Lowden Guitars Original Series S-34

Sonic Evaluation

When I first sat down with this lovely Lowden S-34, my first instinct was to yell something nonsensical like "Hoo doggy! That's got the hot sauce!" That's a nonsensical thing to say, but this serial rendered the language center of my brain temporarily inarticulate with its all-encompassing resonance sound and wide dynamic range. On a scale of rich to woody, this guitar sits near the middle with a few toes hanging off into rich, which makes for a full-bodied yet articulate sound. It also has a piano-like roundness to the attack, and in general this serial has an open, sonorous tonality. The lows have a surprising amount of thump and boom, so much so that you may find yourself contemplating replacing your bass player with your right thumb! The midrange is wonderfully punchy and warm, and the highs have a crystalline, sparkling quality with plenty of mass.

I was able to coax a wide variety of tones out of this guitar by altering my technique and right-hand velocity, which made for a delightfully dynamic playing experience. That, along with its excellent string separation, balanced tone, and articulation made it a marvelous fingerstyle guitar. But, I also greatly enjoyed loudly strumming cowboy chords along to the Peter Criss eight-track playing at the shop (I may be the first person to jam a Peter Criss song on a Lowden!). It's the kind of guitar with a voice that suits just about any type of music, and it will follow you wherever your creativity takes you. I have no doubt you'll find yourself as flabbergasted as I was when you pick this serial up!

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.

A True OG

George Lowden learned to make acoustic guitars by trial and error. When he was a young man, he got hold of a booklet called "How to Make a Folk Guitar" by a luthier named John Bailey, and it inspired him to start building his own instruments. Rather than copy an existing design, Mr. Lowden simply sketched a guitar and got to work building it. Armed only with Mr. Bailey's book and his imagination, he embarked on a journey full of sweat and sawdust. His goal? To build a revolutionary acoustic guitar. For three years, he tweaked the bracing, changed the soundhole placement, fiddled with the bridge, and generally poured his heart and soul into designing a guitar that embodied his Olympic Philosophy of guitar building. When the dust settled, he knew he had something special: a guitar with the power to make heartstrings resonate. This Original Series guitar is a tribute to that Olympic spirit, and it embodies all of the timeless qualities we love about Lowden guitars.

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