Sitka Spruce/Rosewood combos by Furch - any real difference or just bling bling?

Pillendreher · #1 10-08-2019, 02:33 AM

So almost every time I could get my hand on one of those Furch Sitka/RW dreads/GAs, I've been blown away by the tone clarity and the general balance of the guitars. Nothing I've played so far was quite able to match that.

Furch currently has eight diferent Sitka/RW guitars in its lineup:

-Vintage 1 SR
-Vintage 2 SR
-Vintage 3 SR
-Green SR
-Yellow SR
-Orange SR
-Red Pure SR
-Red SR

I've created an Excel spreadsheet with all the specs provided by Furch itself on its website to check for any "real" differences between said guitars. This is what I've come up with (I'm using the Vintage 1 as a baseline since it's actually the cheapest out of those 8 in Germany):

I'm no expert, but to me this looks like the difference between these guitars is probably less about fundamental things that actually influence the tone and more about visual aspects. E.g. Vintage 1 and Green top and back/sides are classified as "AA", the rest is "AAA" or "master grade". Afaik, that's not the "tonal quality" of the wood but a grade for its aesthetical value, ie AAA is prettier than AA.

Is this all there is to it or is there more that is responsible for the 1.400 € gab between the Vintage 1 and the Red?

Mbroady · #2 10-08-2019, 05:02 AM

One thing to add is for the the red line both the back and top go through the individually tuned voicing process, in all other guitars it’s only the top.

Putting aside the open pore finish of the lower end models, I would tend to agree that much or the up-charge for the higher end models are the appointments and bling, but in my experience there is a non-tangible quality and feel to the Vintage 3 and red line that set them apart. It could be just a personal perception thing but it seems real to me.

But you can’t go wrong with any Furch

Psfam · #3 10-08-2019, 05:49 AM

I like your chart. I bought the older nomenclature OOM31/SR which might be Vintage 1? Anyway I love the finish which is a very smooth satin that doesn’t stick to my arm. And it has tortoise binding rather than white. But the wood is gorgeous, as fine as any I have ever seen. The workmanship is flawless, seriously. I played a lot of Furches the day I picked this one out and I was drawn to the little one even though it was the least expensive.

Pillendreher · #4 10-08-2019, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbroady

One thing to add is for the the red line both the back and top go through the individually tuned voicing process, in all other guitars it’s only the top.

Good catch, I missed that. That should make a difference sound wise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbroady

Putting aside the open pore finish of the lower end models

I've actually quite enjoyed those open pore finishes. Not as strong as on an Eastman I saw last week (felt like I was touching raw wood), but very nice to feel and play.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbroady

I would tend to agree that much or the up-charge for the higher end models are the appointments and bling, but in my experience there is a non-tangible quality and feel to the Vintage 3 and red line that set them apart. It could be just a personal perception thing but it seems real to me.

I haven't encountered a Vintage 3/Red yet, so I can't speak to their quality, but those that I have played were of an exceptional standard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbroady

But you can’t go wrong with any Furch

Yeah feels like it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psfam

I like your chart. I bought the older nomenclature OOM31/SR which might be Vintage 1?

Yeah, it is. 20 = Blue, 22 = Green, 23 = Yellow, 25 should be Red, 31 = Vintage 1, 34 = Vintage 2 and 35 = Vintage 3.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psfam

Anyway I love the finish which is a very smooth satin that doesn’t stick to my arm. And it has tortoise binding rather than white. But the wood is gorgeous, as fine as any I have ever seen. The workmanship is flawless, seriously. I played a lot of Furches the day I picked this one out and I was drawn to the little one even though it was the least expensive.

Yeah Furch just feels very premium-ish, doesn't it? Even the cheaper guitars like the Blue series look and feel like a premier instrument.

Mbroady · #5 10-08-2019, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillendreher

.

Yeah, it is. 20 = Blue, 22 = Green, 23 = Yellow, 25 should be Red, 31 = Vintage 1, 34 = Vintage 2 and 35 = Vintage 3.

.

It is my understanding that the Vintage 1 parallels the 33 line and so on.

