Oh dear Taylor. Lowdens got you beat

BowynMadley

This weekend just gone I spent the a few days in Belfast. As per most of my visits to new places i tried to find out if there were any music/guitar shops within walking distance of where I'll be staying. Low and behold I come across matchetts guitars and the Google description says Taylor guitar retailer also stocking Martin, Tanglewood and Lowden. The place was relatively small with somewhat apprehensive staff. In all honesty who'd blame them for being dubious of a youngish bearded Welshman asking to play the 3 grand Taylor in the corner (I forget the model)? But they did and what a pile of shit that was. No offense to the Taylor owners on here I'm sure your guitars are lovely but this was naff. For a dreadnaught it lacked punch, volume and body. It was just soul less. Then the man says " if you think that's good! Try this!" And hands me a Martin D28. That's better! Rich, clear, plays nicely and generally a joy to play. Then he hands me a Lowden O25 cedar/rosewood. Thats when my life changed forever. What a thing! Just sheer perfection in every way. It was beyond a doubt the best acoustic I've ever played or even heard played. It was clear as a bell, resonated beautifully and played better than I thought possible. The sound it made was intoxicating. I then went on to play a further 6 lowdens. O22, O23, O35c, OM55 and a few exotic wood varieties that other than being bite the back of your hand beautiful, didn't sound any better to the others.
So cut a long story short I now have insufferable GAS for a O25.

If you need me I'll be routing through my house looking for a stocking, a sawn off shotgun and a back marked £

richardhomer

The least compelling Taylors have always been dreadnoughts - the characteristic sound of a good dread is not what Taylor's 'house' sound lends itself to.

Lowdens are tonally very different to other makes; Richard Thompson (who's one of my favourite acoustic players) sounds wonderful on one. I recently tried his signature model and didn't get on with it all.

At this level, I genuinely don't think there's a definitive 'best' - it varies from player to player.

CHRISB50

They are lovely aren't they. I have an O22C. 

O22's are cedar and mahogany. Not rosewood back and sides. I thought the mahogany and cedar combo sounds more open off the bat than spruce and rosewood.

BowynMadley

The O35 I tried was cedar topped with mahogany back and sides. I usually don't like mahogany because I find it it too bass and lacking in sparkle but that was lovely. They were all great but the 25 cedar/rosewood just stood out to me.

crunchman

Agree on Taylor, especially their dreadnoughts.  It might be worth trying some other nice acoustics as well - things like Santa Cruz, Huss & Dalton, Collings, Brook and some of the better Martins.  The D28 is far from being the best guitar in the Martin range.  Try something with the pre-war style "forward shifted" bracing like an HD28V.  It will knock the D28 out of the park.

As @richardhomer said, Lowden do have their own sound so if you like that then go for it but it's great fun to go and try a bunch of really nice acoustics.

I played some Lowdens at the Olympia Acoustic show last year.  They were absolutely lovely.  The problem is I'd like a slightly narrower neck.  The guys on the Lowden stand said that I could get one with a narrower neck as a custom order.  If I had 3 grand I'd seriously consider it.

BowynMadley

[quote="crunchman;1026880"]Agree on Taylor, especially their dreadnoughts.  It might be kworth trying some other nice acoustics as well - things like Santa Cruz, Huss & Dalton, Collings, Brook and some of the better Martins.  The D28 is far from being the best guitar in the Martin range.  Try something with the pre-war style "forward shifted" bracing like an HD28V.  It will knock the D28 out of the park.




I completely agree with you on that. I've yet to try any collings acoustics buggy are anything like their electrics they will be something special. I've played quite a few high end Martins and they are nice. The custom shop ranges do warrant the price difference due to the sound and quality being superior. I've played Santa Cruz and Avalon and they are beautiful but didn't make me want to steal it immediately.

crunchman

Santa Cruz do seem to be a bit variable.  I played a 12 fret OOO once that might have been the best sounding acoustic I've ever come across.  Others I've played have been a bit underwhelming.  When you find a good one they are stunning.

Ultimately if you like the Lowden that much then try to get the funds together.

Just be a bit careful if can't get that particular guitar though.  Some are a bit more special than others.  I remember trying a Martin HD28V about 12 or 13 years ago that was amazing.  I went back to the shop a couple of weeks later intending to buy it and they had sold that guitar.  They had got another one in but it wasn't as good.  If it takes you a while to ge the funds together then you might have to see what's available when you have the money.

