One Guitar, Two Ways: Lowden Master Series

“When we receive our tone-woods into our workshops we re-grade them several times and only the rarest and exceptional pieces we reserve for our 50 series. Every 50 series guitar benefits visually and in tone from this very special wood. These are simply the very best we can make!” - George Lowden

We're putting a little spotlight on an incredible guitar that just came in on the Exchange: a George Lowden Master Series F-50 in master-grade Alpine spruce and Brazilian rosewood! As you may know, George now has a fabulous team helping him to produce the increasing range of guitars the Northern Irish luthier offers. But every now and then, he still likes to take on the role of central luthier, crafting the extra premium guitars in his Master Series.

We've never met a Lowden we didn't like, but this one stood out, living up to the hype of both Brazilian rosewood and George's legacy. A beauty for fingerstyle, with the larger F body size and the Alpine spruce top, this guitar blossoms under a strong flatpick attack, too.

We of course put it in the hands of the wonderful Carl Miner, and the rich tonality suited his composition style incredibly well...

Later that afternoon, though, we had a couple special guests in the shop—among them, the "Welsh Tornado" himself, Gareth Pearson! With a guitar like this, it only seemed natural to see what it would sound like played by the masterful fingerstylist. As you can hear, he took it in a totally different direction.

Drawing on high-octane influences like Tommy Emmanuel and Chet Atkins, Gareth's composition "Mr. Spontaneous" marries a memorable melody with driving, thumping bass and a flurry of chordal notes.

Gareth also has his own special connections to George, considering him a friend he always greets warmly given the opportunity. No surprise there!

We've got more special features coming up soon featuring Gareth and the magnetic Muriel Anderson! Don't miss those over on our YouTube channel later this week.

Lastly, be sure to check out these two incredible players online: