Introduction
About a year ago, I acquired a new Lowden S-50 with a Sinker Redwood top on Cocobolo back and sides. The S means the guitar has a smallish body, and the 50 designation implies that the guitar is manufactured with only the choicest, master grade woods that Lowden can obtain. I am super fond of this axe and play it often. You can read the full review of my Redwood/Cocobolo guitar here. What I like most about this guitar is its unique piano-like tonality, its distinct appearance, and finally its smaller (close in dimension, but deeper than a 00) body size, which is very comfortable for me to play. In contrast I own a big old Martin dreadnought and enjoy playing it, but the smaller Lowden is simply easier to work with, and because of Lowden’s bracing approach, it projects like a much larger instrument.
Now appreciative of Lowden S-50 models, I would on occasion check out other Lowden holdings at Casino Guitars, the closest Lowden dealership to my home and where I bought my first S-50. Out of curiosity, I would also search through the Lowden inventory of other guitar stores around the country. There really are not that many in the US. I was mostly curious about other Lowden S-50’s that were constructed of woods distinctly different from mine. George Lowden is known for using choice tone woods and idiosyncratic wood combinations in his Northern Ireland workshop. Below is a brief video tour of Lowden’s manufactory demonstrating an extensive wood collection and their unique approach to lutherie.
Another interesting place to find a considerable sampling of Lowden guitars in the U.S. and abroad is Reverb, the online seller of all things musical, both new and used. I don’t visit Reverb very often, because I don’t like buying guitars online as I’ve been disappointed in past outcomes. This is mostly because, I don’t possess the wherewithal to accurately assess a used guitar for the state of its condition, particularly online. Not auditioning a guitar in person before purchase is a rabbit hole to avoid. For example, once I purchased a used Taylor hard body electric guitar from a youth minister via Reverb and to my dismay the guitar had a terribly twisted neck! I was bamboozled by a youth minister! Fortunately, Taylor replaced the neck for me, but getting it done was a minor ordeal.
Nevertheless, with curiosity overcoming trepidation, I went roaming on Reverb in late December 2024 and stumbled upon an S-50 that was on sale, being reduced by 20%. Lowden’s are pricey instruments, so a 20% reduction was considerable. Besides the sales price, what really caught my eye was that the guitar was made from all Hawaiian Koa, on the top soundboard, as well as the back and sides.
I was familiar with Lowden Koa guitars because I actually owned one in the middle late 1990’s. I ‘d bought that guitar, pre-owned from Mass Street Music in Lawrence, Kansas on a whim. I don’t remember if it was an S or F model, but I do remember it was “greenish” in color with marvelous wood grain. I eventually traded that Lowden off because of its narrow 1 5/8 inch neck size, which I found confining after transitioning to finger-style playing. There were many times when I regretted making that trade, and here I was looking at an all Koa Lowden again, but with the proper neck size!
To Be or Not to Be (with another guitar)
As seen above, the Koa Lowden I discovered was for sale at Eddie’s Guitars of Saint Louis, via Reverb. Eddie’s is a large scale online retailer of very fine guitars. They ship their instruments around the world., and to keep their inventory pristine, it is by appointment only that you can get into their shop. I was aware of Eddie’s because of their fairly pervasive YouTube presence.
Even though the Koa guitar caught my interest, I did not react immediately and moved on to other endeavors in my life. On occasion, over the course of several weeks, I would check back in to Reverb to see what was what, and to keep an eye on the Koa guitar. During that time, I kicked around the idea of acquiring another guitar. Probably the most important criteria was to choose a guitar made from wood that I did not already have in my collection and koa certainly fit the bill. My working assumption was that a Lowden made from all koa would sound suitably different from my other guitars.
The more I thought about the Lowden Koa, the more interested I became, but I needed more information. I wanted to avoid the trap I’d fallen into in the past by allowing enthusiasm to override good judgement, so I began to query my good friend ChatGPT. I asked the Chat to do a comparative analysis between the tonal character of an all Koa Lowden S-50 and my Lowden with Sinker Redwood/Cocobolo.
Not surprisingly, I got a very thorough response from the AI. In summary, the tonality of the Sinker Redwood/Cocobolo guitar was described as the following: “This combination offers a warm, harmonically complex tone with clarity, sustain, and excellent projection. It’s well-suited for fingerstyle and light strumming, with an emphasis on depth and richness.”
Whereas, the Koa guitar was predicted to offer the following: “Koa on Koa produces a clear, midrange-forward tone with a bright, bell-like quality. Over time, the tone grows warmer and more resonant, making it versatile for a range of playing styles.”
I liked what ChatGPT had to say about the contrast in tonality between the two guitars as it could justify having both guitars in my collection with their differing voices; however, the comparative playing dynamics raised some concern for me: For the Sinker Redwood/Cocobolo combination it was stated that the guitar should be: “Extremely responsive to a light touch, making it ideal for fingerstyle. Produces a lush, full sound even at low volumes.”
On the other hand, the description for the Koa guitar raised this red flag: “Requires more energy to ‘drive’ the soundboard, making it less responsive to light playing. Excels in situations requiring clear projection and articulation, especially for strumming or flatpicking.” I am not a strummer, nor do I use a pick, and I would not categorize my fingerstyle playing as really “digging in,” so this was a deal breaker.
Before giving up, I opened a dialogue with an Eddie’s Guitar’s representative, and he responded relatively quickly to my concerns about playability with the following comment: “In some cases Koa tops can be a bit stiff – but Lowden builds a really responsive guitar, so their All Koa (sic) builds are actually super responsive for fingerstyle playing. Also being an S model, it has a remarkably “immediate” feel to its response. Perhaps not quite as forgiving as a rosewood guitar – but very crisp and lively without being at all shrill or strident.” He went on further to address tonality with the following comment: “One thing I’d add is that you should plan for noticeably more presence in the midrange with the all Koa body. More of a “woody” tone, as opposed to the “glassy” quality of Cocobolo and Redwood.”
Finally, the Eddie’s guy referred me to a YouTube video in which the exact guitar I was considering for purchase was demonstrated. Matthew Chulka frequently hosts an Eddie’s livestream where he demos examples of their large inventory of fine guitars. This video is cued to the point where Matthew shows and discusses the Lowden Koa in question, It was quite honest and revealing. See below:
I studied what Chulka had to say like a Talmudic scholar and listened to the guitar intently with my headphones. The guitar sounded lovely when played with fingerstyle and I appreciated Chulka’s honesty about the risks of overplaying the instrument with a pick. Lowden’s are by their nature very lightly braced under the soundboard, so they are quite responsive, but can start to break apart sonically if played too aggressively. In fact, George Lowden is very clear in his videos that a lighter touch gets the most out of a Lowden guitar, which works for me.
As an aside, I had suffered through four surgeries on my right eye with lengthy recovery periods over the previous four months and was feeling like I needed to reward myself for perseverance. So after my interactions with the Eddie’s staff, I purchased the guitar.
I Review the All Koa Lowden S-50
While reviewing the provenance paperwork provided by Lowden, I was astonished to see that the guitar was manufactured to completion in Northern Ireland in September of 2018 and arrived at Eddie’s Guitars in the U.S. in December of the same year. That meant the guitar resided in St. Louis six years before I purchased it! That is slow inventory turnover with a lot of cash tied up for an extended period of time. I am surprised that someone did not grab up this guitar sooner because I don’t think Lowden produces large numbers of all Koa S-50’s. At any rate, I am happy to have it in my home now.
The guitar arrived in early January 2025, but because of the cold temperatures that the instrument travelled through from Missouri to North Carolina, I kept it boxed for 24 hours so it could acclimate before opening it. As you might expect from a company that ships guitars around the world, the instrument was carefully packed and in flawless condition when first examined. Along with the guitar was the Lowden provenance documentation, as well as a full set of CITES paperwork. It’s the first time I ever received CITES papers and this is because Koa is a protected wood species. In addition to the paperwork, a very nice silver G7th Performance 3 ART Capo was thrown in.
