I own a commercial studio and have recorded and played hundreds of great acoustics- Collins, vintage Martin (pre-war even), Taylor, Gibsons etc. A client had a McPherson recently and I could compare side by side. The furch was louder (Dread v GC), and the McPherson was a great guitar, but the sound, power and dynamics of the Furch really are something to behold. Easily a situation where you could chose either guitar depending on context, and that's really saying something considering the difference in price.
This Furch is obviously visually fairly austere compared to well appointed guitars, and it doesn't have the high-gloss neck feel you get with those either, but in terms of sound and playability- it really stands up next to anything and it records very well.
A couple things- in spite of the cedar top, it's not an overly warm/dark guitar. For me, that made the stock elixers not a great match, but I think elixers make a kindof noise (like a snare sortof) when strummed that I don't care for. I have liked various bronze type strings better. I lowered the action a tad, and let out a little relief on the neck. I rated 5 stars for features because it has everything they say it has, and this instrument really isn't about "features".
Super happy with this guitar. I don't think you can get a better acoustic quality at this price point, and certainly not with a 48mm neck.
