"Visually Inspired" Acoustic Guitar Tone? Faith Guitars & Why I Stopped Selling Them. Blame the Mangos!

I was chatting with a customer online the other day about the old days and how brands I recommend evolve over time whilst one or two have remained in my line up for the long term (Furch for over 25 years, Cort giutars is similar).

We got on to Faith guitars which he had purchased from me some years ago and was intrigued to know why I no longer recommend them - which re-ignighted my thoughts on how customers will so often buy on looks and where I feel I have a responsibility to MYSELF to either encoagie (for profit) or control (for self integrity) - and I suppose the balnce between the two you ould say?

Sooo.....  cup of tea at the ready?

I completely understand why visually striking guitars sell. I understand it commercially because I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes over many years in retail. Guitarists are human beings. We are emotional creatures. We fall in love with things visually before we even play a chord.

Let me be clear - I too LOVE beautiful looking guitars (what is beautifu of course is subjective but you get my point).

I am also consious that when someone SEES a guitar they love, their HEART is now immediately doing the "hard sell" to their BRAIN. lol.  Imagine a hypnotist " You DO love the sound of this guitar..."

Manufacturers know this - retailers know this - I know it.

There is a very inconvenient reality however that however hard our hearts play with our minds, certain wood combinations are not ideal for acoustic guitars and therefore however much we want to believe we bought "this" guitar because it sounds amazing - it is often the case it LOOKS amazing and that makes you feel accepting of the tone - even going as far as to convince yoursaelf it really is the best guitar you have ever heard!  The mind is a powerful thing!

So this is where my experience with Faith guitars took a turn for a direction that just didnt suit me personally.

The turning point, in my opinion, was the Blood Moon Burst.

Commercially?  A TOTAL success.   So successful that I felt extremely guiilty to be associated - not that it was a bad guitar in any way but that the amount we sold was in stark contrast to my personal advice.  Maybe its a control thing!   Maybe my pride was dented!!??  Ptobably all of that could even be true but the reality is I just dont enjoy selling guitars my heart is not into - and every single guitar I sell IS a personal recommendation.

Sooo... customers loved the new look and honestly, visually, I understood why. It looked exotic, dramatic and expensive. Under showroom lighting it was gorgeous. Customers would walk straight over to it and want one....  and of course in the early runs where the figuring was almost "top end Koa like" they walked out the door and demand became more muted as they "got through" the initial best cuts - we even had customers returning guitars because the one sent to them wasnt as nice as the one the customer had seen online.

Tonally - I felt genuinely disappointed - because I knew what model in the range had to be sacrificed for this instrument to be made.   The guitar it had replaced was a really lovely guitar.  It had trembesi back and sides and a solid spruce top.   It had warmth from the trembesi, but the spruce gave it life, articulation, projection and dynamic range. It breathed properly. It had contrast?

By removing the solid spruce top they had effectively removed the "engine".  The core powerhouse of the instrument that gave life to it.   

Pardon the pun but the finish was richer but the sound was most certainly poorer.

Guitar builders will tell you, it is rare that woods used for the back and sides will bring you "more" tonally than the original spruce or cedar traditionally used - and  for good reason.   However - there are exceptions and for certain styles and very specific needs but that will take me into a whole new blog post!!

That does NOT mean it was a bad guitar but COMPARATIVELY from what I knew existed before, it was a difficult seeing this becoming my best selling instrument when I knew it was completely based around the visuals - It just didnt sit well at all for me.

Off the back of this feeling, I created a video that went to great lengths NOT to undermine the brand in any way but to focus on my FAVORITES within the range with the noteable ommission of the blood moon burst.  I actually really enjoyed the process and felt that was enough to at least make me feel less "part of the issue" that I saw in my mind.

But sadly Faith now had the secret to success - pretty colors - intersting grains - and using locally sourced woods from Indonesia to keep prices down (because you need to when selling a £1000 guitar thats made in one of the cheapest locations in the World to produce such an instrument. Right?)

So then came the dreaded MANGO.  Blood moon now had a new stable mate with an equally god forsaken cliche title which left me absolutely cold.  I was used to seeing Manho on cheap Crafters as a veneer to make a guitar look appealing but not on a guitar priced alongside world Class guitars like Furch?    It was clear at this point where their direction lay and it definitely wasnt one I was comfortable following.

