Anyone ever heard of Dowina Guitars?

[_zedagive]

OK. Now you got my interest. Their parlor shape may be just what I'm looking for next.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

A very well respected Irish guitar player called Steve Cooney, often plays and has recorded with, a Dowina nylon string guitar.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Originally Posted by aborym

I live in Italy but I just ordered a Dowina Chardonnay GACE from Moloney. I'm waiting for some photographs of the 2 they have in stock, so I can choose the one I prefer. I will let you know.

Ciaran Moloney is a very nice man and knows his instruments well, I hope you have a successful transaction with him.

[aborym]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

Ciaran Moloney is a very nice man and knows his instruments well, I hope you have a successful transaction with him.

I just made the bank transfer. Kieran has been very helpful and kind. I am waiting for the guitar to arrive, to express a definitive opinion. But as it has gone so far, I can only be happy. if you happen to come to him these days, tell him to treat me well

[Bain]

Just great guitars very nice this is from a Furch owner

[fregly]

Originally Posted by Bain

Just great guitars very nice this is from a Furch owner

What would you say the differences are between the two? I have a Furch Blue GA that's a great guitar. I might pull the trigger in a Dowina Sapele/ Spruce GA.

[aborym]

Thanks for your opinion, Bain, which dictated by who plays Furch guitars is worth double. I wanted to buy a Grand Auditorium, and I was undecided between the Furch Blue CM, Dowina Chardonnay and Dowina Cabernet. The shop that had them both, strangely, never replied to all the emails and chats I wrote to, and after almost a week of waiting and research I came across the Kieran Moloney website, which does not deal with Furch guitars, but that after 10 minutes I had written to him, he had already replied and made it clear that he would follow me step by step in the negotiation. So I chose to buy from Kieran the Dowina Chardonnay GACE, all solid guitar, with cedar top and walnut back and sides and a unique-central european-rustic-completely out of fashion-extraordinary look and design. At least for me

[Lights]

Originally Posted by Arjan1961

I had the Dowina Cabernet and sounded great, never heard of it before but thought i take my chances. Was send to me and sound was good, upon arrival i noticed a mismatch in the soundhole decoration. It was very colourfull and this mismatch was very noticeable. Desided to return it but they offered me to keep and use it untill new guitar came in. Took them months and after getting the new one it was the wrong model. I gave up on Dowina at that point. But again sound and build is great.

And then it happens - the same story! Of course they send me a wrong model. They modified (rearranged) the old model. They made it cheaper to produce, some parts looks like ordered from Ali-Exspress; like bridge pins and rosette. They modified the cutaway to obtuse-angled which is much easier to bend and replaced diamond shape fret marks to little nearly invisible dots. *******s!
Sound is gorgeous but playability is awful. However, guitar is stringed with 011 D'addarios, is harder to play than my Harley Benton CLD-30 with 012 gauge strings. Btw. HB CLD-30 (ca 390 €) is made exactly by the same formula, but is much easier and nice to play even with little bit higher string action.
I'm disappointed, really. Never having a deal with these people anymore.

[aborym]

My Dowina is just perfect, but I bought it (online) from a well-known and reliable shop, which has its own website, a youtube channel, and an honest and helpful person who runs it. I've never really heard of the shop you're talking about, yet I often buy abroad, not just guitars and accessories. If you take a look at the wonderful Dowina facebook page, you will realize that in that small family-run business there is no place for horrible guitars like the one you described. IMHO the problem is the seller, not the manufacturer.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Originally Posted by aborym

My Dowina is just perfect, but I bought it (online) from a well-known and reliable shop, which has its own website, a youtube channel, and an honest and helpful person who runs it. I've never really heard of the shop you're talking about, yet I often buy abroad, not just guitars and accessories. If you take a look at the wonderful Dowina facebook page, you will realize that in that small family-run business there is no place for horrible guitars like the one you described. IMHO the problem is the seller, not the manufacturer.

I'm glad it worked out well for you, Dowina make excellent guitars and Kieran Moloney runs a great shop. To be honest, if the guitars weren't good he wouldn't stock them.

[aborym]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

I'm glad it worked out well for you, Dowina make excellent guitars and Kieran Moloney runs a great shop. To be honest, if the guitars weren't good he wouldn't stock them.

I agreed with you!

[Lights]

Originally Posted by aborym

My Dowina is just perfect, but I bought it (online) from a well-known and reliable shop, which has its own website, a youtube channel, and an honest and helpful person who runs it. I've never really heard of the shop you're talking about, yet I often buy abroad, not just guitars and accessories. If you take a look at the wonderful Dowina facebook page, you will realize that in that small family-run business there is no place for horrible guitars like the one you described. IMHO the problem is the seller, not the manufacturer.

Of course the seller, he forgot to change the pic. on the homepage and I was so stupid and didn't ask him a pics from the item to ship.
I contacted with the factory and they said that they can make me a custom shop guitar for extra 200.- They can change any spec except scale length. But exactly the scale length is my major problem. So, useless

[fregly]

They use the ugliest flatsawn tonewood I have seen on some of their guitars. Must be offcuts nobody wants that sound ok. and help keep the pricepoint down. Some of the other stuff looks good like the maple and various others. You really have to pick and choose. The guitars sound really good in the video demos to my ear.

[_zedagive]

Anyone know where to find the scale lengths on these guitars? It's not on their website and I get no response from the sellers.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Originally Posted by _zedagive

Anyone know where to find the scale lengths on these guitars? It's not on their website and I get no response from the sellers.

You could email Ciaran Moloney in Galway, he is very helpful and stocks a lot of Dowina guitars.