“Delivers a stunning sound with bags of sustain and a complex tonal profile”: Sheeran by Lowden W05 review

Ed Sheeran's collaboration with Lowden brings us a comfortable acoustic guitar made in Northern Ireland

A Sheeran by Lowden W05 acoustic guitar lying on a grey sofa
(Image: © Future/Matt McCracken)

Guitar World Verdict

Delivering a stunning acoustic tone with bags of sustain, the Sheeran by Lowden W05 is incredible value for a guitar made in Northern Ireland. The neck dive is a little annoying, but overall this is a great little guitar for younger songwriters and plucking on the sofa.

Pros

  • +

    Excellent sustain

  • +

    Balanced, complex sound

  • +

    Comfortable body size

  • +

    Great gig bag

Cons

  • -

    Very neck heavy

  • -

    Our model could use a set-up

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Whilst I’ll be the first to admit to not being much of an Ed Sheeran fan, the guitarist in me was intrigued when I heard he’d paired with Northern Irish acoustic maker Lowden to start making his own brand of guitars. Lowden has a great reputation for making excellent quality acoustics, so regardless of whether or not you’re a Sheeran fan, there’s good reason to check out this new line.

The Sheeran by Lowden W05 is a compact acoustic guitar based on Sheeran’s first custom Lowden. The ‘W’ stands for ‘Wee’, a reference to this pint-sized acoustic's small size and portable stature. Designed to bring some accessibility to the more typically expensive Lowden acoustic guitars, this guitar isn’t an outsourced version of the real deal, but is made in Northern Ireland alongside all the other Lowden’s.

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