Our Musical Instruments Blog

This blog about our cherished instruments started in January 2022 and will be updated in each new post, until we cover all of our significant instruments. (We send the updates out through our monthly newsletter, so if you aren’t a member of our mailing list, you can join us through the link on this page below.)

SEPTEMBER 2022

Larry's Guitar Collection -

Final Post in the Guitar Series
(so far...)

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Furch G23

After almost five years of playing the red Ovation in performances, I was once again feeling that I wanted an upgraded guitar. I wanted a Martin - one of the better-known, high-quality guitar brands, played by many great guitarists. We went back to Ginsburg’s music store on Allenby (we’ve told you about them in previous posts) and searched for a good Martin.

They had a bunch of Martins, but at that visit I learned that there are Martins, and there are Martins! It turned out that Martin has an extended collection of models. Some of them are really professional (that’s what I was looking for), and some of them are for the general public. The best Martin Ginsburg’s had was way below the quality level I was looking for.

These guitars weren’t even made of wood, but rather compressed cardboard! I wanted a real wood guitar – especially after all those years of playing Ovations, which are finely made - the front is good wood - but the unique, parabolic back of the soundbox is made of a glass-fiber-like material patented as Lyrachord. In other words – fiberglass. Its great sound comes from the electronics, not the material used to make the guitar’s body.

I was frustrated with what they offered me, until one of the salesmen said, “Hold on, let me give you something to try.” He sat me down and put a guitar in my hands. It looked like a Martin – but it wasn’t. I fell in love with the sound immediately, and asked him about this brand, which was called Furch.

He explained that Furch guitars are made in the Czech Republic, manufactured in the same manner as the fine Martins are, with the same types of wood, but that they don’t charge the prices Martin does since they aren’t a well-known brand like Martin.

I took it home, and still love that guitar very, very much. Of course, this was the guitar that I performed with. It is so easy in the hands, with amazing, strong sound, and good electronics – perfect.

In 2015, I was getting ready to leave the house for a performance. The Furch was in its soft case, with a bunch of heavy accessories in the huge pockets that came in the case (below). I hoisted the bag over my back, heading the strap for my shoulder – and missed! The guitar, pointing upright, came crashing to the floor, hitting the extruding socket on the tiles with full force, and basically killing the guitar. It was a very sad day for me.

I took it to a guitar maker in Tzfat, who did the best he could to try to fix it, but it was a lost case. He even used popsicle sticks to glue two parts of the wood together! (I guess I should have found somebody better.)

I called my insurance agent. He sent around an appraiser, who immediately agreed that the guitar had finished its performing days. But I continue to play it at home. Her sound is still amazing even though there are cracks in the wood.

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Takamine P5DC-NAT

With the insurance’s backing, I went back to Klei Zemer and started my search again for a suitable guitar. There I was offered a Takamine guitar. Takamine guitars are made in a fine, family run company that is located in the Japanese town of Sakashita, nestled at the foot of Mount Takamine (hence the brand name). They have been making very fine guitars since 1959. I was attracted to this guitar from the beginning – and this is the one I play in performances to this day.