About Lowden Guitars
Lowden have 3 popular choices of body size and style. They all share the same Lowden signature sound and performance but have some physical and tone performance differences that are worth looking into when searching for your ultimate acoustic. The important thing to stress is that each and every Lowden acoustic guitar built has been hand crafted to the same high and very exacting standards. From the entry level series up to the 50 range and the artist versions they are all built with the same love, care and attention to detail. So price will not affect the quality of any given instruments craftsmanship as they are all equally hand built and equally impressive. As you go up the price range you simple get a wider and more complex choice of tone woods and finishing options. For example if you prefer the simple and elegant combination of Cedar over Mahogany you may well find that your ideal version is the highly popular O22 regardless of price.
Moving on to body size and specification we will try and outline the key differences below for you.
S Body Shape - Any S Lowden has a more compact body that is comfortable both sitting down and standing up. It provides perhaps a more intimate Lowden experience and has a slightly shorter scale length neck. Similar to and crossed between an OM and a 00 size guitar it is an especially great instrument for tinkering with late at night. Despite its modest size it can strum and flat pick extremely well. It has a very balanced and even tone across the range and does not lack for anything. It has that typically Celtic Lowden ring to it that anyone who has ever played these guitars has come to love. They are more individual than any other compact instrument that we have ever had the pleasure of getting to know and they are a delightful finger picking instrument. Superb for any style of playing they have a remarkably big voice.
F Body Shape - The most popular choice of Lowden is the F size. A comfortable shape that can do everything brilliantly. Not far off a dreadnought in size but with some sweeter curves and a standard scale this is the best all round choice in most peoples opinion and they make a great finger style guitar. They are balanced and they project beautifully with an open blend of focused original note wrapped in a cloak of just the right amount of Lowden harmonic overtone. Stylish and superb sounding comfortable and elegant. What more could you ask for.
O Body Shape - This is the original Lowden body design. It can be described as a Jumbo size instrument and has more size and body to it when compared to a dreadnought. Unusually for a larger body size the O excel at finger style and picking. It will of course flat pick and strum well but it really is a stand out finger picking guitar. Plenty of full and balanced tone and a wonderful Celtic charm. These guys have bags of character and sustain. Although the F size is the most popular model this is the original size and offers the full classic Lowden sound and tone. They look amazing with any tone wood and are incredibly eye catching. Despite its size an O model has a wonderful detailed tone and flavour. If your happy with a bigger body size then maybe this is the one for you.
Below is some further information that we have taken from Lowdens own web site that may be of interest to readers. Please do contact us if you have any questions and we would like to once again stress that any Lowden will sound like a Lowden. They are remarkable instruments and we love them to bits.
George Lowdens own comments on his guitar ranges are below !
Original Series
I first developed these designs back in 1976 and although I have added the medium sized ‘F’ and concert sized ‘S’ to the range since then, little has changed.
Specification-
‘Dolphin’ profile soundboard bracing for Lowden voicing
5 piece neck with ebony bound fingerboard
Gotoh 503 machineheads
Bone top nut and saddle
All solid AAA grade tonewoods
All wood bindings and purflings and rosette
Split two piece saddle for accurate tuning
35 Series
What can I say about the 35 series...The longer I go on, the more I love them for their ever so slightly understated beauty, their subtle use of figured and beautiful woods, and not to mention their superb tonal definition and separation.
The 35 is for the serious player who can appreciate a whole new world of subtle tone colours and dynamic range.
Specification-
Abalone and wood rosette
Hand mitred purfling joints on sides and back.
Wood bound ebony fingerboard
The superb Gotoh 510 series gold/ebony machineheads
Choice of various figured tonewoods for back and sides and a cedar, sitka spruce, alpine spruce, adirondack or redwood soundboard. ( See price list for available combinations)
38 Series
first made the 38 back in 1976 for a friend of mine Alastair Burke. Normally I don’t use much shell inlays in my guitars but with this model I’ve indulged a little! Subtle use of leaf shaped abalone fingerboard inlays and soundboard purfling combine with the ideal choice of reclaimed Brazilian rosewood and a cedar top. One of my preferred choices now!
50 Series
Introducing our custom shop...
AAAA (master grade tonewoods including some of the finest figured woods available and tonal response to match
Choices of wood and soundbox shapes (see price lists for model options)
Figured wood and abalone soundhole edge
Curved extended fingerboard end
Inlay package 1: Back of head overlay bookmatched with front overlay
Inlay package 2: As for 1, plus side of heel inlay and headstock binding
Please contact us for pricing and any advice you may need in ordering your Custom Lowden.