Let’s Consider the Guitar from Headstock down:
You can see above the front and rear views of the all Koa Lowden S-50. This Koa is a lovely golden brown hue with attractive wood grain patterns. The instrument itself is overall very light in weight. In contrast, my Sinker Redwood/Cocobolo S-50 is noticeably heavier by comparison.
The Headstock and Nut
The Lowden headstock projects a sense of refinement and craftsmanship—not flashy or oversized, but balanced, clean, and distinctive, reflecting George Lowden’s design philosophy: form serving function, with elegance in simplicity. It’s a paddle style headstock with subtle carve outs on the upper corners topped off on the face with an inlaid Lowden logo. The carve outs are crescent-like bevels, giving the otherwise rectangular headstock a slightly softened, sculpted look.The headstock extends off of the five piece neck comprised of Honduran Mahogany and California Black Walnut. The head and back facings are African Ebony. Finally, the tuning machines are Gotoh 510’s with Ebony buttons. In my experience, the Gotoh 510’s are the best and most precise “modern” tuners in the marketplace, and the ebony buttons feel great to the touch during tuning!
The nut on a 50 series guitar is bone (animal), which has long been favored by high-end builders like Lowden because it transmits string vibration more efficiently than synthetic materials, improving clarity and dynamic response. In addition, nut shaping is handled by George Lowden’s premier luthiers, not delegated to production-level staff, which speaks to the luthier-like versus mass manufacturer approach to their quality guitar building.
The Neck and Join
As far as I know, the Lowden neck is unique among high-end guitar producers. Across the marketplace, the typical neck is a solid piece of wood, whereas Lowden’s is a 5 piece laminate, most often but not always made from three large pieces of mahogany and two thinner strips of walnut. The laminate is created by gluing the pieces into a long block under pressure. Afterwards, the neck is cut into rough shape and then finished off by hand. The five piece laminate brings a recognizable aesthetic to Lowden necks; however, the most important reason for this design is to bring stability to the neck, practically eliminating the possibility of neck torque or, in other words, twist, which can ruin a guitar’s playability. The stiffness of the composite neck is also said to enhance tonality because more rigidity can lead to slightly increased sustain and brightness.
This S-50 is a 14 fret guitar built with an African Blackwood fretboard (Diaspyros Crassifora), a member of the ebony family), which enhances durability, playability, and note clarity—all consistent with the guitar’s premium design and feel. Other than the binding on the fretboard, there are no inlays, which is in keeping with Lowden’s aesthetic of simplicity. There was a time when only pure black fretboards were accepted by premium guitar builders; however, it now acceptable to use ebony with blonde streaks apparent on the surface. Taylor Guitars led the way in conserving the global ebony supply by using the streaked wood. My Koa guitar is a throwback to the days of pure black soundboards since master grade African Blackwood was used. Nevertheless, I would have been happy with either type of ebony as they sound essentially the same and both look nice.
Lowden guitars, including the S-50 model, traditionally feature a meticulously hand-fitted dovetail neck joint. This construction method is renowned for its excellent transfer of vibrations from the neck to the body, resulting in a warm, rich tone with good sustain, tonal depth, and resonance. While some (very good) guitar manufacturers have adopted bolt-on neck designs for various reasons, Lowden has maintained the use of traditional dovetail joints in their higher end instruments. This commitment to traditional craftsmanship contributes to the distinctive tonal characteristics and playability that Lowden guitars are celebrated for. It should be noted that just recently Lowden introduced more affordable instruments to the marketplace that utilize a bolt on neck.
The Pinless Bridge and Split Saddle
Compared to every other American guitar, and I’ve owned quite a few, the Northern Ireland built Lowden uses a very different bridge and saddle construct. As seen above, the bridge is made from Machaerium scleroxylon, commonly known as Pau Ferro or Bolivian Rosewood, which is dense, hard, and stable, making it excellent for bridges. This wood is often beautifully figured with a mix of chocolate browns, purples, and blacks, which adds to the aesthetic beauty of the guitar.
