MOST OF US know that vintage acoustic guitars can be a little inconsistent in quality. We accept that some are diamonds, while others don't shine quite so brightly. After all, isn't that part of the mystique of things built the old-fashioned way? The trouble with that theory is that, while everyone loves a nice, resonant old guitar, no one wants to own one of the bad ones. And that really summarizes what modern luthiers are trying to do through the union of handcraft and technology today: make better guitars, more consistently.
Few companies embody this approach as completely as Furch. In fact, the company, which is based in the Czech Republic, has revolution in its blood. Founder František Furch built his first guitar in 1981 because so few good acoustics were available.
"Back then, Czechoslovakia was under a tight communist regime," he explains, "which didn't allow us to travel almost anywhere, let alone to the countries of the Western Bloc. Quality instruments were available in Western European countries, but due to travel bans, these were not accessible to us at all. On top of that, even if one managed to get a permit to travel outside the country, most of us couldn't afford to purchase them, due to the financial situation."
Basic nylon-string guitars, made in the countries of the former Soviet Union, were available to Czech musicians, but, as an avid fan of U.S. bluegrass and country music (an underground activity at that time), František realized the only way he could obtain a good steel-string guitar was to build it himself. He eventually did this using reclaimed wood from an old piano, which he paired with a fibreglass body inspired by Ovation acoustic guitars, which were becoming popular in the West at that time. Soon, musician friends from the underground bluegrass and country community started taking an interest in his guitars.
This story is from the June 2023 edition of Guitar Player.
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This story is from the June 2023 edition of Guitar Player.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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