I checked in to the Faith werbsite earlier today to see how things were going and yes, this absolotely reinforced that the decision I made back then was so very much the right one - FOR ME.

If you are wondering about the tonal properties of Mango?

Pleasant - not magical.
compressed & fairly flat
"Pretty" to some - not powerful - Often used as laminate on cheap guitars for the express purpose of making them sellable.

The truth is, some of the greatest sounding acoustic guitars in history are visually quite plain - but there is NOTHING WRONG WHATSOEVER with you buying a Faith if you want a pretty guitar - and as long as you do so knowing you "could" get a better sounding guitar for sure - but you WANT a pretty guitar - that is perfect - for you.

I am simply writing a blog about my experiences and what inspires ME to help my customers make good choices when investing hard earned money on an acoustic guitar.

My personal view is visual beauty is so accessible with the best choices of tonewoods that are matched for their acoustic qualities first - combined with the right choices of complimentary bindings, hardware etc.

You only have to look at my wonderful Dowina guitars to see whats possible visually using natural woods and thoughtful and often exquisite  use of abalone :)

Even my most highly cherished acoustic brand are guilty of playing the game with the beautiful woods.   The all solid rosewood concept has been played with at Furch....  Looks "dark and mysterious".... ooohhhhh..... so the tone must be dark and mysterious too..... yeh sure!  Well yes.... Its pretty dark.... and kind of unappealing to my ears - because it needs the ENGINE -  spriuce / cedar are the most commonly used and its for a good reason!

The Furch Dark Yellow RR Series.... In my opinion lack the character I am looking for in what are my most believed guitars I have sold in 31 years!  

 It isnt a Furch I would personally recommend  and you will not see any personal recommendation on my website for that one specific model. We do still get people asking about it and if they want one they can buy one - and only this month I have a customer coming in to try it alongside other recommended models because he asked for it -  but as with my customer -  dont expect me to pretend I love the sound when its not for me personally.   

As Furchs largest UK dealer, Furch know I sell as many Furch guitars as I do because I AM honest and they know my customers will be guided honestly in the process.   My customer knows its not my number one choice - and I have explained why - and the customer will now enjoy 3 or 4 different models - not so I can "prove him wrong" but to ensure it IS the sound he is looking for.  If it is - thats awesome!

I absolutely love beautiful guitars - but so much of that beauty for me comes from closing my eyes.  Its not until you close you eyes that you allow your senses that are so important when appreciating a guitar when playing it - come through - the senses in your hands, your fingers and of course your ears.   What about the sense of resonance you get through your body too?  Just talking about it makes the hairs on my arms stand on end!!!   THAT is true beauty.

One of the most beautiful guitars I ever sold and contiunue selling to this day?  The Furch Blue D CM.   The poor old thing is .... well.... brownish.... pretty dull to be fair?  It has a cedar top, mahogany back and sides and a real stripped back affair.  Being a poor old dreadnought its not even got a lovely shape to admire lol.     However, if there was ever a guitar that will change your mind in terms of what beauty really is? You will fall in love with the stripped back look - suddenly the beauty IS the stripped back look!

If you are ionto Hi-Fi?   

No knobs - black - just a box - What????  I am not spending £2000 on THAT!   

Where are the flashing lights?  The EQ?  Then you would sit down in the demo room and from the first note of Mark Knophlers "Brothers in Arms" you'd know instantly why you were going to spend £2000 on that - because your life will never be the same without it! lol

OK....  Ithink I have covered what was on my mind and as always, in danger of rambling to myself all day long....  I hope this is of value and it makes some sense.   I do also hope it gives you confidence in the integrity and sincerity of the recommendations I make and sell at Richards Guitars :)   

The guitars on my wall are literally a visual representation of my life in business over the last 31 years - with each one having its own place and story to tell - a reason for its place on the wall.   You can be assured that if I am promoting a guitar, I see it as a benchmark and will be setup to perfection for you in order to give you many years of joy!

I hope you will come in and enjoy them one day - if you havent alreaedy done so :)