I purchased my Furch, sight unseen and unplayed. I explained to Jake my style of music, how I played and the sound I was looking for. Originally I thought a Dowina was for me but after a few online chats, watching a few online videos etc., I was persuaded that I should go for Furch Blue Gc-CM Master's choice with the CNR active neck model instead. I am extremely pleased with the service I received, the advice given and the updates on ordering, arrival and delivery. All spot on. I was in no great hurry to get it but it was good to be kept informed.
This guitar is something special to hold, to play and to look at. It really is beautiful in all aspects. I had wanted to buy another acoustic (ideally electro) for a while and with the advice of a friend who has the T98 Parlour Lag I went for the T98 ACE. I wanted a high quality guitar that would feel equally at home with finger picking and strumming, had a warm tone, well balanced highs and lows, has a lovely resonance and could somehow effortlessly amplify my soft figure picking in the absence of long finger nails...oh and at a modest price (below £500) - not too much to ask for right!? Ha ha
Well I must say this has exceeded all expectations and I got more than I'd hoped for with the T98 ACE and that's even before I plug it in!
What made it even more special was the much needed advice and guidance I received from the team at Richard's Guitars whilst weighing up my options as well as the care and attention that went into setting up the guitar to my specifications and making sure that it was nothing less than amazing before it was posted out.
The quality of the guitar makes me play better and sound better. Part of my goal was to get back into guitar playing after going through a period of years where life was getting in the way. I can safely say since purchasing this guitar I have played more in the past few weeks than I had in the past 5 years! It even spurred me on to put up a proper guitar hanging rack.
I highly recommend the guitar and what's more I highly recommend Richard's Guitars
Richards guitars provided an unbelievable experience via on line purchase. he guitar came well packed and arrived in fantastic condition. Communication via email was flawless. I've attached a picture of me in the Amazon jungle from this past July!
Just bought another wonderful guitar from Richard's Guitars. It's an Auden 12 string. It's what I was missing in my arsenal of guitars. It is an amazing guitar that was recommended to me by Jon and Jake and they never let me down. It sings so sweetly and I can't put it down. Another massive thanks to Richard, Jon, Jake and Chris the guitar tech for all the expert advice and knowledge they gave me. They are all so understanding and great guys. The fingertips are sore but I'm a very happy guy...all the best, Barrie
J'avais rendez-vous pour essayer quelques guitares dans la salle d'exposition.
Jake en avait déjà sélectionné quelques-unes qu'il pensait susceptibles de m'intéresser et il était à ma disposition pour me donner des informations et des conseils. Ce fut une expérience très agréable. J'ai joué de nombreuses guitares pendant ces trois heures et je ne me suis jamais sentie bousculée ou mise sous pression de quelque manière que ce soit.
Les guitares Dowina sont parmi les plus belles que j'aie jamais vues et elles se jouent à merveille.
Finalement, j'ai choisi une Furch. Le son est exceptionnel - riche et résonnant.
J'ai quitté la salle d'exposition avec la certitude d'avoir choisi la bonne guitare pour moi et j'ai payé un prix très raisonnable.
La guitare a été livrée trois jours plus tard. J'avais demandé quelques ajustements mineurs qui ont été faits et, dans l'ensemble, l'installation était parfaite.
C'était un plaisir de traiter avec toute l'équipe et je suis un client très satisfait. Je recommande vivement.
J'ai 74 ans, je joue de la guitare électrique depuis mon adolescence et je n'ai pas possédé de guitare acoustique depuis mon adolescence "folk". J'ai joué dans des groupes pendant de nombreuses années, mais j'ai arrêté il y a quelques années, car j'ai des problèmes d'arthrite dans les mains. J'ai toujours trois de mes guitares électriques, mais je voulais une acoustique afin d'encourager des moments de jeu plus spontanés au lieu d'avoir à sortir un amplificateur et à mettre en place une installation électrique. Je pense également qu'une guitare acoustique me permettra de me concentrer sur ma technique.
J'ai passé beaucoup de temps à rechercher des marques et des fournisseurs et à lire des critiques. Richards Guitars m'a semblé avoir une attitude très orientée vers le client et, après avoir parlé à Jake de ma liste restreinte et suivi ses conseils très honnêtes, j'ai commandé une LAG T118ACE. Le fait que Richards Guitars ait réglé la guitare avec la meilleure action possible a été un facteur important et, en quelques jours, ma guitare est arrivée prête à jouer. C'est une véritable beauté et un instrument de qualité ! Tout au long du processus, Jake a été là pour moi, répondant à mes questions et m'orientant dans la bonne direction.
Un grand merci à Richards Guitars. Il ne me reste plus qu'à me réhabituer à jouer d'une guitare acoustique !
Thanks very much to Richard's Guitars for providing such an outstanding service.My beautiful guitar arrived in perfect condition and was set up perfectly and ready to be played straight from the box.This service was invaluable to me as It would have been very hard for me to find someone in my area to do a proper set up for me.All in all top class.I'll definitely be back.
