BUILT WITH LOVE FOR GUITARS - Dowina O'Star Review

[@ericschwartz8778]

Thank you for making me aware of this craftsman who’s shop is making such beautiful guitars. Heartwarming.

[@PedalPlayhouse]

I never tired of “this too shall pass” last week hearing Rafa singing it. The dowina’s were def the show stoppers of the acoustics there at gear street ❤

[@PooNinja]

Double Rafa episode 🤘🏽. Tiffany and Turtles and Strife !!! Love that kids voice.

[@ghosthawk65]

Richard of Richard’s guitars in Stratford upon Avon, UK, raves about these too! Fantastic.

[@EytschPi42]

Met him… nice guy

[@droliver]

Oh yeah. Richard makes you root for those guys

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@EytschPi42 Hi!!!!! Lots of love from me too - I just posted a sincere comment - all from the heart. For me - selling Dowina has become a bit of a mission in life - I am always passionate about what I love but I feel with Dowina its about trying to prove to myself that good people can be rewarded for living their lives with a positive phylosophy - Their views and actions are so giving - it is unlinke any business model in the industry I have ever experienced. I just dont want to let them down - so I need people like you to help :) (big elbow in the ribs) - Cant thank you enough for making the effort - Sadly - Due to my own life circumstances I havent been able to do my videos with any momentum for a couple of years - but am always trying to find the time - but THEY need awesome youtubers with reach to help them reach people who I cant do on my own. I do my best - and if I could dedicate my life to content then of course I could reach more people - but then I wouldnt be able to run my business!!!! Its a catch 22! Sorry for rambling and if you ever want to chat I would always make the time - If you want the views of someone who cannot stand nuch of "the industry" but love my work and connecting with lovely people - am here!!! :). PS!!! THANK YOU ALSO for your work with Furch..... My other baby! They changed my entire perspective on what a "great acoustic" is - and at the time I thought I knew! (Taylor - Martin - Takamine - Yamaha - main dealer - you know the list - AKA the list of brands you always see in every guitar shop) .... well that was nearly 25 years ago!!!! I will never forget the moment and I documented it on a forum I ran at the time and the content will still be there. - My acoustic specialist was with me as we opened 6 demo guitars sent to the UK distributor for approval - Every single one was like something I had never seen or heard before - and the prices? I was like.... this can't be real? I always say everything is connected - because of course it is - and that moment made me aware of how I had been "played" by media - by profit - the system - How could I not know this brand exists - JUST the same experience as I had with Dowina - but had I not had the Furch experience I wouldnt have been SO open minded about all future possibilities. We only know what we know - So we can NEVER truly believe we know the " truth" - unless of course we believe we have experienced every possible angle - from every possible perspective - and are truly arogant beyond comprehension. Soooo...... YAY to Furch..... YAY to Dowina!!! YOU ARE A GOOD MAN! PPS..... FGN!!! Another love of mine .... my god you are just going through my list of favorite guitars!!! As you know - the builders with such an incredible pedigree at Fujigen,...... This is what I LOVE about what I do - when I see others connecting in a similar way to how I do - and whats even more lovely is I get to see it every day with customers :). Its lovely though when high profile, respected reviewers feel the same - as I do live with an eternal lack of self confidence (thats another story - ADHD - failing at school - programmed from an early age I suppose by the school system to consider myself pretty much as highly disposable). Thanks again!!!!!!! BYE!!!

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@EytschPi42 Hi. Did you remove my reply or did I not send it properly?

