Hear the audio review of the Lowden Baritone

Lowden guitars occupy a unique place in the pantheon of high-end flattops. With a loud and overtone-rich signature voice, unique construction details (including a split saddle and A-frame bracing of the upper bout), and a general vibe that differs from most classic American steel-strings, the guitars have found fans in such heavyweights as Pierre Bensusan, Paul Brady, Alex de Grassi, Richard Thompson, and many others.

Lowden production began in 1974, and after several changes in management and manufacturing facilities, the guitars are now built in a small Northern Ireland shop under the direct supervision of company founder George Lowden. For this review, the company sent us its latest model—a low-tuned baritone.

WALNUT BEAUTY

Lowden's Baritone is based on the company's legendary O size body, which is essentially a small jumbo in dimension and shape. To create the Baritone, however, Lowden increased the body's depth by about ¹/₄ inch, bringing it to a full five inches at its thickest portion.

Matching the guitar's 27.56-inch scale length (standard O models have a 25.5-inch scale) with a 14-fret neck-to-body joint required moving the bridge slightly farther away from the soundhole and closer to the lower bout's center—an area that is often considered a sweet spot for bridge placement. While some baritone guitars with longer scales (up to 30 inches is common) look and feel almost like bass guitars, the Lowden could nearly pass for a standard model from a few feet away. As a result, the included Hiscox case features the same outside dimensions as a similar model for a regular size guitar.

George Lowden has long championed walnut for his instruments' backs and sides, and he chose this wood as a standard feature for the Baritone, pairing it with Sitka spruce for the top. On our review guitar, the back and sides were rich in color and figuring. The top featured beautiful silking, a touch of bear claw, and very even grain lines. The body's maple binding (which is accented with strips of sycamore, rosewood, and mahogany) lent a muted elegance, while an abalone rosette drew attention with bright rainbow hues. Like all Lowdens, the Baritone is built with a five-piece neck, in this case using two strips of rosewood between three sections of mahogany. The guitar's ebony fretboard is free of any inlay, but it does have small pearl position dots on the side. Another signature Lowden detail is the guitar's pinless bridge and two-piece, split saddle. The design enables greater compensation for the second string than what's possible with a standard saddle of similar width, which can improve intonation.

A LOW RUMBLE

Acoustic baritone guitars are a relatively new phenomenon, so no real standards exist for just how low to tune such a beast. Some players go as low as an A on the sixth string, while others only lower standard pitch a whole step to D. In addition to personal preference, tuning choices are also affected by string gauges and the instrument's scale length. Lowden sent our review guitar strung with a John Pearse baritone set (gauged .015, .018, .030, .040, .053, and .068) and tuned to C (two steps below standard tuning). Adjusted for medium-height action, this setup resulted in a playability that required only marginally more effort than a typical six-string with a standard scale.

I own a Lowden O-10, so I'm familiar with the potential volume, bottom end, and dynamic range that this body style can deliver. However, it appeared as if every tonal quality typical of a Lowden had been ratcheted up a notch on the Baritone. Most guitars will produce impressive bass if they're tuned low with heavy-gauge strings, but in the case of the Lowden Baritone, this combination yields an authoritative growl that may find you searching for a hidden subwoofer in the room. Great low end alone would make this guitar a one-trick pony, but I discovered that it had much more to offer. Melody notes up the neck sang with a richness only attainable with heavy strings, and the Baritone's sustain had a beautiful bell-like quality.

I took the guitar to an unamplified café gig, and while I also brought along a regular six-string, I ended up using the Lowden for the majority of my solo fingerstyle set. While I enjoyed playing the guitar immensely, I did discover that the instrument can demand careful set planning—and an additional guitar—if you play in multiple styles. In my case, it worked better for slower material than for the speedier side of fingerstyle, where the guitar's low voicing sometimes resulted in a slightly cloudy sound.

I also found that alternate tunings that dropped the sixth string more than a whole step resulted in that string losing some of its definition, which lead to a loss in sustain and volume. Experimenting with a heavier gauge for even lower-than-standard baritone tunings may be an answer to this effect.

Besides being an incredibly fun and satisfying guitar to play when I was sitting at home, it's potentially a great studio tool. And with a little time dedicated to arrangements, it could enhance any guitar duet or ensemble in need of a bit more bottom end.

THE WRAP

George Lowden successfully revived his business a few years ago by moving it to its current location and again taking the reins of his own company; it's great to see him designing new models. In a baritone field that is almost entirely the domain of individual luthiers, the Lowden Baritone fuses the company's coveted signature tone with bona fide baritone bliss. The results are impressive, indeed.