Thanks again.Luke.
Hi Luke
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a kind review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us and that your guitar arrived in perfect condition. We always strive to provide top-notch service and we're glad we could make the set up process easier for you. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Happy playing!
Richard
I have now bought six guitars from Richard and his brilliant team. From a lower priced Lag to the top of the range hand built custom guitars from Dowina. Absolutely first class service all round and phenomenal instruments. A picture below with my wife modelling my GACE custom built Cocobolo and Spruce. My all time favourite guitar and it plays and records beautifully. Here with original song I composed with it and playing it.

I have now bought six guitars from Richard and his brilliant team. From a lower priced Lag to the top of the range hand built custom guitars from Dowina. Absolutely first class service all round and phenomenal instruments. A picture below with my wife modelling my GACE custom built Cocobolo and Spruce. My all time favourite guitar and it plays and records beautifully. Here with original song I composed with it and playing it.
This is a really nice shop. I love the guitar I bought here, the setup they performed on it is excellent, and their communication and attention to detail is top notch!
What a wonderful service. The guitar is so well set up and plays so easy I love it.I am very happy indeed! Thank you so much! It's a lovely guitar!
As the title says buying my Cort CutCraftLE, the first guitar I bought from Richards Guitars, was indeed a real joy. No pushy sales person who didn't listen, trying to show me guitars that weren't cared for in the showroom.
Helpful, knowledgable and communicative, able to answer my queries swiftly online. The care taken regarding the setup I would like which was carried out brilliantly by Chris meant that when I opened the case
and took out the guitar it felt like an old friend! that's how good the setup was. So I have played every day for two weeks and can tell you that it really is a wonderful instrument and plays so well, it proves that the care and attention given to me and the guitar separates Richards Guitars from the rest in a very positive manner, Maybe I could have found a better deal,,,BUT...it would never have played like this one does and without doubt I will only deal with Richards Guitars from now on when I need a new guitar.
I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of hours amongst the beautiful acoustic guitars. Allowed to browse and play untrammelled with sales pressure. Jake was on hand to provide details, technical specs, wood choices and more. Did I say the guitars were beautiful? A five star experience.
One major criticism - with so much resonance and artistry, how on earth does one choose one guitar?
I ordered a mandolin in Oct 24. It arrived in mid Jan 25 with a nasty blemish on the headstock and uneven/sharp frets. I returned it and 7 wks later they sent a replacement also with uneven and sharp frets. This was the brands flagship model. So much for their '£200 custom setup'. I now have to pay around £250 for a fret level/setup elsewhere. Avoid this store if you can
Hi
I am afraid you havent provided a name, an order number or email address that can verify your experience. I checked into the date and we have no order date correlating with a mandolin being sold on that date. The £200 custom setup as you incorrectly refer to it as - wasnt being promoted in this way in October last year - and the setup process itself is worth £90 - not £200. We also offer a 6 and 12 month check and reset provided completely free of charge and should anyone ever receive a guitar from us that does require extra work for reasons unkown - We would NEVER expect them to pay for it. Your experience therefore seems at odds with everything we do here and not one I recognise. If there has been some kind of misunderstanding please do email me and I can help you further. Sadly - I do allow total transparency on this review system which however upsetting it is on a personal level - I think the one star reviews do tell a story of their own - and my customers can make their judgements accordingly.
Comme vous pouvez le voir dans le titre de mon article, je suis plus que satisfait de mes transactions avec Richards Guitar. Sur le site web, j'ai expliqué le type de guitare acoustique qui m'intéressait et mon budget. J'ai également expliqué que j'avais de l'arthrite dans les poignets. Une guitare a été choisie et payée. Peu de temps après, j'ai été contacté pour discuter de la configuration en fonction de mes restrictions. Un léger problème de livraison a retardé l'arrivée de la guitare à temps. Richard a eu la gentillesse de m'envoyer une magnifique sangle de guitare en guise de compensation. On pourrait penser que j'achetais une guitare de £5000, ou de £1000, mais non, ma guitare coûtait moins de £200. J'apprécie énormément cette guitare,
Merci à Richard et à toute l'équipe.
J'ai été très satisfaite de la livraison de la guitare et j'ai été très satisfaite de la qualité du service. Je suis une débutante et j'ai apprécié la préparation de la guitare car je n'ai aucune connaissance technique. Merci beaucoup Ann.
Tout d'abord, la guitare dépasse même mes attentes grâce à sa sonorité riche et à sa jouabilité. De plus, j'ai commandé une largeur de sillet sur mesure et le personnel a très bien géré toutes les communications.
Le réglage correspond exactement à ce que j'avais demandé.
La guitare est arrivée très bien protégée et rapidement. Je suis très satisfait.
Really delighted with my new Vintage Surfmaster 90, the guitar was beautifully set up with the strings I requested and meticulously packed for shipping. I’ll be back
Thanks for the customer service team, it was a pleasure doing business with you folks. Highly recommend.