Beyond the wood, what distinguishes the bridge is the pinless design. Instead of traditional bridge pins, the strings are fed through the back of the bridge, reducing stress on the soundboard and making string changes easier. Though care should be taken during stringing not to let the ball end of the string to slap onto the sound board and damage it. For that reason, I purchased one of the last remaining Lowden suede body surface protectors to use during restringing. You may use cardboard etc. to do the same thing, but the Lowden suede is a more elegant approach.
You will note in the above two photographs that bridge is split into two pieces. The larger one supports the wound mid to bass strings, while the smaller portion supports the two treble strings. This split bone saddle enhances intonation, allowing the thick bass strings and thinner treble strings to intonate more accurately across the scale length, which is a hallmark of Lowden’s meticulous attention to tonal detail.
The Koa S-50 Guitar Body
As I’ve said before, the Koa Lowden is a stunningly beautiful guitar, which is a function the aesthetic sensibility of the body’s shape and curvature, but most importantly the Koa wood itself.
The Rarity of Koa Wood
It bears repeating that other than the exquisite workmanship that goes into making a Lowden S-50, a supremely important element is the wood from which the guitar is constructed. As a reminder, the S signifies a small bodied instrument and the 50 means that the wood used in the guitar is Mastergrade level, which is reserved for the most stunning, rarest, and cleanest wood cuts, with extreme visual beauty, flawless structural properties, and musical instrument tonal potential. These woods are typically only used in elite guitars. In the case of this S-50, the wood that distinguishes it is Acacia Koa or Koa for short.
Tone wood capable Acacia Koa is a rare endemic wood, meaning it grows only in Hawaii. The Big Island and Maui are the primary sources for tone wood-grade koa. The best wood is yielded from trees grown at elevations of 3000 to 6000 feet and rooted in volcanic soil conditions. Those variables contribute to denser grain, visually stunning figuring, and stability, which are key attributes for premium instruments. The most prized tone wood comes from older trees, often 80 to 100+ years old, which yield a tighter grain and richer color and figuring.
Because of it rarity, Acacia Koa trees are protected under the law to prevent it from being logged into extinction. As of now, the only natural forest trees harvested for lumber have died or fallen through natural causes. Other Koa comes from private lands, or sustainable plantations. The controlled acquisition of koa limits supplies and consequently drives up its value and subsequent pricing.
Koa’s Tonality
Besides appearance, Koa is prized for its tone profile which is said to be warm, midrange-focused, with a sweet, clear top end. As with other tone woods, Koa is said to open up and become warmer sounding over time. In fact, new Koa guitars are sometimes said to be somewhat constrained or tight sounding.
In contrast, I would describe the sound of my “new” S-50 as having an open, mature bell or chime like tonal quality. There are probably two reasons why my Koa guitar sounds so good “out of the box.” The first would be Lowden’s build philosophy, utilizing tap tuning and light bracing. George Lowden’s approach to voicing is notably different from most other builders. His use of light, carefully “dolphin” shaped and tuned bracing, along with a relatively thin top allows a wood like Koa to maximize responsiveness and harmonic development. In addition, the ultra-thin satin/poly blend Lowden uses doesn’t dampen vibration as much as gloss finishes often do. This helps preserve overtone richness and sustain.
Secondly, when I acquired the guitar “new,” it was actually six years old. Wood that’s been built into an instrument, even if it’s not played, still ages. While playing breaks in an instrument faster, time alone contributes to the kind of openness, bloom, and chime yielded by a guitar. The wood continues to cure post-construction, especially in a stable, climate-controlled environment, like a case in a shop. Also, over time, internal stress in the wood fibers relaxes, and the instrument “settles.” This affects resonance and sustain positively.
A Brief History of Koa as a Tone Wood
As discussed above tone wood quality Koa (Acacia koa) is indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands and is found nowhere else in the world. In Hawaiian culture, Koa symbolized strength and bravery. In fact, the wood was traditionally reserved for royalty due to its beauty and durability. It was cherished for centuries by Native Hawaiians for canoes, weapons, and decorative crafts.
