Lowden and Sheeran by Lowden

[Dwight]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

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

Originally Posted by andyspur

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

He saying he wasn't that impressed.

As Mary was saying, they have them at Acoustic Music.Org.

[zeebow]

figured out how to make sure the youtube videos show up. this is the video i wanted to show in the original post



i had the pleasure of meeting the lowden team at NAMM 2020. they're extremely charming and deeply care about delivering outstanding product.

the speculation on money grabbing / cheapening the brand is factless. if you spent time w/ the team you would see firsthand that inspiring the future generation is their goal.

Ed Sheeran does play these models live - and at his concerts, he even encourages the audience to just pick up a guitar and play.

enjoy sheeran guitars for what they are: a vision between a popular artist and an excellent guitar maker, with a common goal of inspiring future guitar players. the end.

[JayBee1404]

Nice post, and nice video, Zeebow. Thanks for that.

[Groover]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

That’s two of us then, Wattsy!

Make it three

[cmac]

Originally Posted by GroovyException

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.

The law of diminishing returns doesn't have a price point where it kicks in; it applies over the full scale.

In your example, though, the $2500 guitar is only better value for money if you don't want the 20% improvement that the $5000 guitar brings. For some people, and for various reasons, it is worth spending more on getting a better instrument.

[lowrider]

I just got back from Music Zoo and I tried the Sheeran W model. It was the first guitar I tried in the store and it sounded kind of nice. It's very well made and looks good in it's own way.

The next guitar I tried was a new Martin 00X. They are kind of equivalent but the Martin sounded way, way better for half the money.

Tried a Martin Road Series 000, that you can get for about the same price as the Sheeran and it was no contest.

Next up were the Yamaha L and T guitars that cost about the same. They sounded and looked way, way better for less than the price of the Sheeran.

So, I don't know who the customer is for the Sheeran guitars. They really don't even the tone of a $200 Yamaha, but they cost over $1000

I think the guy who made the video criticizing the Sheeran's was being as kind as he could be. I just don't think there is a market for these guitars.

[cmac]

Originally Posted by lowrider

I just got back from Music Zoo and I tried the Sheeran W model. It was the first guitar I tried in the store and it sounded kind of nice. It's very well made and looks good in it's own way.

The next guitar I tried was a new Martin 00X. They are kind of equivalent but the Martin sounded way, way better for half the money.

......

I just don't think there is a market for these guitars.

I think there probably is not going to be a market for these guitars in the USA, at least not in the ranks of people who know about guitars.

I did some quick comparisons. On US websites I found the Martin OOX1AE for $599 and the Sheeran W01 in the range $799 - $825, significantly more expensive.

On UK websites The OOX1AE is between £599 - £639, while the W01 is £595, i.e. the Sheeran is slightly cheaper than the Martin.

So for whatever reason Sheeran guitars are expensive in the USA, perhaps being pushed outside their 'natural' price bracket. I can think of various reasons for this, none of which are relevant, but the higher cost is going to mean they are compared with guitars that are a class above.

None of this is relevant to whether or not the Sheerans are any good. I am a Lowden fan, but I am not a brand advocate and I'm not going to defend the Sheeran range without playing some first to get an idea of what they are like. Perhaps they are banking on fan power to overlook the musical weaknesses in favour of having the right name on the headstock.

[lowrider]

The W02 I just played had a price tag over $1000. It was kind of like playing a Yamaha parlor guitar without the nice finish. And the Yamaha costs less than half as much.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by cmac

I think there probably is not going to be a market for these guitars in the USA, at least not in the ranks of people who know about guitars.

I did some quick comparisons. On US websites I found the Martin OOX1AE for $599 and the Sheeran W01 in the range $799 - $825, significantly more expensive.

On UK websites The OOX1AE is between £599 - £639, while the W01 is £595, i.e. the Sheeran is slightly cheaper than the Martin.

So for whatever reason Sheeran guitars are expensive in the USA, perhaps being pushed outside their 'natural' price bracket. I can think of various reasons for this, none of which are relevant, but the higher cost is going to mean they are compared with guitars that are a class above.

None of this is relevant to whether or not the Sheerans are any good. I am a Lowden fan, but I am not a brand advocate and I'm not going to defend the Sheeran range without playing some first to get an idea of what they are like. Perhaps they are banking on fan power to overlook the musical weaknesses in favour of having the right name on the headstock.

Maybe they're just not aiming at the US market? It's not like Lowden is some worldwide powerhouse with a major presence in US music stores anyway. Maybe they can make a decent bit of money from the UK and Europe, and anything that comes in from the US will just be gravy. Sheeran sells a lot more records in the UK than in the US so the name probably carries more weight there than here.

[Maryc-k]

The W size guitar is a parlor size. I’m not sure it’s a fair comparison with larger guitars. While it’s nothing like the Wee Lowden, it might serve as an alternative to a travel guitar.

Time will tell if there is a real market.

[fregly]

You wonder why they could not have made an unadorned all solid wood versions as a "starter" Lowden. Guitars still very much a Lowden. Many makers do this to capture/add another segment of the market. Another price conscious Wee and S. Surely this could have been done for a slight uptick in the price of the Sheerans.

[Meursault]

I doubt they’ll sell very well in the UK either. I saw a few of them in a shop in Manchester last week and they look like toys compared to my £400 Tanglewood parlour.