This is my second purchase from Richards guitars and have found them to be very knowledgeable and helpful with my purchases. I would have no hesitation in buying from this dealer.
Once more another more than satisfactory experience with Richards Guitars and the team. I ordered the above to include the set up and Vintage branded gig bag. This order was competed and delivered within a week, very impressive.
Upon delivery, I was test playing and I noticed that the imput jack socket seemed "not right". I examined and concluded the jack securing nut was missing. I was rather brusque in my subsequent communication with Richards Guitars and I would like to apologise here and now for that. The patience, professionalism and speed with which they allayed my fears were commendable. It appears that Vintage use a different design of jack input on this type of guitar, one which doesn't require an outer securing nut.
Once more the Vintage Pro set up was done to my request and the guitar is a joy to play.
Given my experiences with Richards Guitars, I would highly recommend them to anyone who is wanting to buy their equipment.
Thanks very much from a very satisfied customer.
Drew Lord
It's not even 9.00 am the day after I left my review regarding the missing Pro Setup decal and I have been contacted twice via email from first Richard himself and second Jon both offering their sincere apologies regarding the missed decal and a very satisfactory resolution to the matter which I am extremely grateful for. The speed of response and importance of providing customer satisfaction displayed by Richard's Guitars means that I have no hesitation in recommending Richard's Guitars to anyone wanting to buy their musical equipment. I will certainly be ordering again from here.
Once more, I thank you.
Drew Lord
The guitar arrived on the day I arranged for it to be delivered which is a good start, however upon opening I noticed that the hex keys for adjusting the truss rod and saddles were missing as were the hang tags. The factory fitted scratch plate sticker was extremely difficult to remove, I had to use various solvents to dissolve the glue, which in turn removed some of the aged finish on the scratch plate.
When you order the Richard's Guitars Pro Setup, the online description says that a pro setup decal is fitted to the reverse of the headstock. This wasn't done on my guitar, how do I prove this if I sell on, and if it's no longer done as practice should it not be removed from the description? As for the Set up, this was done to my specifications - low action and 8 gauge strings and the guitar is a joy to play with no fret buzz or choking on bends, ten out of ten for this part. But no decal wrankles with me. The missing decal could be a future deal breaker as I want to get a V62 next.
There's lots of positive reviews on here so maybe I'm a quirk, but like you I read the views to inform my purchase. I chose Richards given their rep for set up and aftercare. My guitar arrived damaged, I didn't realise how damaged until I had a local Luthier look at it weeks later. In his view it had been set up poorly, parts coming loose, superglued as a fix, a cracked nut, varnish flaking. Richards initially said I must've dropped it, my problem not theirs. After a month of emails I gave up and had it fixed locally (I'm in Glasgow). Most worrying for me was Richards advice and interpretation of my Consumer Rights. I was wrongly advised to pay for my own return, I was wrongly advised that it was likely my problem to fix/pay for whereas the law assumes any fault in the first 6mths was already there and the seller must prove it wasn't. Read up on your rights.
For anyone reading this review, I do hope you will appreciate our total, 100% transparency in publishing every review - for better or for worse,
What makes this all the more painful is the effort I go particularly for left handed players and sadly, this review will oput off the next person who considers buying one from us - a business meticulous in our customer service and attention to pre and post sale support. with more 5 star reviews for Eastman than any other dealer online. - but that is the price I know I pay for transparency - and I leave it down to you - the public - to determine where the truth lies.
In my experience of nearly 30 years in the trade, people who shout the loudest, have the most to hide. 99% of the public with a geniune grievance approach it from a perspective of looking for support and appreciating it when its offered - but not this chap.
To begin with - this wasn't even'his' guitar. It was a guitar for his son - who is left handed, for whome we had provided a meticulous setup EXACTLY to his requirement. His father was very specific regarding what he required and on delivery we heard NOTHING back - and sadly, no review to highlight to efforts we made on his behalf.
One month and 10 days after receiving the guitar, my manager Jon received communications mentioning damage etc. In this time, his son had been taking this guitar to and from college on a daily basis. We NEVER spoke to his son.
Not only did we take this customers word on the damage - but we simply requested details from a technician who could in some way validate his suggestion that all the damage must have been done prior to leaving us as otherwise there was no way in which we could support the guitar under warranty.
My manager had the UK representative in the loop - was keeping him updated - trying to find out what could be done under the circumstances whilst no doubt this customer tried to find a tech who could some how validate a claim the damage must have been caused prior to shipping!
The only reason we asked the customer to return the guitar to us (and not offer to collect) was to protect ourselves from further claims the guitar was damaged whilst in our possession via the courier service. Trust was lost - sadly.
The lengths in which we can go to help.a customer are determined in part by the trust from both sides. Our desire to help and the service we provide is without question so the only part of the chain that can fail the customer - is the customer themselves.
If a guitar is damaged in transit - it must be reported as so as soon as possible (not nearly 6 weeks later). Regardless of the reason for damage - we will always be here to help.
My advice would be for his son to contact us personally and engage in friendly dialogue with people who care passionately to help.