I've had my LGO for about 10 years now, and have never looked at another acoustic since then! I went to the boutique stores in Newcastle (England) looking for a Lowden (with a pocket full of money), played this one and bought it. Glad I did. Compared to the high-end acoustics I've tried (the Lowdens, Taylors and Martins), it sounds like a bit of a dog-turd if its pushed hard, but if you take it easy and treat it sweetly, it makes a fabulous round-middy tone. Some would call it 'muddy'. Love it, love it and thrice love it. I paid about £250, but would part with five times that if I needed to replace this one.