For setup, try Brian Rodgers, Chatham, Kent.

PM me and I'll pass on address. Economical, obliging, and good enough to have some big names bring their instruments silly distances.

For sound, I am amazed that you simultaneously like Lowden, which are usually very resonant, and Gibson, which are usually quite dry and woody. Lowden are much used by those working in open tunings.

If you hunt about you ought to be able to get a WM 45 for a lot less than the Gibson you saw, but my prediction based on what you say here is that the (typical, anyway) Gibson sound will not be as much to your liking as others.