Lowden Guitars O-50 Mastergrade Koa

Sonic Evaluation

The "o" in this model name might as well stand for "Oh my goodness," because that's what everyone says upon seeing and then hearing this unbelievable Lowden O-50 made of mastergrade koa. Apart from its striking appearance, it commands the attention of the room with its warm, sweet tone, and its dynamic response is unparalleled in jumbo acoustic guitars.

On a spectrum of rich to woody, this guitar sits near the middle with its toes dipped into richness, making for a balanced yet lush voice. The low-end packs a focused boom, the midrange is warm, punchy, and inviting, and the highs glisten with sunny overtones. Though it has plenty of projecting power as a bold strummer, it also has a remarkable capacity for nuance and detail, and it's supremely touch sensitive. Amazingly, this means it works beautifully as a fingerstyle guitar. Try as I might, I couldn't get it to sound anything less than clear, either, so complex chord voicings ring through with ease. It also handles low or open tunings with aplomb--I had a blast playing it in open G!

If you're looking for a responsive, big-sounding jumbo that puts the glorious tone of koa on centerstage, you owe it to yourself to check this Lowden O-50 out. I have no doubt it will inspire you to embark on all sorts of exciting fretboard adventures!

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 New Kind of Jumbo

Wildwoodians, this guitar can trace a direct lineage back to the very first guitar George Lowden ever built, and they still carry the spark from his initial burst of inspiration. How so? Well, the body shape before you--codename "O"--has remained unchanged since those early days back in the '70s.

One strum and it's easy to see why his first design has endured for so long. Simply put, they defy our expectations of what a jumbo guitar can be. They sound huge and fill the room with orchestral sound when pushed hard, yet they have an astonishing capacity for subtlety and nuance. They enjoy when you play with a heavy right hand, but they also have an extraordinarily wide dynamic range at lower volumes. They have plenty of punching power, but they can sound sweet as sugar-crusted molasses.

This specific serial is an O-50 made of solid mastergrade koa. Apart from its obvious stunning beauty, this rare tonewood is quite sonically appealing, too. It has a warm, woody tone with a beautiful bouquet of overtones and a mixture of sunny highs and punchy midrange that we find utterly intoxicating. And, it sounds better and better the more you play it! Yep, the more you play a koa-bodied guitar, the more it "opens-up" and sounds richer with greater overtone presence.

We invite you to take this Lowden O-50 for a spin and discover why this tried-and-true body shape still surprises us after more than four decades of greatness.

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