Lowden

This is a unique acoustic guitar. It's made in Ireland, which is interesting, and it actually sounds perfect for many Irish folk tunes. It has a rosewood neck and fretboard, a rosewood back and sides, and a cedar soundboard. It has 21 frets, and is acoustic, so it has no pickups or volume controls. UTILIZATION The last few frets on this guitar are hard to reach, but it's almost definitely more of a rhythm guitar anyway, so that's not a huge issue. Getting a good sound on this guitar shouldn't be too difficult for anyone. It isn't too heavy or too light, and it isn't an awkward guitar to play by any means. It certainly plays like a dream, very smooth and gentle without requiring too much brute force to play. SOUNDS I personally think this is a fantastic guitar. It's incredibly smooth and warm for an acoustic. There is never any unnecessarily high or bright overtones coming out of it. I think as a guitar, it's perfect for folk musicians, be it American or English folk. I also think, as I said before, that it would be great for Irish music as well. If what you are going for is more along the lines of Neil Young, this might not be your thing, as it really isn't twangy at all. However, the sound is beautiful. I've noticed that when I strum it hard, or fingerpick it gently, it responds well to dynamics. This is especially helpful in recording, as each dynamic level sounds relatively consistent. This has been an issue for me in the past. If anyone is familiar with the acoustic guitar playing of Richard Thompson, the tones you get are somewhere in the ballpark of his sound on songs such as "1952 Vincent Black Lightning". OVERALL OPINION I can't say there's much I don't enjoy about this instrument. It's very much a smooth and full-sounding guitar. It plays beautifully and is very versatile. I think it's a very expensive guitar, but this is because the Lowden company is smaller and devotes more time to detail. I think that there aren't many other acoustics that are very comparable to Lowdens, they are in a league of their own. I would highly recommend at least trying one of these guitars to anyone.

This is a Lowden G9 acoustic guitar. It's a Northern Irish company that makes its guitars by hand. I've only been able to play this recently, as somebody brought it in for a session, but I've played it enough to know that it's one of the best I've ever tried. This is not surprising, as the other Lowdens I've had the pleasure of playing are pretty spectacular too. It's acoustic-electric which is an added plus. It definitely sounds way better acoustic than it does amplified, but I can't complain about the sound in either setting. It has 20 frets though only 14 of them are before the body (and easily playable). It's made out of cedar, with a mahogany neck and an ebony fretboard. It has volume and tone controls, UTILIZATION This guitar is definitely one of the nicest-feeling guitar's I've played. That said, it's better for rhythm than for playing leads, as there aren't a whole lot of frets. If you're into strumming or cross-picking, though, it's really nice. Getting a good sound out of it is pretty easy, even if you aren't a great player! It has a phenomenally bright, chiming, ringing sound, especially when strummed. It's not the heaviest or biggest guitar around so it has a nice design. SOUNDS This is up there with some of my favorite guitars for its sound. It just has a great, warm tone that still manages to be bright enough. haven't really found much I don't like to play with this guitar. When recording, it wouldn't be my go-to for playing fingerstyle, but it's got a fantastic sound for strumming, making it ideal for rock, country, folk (especially folk!), and other styles as well. I really like to play fast strummed folky stuff with this, or perhaps crosspicked chords like in the work of the Doobie Brothers. If you're just trying to gig or play at home, though, this is a great guitar for almost any genre and thus would suit someone who dabbles in multiple genres. OVERALL OPINION There isn't really a whole lot I don't like about this. Even though it's expensive, it's hand-made by the small crew of guys at Lowden, and has gone through their rigorous quality control. Thus the price is entirely justified, unlike some of the more expensive new items by giants such as Fender, Gibson, Martin, etc. Definitely a highly recommended instrument.

This is a Lowden guitar. These guitars are made in Northern Ireland by highly-trained professionals, and as such, every guitar I've ever played of theirs has been phenomenal, this one included. The guitar is acoustic electric, and it has a volume and tone knob on the top of the instrument near the neck. There is a pickup inside the body of the guitar. There are many frets on it, but they aren't all playable because there is no cutaway on this guitar. The guitar is made from a rich mahogany. UTILIZATION There is not, unfortunately, easy access to the top notes. However, this is a minor complaint, as the lack of cutaway gives the guitar more resonance, or so I'm told. Also, this isn't the kind of acoustic you would want for lead playing anyway, not that there are many that are particularly good for it anyway. Either way, the guitar sounds great from the minute you play it. It's got a nice shape to it, and it's certainly not too heavy so it's easy to carry around. The playing on this acoustic guitar is some of the smoothest I've ever encountered. Now I know how Richard Thompson can physically play "1952 Vincent Black Lightning". SOUNDS I love the sound of this guitar. It's got possibly the fullest, most balanced sound I've heard from a guitar in a while. It has plenty of low end, but not in a booming, woofy kind of way. The midrange is nice, it doesn't have that wonky kind of abrasive mid-rangey sound. The high end is brilliant without being shrill. It sounds great for strumming with a pick, with your fingers, or the fingerpicking style of playing. This guitar needs to be played to be believed. With the right microphone, this thing sounds immaculate in the studio. Live it sounds less brilliant, but then, so does almost every acoustic guitar. OVERALL OPINION I like the sound and the playability of this guitar the most. The only minor complaint I have is that the pickup that is inside of it doesn't really hold up to the sound of the guitar when it's played acoustically. There are few, if any guitars that I've found can do this, but it's a shame considering how great the thing sounds acoustically. This guitar is going to run a fortune nowadays, but if you are a professional it's worth it. There aren't many guitars that are up to its caliber, at least nowadays.