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Hia! Remove your reply? Can I do such a thing :). But no.... but am intrigued as to what you said!!!! I can see a reply above where you said I was a nice guy!!! Yay! Thank you - but no - nothing removed my side. I am sure I must have already said it but thank you for the work you have done for Furch & Dowina in recent months. Both brands mean a lot to me personally - one I have over 20 years dedicating my life to (through the good and bad times with UK Distribution - and its something I would love to chat to you about in reference to your concerns on losing distributors) and Dowina - I am so proud to have been able to use my commercial life to do what I believe is some good for a family run business boutique builder - Dowina. My problem is I can control what I can control in my business and effect change as best as I can - but I cannot control what happens in the wider world and its clear the industry is shaken - big time. Now the changes and the disruption can be managed when you are small enough to adapt and maouvre but I think its the retailers who are so bogged down in dealing with mass produced brands - who cannot sell enough of them - whose margins are so small that even small downward changes are a disaster as its so hard to make the money back - who as a result of their problems - do not have focus on actuallty telling any kind of truth - any kind of passion - but actually they just need to shift guitars as quickly as possible. Its all very sad - and I do not say that with an ounce of glee - as I need Dowina - I need Furch = I need all the brands I sell to be a success. They cannot do that with me alone - but the incredible reality is they CAN do it with considerably less dealers if they can find dealer LIKE me who give a damn - Old school - information - education - effort - service - repeat for the next customer..... It works!!!!! Find the dealers though who are doing that? Dealers are seamingly walking into a self fullfilling prophecy. I am such a believer in every reality stemming from a thought, Everything physical - to everything you want to achieve - It can only come through a thought - and then action - to realise direction in that thought you have made the effort to focus on. So..... If you spend your life thinking everything is someone elses fault - that the Internet is a bad thing - that the internet is only any use for discounting mail order companies - and basically you are screwed because youre not in their club - you now have your vision - and you will live it. Not the healthiest vision!!!!!! If there are any dealers out there who give a damn? YES you can make a living being passionate about what you believe in - you dont have to sell guitars purely because its what everyone asks for - it is possible to have conviction and belief in your product - because if you are being honest - and customers agree when they share the experience - then you have a business you can be proud of. I know how many Dowina guitars need to be sold in a year - to pay the guys - to live the life of an honest hardworking business owner - and I feel Dowina have done EVERYTHING physically possible in terms of the product (incredible - mind blowingly lovely and unique etc), the people (everything is built with true heart), the owners (they care and love the people they work with like family), but..... when it comes to the INDUSTRY - Its always the frickin industry....... Erika will hate me for saying it - but you just cannot excuse dealers who know something exists but they dont talk about it because its not being advertised enough - or cannot be made fast enough. Pure laziness. If there is any dealer in the World who is thinking " I AM NOT LAZY!!!! I CARE - but I dont have a website - I will PERSONALY help you. Ive done it for 30 years - every single aspec of my website I do myself - I will help you!! - If it means you can represent the likes of Dowina in your part of the World it would be the greatest pleasure to help you. My problem is I am powerless beyond my 4 walls. OMG...... I just talk and talk.... sorry..... and I have just come back from a major operation in my mouth - total agony and the painkillers are still working.... omg.... I think typing is taking my mind off the pain...... BYEEEEEE!!!!

[@nik9470]

Whats the strumming pattern, which you play at 18:04? That quick transition between constant up and downs :)

[@restojon1]

I was fortunate enough to win a Gretsch in a competition that came with it's own case and that has a very similar handle that tilts the whole thing up when you're carrying it. I'm only a bedroom musician but when carrying the guitar up my small staircase it makes a hell of a difference compared with my other instrument cases which are more horizontal.

[@wfqsfg]

Glad you finally discovered Dowina. That bridge is most likely ebony as it is on my Amber Road model. The fret board is probably ebony also. I can't find that model on their website. The tuners are Gotoh. If you have only a piezo why do you have a battery? Are you sure you don't have a mic in there also? LR Baggs makes the Anthem which combines piezo and a mic. I have the LR Baggs Stagepro Anthem. What I overlooked when I bought the guitar was the 45mm nut. I've gotten used to it. I am very happy with my Dowina. You're correct, it is very balanced. My top was tuned by the owner, Stan Marinov. I hope you got to meet Erika. I saw her in the video. She was very nice and helpful when I bought mine.

