FLAMBEAU/LOWDEN 032 c ACOUSTIC GUITAR

[MIKE 450]

Hi everyone, I was given a FLAMBEAU/LOWDEN 032 c ACOUSTIC GUITAR 1997 made in Japan, does anyone know anything about these guitars. I can't tell what woods are used, the serial No inside the sound hole is 830556 however, the serial No on the paper work which came with the guitar is 9057. I should also mention the sticker inside the guitar reads LFW-30, the guitar came in a Lowden Hiscos case.

I know G Lowden made these guitars in Japan for a while,and was deeply impressed with the craftsmanship of the Japanese luthiers, but that's all I could find out.
The guitar is beautiful and sounds wonderful, the sustain,tone and balance are second to none. There is a problem with the Fishman interal pickup and pre-amp in that, when plugged into my UNICO Amp I have to turn the volume to max to hear a sound. Perhaps some of you guys could tell me the history of this wonderful guitar.
Thanks, Mike.

[the greypicker]

Hi Mike

You are a lucky man! First the Unico bargain and now being given a Flambeau!

I've never had one myself, but Flambeaus seem to be one of the legends in guitar bargains. Had a quick look on line and I found this:

1980 Yves Imer and Rene Hagmann of Servette Music in Geneva had always been very supportive towards George since they first discovered his guitars in 1978. In 1980, Yves Imer approached George and asked if he could source a small and expert company to make his guitars under license, so they would be more widely available. “Thus began a five-year period when my guitars were made in Japan by a small, dedicated band of luthiers near Nagoya. I visited the S. Yairi workshop regularly and gave the designs, checked quality, and learned about Japanese craftsmanship and their serious approach to work! I found the folk I worked with to be honourable and courteous, and I had the greatest of respect for their hard work and excellent guitars. I learned a lot about production and tools, they in turn were delighted to be able to make original design guitars to this quality level.” “In particular, I learned, what was to me, a new type of workmanship, which can only be achieved when working fast. Until that time I thought a lot of time was needed to work to a high standard. However, in fact I saw and practiced how to achieve the same or better results very quickly, through a level of concentration I had not previously experienced. It was then that the Japanese folk took me to a tiny store in Nagoya where I was able to buy Japanese hand tools with their laminated steel and fantastic cutting edges which were a complete revelation to me”.

I think the last Flambeaus were made in 1985 and the 83 in your serial number probably means 1983. I believe the line went from LFW1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. (different woods). I wonder if the serial is LFW-3C, rather than 30?

I also found this, which is probably your guitar's twin brother!! http://www.ebay.de/itm/170837400464

Something you should watch out for is that the Flambeaus don't like dry conditions - the Japanese factory apparently had high humidity. You should watch out with the central heating, although Holywood is pretty humid, as I recall!

The Fishman problem might just be an old battery - what sort of Fishman is it?

You asked in the other post about me going back on You Tube - any day now!! How about you, with the newly acquired Flambeau??!!

All the best

John

[MIKE 450]

John, thanks a million for your help,as usual it was 1st class. John, I was given this guitar in a state of shock and great sadness, my friend had died of cancer and he's very kind brother wanted me to have it as a gift. When I took it out of it's Lowden case I strummed it and found it had been tuned to open D, my friend was an excellent guitar player and I had to work seriously hard to fight back the tears.

It's with mixed emotions I play this wonderful guitar, I'm determined to put it to GOOD use as a tribute to it's previous owner who was a fantastic guy and much loved by everyone who knew him.

To be honest, I'd just bought myself a Takamine ETN 10 C, it was 2 years old and had never been played. I'll not go into the storey behind the purchase, but I paid £600 for it and was happy to do so, it's a absolute gem. I sold my Avalon 201 ce for £300 which was a fare price, so I now have 2 excellent guitars to go into battle with, plus the unico "which I again thank you from the bottom of my heart for pointing me in the right direction, WELL DONE JOHN" so, I'll get the Flambeau sorted out and return to youtube with a new song.

The model is 032c and serial No is 830556, my son said I was a lucky man, my wife said I deserved this guitar after forty years of playing guitar and writing songs. Still, I must agree with them both. A friend of mine once said you make your own luck through persistence he's name is Rory McIlroy, I used to be a hero in Holywood then Rory came along, ah well

[MIKE 450]

PS John, there's no battery to be found in this guitar! My guitar tec check it out.