Pillendreher · #6 10-08-2019, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbroady

It is my understanding that the Vintage 1 parallels the 33 line and so on.

Per Furch's own website:

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/31-sr/

Quote:

The successor of Furch 31-SR you can find under designation Furch Vintage 1.

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/32-sm/

Quote:

Furch 32-SM does not have direct successor but you can find very similar construction or details in our Furch Vintage 1 and Furch Vintage 2.

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/33-sr/

Quote:

Furch 33-SR does not have direct successor but you can find very similar construction or details in our Furch Vintage 1 a Furch Vintage 2.

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/34-sr/

Quote:

The successor of Furch 34-SR you can find under designation Furch Vintage 2.

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/35-sr/

Quote:

The successor of Furch 35-SR you can find under designation Furch Vintage 3.

Mbroady · #7 10-08-2019, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillendreher

Per Furch's own website:

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/31-sr/

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/32-sm/

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/33-sr/

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/34-sr/

https://furchguitars.com/us/instrume...-models/35-sr/

thanks for the correction. Seems that they have blurred the line between the 31, 32 and 33 series, with the exception of no hog backed guitars.

My First Furch was a Stonebridge D33SR. It is, in many ways, the one that got away...

I might have a line on a new/old stock OM 33SR. Hope it pans out.

Good luck on you search for the right guitar

ChalkLitIScream · #8 10-08-2019, 05:32 PM

I did extensive playing comparing the models top to bottom, and I too came to the same conclusion. I have no experience with the vintage series (no interest) and only compared the coloured series.

I did a lot of playing with the Cedar and rosewood models (Yellow, Green, Red, Rainbow) but same conclusion. If you were a blind man or a person who didnt care about the visuals, I would always suggest getting the yellow series for a CR guitar. No significant difference between it, the orange or red series guitars. I actually expected the yellow and orange to sound similar, with a significant difference with the reds, given that they go extra voicing on the back as well.

Not so. it wasn't a difference that warranted almost 2x the price.

I will say that there is a difference between the blue CM and green CM models, and I would attribute that to the finish? Blues are all satin, greens all gloss.

Really wonderful instruments though.

Pillendreher · #9 10-09-2019, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChalkLitIScream

I did extensive playing comparing the models top to bottom, and I too came to the same conclusion. I have no experience with the vintage series (no interest) and only compared the coloured series.

I did a lot of playing with the Cedar and rosewood models (Yellow, Green, Red, Rainbow) but same conclusion. If you were a blind man or a person who didnt care about the visuals, I would always suggest getting the yellow series for a CR guitar. No significant difference between it, the orange or red series guitars. I actually expected the yellow and orange to sound similar, with a significant difference with the reds, given that they go extra voicing on the back as well.

Not so. it wasn't a difference that warranted almost 2x the price.

I will say that there is a difference between the blue CM and green CM models, and I would attribute that to the finish? Blues are all satin, greens all gloss.

Really wonderful instruments though.

Thanks for your feedback. If we were to just look at Green and Yellow while including discontinued models, we'd have quite a selection of guitars:

Furch Green SR
Furch Green Plus SR = Furch 22 SR
Furch Green Master's Choice
Furch 23 SR (Can't find anything about it online, yet there are German shops offering it)
Furch 24 SR ~ Yellow/Orange
Furch 25 SR ~ Red/Red Plus
Yellow SR
Yellow Plus-SR

Out of all of those, I've only played the Furch Green SR as a Grand Auditorium with a Cutaway; this one I liked very much - felt great to play, strumming sounded a bit like I was playing a 12 string the way the higher notes were noticeable while still providing a great balance across the "spectrum".
The only Yellow I've played so far was a Grand Auditorium with a Cedar top, which I didn't like (the first time that happened to me with a Furch instrument). Its sound was "over the top": At first I thought that one of the strings was out of tune, but then I realized that the 5th string was so dominant, it was muddying up the whole sound. Maybe it was the Cedar top instead of Sitka or maybe it was just a dud, but I'd still be willing to try a SR Yellow if I could get my hands on one.