The lowden guitar is the result of unique design, workmanship and assembly techniques along with our choice of woods. Lowden founded george lowden guitars in 1974 at the age of 22 and soon completed lowden guitar serial no. My lowden story is a collection of short films captured at the 2020 winter namm show, offering an insight in to what a lowden guitar can mean to the artists who play them. Lowden guitars handmade flattop acoustic guitars by renowned luthier george lowden lowden guitars handmade flattop acoustic guitars by renowned luthier george lowden. But guitar technique keeps changing, and players like jon gomm put their lowden guitars through a more rigorous workout, and as a result when george and jon got together a. Lowden used, 1995 o32 jumbo now on sale tag n o 59.
Here is a wonderful 1999 lowden in excellent condition. The soundbox is voiced for a really great acoustic response, and at the same time stiff enough to prevent the whole guitar from overreacting when played loud through a sound system. Lowden branded hiscox artist case the hiscox artist case is the model we supply with all our 50 series custom guitars. History lowden guitars handmade and hand built acoustic. They are true masterpiece guitars, all produced lovingly by hand in ireland. Lowden guitars view our range of handmade acoustic guitars.
Based on the successful lowden s small body, the sheeran by lowden s models deliver a surprisingly deep voice despite their size. Reverb is the marketplace for musicians to buy and sell used, vintage, and new music gear online. Down, northern ireland these guitars were built 1974 to 1980 in the very first workshop in bangor, northern ireland by a hand picked and personally trained team of 4, under the direct supervision of george lowden. Lowden guitars 1974 to 2003 from northern ireland jedistar. Demand for acoustic guitars was still very low and worldwide prices were about half in real terms what they are now. The 50 series consists of guitars custom made one at a time at lowdens factory in downpatrick, northern ireland, by their best veteran hands, using primo materials. Ive had a couple of them through the years and, again, i do not dispute the fact they are nice guitars, but i wouldnt pay the current prices they are going for right now. All of the guitars in the 35 series are made with aaaa grade wood. While lowden guitars are certainly investment quality, at their very heart is musicality which is why you often see wellworn and wellloved lowden guitars in the hands of top players on stages around the world. Specifications body s cutaway back centre seam rosewood, mahogany, sycamore, walnut s35j only. Heartbreaker guitars has made lowden guitars their primary brand. Jazz series lowden guitars handmade and hand built. Although somewhat limited, this is still a great and very enjoying, factual, informative, and interesting book.
Every lowden guitar that leaves his shop is still shot through with the just as much love, joy, integrity and passion as that fateful first guitar. It is signed by george lowden on a cream colored, oval label with green trim, sometimes called the new lowden logo. George is a higly respected luthier, based in downpatrick northern ireland. Thats partially because the handcrafted guitar we are offering was made during the middle period for lowden guitars during which george lowden was a design consultant and the guitars were made under the direction of the supervisors who had taken over management of the company that bore his name, several decades ago. Lowden guitars also do custom build guitars so do check out the lowden custom options design guide.
Lowden guitar sales manchester, uk forsyths music shop. The 25 model guitars were often thought of as the lowden. Lowden guitar jon gomm signature model new guitar gryphon. Lowden guitars of this period between late 1985 and november 1988, were labelled with a slightly smaller version of the oval label. Based off of our existing f, s and wl body shapes, the 12 fret range features the same respective scale length as their 14 fret equivalent. The lowden 35 series is fancier the original series but it still retains the understated elegance that lowden is known for. Get the best deal for lowden acoustic guitars from the largest online selection at. Click here to read the full history of george lowden. Baileys book and his imagination, he embarked on a journey full of. George lowden, building guitars his own way for 43 years. We believe in george and his building style and techniques. It has come in the form of a lowden o50c with an adirondack spruce top. George lowden guitars limited overview free company. Every lowden guitar that leaves his shop is still shot through with the just as much love, joy, integrity and passion.
George developed a unique small guitar for ed that later became a new model of lowden guitars the wee lowden. The license with the lowden guitar co was ended and production of lowden guitars at the newtownards factory ceased at the end of december 2003. If lowden acoustic guitars are a little out of your price range, you would do well to check out the sheeran by lowden range. According to lowden s website, it was made in ireland balloo ind.