[@ifax1245]

That guitar is awesome, but I have to say that's the best acoustic guitar case I've seen to date.

[@MarkRobinsonMusic]

Dowina are incredible guitars; I have two, and everywhere I go, people remark about the beautiful tone

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

Thank you for presenting what I believe to be the most important guitar builder I have ever experienced in my 29 years specialising in guitar retail. Its so very sad that so few guitarists know of them yet they are producing works of art for no more than you would pay for a standard mass produced premium acoustic! Sadly - its a world of what media and business want you to know of - than what you should know of - so thank you for spending the time to do this.

[@johnjones-uc3ni]

Dowina is limited in the number of guitars they can build. This is by choice and building guitars to a high specification is an art to them. The workers like having an emotional connection with the customers. So it's not a sad thing not too many know about them. They couldn't produce enough guitars to meet a large demand. Unless the expanded and became more of a factory building company. That is nor their goal or desire. The guitar world doesn't need another Martin, Taylor, Gibson, etc guitar builder. Then they wouldn't be unique.

[@johnjones-uc3ni]

It's not really sad that not many guitar players know of Dowina. Becoming the next Martin, Taylor, Gibson, etc is not their goal. They are content producing a smaller quantity to ensure quality. Their guitars are built to be more personal and the workers enjoy an emotional connection with their customers. They are not designed to build a large number of guitars.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@johnjones-uc3ni it’s not sad for the owners of the guitars and it’s not sad for people who like me enjoy the experience of sharing the story to people who have otherwise been brainwashed into believing there isn’t another option. A bit like the “surprise” in the USA when Donald trump won the election. It was only a surprise for the people who continue to watch mainstream news in the belief that it’s “balanced”. Guitar retailers are no different to mainstream news - propagating news and focus around the products that are the easiest to sell. The guitar industry is a microcosm of the wider world. As for your point - it’s not quite as utopian as you’d like to believe but yes - the dream is to get through life doing what they do - and what I do (in a retail way) without compromising your core values whilst ensuring enough people talk about you to keep you in the public eye .

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

@@johnjones-uc3nithere’s no question that the people who own one feel very much part of a family / club . As with all special things it’s incredibly important for Dowina that people speak loudly about them. They are breaking every rule in order to provide these guitars in the way they do at the prices they do - so rest assured they need people like yourself to speak very loudly whenever you can

[@johnjones-uc3ni]

The point I am trying to convey is the very thing you said in a recent Dowina video. Even if many knew about them and wanted a guitar from them. There's no way they could meet the demand. Downina either continues as a small shop that builds exquisite guitars. Or cave into to demand and expand. Then they lose the qualities that make them so great. Fir example, Furch is heading in the wrong direction. A few years ago the made a couple thousand guitars a year. Now they make about 8 to 9 thousand. Money wise it's good. But every mainstream guitar company followed to same direction. At some point Furch will be no different quality wise than Martin, Taylor, etc. As quantity increases so does the number of poor quality guitars getting into the market.

[@swarm_ascending4439]

I bought one of these in the UK in 2021, and have enjoyed playing it so much. It has a beautiful sound, and I never thought I would get to own such a superb hand-made instrument. P.S. I'm not sponsored in any way, this is the real deal.

[@JoffDay]

This too shall pass is a brilliant song imo. Thnaks for sharing it.

[@dustinmylesdiou2649]

never heard this guy b4. that was fantastic! 🔥 (gr8 video)!

[@adamkontra4677]

Dowina makes some fantastic guitars! I have a masters series Padauk from them and I could not be happier.

[@johnjones-uc3ni]

I had a Dowina master series Paduak. Hopefully you will never run into the problem I had. Paduak is an oily wood and if you ever see a white powdery residue, it is the woods oil coming out. All you need to do is take a cloth with some rubbing alcohol and blot it off. Hopefully you won't run into that.