Bartone
I just love the sound of baritone guitars and a few years ago I designed one...couldn’t wait to make another one! So here it is: Tunable to A or B with absolute ease, it combines walnut with the definition of sitka and a newly designed and voiced soundbox to accentuate the baritone voice. The scale of 700mm ( 27.56” ) provides a balance between playability an tonal response.
Jazz Series
I designed the Jazz series with nylon strings and an internal pick up fitted as standard so that it would feel very comfortable for classical and steel string players alike. The neck has enough width to facilitate the nylon strings but at the same time the cambered fingerboard allows for a wide variety of playing styles. Voiced for a really great acoustic response, and at the same time stiff enough for loud volume to be possible without the whole guitar over-reacting when played loud through a sound system.
The tone is very natural and full with none of the over bright tones sometimes found on too lightly built classicals. I re-designed these models in 2003 to improve the acoustic voice. The Jazz is also fitted with a Fishmann Matrix Infinity pickup as standard.
The New Lowden Fan Fret
George’s comments on the Design
Specifications - Fan Fret option available on all models
“The main aim of the design is to increase bass depth through increasing the string length on the bass side, while at the same time achieving more ‘bell like’ trebles by shortening the string length on the treble side. However, it is important to choose string lengths which will allow any player to quickly adapt to the fan fret design .... The angle of the first fret was also a factor in the design choices with playability in mind again - too much angle and it becomes difficult to play, too little and the bridge has to be angled too much for effective acoustic coupling between the bridge and the soundboard bracing.”
“When considering the acoustic coupling of the bridge to the soundboard bracing I decided to attempt a cantilever design - where the bridge footprint was our normal design, with the saddle support partially suspended slightly above the soundboard, rather than glued to it. I was aware that this was totally uncharted territory - but I like that! So when I finished the first prototype with the cantilever bridge I was more than a little interested in the tone of the guitar. Unfortunately I was disappointed in the tone - there was a certain vacuous quality to it and I immediately decided to glue the cantilever section fully onto the soundboard. Immediately I did that, the tone was fantastic - with the deeper basses and the more bell like full trebles! Hence the birth of the extended fan fret bridge design.”
“I then compared the tone of the extended bridge version and the other prototype where I had used the more usual slanted bridge, and listened to what the players had to say during the NAMM show. As the guitars were played and began to open up, virtually everyone agreed that , on balance , they marginally preferred the extended bridge version.”
Moving on to body size and specification we will try and outline the key differences below for you.
S Body Shape - Any S Lowden has a more compact body that is comfortable both sitting down and standing up. It provides perhaps a more intimate Lowden experience and has a slightly shorter scale length neck. Similar to and crossed between an OM and a 00 size guitar it is an especially great instrument for tinkering with late at night. Despite its modest size it can strum and flat pick extremely well. It has a very balanced and even tone across the range and does not lack for anything. It has that typically Celtic Lowden ring to it that anyone who has ever played these guitars has come to love. They are more individual than any other compact instrument that we have ever had the pleasure of getting to know and they are a delightful finger picking instrument. Superb for any style of playing they have a remarkably big voice.
F Body Shape - The most popular choice of Lowden is the F size. A comfortable shape that can do everything brilliantly. Not far off a dreadnought in size but with some sweeter curves and a standard scale this is the best all round choice in most peoples opinion and they make a great finger style guitar. They are balanced and they project beautifully with an open blend of focused original note wrapped in a cloak of just the right amount of Lowden harmonic overtone. Stylish and superb sounding comfortable and elegant. What more could you ask for.
O Body Shape - This is the original Lowden body design. It can be described as a Jumbo size instrument and has more size and body to it when compared to a dreadnought. Unusually for a larger body size the O excel at finger style and picking. It will of course flat pick and strum well but it really is a stand out finger picking guitar. Plenty of full and balanced tone and a wonderful Celtic charm. These guys have bags of character and sustain. Although the F size is the most popular model this is the original size and offers the full classic Lowden sound and tone. They look amazing with any tone wood and are incredibly eye catching. Despite its size an O model has a wonderful detailed tone and flavour. If your happy with a bigger body size then maybe this is the one for you.
Below is some further information that we have taken from Lowdens own web site that may be of interest to readers. Please do contact us if you have any questions and we would like to once again stress that any Lowden will sound like a Lowden. They are remarkable instruments and we love them to bits.
