Long-time player - first serious purchase. Advice please!

[stillsteven]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

Thanks Aimelie.

I know paperwork isn't perhaps that important but this is a big purchase for me and part of the excitement is the feeling of receiving a guitar lovingly made by a small group of people at Furch. A certificate would certainly have added to that experience.

I checked the serial number and it dates from April 2020. Not sure if that's good or bad, but it does seem a wee while ago.

Unfortunately I didn't buy this from Richard's Guitars. They were my first choice because I read a lot about their attention to detail and good customer service but they just didn't seem to have many Furchs in stock. If I do return this one, I'll certainly get in touch to check what they have available.

Here is a pic of the saddle. I'm no expert but it seems a bit low to me. I did actually watch a Richard's Guitars video recently where he talked about guitars failing their quality control due to a low saddle.

As someone pointed before in this thread,
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=628985

not all Furch come with the certificate. Strange but seems like Furch will produce it if requested by the dealer.

April 2020 isn't that far back considering some shops are finding it hard to get their inventories rolling during the pandemic. However, that saddle is indeed quite low. It would take a lot of convincing (financially or the guitar is just special) for me to take that guitar. If you can send it back, I would do it in a heartbeat given that you found the guitar to be a disappointment.

[*Sundance*]

Here are a couple of better pics.

I reckon the saddle height above the bridge is about 2.5mm at the 6th string, and about 2mm at the 1st string.

I contacted Furch who said they could send me the servicing pack so that's good. They also suggested tightening the truss rod or getting the retailer to do adjustments to correct the buzzing.

Frustratingly, the buzzing is not always there, and when it does occur it seems to be coming more from the bridge area rather than the frets. I'm not sure about this though...I tried making sure there are no loose cables or bridge pins rattling but can't seem to find the exact issue.

I do wonder if there should be more relief on the neck as there is no discernible gap above the middle frets when I press down on frets 1 and 14. I did try some very minor loosening of the truss rod to see if I could sort that but I had no success and I don't want to change too much as I think now I will have to return it, even just for peace of mind.

Unfortunately I had to pay about £50 for delivery due to my remote location and I suspect that the retailer won't agree to refund that, or my return shipping costs, so I may end up about £100 out of pocket. Not going to risk being disappointed with a £1k purchase though!

Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully it won't be long before I'm fully enjoying a Furch

[EJJS]

The saddle does look a bit low but maybe some of the luthiers on this forum could tell you better. The saddle on my Yammie is about 3.2mm high and it plays and sounds great.


Good luck with your new guitar and enjoy it!

[Aimelie]

Ideally, new guitar day should be a joyous occasion, not one of niggling doubts.

On the bright side, Richard’s just got in a Blue Deluxe with bevels…

https://rguitars.co.uk/products/furch-blue-deluxe-gc-cm

[deg123]

I'd tend to agree that it would be best to send this back. Apart from the possible setup issues, the lack of resonance would ring alarm bells for me.

It may be that this particular guitar (or maybe the Furch models generally) are not what you are looking for, especially if you hadn't previously played one. I know it's disappointing when a new guitar doesn't live up to expectations, but best to take some more time and get the right guitar for you rather than regretting your purchase later. I went through a similar purchase last Christmas and had to accept waiting until after Christmas to get the guitar I really wanted.

From experience, having had two guitars from them, you would definitely have the guitar setup perfectly from Richard's guitars if you do decide to order another Furch from them (or other model). Might be worth giving them a call and describing what you are hearing from the Furch you have. They are really helpful and could help identify if this is just a setup issue, or maybe also suggest other models with a sound that better suits what you are looking for.

[stillsteven]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

Frustratingly, the buzzing is not always there, and when it does occur it seems to be coming more from the bridge area rather than the frets. I'm not sure about this though...I tried making sure there are no loose cables or bridge pins rattling but can't seem to find the exact issue.

Low break angle exerts less downward pressure at the saddle, resulting in loss of tone projection and quality and sometimes causes buzzing coming from that area. Another possible explanation is the bottom of the saddle is not flush with the slot in the bridge.

Losing £100 is no fun but take it as a learning experience, asking sellers for pics, videos, and such before buying a guitar online will go a long way. Hope you soon find the one! And I agree with others’ suggestion not to limit yourself to one model or one brand. The fact that you found the tone disappointing, it could just be you don’t like the signature sound of that model/brand. At that price range, there are several other models I would personally look at.

[*Sundance*]

Yes, lesson definitely learned...I called Richard's Guitars today and spoke to Richard himself who was amazingly helpful.

The end result is that I am returning the Furch to Project Music and Richard is sending me a Furch Blue OM CM AND an Eastman E6OM- TC so I can try them both and keep one. I will obviously cover the costs of returning one guitar but to be able to play and compare two guitars together is fantastic.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Furch Blue OM sounds when setup correctly, and comparing the cedar top with the torrified spruce of the Eastman. Will also be interesting to see how the different scale lengths and neck profiles feel.

[deg123]

Glad you got that sorted with Richard and hope one of them turns out to be the right guitar for you !

Let us know what you decide once you've had a chance to play them both side by side.

[stillsteven]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

Yes, lesson definitely learned...I called Richard's Guitars today and spoke to Richard himself who was amazingly helpful.

The end result is that I am returning the Furch to Project Music and Richard is sending me a Furch Blue OM CM AND an Eastman E6OM- TC so I can try them both and keep one. I will obviously cover the costs of returning one guitar but to be able to play and compare two guitars together is fantastic.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Furch Blue OM sounds when setup correctly, and comparing the cedar top with the torrified spruce of the Eastman. Will also be interesting to see how the different scale lengths and neck profiles feel.

I think you’re in good hands with Richards Guitars. Aside from the top wood and scale length I think you’ll notice one comes in a satin open pore finish vs gloss finish, gig bag vs hardshell case, normal acoustic guitar fb radius vs les paul-esque radius. Looking forward to hear good news from you once you’ve tried both guitars. Enjoy.

[Aimelie]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

Yes, lesson definitely learned...I called Richard's Guitars today and spoke to Richard himself who was amazingly helpful.

The end result is that I am returning the Furch to Project Music and Richard is sending me a Furch Blue OM CM AND an Eastman E6OM- TC so I can try them both and keep one. I will obviously cover the costs of returning one guitar but to be able to play and compare two guitars together is fantastic.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Furch Blue OM sounds when setup correctly, and comparing the cedar top with the torrified spruce of the Eastman. Will also be interesting to see how the different scale lengths and neck profiles feel.

What great customer service! I’m delighted for you.

[Mr. Jelly]

The best guitar for any guitarist to buy is the one they are in love with. Everything else will fall in place from there.

[blakey]

I saw a brand new Gibson J45 in a shop the other week. I think the saddle was even lower than this one. It did play and sound fantastic though.

[*Sundance*]

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 (nearly a year since I started my research!) but I'm so happy with the outcome!

Thanks to everyone for all the advice, and best wishes.

Here they both are: