Choosing a Lowden style instrument - Page 2

DenverSteve · #16 01-01-2019, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianlcox

.... I'm limiting myself to what's on the used market (to save money) in the area (Switzerland) so that I can try them before buying. ....

And that's what you should do. There is no way to compare the available used instruments available to you without playing them all, or at least play one at a time until one speaks to you. You may be very surprised. The music influence you cited, combined with the instruments you've owned in the past, wouldn't lead me to suggest a Lowden or the other's you are interested in. They are very, very different in feel, looks, construction and sound from what you're used to. Playing them will be the only way to know.

brianlcox · #17 01-01-2019, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

The music influence you cited, combined with the instruments you've owned in the past, wouldn't lead me to suggest a Lowden or the other's you are interested in. They are very, very different in feel, looks, construction and sound from what you're used to. Playing them will be the only way to know.

I totally agree. The instruments that I've owned in the past were mostly products of what was avaialble on the used market for a good price. I generally buy any decent guitar that comes up on the rather limited used market here and enjoy them for a month or two before reselling them. Now that my free time is about to become even more limited (second child and new job) I'm planning on reducing my time spent trading guitars and will use my limited free time to play.

With that in mind, I'm trying to get myself to a state where I have the guitars I want / need based on my experiences of the past couple years. I feel that I have the john mayer / eric clapton style stuff quite well covered with the Boucher OM. I also have the Larrivee L05e for a do-it-all type of guitar for this type of music

Now I'm looking for something a little more responsive with a bigger and fuller sound for fingerstyle stuff and my mind keeps going back to the Lowden L25 that I owned previously. Though I feel that maybe a smaller body size and spruce top might be a better fit than the larger, cedar topped model.

Mbroady · #18 01-01-2019, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianlcox

Thanks for the welcome - I've been lurking here for about a year now, mostly in the for sale area, but also using the search function to read about specific things. This place is a gold mine of information!!!

I have been playing around buying and selling guitars for about two years now, basically buying used guitars locally and selling them after a few months. The goal has been to try to figure out what I really like in a guitar and what suits me. I've also developed a lot as a guitar player in the past two years, so guitars that I've sold I would be very happy to have again now! Here's a quick list of some of the guitars that have passed through my house in the past year or two:

Martin D18
Martin OOO15m
Martin OOO15
Martin GPPA4 Rosewood
Taylor 615ce
Lowden L25 (today O25)
Patrick James Eggle Linville Gareth Pearson
Larrivee L09
Guild F20 (1996)
Eastman 805
Furch F20cm
Washburn D62SW
Washburn D61SW
Larrivee L05e (still have)
Boucher OMH Bubinga (still have)

Well you might have been Playing for only 2 years but you have been around the “Guitar Aquisistion Block” a fair amount. Look forward to hearing about what you wind up with. And remember, it never happened unless you post a pic or 10

BluesKing777 · #19 01-01-2019, 05:18 PM

Wonderful guitars!

I would say the O model is a great fingerpicker with a balanced sound, no booming bass like a dread.....

Here is Pierre with a slightly used O22:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA3lFuQyFnk

And now for some Richard Thompson...very different from Pierre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxKTzwaEa2o

BluesKing777.

boombox · #20 01-01-2019, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RodB

I have 2 McIlroys, both A size - one Cedar topped the other Sitka. They are quite different in sound, although they are clearly closely related. I finger-pick both and definitely would not consider the spruce top means it’s only any good for strumming....

Totally agree on this. I have always just played fingerstyle, with only the lightest bit of strumming, and don't feel I am missing out only having one cedar top and 7 spruce tops. It was Andy McKee who drew me to Avalon and ultimately my L32C and he's not exactly known as a strummer.

Brucebubs · #21 01-01-2019, 05:50 PM

Just wondering ... how do the R. Taylor models compare?

mcduffnw · #22 01-01-2019, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boombox

Totally agree on this. I have always just played fingerstyle, with only the lightest bit of strumming, and don't feel I am missing out only having one cedar top and 7 spruce tops. It was Andy McKee who drew me to Avalon and ultimately my L32C and he's not exactly known as a strummer.

But...but...Andy initially got famous with his CandyRat/YouTube videos playing a Lowden...

And for me...all these years later, he still has never sounded better tonally/responsively than he does/did in those early videos with the Lowden.

Duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

boombox · #23 01-01-2019, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcduffnw

But...but...Andy initially got famous with his CandyRat/YouTube videos playing a Lowden...

And for me...all these years later, he still has never sounded better tonally/responsively than he does/did in those early videos with the Lowden.

Duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

I think you may have misread my post: the comment was meant in relation to RodB's comment that having a spruce top does not limit you to strumming.

