel in a very light wood. Looked terrible…

Many necks have the headstock attached by finger joints, and heels split etc for the sake of efficiency. Technically they are at least as strong and possibly stronger than single piece construction.

I have a 5 piece neck on both my Bashkin and Olson, which means they are made up of slices of wood which are glued together for strength.




I don't even 'see' the 5 piece necks on my instruments after 14 and 26 years respectfully…I was neither attracted to nor repulsed by them on either purchase. Not sure I was aware of them till pointed out by other obsessive players.

Larry, It's a heel stack that I'm not a fan of. My Avalon has a 3 piece neck, that doesn't bother me at all. Maybe because I've seen some grossly mismatched heel stacks on less expensive guitars so I associate them with a "cheap" guitar. Obviously I'm off base with that, but it's funny how stuff sticks with you sometimes.

[gitarro]

If by heel stack you mean that the heel is made of two blocks of wood glued together, there is nothing wrong with that. The somogyi that I used to own has such a construction and it was the best guitar I have ever played.