Terms privacy policy prices displayed are a guide only. Lowden guitars were built in northern ireland, then for a. The f is the middle size guitar in the lowden line and is a small jumbo in shape. Once you play a lowden acoustic guitar, you understand why they are so lauded for their craftsmanship, feel, and tone. I recently interviewed george lowden in downpatrick about his history, philosophy, and future plans. From 17th century stradivari to the latest guitarsynthesizer hybrids, its all here. Lowden richard thompson signature model down home guitars. George lowden has been designing and making his acoustic guitars in ireland since 1974, exporting them worldwi. The lowden guitar is the result of unique design, workmanship and assembly techniques along with specific selection of woods. He constructs steel and nylon string acoustic guitars by hand without any uv finishing as well as solidbody electric guitars. Lowden guitars heartbreaker guitars lowden bourgeois.
A good beginner guitar is the one which comes with multiple features and is easy on the pocket. Jun 14, 2017 the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in ireland, bushmills, has teamed up with lowden guitars to launch a limited edition acoustic guitar made from irish whiskey barrels and ancient bog oak. Nowadays with many more new models it is not possible to say which would be the lowden, but the 25 has character in bags. Mostly handmade, acoustic guitars, by individual luthiers of the highest caliber. And that, ladies and gentleman, is the origin story of the lowden osize body design. Available in a range of 6 gauges, including extra light, light, lightmedium, medium, dadgad and baritone.
The o model, the f model, the s model, and the wee lowden sizes. In the ultimate guitar book, the guitars on display show an almost infinite range of variations and refinements on one basic theme a box with a neck, as the editors put it in the introduction to the acoustic guitar. George lowden produces a variety of guitars in 4 different shapes. Lowden guitars handmade and hand built acoustic guitar. However, i cant find much info on the guitar online, and none for sale on ebay, which is setting off warning bells in my mind. In order to find out the date your guitar was made and the workshop of origin, it is necessary to first identify the era in which it was made. But what is even more impressive is the instrument as a whole. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. Crafted from indian rosewood and a sikly sitka spruce top, you get that amazing lowden tone plus a fully open spruce top. The impetus for my trip was to the gain some of the knowledge and handson experience it takes to properly repairrestore a lowden guitar. Limited lowden acoustic is made from whiskey barrels and bog wood. The first guitars with aframe bracing and the dolphin voicing profiles were made in 1976 and in many ways have established the lowden guitar s distinctive and unique sound. These days, many of georges family members are involved in the company and, after seeing how good the new guitars are, the future of lowden guitars looks secure.
If you would like to purchase this guitar, please call 2034588353. All of our guitars are available by phone 2034588353, email, and dm. Aaaa red cedar top and aaaa grade ziricote come together with the full body tone and response richard thompson was looking for. For greater savings check out our used lowden 1998 f12 acoustic electric guitar and get a great deal today. Thats partially because the handcrafted guitar we are offering was made during the middle period for lowden guitars during which george lowden was a design consultant and the guitars were made under the direction of the supervisors who had taken over management of the company that. George lowden initially began to develop his concert classical designs in 1987. George lowden in downpatrick about his history, philosophy, and future plans. Approximately 143 guitars were made during this period. Designed by richard and george lowden, this custom signature is built on the f body size with a cutaway.
We recommend using a qualified luthier or guitar technician to adjust the thickness split saddle lowden guitars our bone saddles are sold preprofiled but may still require some customisation before being fitted to its guitar. Lowden guitar dealer distinctive guitar shop online. The company, avalon guitars limited, was originally formed in 1989 as the lowden guitar company limited and operated from bangor, county down until 1990. Take a look inside the lowden guitar workshops in downpatrick, co down, ireland. Guitars of every kind at guitar gallery in nashville, tn. Model history lowden guitars handmade and hand built. Lowden acoustic guitars body size comparison youtube.
Original series o22 lowden guitars wildwood guitars. The interesting and landmarked history of lowden guitars, from 1961 to the present day. Lowden guitars of northern ireland gryphon strings. Based in county down in northern ireland, george lowden and his small team of skilled luthiers make some of the most incredible acoustic guitars we have ever come across.
