Here at Guitarist we're used to instruments arriving at our door in guitar-shaped cases. And so when Furch's Little Jane turned up in something that closely resembled a hiker's backpack it became the talking point of the afternoon.
A guitar that folds down into three separate parts? It sounded a little like a dark 'some assembly required' nightmare. As it happens, we were in for a pleasant surprise.
Travel guitars are far from being a new concept. Possibly the first commercially successful model was Martin's Backpacker, which appeared on the radar in the early 1990s and enjoyed a trip to space on NASA's Space Shuttle in 1994, as well as subsequently journeying up Mount Everest- and you can't get any more well travelled than that. The only downside to the Backpacker was its unusual shape, resembling a lacrosse racket more than a regular acoustic, and it's quite possible that this aesthetic limited its appeal for some.
A travel-friendly alternative, of course, would be the many mini guitars on today's market, such as the Wee Lowden, Baby Taylor and the Little Martin - easy to take on a camping trip or hiking around the Lake District but still a tad bulkier than it would need to be to qualify for the holiday essentials list.
On the face of it, Furch’s Little Jane manages to combine the portability of a Martin Backpacker with the charm of a mini acoustic, and goes one stage further in that it comes with its own set of luggage.
Our review model is kitted out with a Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, but if that isn’t to your liking the Little Jane is available in all-mahogany, Sitka and rosewood, cedar and mahogany, and a special edition made with Sitka and cocobolo. Quite a lot of choice, then.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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