Bob-Dubery
I've played the common or garden Lowdens. They are fabulous. They're not collectors instruments yet and so you can get good 2nd hand instruments at reasonable prices (from the EU). Not exactly cheap but at a much lower price than the signature models. I'm also a bit puzzled by the signature models because they're not necessarily what the endorser uses. Richard Thompson first used a spruce and rosewood Lowden and nowadays a cedar and walnut guitar of the same dimensions. The Richard Thompson signature Lowden is neither of those guitars.
I had a yearning for a Lowden a while back, and nearly pulled the trigger (I was saved by the shop in question going belly up) but it would have been second hand and a "regular" model. If you're going to have dreams about a guitar you might as well dream about something really good.
