

GOWEN SC
Our single-cutaway guitar.
Five years ago we began a project to personalise and update the design of classic single cutaway guitars, driven by my daughter Lucy Gowen's requirements for a more playable, less cumbersome performance and recording guitar.
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From a simple flat-topped prototype in 2018 our SC design has now evolved to the SC(iii), SC(iv) and SC(v).
SC(iii) has a flat top and rear with the only body carving being a sculpted heel, while SC(iv) adds front and rear contours and the SC (v) more pronounced and shaped body carving.
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Our SC guitars are available in a choice of different solid woods, with or without tops, and with the option to specify humbucker or P90 pickups. All have a wraparound bridge, 628mm scale and an angled headstock for better playability, Grover or Gotoh tuning machines and either Irongear or House of Tone pickups.
All new instruments are supplied in a Gator hard case.
​Single Wood SC (1 pickup)​
from £950
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All our guitars are individually priced, starting at around £950 for a new SC(iii) shape guitar in a solid wood body with no front or rear contours, including a single Irongear Dirty Torque or Tesla Shark pick-up in the bridge position. Our entry-level SC(iii) bodies are normally Cherry, Alder, London Plane, Ash, Walnut or Mahogany / Sapele, with more expensive woods adding to the base cost of the instrument.
All our SC guitars include the incredible Irongear range of pickups as standard and we're happy to fit any of the Irongear Humbuckers or P90 as a standard pickup. You can view the Irongear pickup tone chart and listen to audio samples here.
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Our most popular Irongear humbucker choices are Tesla Shark and Dirty Torque.
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Alternatively, for more customisation options, we also recommend House of Tone or Gemini Pickups hand-wound pickups.
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Options for House of Tone Pickups include:
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House Special Humbuckers +£55
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Filter House +£80
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Contact us to get advice or an estimate for your chosen pickups.
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Single Wood SC (i) in London Plane with Irongear Dirty Talk Humbucker. Tung oil satin finish.

House of Tone House Special humbuckers (zebra). "...Vintage voiced and available in a choice of Alnico II, III, IV, VIII or ceramic magnets. Magnet choice and DCR depends on voicing and tone desired - click to listen to tone samples
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​​Single Wood SC(iii) - 2 pickups)
from £1100
Adding a second pickup, second tone and volume pots and selector switch adds around £150 to the cost of the instrument .
All our SC guitars include the incredible Irongear range of pickups as standard, (tone chart and listen to audio samples here)
but we also regularly use House of Tone hand wound humbuckers (audio samples here).
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Options for House of Tone Pickups include:
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House Special Humbuckers Set
+£110
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Filter House Humbuckers Set
+£140
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Contact us to get an estimate for your chosen pickups.
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Single Wood SC (iii) in London Plane with 2 Irongear Tesla Sharks. Tung Oil satin finish.

House of Tone Filter House humbuckers - ".... reproductions of the original mid 50's design with authentic Gretsch jangle and growl. Covers in nickel, chrome, gold, raw nickel or burnt chrome. 4.5K bridge, 4K neck..." - click to listen to tone samples
​Single Wood SC(v) (2 pickups)​
from £1295
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Our SC(iv) has extra body carving and front and rear body contours and a more pronounced round-over on the body edges.
All our SC guitars include the incredible Irongear range of pickups as standard and we're happy to fit any of the Irongear Humbuckers or P90 as a standard pickup. You can view the Irongear pickup tone chart and listen to audio samples here.
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Our most popular Irongear humbucker choices are Tesla Shark and Dirty Torque.
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Alternatively, for more customisation options, we also recommend House of Tone or Gemini Pickups hand-wound pickups.
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Options for House of Tone Pickups include:
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House Special Humbuckers Set
+£110
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Filter House Humbuckers Set
+£140
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Contact us to get an estimate for your chosen pickups.
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SC(iv) in English Walnut, including extra body carving and contours. All our guitars are finished in hand rubbed oil finishes. Nitrocellulose lacquer is available as a custom extra and adds a longer build time and £250 to the basic cost of the instrument.
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​​Single Wood SC
Figured Top, 2 pickups
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from £1450 with front & rear contours - SC(iv)
from £1650 with extra body carving - SC(v)
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These are options to add a figured/decorative top wood to the guitar body, with front and rear body contours with the SC(iv) or even more pronounced front and rear waist carving with the SC(v). Total cost varies depending on the top wood chosen, which can add £50-£300 to the basic cost of the instrument.
All our SC guitars include the incredible Irongear range of pickups as standard, (tone chart and listen to audio samples here)
but we also regularly use House of Tone hand wound humbuckers (audio samples here).
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Options for House of Tone Pickups include:
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House Special Humbuckers Set
+£110
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Filter House Humbuckers Set
+£140
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Contact us to get an estimate for your chosen pickups.
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Thinline (35mm thick) Single Wood SC (iv) in Lime Wood with Sicilian Walnut and Ash top, with front and rear contours. 2 Irongear Tesla Sharks. Osmo Oil satin finish.
SC(iii) Specification
Single cutaway body with either single or twin pickups, finished in a hand rubbed oil finish.
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Gotoh 510UB Wraparound Bridge
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Enamelled pickup selector surround washer
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flat front and rear
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Schaller straplock buttons
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Electrics
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All CTS /Bourns switches and pots
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Irongear Dirty Torque Humbucker in Bridge position and optional Irongear Blues Engine in Neck Position or Irongear Tesla Sharks set
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Optional House of Tone / Gemini Pickups Humbuckers / P90s
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Separate volume and Tone controls for each pickup
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Optional coil tapping (not thinline bodies)
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Optional bridge pickup surround on-board tuner
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Optional headstock veneer
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Neck
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Bolt-on Maple/Mahogany neck, Rosewood /Ebony fretboard, dotted or trapezoid fret markers
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628mm scale length
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Medium-jumbo sized frets
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Chrome Gotoh machine heads
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​Silver 1914 threepence inlaid in truss rod cover
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For more information about hardware / pickups options - please email us here .
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SC(iv) Specification
As SC(iii) but with front and rear body contours
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SC(v) Specification
As SC(iv) but with more pronounced body carving around the guitar waist, front and back, shoulder and horn.
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Model History
We first built our SC design in 2018, using offcuts of London Plane trees that had been felled during the clearing of St James Gardens London, in preparation for the expansion of London Euston Station. St James Gardens had originally been planned and planted in the late 1780s, and our supplier has a large stock of 200 year old London Plane timber.
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Our original SC(i) in 2018 had a 35mm, thin, 2-piece body which tapered towards the neck pocket, and a set neck. We had been experimenting with alternatives to the standard separate bridge and tailpiece configuration and opted for the Gotoh 510UB Wraparound bridge, to improve playability and clean up the aesthetics of the guitar top. So far we've been very pleased with the results and plan to include these bridges on future builds.
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In 2020 we updated the body shape of our SC design, to include a more pronounced curve on the lower horn and decrease the waist of the guitar body. We also added a deeper round-over to the body edges. For increased flexibility and to aid future instrument set-ups, the SC(ii) now has a bolt-on neck and a choice or either Grover or Gotoh machine heads.
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In 2023 we completed our first SC(iv), which featured both front and rear body cuts on a thinline body.
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In 2024 we introduced the SC(v), which is typically built around a thicker body (40mm+) and includes more pronounced and complex body carving.
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