Lowden Guitars 35 Series F-35

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

George Lowden was only ten years old when he built his first acoustic guitar with a square soundboard, bent nails for frets, and fishing line for strings. He’s since moved on to much, much better materials (including real strings!), but every Lowden Guitar that leaves his shop is still shot through with just as much love, joy, integrity and passion as that fateful first guitar. George Lowden calls this the “Olympic method” of making guitars, and his commitment to excellence is evident with every strum. He and his small team make their guitars in a small shop in Downpatrick, Ireland with such impeccable craftsmanship and artistic flair that they may very well transcend your notion of what an acoustic guitar can do. We know that they will transform your music-making experience for the better, and we invite you to discover the awe-inspiring sounds of these majestic Irish acoustics.

Rad Redwood

Wildwoodians, this particular piece of exquisite Lowden craftsmanship puts some truly special tonewoods on display: AAAA sinker redwood for the top and AAAA koa for the back and sides. This is a rare and special combination, and as a result, this guitar has a fresh, exciting, inspiring voice.

Sinker redwood gets its name because, well, it sunk once upon a time! Back in the early days of logging, lumber companies would often float timber down rivers to get them to the mill. Predictably, some denser logs sank. Now, decades and decades later, companies are finding them (one hopes with some sort of jerry-rigged fish finder setup, because that's a fun mental image) and digging them up. As it turns out, guitars made from these "sinker" trees sound fabulous, perhaps because of the greater density.

Sinker redwood is another beast altogether, though. Redwood is an endangered species, so the only way to get it is to harvest sinker trees. Its rarity is matched only by the beauty of its tone. Basically, it sounds like cedar if cedar spent months diligently working out and living on Muscle Milk and protein bars. It has the dynamism and responsiveness of cedar, but it has more punching power and more headroom.

This tone pairs wonderfully with the sweet sounds produced by the koa back and sides. Koa is a midrange-forward wood, so it fills the sound out nicely and adds some sunny sweetness to the sound. And, it will only sound richer and gain greater overtone response as you play it more, so it will grow with you!

All in all, this is a wonderful example of a Lowden F-35, and we have no doubt it will bring all sorts of musical joy to some lucky acoustic adventurer.