Belly buldge a thing with older Lowden / other higher end guitars?

[Rirrid]

Hey folks. I just tested a Lowden Pierre Bensusan that a fella drove all the way up here to sell. Absolutely killer guitar, quite treble leaning but so sweet and resonant (FIrst Lowden I've ever laid hands on) Compared to my d28 it felt really light built and would resonate by just picking it up....Incredible. The neck felt great and the wider (60mm) finger spacing at the bridge felt perfect.

The deal breaker was that there was a relatively high action, no relief in the neck and not much left to shave off the bridge (looked like it had been taken down previously to lower the action) and of course a good amount of belly bulge.

This is also a symptom of my current Martin D28 which came with it and I got cheap.

This hasn't in any way dissuaded me from wanting to purchase a Lowden, infact to the contrary after playing its only confirmed my pursuit in attaining one.
I'd just like to hear how much of a common occurrence this is with Lowden guitars, other makes, or specific tone woods that are used for the tops.

When you look at a guitar's saddle how much should be normally be protruding from the top when the guitar is new?

Are there ways of preventing this happening in the first place?

Is it cause by too much or lack of humidity or strings that are to heavy?

When you look at a guitar's saddle how much should be normally be protruding from the top?

Etc Etc..

Thanks and FWIW Ive really enjoyed this forum for the short time Ive been here. So much useful and cool banter!

[mikliv]

Can't really comment on the causes for the guitar you tried but I've owned a Lowden for what will be 30 years come December and there's no sign of any belly bulge. The action has stayed constant and it's still a pleasure to play. I also know a few others with Lowdens and they haven't had this problem.

So, I don't think that there is anything inherent in Lowden's build approach to cause this.

Bw

[JayBee1404]

My experience is that Lowdens tend to be more stable than, for instance, Martins in respect of action and neck/body geometry. I have seldom heard of a Lowden needing a reset and, having owned Lowdens for around twenty-five years, I’ve found that once set-up to my requirements, and given no changes in string-gauges, there is seldom a need for any further action adjustment.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by mikliv

Can't really comment on the causes for the guitar you tried but I've owned a Lowden for what will be 30 years come December and there's no sign of any belly bulge. The action has stayed constant and it's still a pleasure to play. I also know a few others with Lowdens and they haven't had this problem.

So, I don't think that there is anything inherent in Lowden's build approach to cause this.

Bw

Ditto this. No bulge after 25 years for a O23c.

If I saw significant bulge in a Lowden or a super-low trimmed saddle I'd suspect problems due to improper humidification at some point in its life.

[massimo]

Here too two Lowdens (cedar topped), almost 30 years old, not one problem.

[Rick Jones]

I've got a 1993 Lowden 022 that needs a neck reset. I bought it that way about 12 years ago, and the seller was clear about it when offering it to me. It has extensive top wear and the person I bought it off got it second hand themselves, unaware of the issue and tried to get it set up to be told it needed the reset done.

I got it accordingly-priced and then put it away for a few years knowing I had other things that would need the money more (recently born children, for one) and somewhere back in those days I had told myself I would have a home workshop one day in the future and maybe go on some luthier-run repair courses, so it could be a project for me. None of that ever transpired.

Over the years I've taken it out a few times and once asked my usual luthier if he could do the reset and he went away, read up on it and came back saying he wasn't confident he'd be able to separate the heel, and whilst he was willing to saw it off and do a bolt-on conversion, he'd never done that before either, so I put it back in the attic.

As I remember it, it doesn't have much (if any) bellying at the bridge, but the action is higher than anyone I know likes (and I have my own action quite high anyway) and there's barely any saddle left as it is. I'll pull it out and take pics soon if anyone wants to see.

It's had the strings slacked on it for at least a decade now and I am actually curious to see what it's looking like. In another thread someone has very kindly put me on to a luthier in the North of England that may be able to fix it for me.

[warfrat73]

Belly's on high end guitars are pretty common.

To quote Dana Bourgeois: "Norman Blake once said "Never trust a guitar if it doesn't have a belly". It's possible to build a top that stays flat forever, but we don't think you'd enjoy playing it for very long. So the belly's not the problem."