Beyond a choice of solid wood tops, the s series features a selection of woods, a cutaway, and soundbox bevel. Brian michael visits lowden guitars gryphon strings. Lowden guitars are some of the finest guitars on the planet. In 1998 he repurchased lowden guitars, and rededicated himself to building a company that could continue his legacy as a brilliant luthier and designer. Lowden guitars is a family owned guitar building company run by george lowden. Shop lowden guitars handmade and hand built acoustic. Origin guitars are built under license from george lowden by the s yairi, nagoya workshops, japan guitars with this label were built between 19801985 in a small japanese workshop under license to george lowden. The company was formerly known as gibson guitar corporation and renamed gibson brands, inc. With a slightly thicker shell and tougher aluminium, the shell is twice as resilient to puncture and impact as the pro ii. He has been making concert classical guitars since then as part of his personal custom guitar making. Lowden guitars represent the pinnacle of acoustic guitar manufacturing.
One of the best things to do is to check out guitars with steel strings and which is lightweight. You started building guitars from boxes with fishing lines for strings when you were ten years old, and by the mid 70s, you were focused on experimenting with design and building instruments professionally. Lowden branded hiscox artist case lowden guitars us. Lowden guitars of this period were labelled with a slightly smaller version of the oval label and approximately 500600 guitars were made in each of the first 3 years then approximately per year thereafter.
Lowden has a long list of professional players who love their guitars,including eric clapton and ed sheeran the latter of. We are pleased to offer the exciting opportunity to mix and match from selected and reserved master grade tone woods, including some of the finest figured woods available, with tonal responses to match. Jul, 2011 it is the largest size that lowden makes and is identical to the o. George lowden was only ten years old when he built his first acoustic guitar. George lowden guitars limited free company information from companies house including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity. The lowden jazz is fitted with an board pickup as standard.
Lowden guitars are hand made by our dedicated team of craftspersons working with george lowden. Lowden guitars handmade and hand built acoustic guitar range. George lowden learned to make acoustic guitars by trial an. I highly recommend american guitars illustrated if you want this info. Jun 27, 2017 recently, i had the rare opportunity to spend a few days at the lowden guitars workshop in northern ireland. They are built by a team of real craftsmen by hand using the finest japanese tools and in so doing the guitars feel and sound like individual works of art. This design forms the basis for the lowden jazz model. George lowden is a luthier based in downpatrick, county down, northern ireland. We have long been fans of lowden guitars here at gryphon and we were always excited when we had a used one to offer for sale. Used lowden 1998 f12 acoustic electric guitar guitar center.
Three stunning lowden acoustics since the late 1970s, lowden has been building fine guitars in northern ireland that utilize carefully selected tonewoods, unyielding attention to voicing of the internal bracing and soundbox profiles, and lots of hand craftsmanship to ensure that its instruments deliver unhindered sustain, volume, and. The new location of the bridge on the soundboard increases the guitars midrange punch and despite the more compact feel, the 12 fret offers projection and vibrancy more akin to a guitar with a much larger body. George lowden has been building guitars for so long that most people probably make the mistake of thinking that innovation at the lowden workshops takes a backseat to consistently building the same iconic lowden models. He is one of the most respected luthiers in the world. Im being offered the guitar much cheaper than i could buy an s, f or o series lowden for example. Find the best selection of lowden guitars at guitar center at the guaranteed lowest prices and free shipping.
Northern irelands lowden guitars recently celebrated the production of. From 1989 until 2003, avalon produced approximately 15,000 lowden acoustic guitars and for a brief period from 1992 to 1996 also produced a solid body electric bass guitar under the name goodfellow. Lowden s, not taking away from the fact they are incredible guitars, are the very much in brand to have these days. As of this writing there are ten different wood choices for backs and sides including indian, honduran or madagascar rosewood, walnut, koa, tasmanian blackwood, myrtle, cocobolo or mahogany. George and eds friendship developed further from their shared dream to give young, aspiring players access to a quality guitar. The f body is very loud and focused, great for percussive strumming, flat picking and fingerpicking. Origin balloo industrial estate workshops, bangor, co. Brian travels to northern ireland to get a behind the scenes look at the genuine care and passion that goes into making a lowden guitar. Lowden guitars browse our collection of lowden guitars inventory. From this date lowden guitars are built by the familyowned company, george lowden guitars ltd. Ive been offered a 1991 lowden lse1 for what seems like an excellent price. I had a tiny little book by a guitar maker named john bailey and that. A brilliant sounding and looking richard thomspon signature model from lowden. Lowden f50 namm premium figured koa custom inlay package.