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George
Lowden Guitars
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(See
Inventory) |
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In
Northern Ireland, 1973, George Lowden felt that the direction of his
life should change. It was time to begin making guitars. However,
he had never made guitars before! |
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With
a basic guitar making book in hand, he essentially taught himself.
Although he reverently reviewed each process, standard approaches
were up for question. He ultimately developed his own techniques that
bear his signature today. Some of George Lowden's design elements
have since become duplicated by other luthiers, and are now the respected
standard at Lowden Guitars. |
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What
is technically unique about a Lowden Guitar? Lowden uses select solid
tone woods, as well as wood bindings. That in itself is not unique
among quality instruments, but on top and underneath, the soundboard
and strut wood is individually split~not sawn! Lowden adheres to the
principle that a split wood line faithfully follows the natural direction
of wood grain, rejecting wavy or twisted grain, producing very long
wood fibers. Even though this process increases the labor that goes
into their guitars, Lowden believes that this process helps with the
efficient transmission of soundwaves through the wood. Simply, it
promotes better tone.
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Lowden
Guitars also employ a unique neck design. There is no adjustment access
point on the headstock that might compromise the stability of the
neck. Similarly, the integral truss rod does not compress the neck.
And to preserve the integrity of the neck-joint, Lowden uses an A-frame
style of bracing (which also helps to prevent sound loss that occurs
in other cutaway style guitars). |
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Finally,
Lowdens have a hand-polished satin finish. |
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In
summary, George Lowden's unique design elements translate into beautiful
sound! |
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Today,
the reputation of Lowden Guitars is established. George's creations
are loved by a great variety of musicians, worldwide. They are known
for their precise workmanship and fine materials, projection and clarity,
balanced low and high notes possessing a sweetness of tone usually
found in older vintage instruments. This is quite an accomplishment
for what began as the vision of a lone craftsman in Northern Ireland.
Today, in Newtownards, Lowden Guitars create about 1200 guitars per
year~all under the careful eye of the master luthier himself. On May
15, 1999, Lowden Guitars celebrated their 25th anniversary. |
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Famous
people who play Lowdens include Acoustic Alchemy, Pierre Bensusan,
Peter Finger, Richard Thompson, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Mary Chapin
Carpenter, Vince Gill, Bono and The Edge and Shawn Colvin. Lowden
owners also include Mark Knopfler, James Taylor, Andy Summers, Bob
Dylan, Jan Akkerman, Paul Brady, Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega and
Ricky Scaggs to name just a few. (What about you?) |
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Links
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"Lowden
Workshops Makes Some of the World's Most Cherished Guitars",
(Southcoast Today, The Standard-Times, 1997) |
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"Rock
Elite Beat Path To N. Ireland Guitar-Maker's Door", Interview
with Andrew Hill (Reuters, 1996). |
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Dating
your Lowden guitar. |
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