The Furch Color Series

When it comes to organizing guitar models by name and classification, something that proves very difficult to concisely execute for many guitar companies, Furch Guitars has devised a very clever and optimal system for categorizing their many varying models, as well as making it clear which models contain certain appointments and features simply through their name. In many other instances, you may see guitar models divided into categories by a superfluous series of words that indicate its features, and I find that this can greatly increase difficulty in differentiating between certain models and what features they come equipped with. These sorts of observations may seem like a minor contention to hold, and some may wonder why exactly one would focus on an aspect that may seem outwardly insignificant in the grand view of a company’s efficiency. However, I believe in a very coherent through-line in this instance: organization leads to optimization, optimization breeds productivity, and productivity yields results. When it comes to the inner mechanisms and moving parts of any company, I feel that it is worth highlighting which companies seem to be working the hardest in terms of the minute details of their day-to-day operations. Under these criteria, I would like to highlight Furch Guitars’ unique “color system”, as well as how their model names are structured and presented to their clientele. In this installation, I would like to walk you through the series of Furch’s models, and call attention to the accents and appointments that are associated with each colour. We will go in the order that is taken directly from Furch’s website, in the descending order of their respective price points, beginning with the Red Series.

Furch’s Red Series is characterized by its employment of premium, master-grade materials, as well as its excellent detail in construction, in addition to its unique aesthetic appointments. It is offered in a Grand Auditorium body style, typically with a cutaway, but is available with a no-cutaway option. The Grand Auditorium body style seems to be Furch’s flagship design; though their other models are equally consistent in tone and playability, Grand Auditorium seems to offer the best vehicle to present Furch’s unique voicing process of the top and back woods, as well as their selection of wood and assembly process. The Red Series is rigged out with a full-pore high-gloss finish, as well as added decorative appointments. These appointments include an annular sound hole rosette, an abalone binding along the body and fingerboard, and for their Deluxe model, a duo bevel. Top woods utilized in the Red Series are Sitka Spruce and Alpine Spruce, while the back woods are Indian Rosewood and Cocobolo, depending on the model. The available models in the Red Series are the Master’s Choice, the Pure SR, the SR, the Deluxe SR, the Pure LC, the LC, and the Deluxe LC, all offering a selection of varying premium appointments. If Furch were to have a top-tier area of their selection, I would say it is the Red Series. The level of detail that is put into the construction in order to benefit the tonal consistency and the playability is excellent, and all feels very purposeful and intended in its design.

Following the Red Series, we have the Orange Series. The Orange guitars are equipped with AAA wood, and are available in the Orchestra Model body shape. The Orchestra Model shape seems to be an attempt to capture a more resonant tonality, accentuating the high and low mids, giving a more expansive, dynamic array of the mid range as a whole. As with the Red Series, they are employed with a full-pore high-gloss finish, and decorative appointments that differ from the Red Series. The Orange guitars possess a pearl fingerboard inlay, a binding across the body and the fingerboard, as well as a Redheart purfling and sound hole rosette. The only available top wood is Sitka Spruce, while the optional back woods are Indian Rosewood and Black Walnut. There are three different Orange models that each offer a unique selection of appointments and available wood combinations: the Master’s Choice, the SR, and the SW. Though the Orange Series is considered a step down from the Red Series, it is still its own unique instrument that produces alternative tones to the Reds, while developing its own unique identity as a product line, while continuing to employ Furch’s expected tonal consistency.

Coming next in Furch’s colour spectrum, we have the Rainbow Series, which we will address at the end of this installation. Following the Rainbow guitars, there is the Yellow Series. This series, like the Red models, are built in a Grand Auditorium cutaway body style, with a full-pore high-gloss finish. Its decorative appointments include a double-ring rosette with an abalone inlay, as well as an “Eclipse” style fretboard inlay. This is the first instance of a “Plus” model being included in a series, with the “Plus” moniker signifying a more high-quality selection of options for the guitar. For example, while the available top woods for the Yellow series are Sitka Spruce and Western Red Cedar, and the common available back wood is Indian Rosewood, the Yellow Plusmodel offers a back and side wood of Padauk, along with an exotic Koa binding. The selection of available models in the Yellow Series are the Master’s Choice, the CR, the SR, the CP Plus, and the SP Plus. Additionally, the Yellow Series is significant for its 12 String models, which are highly acclaimed, and possess incredibly consistent tonality and operability.

