Official Luthiers Forum!

First post. This place rocks.

I would like to attempt to build myself a life guitar.

I have this Lowden that has just ruined me as far as playing any other piece. Anyway... I know that he used his own build method. No truss rod, different bracing and ???

Can anybody help me (or point me) with information about this particular style of guitar building? Or is it his proprietary secret?

I know he sold the company, but as far as I know, they still use the same methods.

Thanx in advance, Again, what a cool forum.

I don't think George does much different than most people do. You can look here on Frets.com to view a lowden bracing picture, last one from the bottom.

Fellow OLF member Jonathan Kendall commissioned George Lowden to build him a guitar in 2007. He got to go to Ireland to order it. You can see his blog here and a post of his new Lowden here.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Other than that, if you've never built a guitar, you might want to pick up a book or some of the great DVD's out there and start reading and watching.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Aw you beat me!!!

I was looking for that too!!

I've been round Georges workshop & he's a TRUE Gent. he invited me down after he saw that i was building guitars as a hobby and wanted to shw me his stuff, knowing I'd never be a customer.

not sure you're right about the lack of a truss rod though..... access through the soundhole surely?

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Ya I'm pretty sure they put a truss rod in their necks at Lowden.

Just take a look at this picture of all those necks from Jonathan's blog



You can see the end of the truss rod sticking out above the dovetail.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Jus,

Take a look at this thread

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Dovetail, Thats the name I couldn't remember. Bit of a block and I somehow came up with the Name Gooseneck.

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Connor Cook,
N.S.W Australia

Jus welcome to the OLF!

It would be very helpful to me and other members so that we may address you with respect if you would please add a first name (yours or anyone else's ) to a signature line in your posts. Thanks!

Great to have you here!

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Ann Arbor Guitars

You guys have been very helpful already.

Don't worry, I'm a reader. Very good with wood as well. I'm sure I'll make my mistakes, but, with your help, I'll have an instrument after three or four, or five........ failures.

Funny thing is, the guitar tech at Guitar Center in Hollywood told me that there was no truss rod in it. Since then I've noticed that, while there is an issue with them, they are there.
Thanx folks. More study for me.


- Phil

hey Phil
you make me smile
Quote - “I know that he used his own build method. No truss rod,”
and again “Funny thing is, the guitar tech at Guitar Centre in Hollywood told me that there was no truss rod in it”
Maybe Mr G Lowden is reading this topic!!!.
Well I checked the Hollywood Guitar Centres Web Site and, http://www.guitarcenter.com/Brand/BrandList.aspx
first surprise - they don’t do Lowdens,
Second surprise, they don't advertise a repair service so that makes me think, guy behind counter talking BULL cause he thinks he can sell something they do stock.

You said - “Thanx folks. More study for me. “
Under SET UP AND MAINTENANCE on the George Lowden site I found this,

NECK PROFILE AND TRUSS ROD ADJUSTMENTS
(RECOMMENDED SETTINGS)

Before having a string action adjustment it is important that the neck relief is checked and corrected if necessary.
First check neck relief: To do this, press bass E string onto 1st and 13th frets simultaneously and observe the tiny hairline gap between the bottom of the string and the crown of the 6th fret- this gap is the amount of neck ‘relief’  For most playing styles relief should be between 0.15mm and 0.25mm. If the relief is too large the action may be too high and/or buzzing may occur when playing around the 5th to 10th frets. If the neck is too straight, the action may be too low and buzzing may occur when playing 1st to 4th frets. NB: It is very common for new guitars to develop a high playing action during the first 6 months as the string tension begins to take effect. Often the truss rod will need tightened in new guitars after a few months to correct neck relief and action.”

Oh yes the truss road is there, I’ve adjusted mine three or four times over the past 20 years.
So your right when you said “More study for me” - go study.
First thing to study is to find out where the truss rod adjuster is, then report back telling us why its there, OK
yours Geordie

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Of course not.... GC and Lowden. LOL




They have a guitar tech on duty most of the time. Usta be in the accoustic room, but they moved him upstairs in a little cubicle. I go there for tech work all the time. But, you prolly have some super phone which knows all, right?



Like I said... "funny thing"



Having a bad day, huh? ... Figured you would dump on the newby? I really don't know what I said to blow your dress up, but none of it was a lie.

Any relationship? --->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugk37TvIR8E


- Phil

Where's the moderator when you need one?

hi Phil
oops sorry you took my comments badly. my apologies
Geordie
PS I don't look good in a dress, I prefer a kilt.

_________________
some tunes on acoustic and guitar synth.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGeordieAdams
http://www.myspace.com/geordieadams

Hi Phil,

Welcome to OLF. I take it this is the Hollywood, CA guitar center? I'm in Santa Monica.

First, a few thoughts by way of an anecdote. I was in McCabe's a few months back and an older English fellow walks into the high end acoustic room. I'm sitting there playing an absolutely stunning Goodall parlor, Coco-Euro Spruce, but I'm about done. So I say, "hey, this guitar's a beauty. Would you like to give it a try?" He gives me a contemptuous sideways glance and shoots back. "I don't play them." He doesn't play them? That's odd, I think. So I ask him what he does play. "Got three a' them." he says, pointing to a Collings. Now, I love Collings guitars, but I know that every one in the room can't hold a candle to the Goodall I'm holding. It's the gem of the room. But he doesn't play Goodall's, right? So I say, "ok" and I leave.

Now I'm not saying that your Lowden isn't lovely. But I am saying every guitar is different, even guitars by builders who shoot for consistency. It's possible not every Lowden will please you. If you're interested in building your own guitar, you might be better off identifying the tonal characteristics of your Lowden (what makes you love it so much), rather than trying to simply 'build the way Lowden does.'

That said, Southern California has lots of terrific builders. I'd also urge you to check out http://www.simscal.comSIMSCAL. It's a great group of people, very inexpensive to join. Beyond that, you may want to search the archives here for threads on people building their first. There's also a kit building forum. Personally, I think a kit is the way to go for a first guitar.

Finally (and I say this with no ill will)...please stop getting your guitar serviced at guitar center! Please try westwood music, mccabe's, or even Neely guitars, if they do repairs.

Older Lowdens didn't have truss rods...

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

From the George Lowden web site I mention a few posts ago
http://www.georgelowden.com/
click on Support
click on Set Up And Maintenance
scroll down to the second last paragraph,
I quote

“Lowden guitars made between 1976 and 1993 and from 2004 to date have been fitted with single action aluminum channel type truss rods. Lowden guitars from 1994 to 2003 were most often fitted with a dual action truss rod. For these, there is a “mid-point” of adjustment where the truss rod is neutral and where the adjustor will feel slack.”

Lowdens were first made in 1976 and here are some pictures of #1.

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=17204

now enough o’ this research, I’m a college boy and need to go study!
regards Geordie

_________________
some tunes on acoustic and guitar synth.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGeordieAdams
http://www.myspace.com/geordieadams

older as in before Lowden (the company) was set up.

the first attempts at guitar building were made from planks in his friend's dad's shed when he was a kid:


I reckon it's unlikely that these early experiments ever had truss rods as we would understand them.

My mate Paddy's guitar....#00001....... HAS got one.....

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

That sure looks exactly like the one I had. Paid $4800.00 for it in, er.... 1984??? The guy said he was in a fix and that it was worth twice that. If I had been buying it for an investment, I wudda checked that out. But I was buying it because I HAD to have it. I was young, rich and foolish at the time. But I had to have that guitar.

I got so sick after that, I lost everything. Including all the paperwork.... I can't remember for the life of me, the model #. Oh well.


- Phil