Fear guitars
Furch Guitars (also "Furch Musical Instruments Company") is an instrument manufacturer in Velké Němčice , Czech Republic . It was founded in 1981 by František Furch and specialized in the production of high quality acoustic guitars ; But acoustic bass guitars and mandolins are also produced.
history
By the year 1981 it was for a musician in the Eastern bloc associated Czechoslovakia hardly possible to arrive at a reasonable musical instrument. Out of this need, the banjo player František Furch began to build his own instruments, first banjos, then western guitars and also mandolins. Furch had to act very carefully, as a private instrument manufacturer in communist Czechoslovakia was always on the verge of legality. Only after the Velvet Revolution could Furch Musical Instruments be officially registered with two employees in 1990. Since the pent-up demand for qualitative instruments in the young Czech Republic was enormous after the fall of the Wall, František Furch was able to employ twelve people in 1993. The production at that time was around ten guitars a week. First contacts were made in Germany , and Furch and his young company first appeared at the Frankfurt Music Fair in 1996 . The production numbers had tripled in the meantime.
In the following years, the company ran into financial difficulties, despite the fact that the instruments had already been sold six months in advance. František Furch was left with many outstanding claims, had to lay off valuable employees for the company and was on the verge of ruin. Furch Guitars only recovered through a reform of its own business conditions and an aggressive export policy, so that in 2000 Furch was able to participate and perform at the NAMM Show , the largest trade fair for the music industry in the world.
After the turn of the millennium , the company had to struggle with massive space problems. Until then, František Furch had to create more space for his production, which was housed in a house in a mill from the 15th century, which he succeeded in doing in 2004 with the acquisition and renovation of a four-story house on the mill site. Now new models have been created, including a vintage series, travel guitars and archtop guitars. In 2007 the 30,000 left. Guitar the workshop. In addition, it was possible to move into a new showroom in the nearby city of Brno . From 2010, Furch produced the so-called Silueton stage guitars and the Selmer copies La Gitane. As of the latest (2011), Furch Guitars employs over 30 people and has an annual production of around 4,000 musical instruments, mainly western guitars.
particularities
At Furch Guitars there is still no assembly line production , which means that the guitars enjoy a very good reputation among guitarists because of their hand-made quality. They are mainly made from selected solid and fine woods and, along with instruments from other manufacturers, are among the most popular guitars in the middle and higher price segment.
Many famous musicians play Furch guitars, including Suzanne Vega , Rudolf Schenker (" Scorpions "), Sue Foley , Mick Box (" Uriah Heep ") and Don Alder .
Redwood and Stonebridge
The Stonebridge Guitars brand was launched in 2006, with which František Furch wants to score points above all on the English-speaking musical instrument market. The name Stonebridge is derived from the 14th century Charles Bridge , a national monument of the Czech Republic.
Guitars made by Furch are also sold under the name Redwood as a series of the house brand of a large Frankfurt music store.
Models of Furch Guitars
- Millennium
- Vintage bluegrass
- Durango
- Jazz Guitars
- Stage Guitars Silueton
- La Gitane
- Mandolins
- Travel guitars
- Bass guitars
Stonebridge Guitars models
- Dreadnought Selection : Various Bluegrass and Millennium models
- Grand Auditorium and Jumbo Selection : Various Millennium models
- Orchestra & Parlor Selection : Various Bluegrass and Millennium models
- mandolin
Web links
- Furch Guitars website (English, Czech)
- Website of Stonebridge guitars (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jens Hausmann: 30 Years of Furch Guitars, in: Akustik Guitar , 6/2011, p. 68 f.
- ↑ Company history on furch.cz, accessed on November 20, 2011
- ↑ Jens Hausmann: 30 Years of Furch Guitars, in: Akustik Guitar , 6/2011, p. 69 f.
- ↑ Company history from stonebridgeguitars.com ( Memento of the original from November 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
