NGD Lowden

artiebear

This arrived a couple of weeks ago. 

A Lowden F35c Adirondack / Cocobolo, with a LR Baggs Anthem system. Loving it so far, a lot more to come. 



<a href="https://imgur.com/erxLpxf"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/erxLpxf.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/fwXvvM7"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/fwXvvM7.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

TheMadMick

That looks stunning - I'm immensely jealous.

Hope it works out well for you.

artiebear

TheMadMick said:

That looks stunning - I'm immensely jealous.

Hope it works out well for you.

Thanks, so far it is ridiculously good. Adirondack does take a long time to open up , Considering that the guitar was only completed a month ago, things bode well for the future. Lowden are great makers these days.

Mellish

Well done mate and congratulations. I'm sure it will give you many reasons to smile  

artiebear

Mellish said:

Well done mate and congratulations. I'm sure it will give you reasons to smile  

Thanks, loving it !. There is a story of  potential carrier disaster  behind it arriving with me ( obviously a happy ending  )

Tannin

Oh, what a lovely looking instrument! Unless I miss my guess, that is going to mature into an extraordinary guitar with a special voice and tremendous clarity.  

artiebear

Tannin said:

Oh, what a lovely looking instrument! Unless I miss my guess, that is going to mature into an extraordinary guitar with a special voice and tremendous clarity.  

if it's as good as my 20 year old O32, which has been regularly gigged and recorded over the years, it will be pretty good ( I hope ! ) Thanks mate.

earwighoney

Wow what a stunner.

I'm a fan of the heavier of the heavier rosewoods like Cocobolo, they seem to have their own kind of magic.

Lowdens usually use cedar or Sitka soundboards, I imagine this one with a Adirondack soundboard probably has a slightly different voice to the ones I have played? Btw, my guitar with a Adirondack soundboard took a few years to settle in, longer than other types of spruce I own (Sitka, Engleman, Austrian) but not that much more. 

Congrats on the new Lowden.

artiebear

earwighoney said:

Wow what a stunner.

I'm a fan of the heavier of the heavier rosewoods like Cocobolo, they seem to have their own kind of magic.

Lowdens usually use cedar or Sitka soundboards, I imagine this one with a Adirondack soundboard probably has a slightly different voice to the ones I have played? Btw, my guitar with a Adirondack soundboard took a few years to settle in, longer than other types of spruce I own (Sitka, Engleman, Austrian) but not that much more. 

Congrats on the new Lowden.

Thanks

I am also a fan woods like cocobolo, it has many of the same qualities as Honduras rosewood, while not being too far from good Brazilian r/w, albeit a heavier wood.

For a brand new guitar with an Adirondack top, I have found it more open than I might have expected at this stage. I look forward to hearing it change over time. I have an Adirondack topped Sobell that over the last 14/15 years had developed into an incredibly full and responsive guitar, but took some playing in during the early stages ( it still sounded good even then ).

Compared with sitka topped F Lowdens I have played this one has more high end shimmer, while the cocobolo gives very clear bass and mids.. So far, so good.

bertie

nice B-) ,  is that "satin"   back/sides ?    

artiebear

bertie said:

nice B-) ,  is that "satin"   back/sides ?    

It's the standard Lowden finish. They don't do any glossy finishes. Whereas some satin finished guitars look as if a few steps
 of process have been cut to save money, the Lowden process leaves lovely tactile but protective surface. 

bertie

indeed, Id agree with that about "other marques" satin finishes..............though the little Faith palor I used to have wasnt too bad (pre "naked" series, when they only did 1 type)    others have been as you say  - like they've just forgotten to put the finish on

Mellish

@artiebear ;; keep Virtuoso Polish well away from the finish, mate. It would turn it shiny and it would be irreversible. 

artiebear

Mellish said:

@artiebear ;; keep Virtuoso Polish well away from the finish, mate. It would turn it shiny and it would be irreversible. 

So true. My O32 is 20 years old now and is best wiped down with a clean cloth rather than polishing up. It still has the same feel to the finish now as when new except in areas where natural wear has put a slight hazy shine on it. 

earwighoney

artiebear said:

bertie said:

nice B-) ,  is that "satin"   back/sides ?    

It's the standard Lowden finish. They don't do any glossy finishes. Whereas some satin finished guitars look as if a few steps
 of process have been cut to save money, the Lowden process leaves lovely tactile but protective surface. 

The satin finish is part of the charm of Lowden guitars, they'd look wrong with a gloss finish.

I've played a few Lowdens over the years, the Richard Thompson model, Honduran RW Bensusan model, and a Sitka/EIR F model (I can't remember the number), the latter was the one that seemed to suit my plating the most.

IMO the opening process of a new spruce guitar is the best part of owning a new guitar, putting in the practise as well makes it all the all more rewarding.

I love the sound of a Sobell. Seems to be an influence on a number of luthiers but to my ears a Sobell guitar seems to have a voice not seen anywhere else.

I've got a couple of nice guitars with Amazon Rosewood which I like a lot, they have their own sound as well. One of the best sounding guitars I played/owned had Pau Ferro back and sides (nylon string though) which isn't a true rosewood but is kind of close, I still regret selling it!

bertie

earwighoney said:

IMO the opening process of a new spruce guitar is the best part of owning a new guitar, putting in the practise as well makes it all the all more rewarding.

I still dont think my Brook has,  I know you have to work 'em to get them to open, as well as just age - but I dont really "strum" that much and when I dont, its not "that"  energetic     - my other two are cedar, and I think already have "their sound"

artiebear

earwighoney said:

artiebear said:

bertie said:

nice B-) ,  is that "satin"   back/sides ?    

