Furch – a maker that has been on our radar for some time – has featured in our reviews before and we’ve been greatly impressed by the level of craft and tone on display. Both the models we have before us now are representative of the lower end of the Furch price list – an OM from the Vintage Pure category and a Grand Auditorium from the Violet catalogue. For the uninitiated, Furch has categorised its different price bands colourfully with Violet at the low end of the spectrum, ascending through Blue, Green, Yellow and Red as the models become gradually more higher end and feature laden.
It all culminates with the Rainbow Series, which, according to the company, “gives guitar players a chance to design a customised instrument that truly fulfils their dreams and expectations”. Alongside the colour range, Furch has Vintage, Travel, Grand Nylon and Limited Edition options, too. So there is no shortage of choice to be had, with virtually all points covered, as a quick look at the website will reveal.
As a thumbnail guide, the Vintage Pure instruments are essentially high on build quality but low on whistles and bells, concentrating on providing no-nonsense examples of established designs. As an example, the range includes a dreadnought (with or without a cutaway), an OM with a cutaway, as well as the smallest body size in the group, labelled OOM and with 12 frets to the body, all retailing at the same price. Turning to the Violet Series, the Grand Auditorium model that.