In the late 1800’s Koa entered the music world with the birth of the ukulele in Hawaii. Portuguese immigrants introduced the machete (a small guitar-like instrument), which evolved into the ukulele. Hawaiian luthiers, when building ukuleles, chose Koa for its beauty, availability, and tonal properties. During the 1920’s through the 1940’s the diminutive instrument became widely popular in the U.S. during the “ukulele craze.” At the same time, Martin and other mainland stringed instrument makers began to experiment with Koa for both ukuleles and small guitars.
Below is an interesting video of a 1930’s vintage all Koa Martin guitar that was originally built as a Hawaiian lap guitar made with a square neck, but later converted to a standard guitar set up with a round neck replacement. It illustrates the early use of koa in guitar building.
In the late 1940’s, as a result of logging, ranching, and sugarcane farming, Koa forests were depleted. Consequently, koa use in instruments declined as availability shrank and other tonewoods (like mahogany and rosewood) became more predominant. Then in the 1970’s Hawaiian makers like Kamaka and KoAloha led a ukulele renaissance revitalizing interest in koa as a tonewood. Simultaneously, luthiers such as George Lowden, Taylor Guitars, Goodall, and Santa Cruz began using Koa for steel-string acoustic guitars. Koa’s striking visual figure (curl, flame, etc.) and tonal balance, especially when aged, made it a favorite for custom builds and boutique guitars. Because of ongoing scarcity, modern Koa guitars often come with a premium. Ongoing efforts to use only salvaged or plantation-grown wood, making it one of the most carefully sourced tonewoods today.
Some Comments of the S-50’s Aesthetics and Spare Adornments
The graceful curves of the instrument’s body created by the classic ratio of the upper to lower bout size make the Lowden S model one of the more visually pleasing guitars built today. The organic lines carved to please the eye borrow from the classic designs of the original Spanish guitars, as seen above.
Another geometric enhancement congruent with the guitar’s aesthetic appeal is the curved terminus of the bound fretboard where it protrudes into the soundhole. This sweeping design element is a George Lowden signature touch for his 50 series guitar models.
When it comes right down to it, it is the beauty of the wood that speaks the loudest to a Lowden guitar’s visual aesthetic appearance. Consequently, the typical Lowden guitar does not have a great deal of extra bling like “fancy-pants” inlays on the body or fretboard. Of course, if requested Lowden will provide those embellishments; however, the 4 Lowdens I’ve owned over my life were “off the rack” and they were relatively unadorned. As I said, it’s the wood itself that defines Lowden aesthetics. Keeping things simple, as you can see above, the Koa S-50 has an elegantly clean and diminutive wooden rosette with a thin surrounding ring of Haliotis Iris (Pāua/Rainbow Abalone).
As you can see above, the S-50 comes with handsome purflings made with Machaerium Scleroxylon (Pau Ferro) and bindings made of Diaspyros Crassiflora (African Blackwood). I used to be fussy about the kinds of bindings used on a guitar build and considered synthetic Ivoroid (a manufactured regenerated cellulosic) or Antique White plastic “less than” materials; however, I’ve come to appreciate their vintage aesthetic. Nevertheless, I really do like a classy wood binding like the one on my S-50!
The final touch I would point out is the purfling bound backstrap, which I suspect is made of a darker stained koa, a section of which can be seen below:
Final Comments
In sum, I am delighted with the Lowden all koa S-50. It’s a beautiful guitar, with a lovely tonality that is quite comfortable to play. If I have any quibbles with Lowden guitars, there are two. First, for the three Lowden’s I’ve owned over the past two years, they’ve all had higher action than I prefer. The F-50 I traded in part because of the high action, with the S-50 Sinker Redwood over Cocobolo I had a local shop lower the action a bit to my liking. I am still debating what to do with the Koa guitar. My second quibble has to do with the truss rod which is used to adjust neck relief. It is almost impossible to get to it inside the guitar’s body as a rather large brace north of the sound hole blocks access.
Sound Samplings of Me and the Koa S-50
These recordings were filmed with an iPhone 16 Pro Max and an Audigo Microphone. I suggest a good pair of earphones to get the highest fidelity.
