Official Luthiers Forum!

Now don't get me wrong here, everyone is allowed their own opinions right?

I have only play about 6 Lowden's in my short time of being a guitar lover, I have a friend who is from Ireland and he has a mahog/cedar Lowden, and I've played it and had my own guitar (True built) and have had several hours of time playing them together (jam sessions if you will) and personally, I don't hear what all the hype is about. It is a beautiful guitar by all means but I didn't hear anything special with it. Also the other 5 I've played weren't over the top special either. I would call them good, but nothing super special about them.

So, I mostly will attribute this to a couple of things.

First, I have a very poor sense of what does sound good and I've missed the boat on the Lowden sound...

Second, I just have a different taste in sound and don't appreciate the sound of a nice Lowden.

I sure would like to hear a concert of about 10-15 highend (what the guitar playing world says are great sounding) guitars and be able to hear the difference and be able to distinguish what those differences are.

I sure would like to think that there are several builders right here making guitars that sound just as good as any of the other "highend" models out there.
I bet there are 10-20 builders right here with very very good sounding and well built models.

This is no dis to George. He has been building guitars and very fine ones at that for a great number of years and he is regarded in the top 10 steel string builders I reckon. There is always something to be said about taste and personal preference though, that's the only reason we can really see so many good builders in this day and second golden age of luthiery. One day we may see some of the members here with accolades as high as a Lowden, Ryan, Traugott, Olson, Bourgeois, Hoffman, Greven, Wingert, Laskin......the list goes on and on.

But, Good on ya Hank, I hope it's all you want it to be, I too would like to see some pics when you get a chance.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

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"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

just looking around George's web site and there are some pictures of a nice figured redwood and walnut guitar going through the build.

Wonder if this is Hank's beauty

Take a look

Don't think so as these seem to be from 2002 but beautiful none the less.

There is also a picture of a Craig Lavin inlay on his site. Cool

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

[QUOTE=Rod True] Now don't get me wrong here, everyone is allowed their own opinions right?

[/QUOTE]

Yup. A friend of mine purchased a sapele Takamine over a Lowden.

It is certainly all to do with personal taste. Anyone working with sound, either creating it by playing a guitar or building one will most likely have a developed sense of hearing or else why be involved in the first place?

To actually comment on personal taste when it comes to guitars indicates a developed musician, long from the days of being happy with an all-laminate beater with bad intonation..

I have noticed, amognst high-end popular guitar manufacturers, a definite tonal difference, cross-continentally.. My tonal preference is a guitar that has a wide palate of tone, sonorous, rich and full, with delicate crystal defined trebles.

I am a folk guitarist, that'll make sense then!!

I believe that is why I favour the Lowden/Avalon/Fylde sound over brands like Martin/Taylor/Larrivee, which to me seems brassy, boomy and brighter by comparison.

I know it's huge sweeping generalisation, and I am only comparing with major brands. I really don't know why it seems that way to me, whether it is the woods that are grown, already from some of the posts I have read on this forum, American varieties and British varieties of the same tree species can vary tonally.

I would love to do a study on this and compare American VS European guitars...I'd need sponsorship, as I would need to make a LOTTA purchases!!!!

Rod, that's a great link there.Sam Price38983.6902199074

Ok, here's some stuff you folks may not be taking into account:

When George first got started, he was making guitars alone, then got others involved, and at some point they started having some made in Japan. There's a whole lot more to the story, with other people involved in the ownership of the company etc. There were a lot of changes to the company over the years, and a number of people making them. He gives a lengthy summary of the whole business on his website.

Probably, most of the guitars you've played that are Lowden guitars were not made by George. The ones I've played by him were exceptional. But as in everything in the guitar world, everything is subjective. For those who like the style of guitars he builds, he is a leader of the pack.


Don Williams38983.812662037

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

It's perfectly acceptable not to be excited by their sound. There's nothing
wrong with having preferences! Ken Totushek's page has a great
collection of short clips and a review of some retired guy's guitar. I'm
linking to a tonewoods page, but his audio samples page has some
longer tunes.

http://www.graceworksmusic.com/Tonewoods_Quiz.htm

Don, is it the angle on the photo or is the finish rough on the outer edges or are those grain pores? Maybe it is the lighting, love the wood, rosette and everything else.

Mike
White Oak, Texas

Mike , theres only 3 coats of finish on the guitar now.
Lance

Okie-Dokie, thanks for responding

Mike
White Oak, Texas

[QUOTE=larkim]
Hank, I will let you know my forwarding address in the antipodes,
Regards

Kim[/QUOTE]

Ahhh, yes. I once spent a delightful vacation on the verdant shores of Lake Titticaca, in the Lesser Antilles. Is that anywhere near your domicile in the Antipodes, my jovial Aussie comrade?

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Hank Mauel

Hank,

If you grab a shovel, and start digging straight down somewhere near Boston, eventually, if my guesstimate is correct, you should exit at it's geographically antipodal point which is pretty close to my house here in Western Australia. Just swim to shore and hitch a little north up the coast to Perth, I shall have a nice cold beer and a bucket of prawns waiting

Oh, and to avoid getting the new axe dirty, you had best send it on ahead via air.

Cheers

Kim

[QUOTE=Don Williams] Ok, here's some stuff you folks may not be taking into account:[/QUOTE]

Or just may not have known at all.

Thanks for the education there Don, I appreciate it.

It's always good to hear both sides of the story aint it.

And wow Hank, that is one spectacular looking guitar you've shown us in the other thread.

So there are the "factory" Lowden's and than the custom, George built Lowden's right. That would make sense than. I sure would like to hear one of his own than that's for sure.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson