Lowden and Sheeran by Lowden

[Maryc-k]

Acousticmusic.org also carries Lowden and they have a nice selection of Sheerans. He has a lot of Eastmans of all sizes right now. I’ve been going there over 20 years. They also have one of best luthiers around. If you buy there they will have him look things over before you leave.

It’s in Guilford, right off i95, and close to i91.

[lowrider]

At Alto, a couple of years ago, I tried one that was OM/000 size and one that was GP size, but they were both kind of dead. At MZ, I played another unimpressive one but another time I tried a J-45 clone that sounded better than any Gibson in the room. That was over a year ago, and I haven't seen any more Eastman's there since.

I've decided that I like GP, GA size guitars the best so I'd like to find, without a cut-away. But really, Eastman's get so much respect here, that I'd like to play more of them so I can get a better opinion of them. Those two stores don't look like too bad of a drive from Long Island so I'll keep an eye on their websites.

With the Sheeran's. I lost interest in them when I tried the Lowden S model that it's based on. I think Lowden and Sheeran have done the worst possible job of releasing a new product. They rolled them out a year ago at NAMM. Then they went dark for a year. They should have had Ed play one for a year, creating a buzz, then showed them this year and been ready to deliver. They also need a model based on a larger Lowden model.

But what do I know I'm still trying to figure out how to play the darned thngs!

[Wellington]

This line personally annoys me just line signature lines do, but if other people like them all the power to them, I just have no interest in them, there’sa lot of good quality affordable guitars out there already.

[NotveryGood]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

That’s two of us then, Wattsy!

Three of us.

[andyspur]

Speaking as someone who has met and spoken with Richard on several occasions, I have always found him extremely honest and incredibly enthusiastic about guitars in general as well as the ones he has in his shop. I would have no hesitation whatsoever in buying from him again. Yes he likes to talk, and yes he has strong opinions about guitars. One might even expect to find him participating in an online forum such as this! I didn’t find him ‘sad’ or ‘bitter’ or any of the other less than flattering terms that several people have tried (‘unsuccessfully IMHO’) to label him with. He has never kept his disappointment at the quality of Sheeran guitars a secret, and in his opinion the quality obviously hasn’t improved to he extent that he feels he can recommend them to his clientele when he has what he considers to be superior guitars for sale. He is an independent shop owner who takes great pains to source what he considers high quality guitars at various price points, and is apparently not interested in just ‘shifting boxes’, more than I can say for quite a few guitar shops I could mention.
Apologies for the ‘rant’, just wanted to put on record the opinion of someone who has actually spoken to the man.
Cheers!
Andrew

[Conomor]

Originally Posted by andyspur

Apologies for the ‘rant’, just wanted to put on record the opinion of someone who has actually spoken to the man.

Yeah, I'm with you. I like Richard, but maybe sometimes he should let the guitars do more of the talking.

I think also that he may have a rather fixed idea of what a good guitar should sound like - he commonly uses adjectives like "chimey' etc - but that isn't necessarily what every potential customer is after.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by andyspur

... and in his opinion the quality obviously hasn’t improved to he extent that he fels he can recommend them to his clientele when he has what he considers to be superior guitars for sale.

One tiny bit of BS can taint everything else you say.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by GroovyException

Yeah, I'm with you. I like Richard, but maybe sometimes he should let the guitars do more of the talking.

I let them talk to me at NAMM, and didn't much care for what they had to say.

Somewhat doubting my own judgment -- it was late in the day, and I'd been walking for hours, and much of NAMM is absurdly loud -- I stood off the side and watched as the guitars talked to other people. Wasn't close enough to eavesdrop on what was being said, but I didn't see much enthusiasm.

[andyspur]

I don’t know what you are trying to say......

[Maryc-k]

My problem is he disparages Lowden guitars at the same time. I’ve not played a dud Lowden, and I’ve played a lot of them over the years. The new ones are some of the most amazing guitars out there.

So, you don’t want to carry them. Great. Then don’t. There’s no need to get on YouTube and give the entire company a black eye. I’ve never seen any other dealer do this in the 30 years I’ve been buying and selling guitars.

[foxo]

Originally Posted by Maryc-k

My problem is he disparages Lowden guitars at the same time. I’ve not played a dud Lowden, and I’ve played a lot of them over the years. The new ones are some of the most amazing guitars out there.

So, you don’t want to carry them. Great. Then don’t. There’s no need to get on YouTube and give the entire company a black eye. I’ve never seen any other dealer do this in the 30 years I’ve been buying and selling guitars.

Annoyed me a little too. Anyone who does the most basic research will be well aware there are cheaper solid wood options out there, that doesn’t mean Lowden is poor value for money though as he insinuates. I certainly don’t feel I was conned, I think the standard of workmanship justifies the price having played numerous other guitars around the same price range.

[fregly]

Originally Posted by Maryc-k

My problem is he disparages Lowden guitars at the same time. I’ve not played a dud Lowden, and I’ve played a lot of them over the years. The new ones are some of the most amazing guitars out there.

So, you don’t want to carry them. Great. Then don’t. There’s no need to get on YouTube and give the entire company a black eye. I’ve never seen any other dealer do this in the 30 years I’ve been buying and selling guitars.

Well that is Richard's thing, being honest to a fault publically on what he feels is worth getting and what is not. And he catches heck for it. I suspect he likely would want to carry the main Lowden line, but as mentioned above he was probably told carry both or nothing.

[Conomor]

Originally Posted by fregly

he was probably told carry both or nothing.

I think it's really unfair on Lowden to suggest this. It's not something Richard even hints at himself: "I think it would be unfair on Lowden to have a dealer who's not comfortable supporting the cheaper range".

[Conomor]

Originally Posted by foxo

that doesn’t mean Lowden is poor value for money though as he insinuates. I certainly don’t feel I was conned, I think the standard of workmanship justifies the price having played numerous other guitars around the same price range.

He is not accusing Lowden of conning buyers. Isn't there a general acceptance that the principle of diminishing returns applies to guitars above a certain price point?

If you believe that a $2500 guitar gets you 80% of what a $5000 guitar offers (however that may be measured), isn't it reasonable to claim that the former offers better value for money and recommend it accordingly? Doing so does not denigrate the $5000 guitar.

[Maryc-k]

Let’s look at it this way, let’s say he wants to carry XYZ brand down the line. The owners of the company see that video, and they think, if he can do that to Lowden, he can do that to us on YouTube. It’s just bad business. He can think all he wants, pontificate in the store, etc. But a dealer publicly denigrating a brand in a video is so unprofessional.