Furch cedar/mahogany Grand Auditorium or OM?

[PeterD18DK]

Originally Posted by Shadowfox

So two considerations:
You can also order a Deep Body OM, which will be as deep as a GA.

Good point, I saw this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYNV9gWg30g

and Doug plays fantastic, but the sound is nice warm and mellow, it is not far away from a GA though

[Macpage]

Originally Posted by PeterD18DK

However, I am going to try the cedar/mahogany combination

I can't imagine you would be disappointed. Sure would be nice to have both cedar Furchs side by side. The Taylor 514 with mahogany was also quite desireable. Wish I could provide some thoughts, but I was focused on spruce this go round. Looking forward to hearing what you think when you get your hands on one.

Best,

Mac

[pieterh]

I haven’t tried the combination you are interested in but here are my thoughts:

First, excellent choice with Furch. They are surely the best bang for the buck these days, outstanding build quality and playability with some great wood and specification choices. One of their great features is just their consistency, at least on all the models I’ve tried (and we own three!).

I’m going to do against the general trend here though and suggest you go for an OM, even if the main focus is bluegrass and folk music. One of the great things about Furch are the options available and if you are ordering then you should be able to get specific features: the deep body will offset some of the potential difference between GA and OM body styles, and there are 43, 44 and 45 mm nut widths available on the neck.

As for wood combinations/top wood, I agree with you - you have a collection that suits live playing already so why not add something a little different? Cedar might not be so obvious in bluegrass flatpicking but you have it covered already and having an alternative should give interesting sonic colours.

My rosewood spruce OM is the best balanced guitar I have. Volume wise it holds its own easily against my Taylor (GA) or Guild (D). I imagine the deep bodied OM would be an even better match!

have the narrow nut on mine which makes it perfect for flatpicking! Fingerstyle is doable too though if I’m playing out live I usually have my Taylor with me too.

While writing this on my phone I can’t remember what you have besides (can’t see the post when using Tapatalk!) but I’m sure an OM deep bodied would do the trick.

Of course, the GA is a superb all rounder too which is why my first new acoustic when I was after one in 2006 was my Taylor...

[Wrighty]

I’ve owned both a Furch OM in cedar/mahogany and a cedar/rosewood GA. The GA was louder and more resonant, but for fingerstyle I preferred the OM. Both great but if you lean towards volume oriented strumming or flat picking then the GA may be better (But surely a dread more suited than either?)

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by PeterD18DK

I have decided on a Furch cedar/mahogany Grand Auditorium or OM.

I play folk, bluegrass, blues and I mostly do solo stuff along with some strumming.

Do You think the OM can handle it? Or will it be to boxy/nasal for picking and strumming?

I own both a Green OM-SR (Sitka/EIR) and a Blue G-CM (Redcedar/Mahogany). Both great guitars, but different in their tone and dynamic response.


To the OP's question...yes, the OM is certainly up for strumming with a Sitka top. It will have more limited headroom with a cedar top. How much more limited will depend on the particular guitar you get. But the same applies to the G body.



The Blue series CMs are lightly built. My G-CM started ringing as I pulled it out of the bag the first time (really nice gig bags with the Blue series, BTW). As a lightly built cedar-topped guitar, it has wonderful sensitivity for fingerstyle, finger strumming and light pick strumming. But it's not an all-out strummer...it'll get a bit fawpy if pushed hard. It has a wonderful open woody-airy tone, great string separation. The gloss top Blue Plus guitars seem to have a bit more chime in the attack, a bit less of the woody thing.


The big difference I have found in the body sizes is the bass response. The OM has plenty of bass, but it is well balanced with the other registers. It is a responsive guitar. The Gs have more boom in the bass but retain the OM's overall responsiveness. I would describe it as a more "dread-like bass in an OM-like package".



Agreed the G's ergonomics aren't much different than the OM...very comfortable.


So, I think a sitka top Furch would be a better do-it-all guitar. Choose an OM or G based on the bass response you desire. If you want that nice cedar warmth, you'll have to trade away some of the headroom regardless of the body size you choose.

[PeterD18DK]

Originally Posted by Wrighty

Both great but if you lean towards volume oriented strumming or flat picking then the GA may be better (But surely a dread more suited than either?)

good point about the dread. The OM will be good on the couch and for recording because is so balanced, although boxy when flatpicked, there is also something nice about the boxy sound. The GA has a fuller sound, a very nice sound and the dread will kick in doors in a jam and it has more punch on the couch.

[PeterD18DK]

Originally Posted by OddManOut

So, I think a sitka top Furch would be a better do-it-all guitar. Choose an OM or G based on the bass response you desire. If you want that nice cedar warmth, you'll have to trade away some of the headroom regardless of the body size you choose.

Thank you for a good description. I already own an adi/mahogany round shoulder dread, a spruce/walnut GA and a spruce/laminated mahogany OM. I play everything with a pick and I love spruce. Recently I saw a few Youtube vids of cedar/mahogany and it has its quality, although not that loud. For now I see that if I am going for a cedar/mahogany OM. It is gonna stay in house. But a cedar/mahogany dread or GA could work for some jamming.

[DukeX]

Originally Posted by PeterD18DK

yeah it is vertasile and better jams with other loud instruments. Still the OM is very focused and tone is fast.

Agreed. For fingerstyle only, it's my OM all day every day!

[kliend]

I agree with Oddmanout above.

I love my Furch OM, great guitar. I'm struggling a bit with the setup and the first shop I took it to. The setup is now too low and I need a new Saddle

Otherwise the guitar itself has been nothing but amazing and I can't sing their praises enough. Then again I did get basically the topmost line they offer

Cheers and happy shopping