[@johnjones-uc3ni]

I had a Dowina Paduak master series. Paduak is an oily wood which can sometimes cause a white powdery residue come out of the wood. If that ever happens take a cloth with a little rubbing alcohol and lightly blot it off.

[@dossdn]

Loooove Rafa's song! 🥰

[@acidoxyde]

fucking hell Henning, thought I had x2 speed when you started talking at the beginning of the video lol

[@MrCarlzohn]

Holy crap. That first song.

[@grishyroy9271]

This too shall pass...great performance...and the guitar sounds nice and warm! It's no Esteban, but it'll have to do. LOL. (kidding, of course)

[@TheChristafershawn]

Esteban's are so under rated. (also kidding, of course)

[@PooNinja]

@@TheChristafershawnstand on it! Wait what?

[@TheChristafershawn]

@@PooNinja Funny thing is I see people seriously defending their decades old infomercial purchase literally claiming "Esteban's are so under rated". Now is that loyalty or the all to common stubborn denial of reality? Who am I to say?

[@PooNinja]

@@TheChristafershawn yea! reality sucks most of the time. I’ll stay diluted. I only adult when required

[@TheChristafershawn]

@@PooNinja Fair enough.

[@KubaTestujeTV]

😍😍

[@daytripzip]

Whis is it cool? Because I say so! :D

[@Scottuz]

Honest opinion, 1st song was quite lovely, 2nd one tho? OMG i don't think he knew where the melody was going himself? any chords you like, i suppose, you write it, you decide where it goes?

[@dreweybaker9259]

The song sounds like the old LOTR cartoons .

[@dark0450]

I don't know why, every time I see that singer on screen, I sense fear. I'm sure he's a swell guy, and he has a wonderful voice for sure, but I don't know, I get the hibbie jibbies... maybe it's just me.

[@pads-zr9ln]

Played one at richards guitars, beautiful guitars, dont buy a mass produced taylor or martin, these are hand made

[@davidfaustino4476]

This singer guy makes me extremely uncomfortable.

[@PooNinja]

@@davidfaustino4476 you should see him with a clown fish (dog costume) hat singing , that might help alleviate the tension. 🐠

[@davidfaustino4476]

I dont get it. Youre a new guitar brand. You can do whatever you want with your headstock. And you CHOOSE to make your guitar not stay in tune?????

[@wfqsfg]

My Dowina stays in tune. Sometimes for days.

[@RichardsGuitarshop]

You notice the silence? Thats called a respectful silence - sadly, I will struggle to walk by such a comment without giving you some feedback as comments that come across as statements of facts - rather than disparaging, baseless, verbal poop - are always the most damaging - so I feel maybe a balance with some facts would help anyone browsing the comments section. Sooooo..... new brand? They have been making guitars since about 1980 so new is a relative concept I suppose but my business started in 1995 and I would hope I am not being delusional in considering myself a specialist in my line of work - so I think we can extend the same level of courtesy to Dowina. We could open the philosophical debate if you wish? So they have been in business 44 years but is that 44 years experience,. or possible 100 years of combined experience with the people involved, and maybe there are other brands with 10 years experience spread over 50 :). Anyway.... thats just a bit of fun..... for me.... to anyone else I just sound unhinged but thats ok...... If it helps - you can mock me - its cool. Now then...... Where did you pick up on the idea that they built their guitar deliberately with the intention of making it go out of tune? Its a lovely idea - a concept that many a brand I can personally believe did do exactly that - but Dowina? I would have been personally involved in the sale of many hundreds of Dowina guitars over the past few years and the reality is that not one single instrument "had a tuning problem" .. I would struggle to remember any comment at any time in the duration of our history where this has been infered - let alone it actually being a problem. So if you don't mind me mentioning - your comment has been visible for 4 months and seen potentially thousands of times, caused a lot of damage and embarrassment to a company who care as much as they do - so statistically you will have done your job and put someone off buying one - so.... credit where its due there. But in review of your comments. 4 sentences. One was a correct observation - and the clue is it went down hill from the first :).