Avalon guitars go under

martinedwards

http://www.avalonguitars.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1615

I feel for the workers who are as decent a bunch of craftsmen as you'd ever want to deal with.

the owners on the other hand screwed George Lowden out of hundreds of thousands in legal costs when thier licencing deal ran out. I hope they suffer.....

kevin65

What happended with George Lowden?

martinedwards

short version?

George had a guitar company.

in the 80s he ran out of money and a financier came in, bought the company and licenced George's name for a set period of time.

at the end of that time George wanted his name back to start his own company.

the financiers disagreed.

it cost George hundreds of thousands in legal fees to get his name back.

which is why the factory in newtownards changed it's name to Avalon and started a new range

George is a real gent. One of the nicest, most decent, honest and straightforward people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

I went to school with a few of the Alvalon staff and the shop floor guys are decent folk too.

I really hope that they get sorted out somehow, either with a new buy-out, or starting up themselves.

Maybe workin for George could be an option, but Downpatrick is a fair old drive from Newtownards, but for a job in these troubled times? it's certainly doable.

kevin65

Thanks. I know of Lowden guitars but had always assumed the company was owned and run by George.

martinedwards

it was.

then it wasn't

now it is again!

kevin65

It reminds me of the story of Dave Reeves and the Hi-Watt amp company.

Trevor Kent

How does this affect the "Craftine" range?

Arent they a spin off of Avalon? or are they a seperate company?

martinedwards

never heard of them.

google tells me they're in Dublin 12.

so I don't THINK there's a formal connection.

a past employee maybe?