Coming after the Yellow Series, we have the Green Series, which are built in a Dreadnought body style, with Furch’s recognizable full-pore high-gloss finish, as well as Furch’s signature Composite Neck Reinforcement System (CNR). For the Green Series, there is an aesthetic option to add a Sunburst tint on the top plate. With the dreadnought body, this guitar captures the more deep, resonant tones of the lower-mid and low ranges, while still possessing a tempered, responsive high end, benefiting the tonality of the guitar as a whole. The lows are stronger and more defined, creating a playing experience that will assist in dominating the bulk of the sonic space of the room. Sitka Spruce is its only available top wood, while available back woods are Indian Rosewood and African Mahogany. The offered models in the Green Series are the Master’s Choice, the SM, and the SR.

To change things up a bit, approaching the bottom of the list, we have the Blue Series. The Blue Series differs from many of the other models in Furch’s colour spectrum in terms of its construction and approach to sound. However, it is a great testament to Furch’s overall quality, considering how far down the list it is, and how well-built and clearly defined in its own right it is. The Blue guitars are built with solid-wood construction, with a semi-matte open pore finish, giving the guitar a much different aesthetic than many of the other models. The soundboard, however, is coated with a full-pore high-gloss finish. It includes appointments of a Walnut rosette and artificial tortoise binding. Available top woods are Western Red Cedar, African Mahogany, and Sitka Spruce, while back wood options are African Mahogany and Black Walnut. Like the Yellow Series, the Blue Series is available in a “Plus” model, that is its own unique take on the Blue models. The selection of available models are the Master’s Choice, the Master’s Choice Plus, the CM, the CM Plus, the MM, the SW, and the SW Plus.

Getting closer to the bottom of the list, we have the Indigo Series. The Indigo Series guitars are equipped with a semi-solid build, and a natural open-pore finish, with a proprietary voicing process of the top and back woods. With an arched back, there is no needed internal reinforcement, which allows for more resonance and more dynamic sonic qualities. As with the aforementioned Yellow and Blue models, the Indigo series offers a “Plus” model, which has a full-pore high-gloss coated soundboard. All of the Indigo models are equipped with a Western Red Cedar top and a Layered Mahogany back and sides. Available models are the Master’s Choice, the Deluxe CY, the CY, and the CY Plus.

Coming last on the list, the Violet Series guitars are the most affordable on the list of Furch’s colour spectrum. The design on these guitars is very simple, leaving only two optional models in this series, both equipped with the same top and back wood: Sitka Spruce over Layered Mahogany. They are semi-solid guitars, built in a Dreadnought body shape, with a natural open-pore finish, as well as Furch’s Composite Neck Reinforcement System. Though they are considered “bottom-tier” in relation to Furch’s monetary organization of these models, the Violet guitars produce lush, resonant tones that further cement Furch’s ability to maintain consistent tonality across the different models. Affordable and built with quality, the Violet Series guitars are a perfect example of Furch’s attention to detail, and control of quality.

As promised, the Rainbow Series  guitars represent the sect of Furch where they specialize in customization, offering a bevy of woods, appointments, and general qualities. They undergo the same voicing process that is given to the Red Deluxe models, and are built on the same level of quality.

At Heartbreaker Guitars, from our perspective, we view a company’s methods as a crucial point of the representation of what they bring to the market. Companies that are typically in-tune with their level of ethics, responsibility, and optimization of workflow are often the companies that see a high level of loyalty with customers. Customers find admiration in a company’s approach, and develop a connection with them that steps outside of whether or not they simply appreciate the quality of their products. Through Furch’s system of organizing their different models, and being able to assign a series of characteristics to a selection of guitars simply by designating a colour to them, I see a level of organization that provides a crucial element to the qualification of Furch’s overall measurement of quality. They are an excellent company, and we are proud to be an authorized Furch dealer!

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