Marc Stone
From:
Louisiana, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2015 9:22 am |
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This is my mid-80s Lowden L27-f. Outstanding guitar, one of the warmest, sweetest sounding guitars I've ever owned. Never seen another and have seen very few pics/references to this guitar other than I think it became the bed for the Richard Thompson signature model. I gigged it for years but it's been in the closet too long.
This guitar was made during a period in the mid-80s when George Lowden moved production to Japan to a high end luthier operation that he oversaw personally. When I called the Lowden company to inquire about the the guitar, the person I spoke with told me emphatically "Mr. Lowden considers the guitar he made in Japan to be as fine as any he's ever built."
It's hard to say what it's worth because it's badly beat and worn, although completely functionally solid. The closest thing I could find for current equivalent was an Indian Rosewood back/sides, cedar top "50 series" on the Lowden site that sells new for a cool $6,200.
So in spite of mismatched tuner, missing clear pickguard, extensive soundhole wear, myriad of dings, scratches, dirt, play wear, fret wear, remains of a chinese fortune cookie fortune that said "never give up", solid repair where top separated slightly from body (done almost 10 years ago by the great Bob Jones in NY), and of course, the antler hole in the top, this guitar has some definite value. I've never seen another for sale (saw maybe one completed eBay listing a long time ago), and I'd be hard pressed to think of a guitar I could put my hands on for less than $2-3k that would be of comparable quality and playablity.
Here is a live vid of the guitar as I normally used it - Fishman Rare Earth pickup into a tube amp. Not the best indication of the acoustic sound, but it's not toally buried either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZi9oMS61dw
So, make me an offer. Cash is king but I'm open to trade for vintage tube amps and guitars, maybe a PSG.
Thanks for looking!
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