FURCH DARK YELLOW Gc-RR EAS VTC GRAND AUDITORIUM CUTAWAY

Beyond Sitka Spruce: No Need to Look Far for Innovative Guitar Tone 

The introduction of the all-rosewood Dark Yellow responds to a growing demand among fans for less conventional tonewood combinations. As Petr Furch explains, “Traditionally, soundboard construction has focused almost exclusively on spruce and cedar. However, today’s modern players are more discerning, requiring a wider variety of sounds for their work. This trend is evident in the rising interest in guitars with different soundboard materials within our custom shop Rainbow Series. As engineers and innovators, we extract the fullest sonic qualities from a given material through meticulous development of bracing design and individual voicing of each soundboard. The creation of the Dark Yellow represents our commitment to broadening the available sonic spectrum further by applying these methods to Indian rosewood.”

Petr Furch further elaborates, “Our proprietary method of individual soundboard voicing enables us to measure the physical properties of each soundboard and fine-tune them to our preference by strategically adjusting its thickness in different areas. This ensures the maximum utilization of the acoustic potential inherent in each piece of tonewood.” According to our research, rosewood owes its unique sound to the tonewood’s density, which is roughly 30% higher than that of Sitka spruce. This results in an overall richer dynamic spectrum, offering a broader range of response to the player’s strum within the piano-forte range, ultimately resulting in a tone with greater depth. Furch adds, “We’ve already observed positive results with the application of our voicing process to less conventional soundboard tonewoods beyond just spruce and cedar. A recent testament to this is the rise in demand for our all-mahogany instruments, which have seen more than a 60% increase in production between Q4 of 2023 and Q1 of 2024 alone.”

Rosewood – A Unique Sound and Look with Sustainable Sourcing

While Indian rosewood has long been regarded for its use in the back and sides of acoustic guitars, its application on soundboards is less common. Petr Furch explains: “On the backs and sides of acoustic guitars, rosewood is known to deliver robust bass, clear midrange, and sparkling highs with remarkable sustain. Conversely, when utilized for soundboards, it offers warmth, richness, and lush overtones with intricate complexity and depth.” According to Furch, this, combined with rosewood’s exceptional sustain, contributes to a nuanced, expressive tone and an immersive playing experience suitable for diverse playing styles and musical genres. Furch also remarks on the visual allure of this model: “The deep, rich hues and intricate grain patterns of rosewood exude elegance and sophistication, making the Dark Yellow a visually captivating instrument. It perfectly complements our Yellow Series, known for its sleek, understated aesthetics.” 

Finally, Furch alludes to the value of using Indian rosewood in terms of sustainability, especially for musical instruments. “Given the relatively low mass of rosewood used in a guitar compared to the average life cycle of an acoustic guitar, a small piece of rosewood can serve the player for a long time, and today a significant portion of the global rosewood supply is sourced from plantations.”