Royal honour for County Down guitar maker thanks to partnership with Ed Sheeran

County Down-based guitar maker, George Lowden, has recieved an International Trade award at the Queens Awards for Enterprise royal reception with HRH The Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle.

Founder of Lowden Guitars, George began hand-crafting guitars in Northern Ireland in 1974 and the brand has strengthened over time as acclaimed guitarists including Paul Brady, Jon Gomm, Pierre Bensusan, Alex De Grassi, Gary Lightbody, Damien Rice, Ed Sheeran, and Eric Clapton have played his creations.

Lowden’s Queen’s Award for Enterprise recognised George’s work to design a high-quality yet accessible guitar for up-and-coming players in partnership with Ed Sheeran.

Utilising innovations from the aerospace industry and drawing on his own traditional methods of guitar making, George created a unique manufacturing system to enable the guitars to be made in NI and exported internationally to hundreds of retail stores worldwide. Sheeran by Lowden was launched in January 2019 to wide industry acclaim and has enjoyed tremendous continued success in the nearly three years since the brand’s launch.

George said: “It has been a milestone moment for Lowden Guitars to be included by the Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Queen on the list of winners for the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. It has taken a lot of hard work, patience and determination during the last 47 years and we are delighted and humbled to be among other home-grown companies and brands on this prestigious list.

“My focus has always been to deliver the best guitars that we can for each player who chooses a Lowden guitar. Until recent times this has largely been to a loyal circle of highly experienced guitarists and musicians, very much limited in the amount we can make each year.

“With Sheeran by Lowden we are able to get quality guitars into the hands of a whole new generation of enthusiastic players and musicians on-the-rise. I am truly proud of our Sheeran by Lowden guitars in our shared aim with Ed to inspire more musicians to pick up the guitar and grow their talent.

“With the royal reception understandably delayed due to the pandemic, I was honoured to be invited to Windsor Castle in November. Surrounded by some of the most innovative companies across the UK, the royal reception provided an outstanding opportunity to meet the people behind some truly awe-inspiring businesses as well as receiving words of support and encouragement from HRH The Prince of Wales.”

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