I was in the market for a dreadnought (for the looks) preferably without a pickup for home use.
I wanted something quality, to keep long term, without costing more than €1500 (limit set by my wife 😅).
Initially I wasn't aware of Furch but after playing one at a local music store I was positively impressed.
Unfortunately the unit at the store had a nut cut too low which discouraged me from buying it.
In the end I was divided between this and the Yamaha FG3 but decided for the Furch only because of better availability.
The guitar arrived in a sealed box, clean, with no traces of use and a rosewood smell 🤤.
Along with a sticker, the COA, two extra bridge pins and a truss rod key (but no cnr-a key).
Below, my impressions after a month (keep in mind I mostly sing and play electric).
It sounds really good, easily on the same level as made in USA guitars.
Plenty of bass, loud and responsive to light inputs.
Suited for singing accompaniment but may be louder than your voice.
Intonation is spot on (±5 cents, tested on all strings up to the 14th frets).
Can't say how it performs in a mix, sorry.
Body dimensions and weight (2.2kg) are close to Martin's.
The open pore finish is super thin and gives it a characteristic feel, still, everything is fine sanded and smooth.
It had a good setup out the box, action was 5/64" and 4/64" @ 12th fret (no extra luthier/setup costs 🤑).
Neck is comfortable and easy to play.
I like my wife's description: discreet and elegant.
It looks good despite no inlays, abalone, etc.
Except for a miniscule dent at the back, the finish is flawless.
The neck was painted before joining the body but one can see a hairline gap around the neck joint (if that matters to you).
Can't say about finish durability yet (will update if anything noteworthy).
The guitar closely matches the online photos.
The nut is almost leveled with frets and has no material above the strings and there is no binding or pinging despite the slots not being angled towards the posts.
The saddle has a good fit in the bridge (could be a bit more snugg though), a flat base and doesn't lean forward.
Just be aware the nut is intentionally not glued.
All frets are perfectly seated and crowned. There is no fret sprout but don't expect a mirror polished finish.
Frets are regular size (~2x1mm) and from the 1st to 14th fret the leveling is good (only minimal rocking in the center of the neck).
From fret 15th onwards it's hard to tell if it has a fall away or lower quality leveling but it doesn't matter much since it doesn't have a cutaway.
Regardless, there is no buzzing, dead notes or choking anywhere.
Inside all is tidy, no glue squeeze out except for one spot which isn't normally visible.
Braces are tucked under the lining and sides are reinforced.
I can't tell if the back is one or two pieces, regardless, there is no backstrip.
Bridge pins are slotted and chamfered to accommodate the string ball ends.
Regarding the CNR-active: It's still too early to be sure but I will update this if anything comes up.
For now, the system seems to work and can be adjusted with a standard 5mm allen.
The lower bolt is hard to reach with the strings on but still much easier (and reversible) compared to sanding the saddle.
I managed to lower the action to 4/64" and 3/64" (lower bolt fully tight) with slight buzz under moderate strumming.
With the lower bolt fully loose action settles around 7/64".
The neck doesn't come off even if both bolts are fully removed and if the bolts are over tightened they will cause a "pop" sound on the joint.
So... did I reach my goals? Yes! I'm very happy with it.
It's clearly a quality instrument built with care (the rosette even has a transparent protection).
The worst thing about it is no one knows how to say the name right. 🤣
IMO it would: 1) costs a lot more to get to the next step in quality and 2) be really hard to find the same quality at a lower price.
I removed 1 star only due to the lack of visual appointments compared to the competition.
Thanks to everyone at Furch for the awesome guitar.
