guitarboy2828 wrote
Hmm, just looked at the lowden's on the website, they look NICE! ? What model you looking at Bob? Are Lowden's in the Larri 3 series, Martin DC-1 series, etc price range? Or are we creeping past that now? So hard to keep up with all these good guitars! ?
Firstly there is no Lowden distributor in SA.
Secondly they are not everybody's cup of tea as unless you buy the limited, expensive 35 and 38 series models there is no concession at all to bling, they are purely functional. However I don't think that's a problem for you. If you want sunburst finishes and mother of pearl inlays then Lowden is probably not what will float your boat.
I've played a few in the UK last year. I was bowled over. They don't even have a gloss finish on them (which is not to say they don't have a finish). What George Lowden has done is to spend all the money on material and workmanship. They are retailing for about 2500 to 2700 pounds in the UK - that's for a new instrument.
You will pay more for the signature models. The Richard Thompson signature model will set you back the best part of 4000 quid (it is a different guitar than anything in their standard range, so it's no just a common or garden Lowden with Thompson's signature on the label)
They aren't doing well in the investment market, and you can pick up 2nd hand Lowdens at attractive prices. It may be that you need to be careful when buying a 2nd hand Lowden as the company has changed hands several times over the years with George Lowden having various degrees of input at each stage. About 6 years ago he regained total contral of the brand and moved the factory and word is that Lowdens coming out of that factory are very good indeed. All the Lowdens I have played were new or nearly so and came out of the current factory. The sound was amazing.
I'm gassing (in theory, not so much in practice) for an O-32, that's the biggest body in the range, spruce top, rosewood back and sides. However I wouldn't turn my nose up at an F either - smaller body, the idea being that there is a tighter, more focussed sound. I'd very much like to try a O-25 - those are cedar and rosewood and this is supposed to be the signature Lowden tone.
There are plenty of good acoustic guitars being made and your confusion will only grow ?
