While trying out various acoustic guitars, I quickly realized that I wanted a smaller body guitar made from solid woods, with a vintage look. This led me in the direction of Martin’s Standard O/OO18-line, Guild’s M-20, and Furch’s Vintage line. As I currently live in Austria, not too far from Furch’s factory in Czechia, I decided to read more about Furch. The idea of buying a top-quality instrument from this region of Europe appealed to me. The consistent praise I heard and read about all of Furch’s models and their manufacturing innovations piqued my interest further, which is why I ultimately opted for this model.
It is a stunning guitar. The different types of wood look beautiful. The quality of the woods, the finish, and the details such as the herringbone purfling, slotted headstock, and intricate marquetry would cost significantly more from other brands. The only downside was the relatively high string action when I first received the guitar. However, a couple of quarter turns with the hex key which was provided with the guitar to tighten the truss rod fixed this issue immediately, without needing to take the strings off. The action is now lower and exactly the way I like it.
Furch’s method of voicing each guitar individually seems to work very well, as the sound is impressive and very well balanced for a guitar of this size. I find it perfect for fingerstyle playing as well as strumming at home. The mahogany neck is not too thick, the string spacing is comfortable, and it is as much a joy to play on the fingerboard down low as it is higher up the neck (to the twelfth fret), with or without a capo.
The Hiscox hardcase supplied with the guitar is robust and matches the more compact size of the OOM perfectly, meaning it’s a bit lighter and easier to carry. The Furch ‘F’ logo looks great on it, too. In the case, along with the hex key for adjusting the truss rod, two spare bridge pins and a small file are provided in a small pouch. There is also a certificate of authenticity listing the types of wood which were used and a link to the Furch website where you can register your new purchase.
Note: The Gotoh SE700 Gold Patina tuning machines mentioned and pictured on the Thomann website appear to be Schaller GrandTune Butterbean tuning machines on my model. Having never seen or used the Gotohs, I can’t compare them. All I can say is that the Schaller GrandTune Butterbean tuning machines are high quality, do the job very well, but are perhaps a brighter/shinier gold and silver colour than the vintage gold-only patina look of the Gotoh ones, if the photos are anything to go by.
Overall, I am delighted with my purchase. Having been playing electric guitar exclusively for the past few years, I must say that this guitar has inspired me to dive into the world of acoustic guitar and learn some fingerstyle arrangements. I have a feeling it will be a long journey, but I know this gem of a guitar will accompany me reliably along the way.
