Lowden O-25 Custom Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1992)
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Lowden O-25 Custom Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1992), made in Northern Ireland, serial # 003581, natural finish, Indian rosewood back and sides, red cedar top; laminated mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
Lowden Guitars is the life's work of George Lowden, an Irish luthier who has been crafting high-quality and renowned acoustic instruments for several decades from his workshops in Ireland that have been loved by players from Ed Sheeran to (a particular Retrofret staff favorite) Richard Thompson. Developing an affinity for music and attempting his first builds as a child barely into double digits, Lowden's study of traditional luthiery served as a springing off point for innovative designs of his own, notably including A-frame bracing and his "Dolphin" struts that have become calling cards for his work over the decades.
These innovations find a worthy showcase in the O-25, one of Lowden's most recognizable and popular models and part of what they call their "Original Series." This well-loved example is denoted as a "custom" version of this flagship model with its smaller jumbo-esque (in shape) "O" style body, likely alluding to the Venetian cutaway which at the time does not appear to have been the regularly offered option as it became by the 2000's. Resting in the rosewood bridge is another of Lowden's modern touches, the split saddle meant to improve the intonation of the guitar by providing a saddle for the differently tensioned higher and lower strings while alleviating potential wear on a typical "backwards compensated" saddle.
The O-25 is a versatile, dynamic instrument with voluminous rosewood back and sides with a warm, rich finish from the red cedar top. The comfortable five-piece laminated rosewood and maple neck is crowned off with golden Gotoh SG381 tuners and an ebony fingerboard and may be a comfortable option for a fan of a smaller, more concert-sized instrument with a little more physical depth than, say, a Martin 000.
While this model remains available today, this 33 year old example is an excellent player that was one of the primary guitars of its previous owner; it undoubtedly was frequently played and well-loved, a healthy instrument will all the tonal benefits of a guitar that has really opened up with decades of use. This well-loved O-21 would be an excellent choice for a player looking to explore a well-loved example one of Lowden's hallmark offerings.
Overall length is 41 1/4 in. (104.8 cm.), 16 5/8 in. (42.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This guitar shows some typicalplay wear with pick scarring, dings, dents and scratches commensurate with a few decades of gigging and daily use. The very bottom right side on the back has a little bit of chew mark, but no cracks or issues with binding, this is still purely cosmetic. The are two small repaired grain cracks on the lower left hand bout that sealed with just a touch of glue but those appear to be the only repairs this guitar has ever known; the finish of the guitar is all original and free of any overspray or touchup and the original frets bear very little wear without any pitting or divoting in the fingerboard.
There is a small amount of the topmost coat of the finish pulling away from the wood right at the heel; this is purely cosmetic and the neck has never been off this guitar, nor will it need to anytime soon. The frets and two-piece saddle have plenty of life as well. The guitar plays perfectly with a huge sound, housed in a non-original black tolex case with some other general accoutrement (including a charmingly genuine, homemade bottle neck slide!) and the cozy, lingering smell of cedar. Very Good + Condition.
Lowden Guitars is the life's work of George Lowden, an Irish luthier who has been crafting high-quality and renowned acoustic instruments for several decades from his workshops in Ireland that have been loved by players from Ed Sheeran to (a particular Retrofret staff favorite) Richard Thompson. Developing an affinity for music and attempting his first builds as a child barely into double digits, Lowden's study of traditional luthiery served as a springing off point for innovative designs of his own, notably including A-frame bracing and his "Dolphin" struts that have become calling cards for his work over the decades.
These innovations find a worthy showcase in the O-25, one of Lowden's most recognizable and popular models and part of what they call their "Original Series." This well-loved example is denoted as a "custom" version of this flagship model with its smaller jumbo-esque (in shape) "O" style body, likely alluding to the Venetian cutaway which at the time does not appear to have been the regularly offered option as it became by the 2000's. Resting in the rosewood bridge is another of Lowden's modern touches, the split saddle meant to improve the intonation of the guitar by providing a saddle for the differently tensioned higher and lower strings while alleviating potential wear on a typical "backwards compensated" saddle.
The O-25 is a versatile, dynamic instrument with voluminous rosewood back and sides with a warm, rich finish from the red cedar top. The comfortable five-piece laminated rosewood and maple neck is crowned off with golden Gotoh SG381 tuners and an ebony fingerboard and may be a comfortable option for a fan of a smaller, more concert-sized instrument with a little more physical depth than, say, a Martin 000.
While this model remains available today, this 33 year old example is an excellent player that was one of the primary guitars of its previous owner; it undoubtedly was frequently played and well-loved, a healthy instrument will all the tonal benefits of a guitar that has really opened up with decades of use. This well-loved O-21 would be an excellent choice for a player looking to explore a well-loved example one of Lowden's hallmark offerings.
Overall length is 41 1/4 in. (104.8 cm.), 16 5/8 in. (42.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This guitar shows some typicalplay wear with pick scarring, dings, dents and scratches commensurate with a few decades of gigging and daily use. The very bottom right side on the back has a little bit of chew mark, but no cracks or issues with binding, this is still purely cosmetic. The are two small repaired grain cracks on the lower left hand bout that sealed with just a touch of glue but those appear to be the only repairs this guitar has ever known; the finish of the guitar is all original and free of any overspray or touchup and the original frets bear very little wear without any pitting or divoting in the fingerboard.
There is a small amount of the topmost coat of the finish pulling away from the wood right at the heel; this is purely cosmetic and the neck has never been off this guitar, nor will it need to anytime soon. The frets and two-piece saddle have plenty of life as well. The guitar plays perfectly with a huge sound, housed in a non-original black tolex case with some other general accoutrement (including a charmingly genuine, homemade bottle neck slide!) and the cozy, lingering smell of cedar. Very Good + Condition.