It's the standard Lowden finish. They don't do any glossy finishes. Whereas some satin finished guitars look as if a few steps
 of process have been cut to save money, the Lowden process leaves lovely tactile but protective surface. 

The satin finish is part of the charm of Lowden guitars, they'd look wrong with a gloss finish.

I've played a few Lowdens over the years, the Richard Thompson model, Honduran RW Bensusan model, and a Sitka/EIR F model (I can't remember the number), the latter was the one that seemed to suit my plating the most.

IMO the opening process of a new spruce guitar is the best part of owning a new guitar, putting in the practise as well makes it all the all more rewarding.

I love the sound of a Sobell. Seems to be an influence on a number of luthiers but to my ears a Sobell guitar seems to have a voice not seen anywhere else.

I've got a couple of nice guitars with Amazon Rosewood which I like a lot, they have their own sound as well. One of the best sounding guitars I played/owned had Pau Ferro back and sides (nylon string though) which isn't a true rosewood but is kind of close, I still regret selling it!

Totally agree regarding the Lowden finish. It is an essential part of the look and feel of these guitars.

Stefan Sobell's guitars are indeed very distinctive. Most of the makers who would acknowledge a Sobell influence seem to veer towards a more mainstream voicing. While Stefan has made some guitars like the New World model which pay homage to a certain USA vintage sound, even that model has a bit of that otherness which really comes to the fore in guitars like the Model 1 and the various versions of the Martin Simpson model. There is a little bit of arch top in the voicing, which puts it out there on it's own. I'm not sure some of those guitars would be right for everybody. They are powerful, distinctive and take the player a bit of work to unlock the magic that is there.

Not tried a guitar with Amazon rosewood, would be really interesting.

earwighoney

artiebear said:

Totally agree regarding the Lowden finish. It is an essential part of the look and feel of these guitars.

Stefan Sobell's guitars are indeed very distinctive. Most of the makers who would acknowledge a Sobell influence seem to veer towards a more mainstream voicing. While Stefan has made some guitars like the New World model which pay homage to a certain USA vintage sound, even that model has a bit of that otherness which really comes to the fore in guitars like the Model 1 and the various versions of the Martin Simpson model. There is a little bit of arch top in the voicing, which puts it out there on it's own. I'm not sure some of those guitars would be right for everybody. They are powerful, distinctive and take the player a bit of work to unlock the magic that is there.

Not tried a guitar with Amazon rosewood, would be really interesting.

I've heard that from near enough everyone who has had a Sobell in their hands it takes a bit of time to find the sweet spot to get the best sound out of it, but IMO I don't think this is something that only applies to Sobell's guitars, I think it's something that applies to quite a lot of acoustic guitars.  I've never seen one lurking in real life though!

I find acoustic guitars with a more radius to the soundboard, makes the soundboard resonate a bit less loosely? I'm not sure if I am describing it properly, but it definitely makes a difference to things.  One of my acoustics has that, not from the Sobell school of radiusing a soundboard but I think from the Larson Bros side of things.

artiebear

earwighoney said:

artiebear said:

Totally agree regarding the Lowden finish. It is an essential part of the look and feel of these guitars.

Stefan Sobell's guitars are indeed very distinctive. Most of the makers who would acknowledge a Sobell influence seem to veer towards a more mainstream voicing. While Stefan has made some guitars like the New World model which pay homage to a certain USA vintage sound, even that model has a bit of that otherness which really comes to the fore in guitars like the Model 1 and the various versions of the Martin Simpson model. There is a little bit of arch top in the voicing, which puts it out there on it's own. I'm not sure some of those guitars would be right for everybody. They are powerful, distinctive and take the player a bit of work to unlock the magic that is there.

Not tried a guitar with Amazon rosewood, would be really interesting.

I've heard that from near enough everyone who has had a Sobell in their hands it takes a bit of time to find the sweet spot to get the best sound out of it, but IMO I don't think this is something that only applies to Sobell's guitars, I think it's something that applies to quite a lot of acoustic guitars.  I've never seen one lurking in real life though!

I find acoustic guitars with a more radius to the soundboard, makes the soundboard resonate a bit less loosely? I'm not sure if I am describing it properly, but it definitely makes a difference to things.  One of my acoustics has that, not from the Sobell school of radiusing a soundboard but I think from the Larson Bros side of things.

The radiusing of the top ( and back ) definitely creates more tension, like a skin stretched across a drum. It changes the tone, creates a lot of sustain and also makes for a ,potentially, very powerful guitar. There are elements of a great violin in there, when the whole instrument creates a level of resonance, seemingly greater than the energy being put into it by the player. Quite a tough one to describe in words but definitely there for the player. Playing the Sobell, the player doesn't get the full impact and power. Across the room, the listener gets hit with a lot of power. They are definitely an experience worth checking out if you can find one.

TheOtherDennis

Only one word for that.

Woof.

earwighoney

artiebear said:

The radiusing of the top ( and back ) definitely creates more tension, like a skin stretched across a drum. It changes the tone, creates a lot of sustain and also makes for a ,potentially, very powerful guitar. There are elements of a great violin in there, when the whole instrument creates a level of resonance, seemingly greater than the energy being put into it by the player. Quite a tough one to describe in words but definitely there for the player. Playing the Sobell, the player doesn't get the full impact and power. Across the room, the listener gets hit with a lot of power. They are definitely an experience worth checking out if you can find one.

You did a great job at describing a slightly more radiused soundboard for an acoustic guitar!

From my experiences with my guitar which I presume doesn't have as much of a radius as your Sobell, I think the touch more of radius brings a bit more focus and articulation to the sound, which is not something that makes it better or worse than a guitar soundboard with less radius, just different.

I've heard that Sobells from other people as well, great guitars to listen to as well as play.