George Lowdens own comments on his guitar ranges are below !
Original Series
I first developed these designs back in 1976 and although I have added the medium sized ‘F’ and concert sized ‘S’ to the range since then, little has changed.
Specification-
‘Dolphin’ profile soundboard bracing for Lowden voicing
5 piece neck with ebony bound fingerboard
Gotoh 503 machineheads
Bone top nut and saddle
All solid AAA grade tonewoods
All wood bindings and purflings and rosette
Split two piece saddle for accurate tuning
35 Series
What can I say about the 35 series...The longer I go on, the more I love them for their ever so slightly understated beauty, their subtle use of figured and beautiful woods, and not to mention their superb tonal definition and separation.
The 35 is for the serious player who can appreciate a whole new world of subtle tone colours and dynamic range.
Specification-
Abalone and wood rosette
Hand mitred purfling joints on sides and back.
Wood bound ebony fingerboard
The superb Gotoh 510 series gold/ebony machineheads
Choice of various figured tonewoods for back and sides and a cedar, sitka spruce, alpine spruce, adirondack or redwood soundboard. ( See price list for available combinations)
38 Series
first made the 38 back in 1976 for a friend of mine Alastair Burke. Normally I don’t use much shell inlays in my guitars but with this model I’ve indulged a little! Subtle use of leaf shaped abalone fingerboard inlays and soundboard purfling combine with the ideal choice of reclaimed Brazilian rosewood and a cedar top. One of my preferred choices now!
50 Series
Introducing our custom shop...
AAAA (master grade tonewoods including some of the finest figured woods available and tonal response to match
Choices of wood and soundbox shapes (see price lists for model options)
Figured wood and abalone soundhole edge
Curved extended fingerboard end
Inlay package 1: Back of head overlay bookmatched with front overlay
Inlay package 2: As for 1, plus side of heel inlay and headstock binding
Please contact us for pricing and any advice you may need in ordering your Custom Lowden.
Bartone
I just love the sound of baritone guitars and a few years ago I designed one...couldn’t wait to make another one! So here it is: Tunable to A or B with absolute ease, it combines walnut with the definition of sitka and a newly designed and voiced soundbox to accentuate the baritone voice. The scale of 700mm ( 27.56” ) provides a balance between playability an tonal response.
Jazz Series
I designed the Jazz series with nylon strings and an internal pick up fitted as standard so that it would feel very comfortable for classical and steel string players alike. The neck has enough width to facilitate the nylon strings but at the same time the cambered fingerboard allows for a wide variety of playing styles. Voiced for a really great acoustic response, and at the same time stiff enough for loud volume to be possible without the whole guitar over-reacting when played loud through a sound system.
The tone is very natural and full with none of the over bright tones sometimes found on too lightly built classicals. I re-designed these models in 2003 to improve the acoustic voice. The Jazz is also fitted with a Fishmann Matrix Infinity pickup as standard.
The New Lowden Fan Fret
George’s comments on the Design
Specifications - Fan Fret option available on all models
“The main aim of the design is to increase bass depth through increasing the string length on the bass side, while at the same time achieving more ‘bell like’ trebles by shortening the string length on the treble side. However, it is important to choose string lengths which will allow any player to quickly adapt to the fan fret design .... The angle of the first fret was also a factor in the design choices with playability in mind again - too much angle and it becomes difficult to play, too little and the bridge has to be angled too much for effective acoustic coupling between the bridge and the soundboard bracing.”
“When considering the acoustic coupling of the bridge to the soundboard bracing I decided to attempt a cantilever design - where the bridge footprint was our normal design, with the saddle support partially suspended slightly above the soundboard, rather than glued to it. I was aware that this was totally uncharted territory - but I like that! So when I finished the first prototype with the cantilever bridge I was more than a little interested in the tone of the guitar. Unfortunately I was disappointed in the tone - there was a certain vacuous quality to it and I immediately decided to glue the cantilever section fully onto the soundboard. Immediately I did that, the tone was fantastic - with the deeper basses and the more bell like full trebles! Hence the birth of the extended fan fret bridge design.”
“I then compared the tone of the extended bridge version and the other prototype where I had used the more usual slanted bridge, and listened to what the players had to say during the NAMM show. As the guitars were played and began to open up, virtually everyone agreed that , on balance , they marginally preferred the extended bridge version.”
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