Furch Guitars, the high-end acoustic guitar maker from the Czech Republic, has completed four years of research and development aimed at improving the traditional acoustic guitar’s neck construction, the company reports.
The result of the process is Furch CNR System (Furch Composite Neck Reinforcement System), which the maker says greatly increases neck rigidity, stability, and durability. The new design has already been incorporated into the production process, and all guitars with serial number 68,294 and higher feature the redesigned neck.
In an informative and detailed press release, Furch explains that guitars made exclusively from solid woods are highly sensitive to the environment in which they are used.
‘The most delicate components of a guitar include the top plate and the neck. While exposing a guitar to unfavourable conditions might cause the top to bulge or crack, the neck is often deformed and twisted, a problem that is highly detrimental to playability and sound clarity. In many cases, repairing a deformed neck is impossible.
‘The neck joint is the most complicated structural element in the guitar construction because it attaches the neck to the body – two components that have significantly different physical properties, rigidity in particular. If the neck is not properly designed and if it is poorly made, the guitar will suffer from poor playability and inferior sound quality.
‘During many years of testing, Furch’s specialists have found that in as many as 40% of cases, guitar deformations caused by pressure exerted by the strings (the upward pull in particular) are due to the pliability and flexibility of wood, the predominant material used in the construction of the neck joint. The remaining 60% of deformations are caused by the bulging of the top plate in response to changes in humidity in the environment in which guitars are kept.’
Furch’s solution is a design which the company claims reduces by 90 per cent the risk of neck deformations. A casting made of special alloy is located inside the neck heel that ensures a stable position of the neck and its angle vis-à-vis the body. There is also a highly rigid carbon casing that maintains the neck in the set position over a period much longer than is the case with standard neck joint designs and, at the same time, facilitates a gradual bow in the neck, a factor of essential importance for playability, Furch believes. Finally, a fully adjustable dual-action truss rod provides precise adjustment of the neck bow in both the convex and concave directions.
‘I’m very proud that in addition to an exceptional sound and precise manufacturing, our guitars now feature a fundamentally improved neck design – a parameter which the player cannot see directly and needs to rely on the manufacturer’s repute and guarantee of high quality,’ says Furch Guitars CEO Petr Furch. ‘This revolutionary system has become the new standard in the construction of all Furch guitars, and it complements the variety of major technological innovations we offer and back with our three-year warranty.’
Info: www.furchguitars.com