BahHumbug

This is really about personal taste. I have a Lowden O32 and and F23 (for sale, see the classifieds). I also have a Taylor 712ce. The Lowdens are both wonderful things in terms of the woods used, simplicity of finish, quality of build and consistency of tone. I love the fact that they are hand made in GB to a design that isn't a direct clone of a Martin. Tonally I find them loud and punchy and I've always struggled to extract much subtlety out of them. The O32 has started to settle down and sweeten recently and is definitely a keeper. The Taylor, on the other hand has had sweet tone from day 1 and is a fingerpicker's dream. It's not a bad strummer either. Most importantly I couldn't put it down in the first 6 months of owning it. It rekindled my waning interest in playing and sent my playing down new avenues. As an instrument and a piece of craftsmanship it is arguably inferior to the Lowdens, but it remains my go to guitar.

richardhomer

As I've mentioned before, the three best acoustics I've ever played were Santa Cruzs; two dreadnoughts and an OM.

I played each of them many years apart and was blown away with all three; vastly better than any Collings I've ever played (and I've played a lot more of those).

I may have got lucky and happened to play three particularly fine SCGCs - but they really were exceptional.

BowynMadley

It definitely is a mix of person preference and what you want from a guitar. Also it's very dependant on the wood each guitar is made of. It's a natural product after all and consistency varies. If it's dead to begin with it won't suddenly get better in years to come. For instance not every 59 burst is spectacular and not every pre war Martin is worth the hype.

ICBM

The Lowden sound is not for me, but it is a beautiful tone if it is for you. If it is, don't rest until you get one - there's nothing like them out there, except things like McIlroy which are even more expensive.

I owned an O10 many years ago, which didn't suit me at all, but I can't fault it as a guitar.

For what it's worth I've never played a Collings I've liked, only one Santa Cruz I did, don't really like Huss & Dalton, find Taylors functional but bland, like Larriveés but similarly find they are not for me usually, but…

...like almost every Martin I've ever played, and ended up owning two Gibsons! Which are very variable, but I think my ideal sound of all, if you get a good one. It's all very personal.

BowynMadley

I've not really played a bad Martin and every Taylor I've played have been bland and uninspiring. I played a beautiful Gibson j200 from 2005 and that was superb. I then played the exact same spec guitar from 2011 and that sucked. Of course the prices was almost identical

musicman100

its all down to personal preference. i recently got rid off my taylor 816, but it's was only because of personal reasons to get another guitar back that i'd had swap for taylor 6 months ago. but the taylor was a seriously good guitar and I think they get an unfair bad reparation. imo it was better than any Martin that I've played apart from a Eric Clapton model which was the only one I've ever wanted to but.

BowynMadley

I played an Eric Clapton limited run custom shop 00028 in world guitars about 4 years ago. That was my main Lust until I played that O22 lowden and that's half the price the Martin was.

Moe_Zambeek

I have an O23, which I love the sound (and smell!) of. I struggle a bit with the physical size though, it's a hefty beast physically. I think I'd prefer a slimmer neck and possibly bigger frets too...

I went out to try some replacements recently and none of them did anything for me - Martin, Collings, Moon, Taylor...nothing else really sounds like the Lowden. My plan now is to keep it and pick up something like a GS mini for songwriting sessions where space and comfort are at a premium.

4114Effects

Funnily enough I was at pmt leesds today and I played every Taylor they had, from a £500 GS mini to the £3000 limited editions. Not a single one grabbed my attention. Then I played a few Martins, which were a little better.

Finally I picked up a £800 Faith guitar at random, which blew every other guitar I played out of the water. I know it's all personal preference, but I wouldn't have taken a single one of the Taylor's over that Faith. Just seemed much more alive and resonant. All the Taylors sounded dry and flat somehow. 

Acoustics are strange things indeed. 

thomasross20

Martin and Larrivee for me

musicman100

faiths aren't for me but they seem to have a great following

kjdowd

Never liked a Taylor acoustic but I do like their t3b electric. Underrated guitar.

Wazmeister

Interesting thread...

My GAS is now moving across to acoustics after many wilderness years. I own a Taylor 614ce Ltd 30th and it is a truly beautiful instrument. I ordered it from new and it is tobacco sunburst.

Taylors are more about the 'throw' of the sound for me perosnally, as well as the excellent ES system... I play ed mine at church frequently and it was faultless. I remember the guy from the Acoustic Department at PMT saying it was one if the best guitars he'd ever heard...

Actually, though, I feel like a change. Maybe im maturing, but i fancy a Lowden... Im a big Richard Thompson fan too and love the sound of them...

A trip to Coda is on the cards maybe.

http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q493/Warren3333/919661b90827e98a044a66a8444a8dad.jpg

BowynMadley

I could never order or buy an acoustic online I don't think unless it was a custom order and had to be done that way. When I bought my tanglewood tw1000 they three identical guitars in the shop. Only difference was that one had a pickup all three played and sounded slightly different so i picked my favourite and set about haggling with the owner