I know what you mean about those early videos, although while for the videos he used the Lowden, what Andy actually took out on those early tours was a spruce/EIR Avalon. That was what swayed me to take a risk with my L32C direct - if he could play that sort of stuff on one, that was what I was aiming at.

nikpearson · #24 01-02-2019, 03:22 AM

Over the last 30 years I’ve played and owned a number of guitars from Lowden. As other posters have mentioned they have a very different sound from their USA counterparts; most notably more sustain and typically complex and overtone laden. These qualities are more obvious as you move up the body sizes. The original O model is the largest model other than the baritone offering. For me it has the Lowden sound. The mid-size F body shape is still a small jumbo and retains much of the famous Lowden sound but with is little more focus. The S size is particularly balanced but for me loses much of what I like about the larger Lowden instruments. Have never played a Wee Lowden but would imagine the sound to be more focused again.

The two most impressive Lowdens I’ve played have been O models. A simply breath-taking cedar/Brazilian rosewood 25th anniversary model and a O25c cedar/Indian rosewood that I bought 5 or 6 years ago. Superb for open tunings, with a huge and complex sound. Works best where there is space within the music for those overtones to blossom.

I also have an F35 in spruce/Indian rosewood adept at finger-picking, flat-picking and strumming. Not quite as impressive as the O but more versatile?

The only S series Lowden that have really grabbed me are the nylon-string ‘Jazz’ models.

Definitively try an O25 if you have the opportunity. They are big instruments both in top area and body depth, but I find them more comfortable to play than a typical dreadnought.

Quake17 · #25 01-02-2019, 03:52 AM

I have no experience with either McIlroy or Avalon, but I have two Lowden O's. A 25 and a 35 in Tasmanian Blackwood and Cedar. I'm a fairly recent acolyte to the Lowden sound, but it is mesmerizing, to say the least. While both big jumbo sized, the pinched in waist make them more comfortable then a dreadnought and the cedar tops lend themselves to bare fingers. I have not found a plastic pick that works well with them but I kind of like the Thalia santos rosewood laminate pick.

mcduffnw · #26 01-02-2019, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boombox

I think you may have misread my post: the comment was meant in relation to RodB's comment that having a spruce top does not limit you to strumming.

I know what you mean about those early videos, although while for the videos he used the Lowden, what Andy actually took out on those early tours was a spruce/EIR Avalon. That was what swayed me to take a risk with my L32C direct - if he could play that sort of stuff on one, that was what I was aiming at.

Ahhhh...

Yes...my bad, I missed your context there...all apologies!!!

How interesting about Andy...touring with the Avalon's. True as you say though, not surprising really. The Avalon apple did not fall far from the Lowden tree. Superb, handsome looking and unique sounding instruments either way.

duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

TBman · #27 01-02-2019, 12:11 PM

When I was shopping last summer for a guitar I was playing a Taylor 714ce at Guitar Center a lot. I did plenty of research online and I decided to buy an Avalon. From online videos and testimony from owners here it seemed that the Avalon would have a tone similar to Taylor but with more bass. That's exactly how it turned out to be. The Avalon though is much more responsive than the Taylor and my other guitars so that took me time to get used to it.

From what I have read here, Lowdens are reported to be a head above Avalons. That may or may not be true as I don't know what models from the manufacturers were compared to support the opinions. This may be a European version of Taylor vs Martin.

brianlcox · #28 01-02-2019, 12:20 PM

So I tried the avalon today. Although it was a really nice looking guitar, it didn't make the impression on me that I hoped it would. First, the nut was 43mm, which was more or less a deal breaker. However, the neck was still really comfortable for chording up and down the fretboard - I really enjoyed it especially for thumb over stuff. However, for more complex hammer on pull-off stuff (think James Taylor) around the open position it was just too narrow for me to play cleanly. The tone was hard to really get a feel for as the strings were three years old on a demo guitar and I really didn't get the responsive fingerstyle feel that I expected. Also there were quite a few sanding marks on the body that I wouldn't expect on a guitar with a MRSP of around 6000 dollars.

I'm probably going to wait a few days and the probably contact the Lowden O25 owner to take it for a test drive.

In other news, I had a brief correspondence with the owner of a 1999 Bourgeois OMC that he was potentially interested in selling. THAT would have been a cool guitar to get my hands on, as Bourgeois aren't so common here. Unfortunately over the course of our emailing back and forth and me telling him what the guitar was worth (according to Reverb) he decided not to sell after all. Too bad!

Arjan1961 · #29 01-02-2019, 12:29 PM

For me my 2 McIlroy guitars are my best purchases ever. The sound of theA56 is amazing and the A25 is also a great playable guiter. Setup from the store was perfect. Lowden did not do it for me at that time. Avalon i never played one.

brianlcox · #30 01-02-2019, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arjan1961

For me my 2 McIlroy guitars are my best purchases ever. The sound of theA56 is amazing and the A25 is also a great playable guiter. Setup from the store was perfect. Lowden did not do it for me at that time. Avalon i never played one.

I would have loved to try the Mcilroy - unfortunately it was gone when I contacted the guy