I fell in love with Lowdens after playing a few at the NAMM show in Anaheim California in 1991. Being a single dad, construction worker and part-time musician there was no way to afford a Lowden at the time. I had befriended a gentleman who owned a small acoustic instrument shop called Traditional Music in Leucadia CA. He knew my desire for a Lowden and I think I played practically every one that came through his shop. One day I entered his shop shortly after he had done a deal with an Englishman who had traded in a Trameluec for an old beat up Gibson acoustic. The young Englishman wanted to play Delta blues and the Tram wasn't "funky enough"...anyway, I played it and could not judge the guitar because the strings were horribly dead. A couple of days later my friend called me up and said " you've got to come in here and hear this guitar with new strings on it". I did...I was blown away in that it sounded every bit as good as the Lowdens I played at the NAMM convention...so I traded in my 1963 Gibson J-45 and love it as much as the day I brought it home. With that said it doesn't do every thing… it tends to get lost I bluegrass settings etc. It does however do classical pieces as well as a steel string can.
I to had this theory that perhaps when Lowden vacated the Japanese shop that Saga/Trameleuc slipped in there…I'd sure like to know the history.
A funny little aside…while at a Pierre Bensusan house concert in Santa Monica, Ca in 1996 I asked him after the show if he had heard of Trams he said (with a little grin) "Ah yes they are a very good guitars…but they are sort of a bastard Lowden…" I wish I would thought to ask further questions
Anyway my guitar's model # is AH-10...no "P" as other have indicated. It seems to have solid mahogany back and sides and definitely a solid cedar top.
I love it…
Marc
Vista, California