Really want to love Lowden...

[Bearstudio]

Had my current O32 since 2001, got my first one in 1991. I have no problem adapting to any style on this guitar. Yes it does a great job when I need to play music in the traditions of what we now call the UK and Ireland ( there is a breadth of difference in styles right there ). but have happily recorded and toured with it for everything else as well.

I am lucky enough to have plenty of guitars to choose from these days, and will pick up different guitars for different project, sometimes for a specific nuance in tone and feel, but more often just to keep me interested

Of all the Lowdens I have owned and played I do love that O32. It covers a lot of ground that some classic guitars only get part way with, but it takes more control to only use the elements required for the music. Sure it will do wide open, harmonically full adagio, but it will also do bluesy finger style, slide and flatpack. It becomes a matter of knowing how to control it through technique. My Sobell is very similar in that it needs the same approach.

Having said all that for a player who is looking for a specific old time / americana tone and feel pre dialled in there are easier ways to get there.

[noledog]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

I play Americana, Country-influenced stuff, Folk, and ‘Pop’ music on both my Lowdens as well as my two Martins. All four work equally fine.

Nobody has ever said to me “That Lowden just sounds wrong when you do that Americana stuff”, but I’ve often been told “That Guitar sounds fantastic!”.

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.

Originally Posted by musicman1951

I don't have any problem playing it on mine either.

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

If you can find one of these, it may do the trick - 1993 Lowden LSE1.
Mahogany back and sides with narrow 'stage edition body' and sitka top, 1 11/16" nut.

Mine was hanging on the wall of a new instrument shop and I played it, thought it would be a good bluesy Lowden, it is, and I bought it. I had my luthier make a wider spaced nut to give my fingerpicking a touch more room. Sounds great and I have used it in slide open G tuning. (Mine could do with a fair bit of work currently.)BluesKing777.

Originally Posted by sevenpalms

How about Avalon’s Americana series? Sounds like it’s exactly what you’re looking for..

https://www.avalonguitars.com/americana

* +1 to all the above! …When my 70's Guild was damaged by American Airlines back in the 90's, I wanted a Martin to replace it as I'm a solo folk-gospel-reggae player. I ended up buying new a '97 Lowden LSEII (spruce over rosewood). Punchy, great focus and yes great sustain, but not wild overtones. It does the job well on everything from fingerstyle to Americana. BK mentioned his LSE 1 which will be even a bit more fundamental... there are used one's out there! (my son has mine now).

** I also had an Avalon 00 sized guitar and found Avalons to be even more fundamental than some of the Lowden models... the America mentioned by sevenpalms is right on. Fellow AGF member and Avalon Forum member boombox had one so maybe msg him. We used to talk about this on the Avalon Forum before I joined here years ago.

[Bill@TheFrettedBuffalo]

Originally Posted by sevenpalms

How about Avalon’s Americana series? Sounds like it’s exactly what you’re looking for..

https://www.avalonguitars.com/americana

I was scrolling through this thread, planning to mention the Americana Series by Avalon, and see that sevenpalms beat me to it, thankfully! You can hopefully learn more about the series on the Avalon page as linked. If not, feel free to inbox us!

There were three different builds in the series, all of which were designed with a tip of the hat to classic American guitars. We had two of them in the shop, but have donated one to a fundraiser for a local musician who has suffered a stroke - that one was the Americana D300A, inspired by the old Gibson J45 slope. They also built a jumbo in this series.

What we do have in stock is a Americana "12 Fret Blues", a small bodied blues box that speaks for itself. See it here:https://rvrb.io/2015-americana-s32-c2w

We have been major sponsors of the AGF for several years, and are the largest (and now possibly the only) Avalon dealer in the Western Hemisphere if not the world. We will on occasion take advantage of our right as sponsors to blow our own horn! Don't overlook The Fretted Buffalo when you're in the hunt for the best in Irish-built guitars, or other world class builders!