GOWEN SC CUSTOM ELECTRIC GUITAR
The SC is our single-cutaway guitar.
We want it to be the humbucker guitar you reach for first, every single time.
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You'll find different body and pickup configurations across the SC range, but we’ve deliberately avoided piling on features for the sake of it.
Every SC is built by hand, by us, to the same standard and each model offers subtle differences in feel and tone.
Take a look through the models and listen to some of the sound samples below to find the SC that fits your music.
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flat top and back
single pickup from £1199
flat top with front/back contours
single pickup from £1399, twin pickup from £1599
carved front and back
single pickup from £1599, twin pickup from £1799
minimalist… or maybe just everything you need
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Our SC No 1 isn't a stripped down or budget version of a higher priced guitar. It's not 'no-nonsense', or a 'workhorse' or even 'basic;' it's actually deliberately intended to be all the guitar some players need.
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A flat top and back, sculpted easy-access heel, wrap-around bridge for silkier feeling bends and then just a tone and volume pot controlling a single humbucker.
Choose between our classic Gowen 57-59 PAF+ (9.5k) or the hotter Gowen 68-72 PAF+ (15k) pickups, then let the guitar get out of the way. Just play.​
​All our SC No 1 guitars are unique instruments and individually priced, starting at around £1199 for a new SC No 1 shape guitar in a solid wood body with no front or rear contours, including a single humbucker pick-up in the bridge position.
Our SC bodies are normally made from Cherry, Alder, London Plane, Ash, Walnut or Mahogany / Sapele, with more expensive woods and figured tops adding to the base cost of the instrument.​
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All our SC guitars now come fitted with our own Gowen Humbuckers . We've developed these in partnership with one of the UK's top boutique pickup manufacturers to create a unique pickup voicing to our own specification.
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A single-pup SC No 1 with a flat top and back comes with:
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​Gowen 57-59 PAF+ Bridge Pickup (9.5k) or Gowen 68-72 PAF+ Bridge Pickup (15k)
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Gotoh 501 tuners
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Gotoh wraparound Bridge
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CTS/Bourns fittings and 500k pots
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.022uf (600v) Orange Drop Capacitor
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Schaller straplocks
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Gator Spider case​​​
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Options for wood finishes include:
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Satin Lacquer (our standard finish)
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Gloss Lacquer (+£0)
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Nitrocellulose lacquer lustre / silk, 'heritage gloss' finish
(+£250)​
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Bespoke oil Finishes (Osmo, TruOil, Tung etc. P.O.A)
We'll advise on recommended finishes for your chosen body woods. Our standard finish is satin lacquer.
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All our necks are finished in satin Osmo or satin lacquer finishes.
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Contact us to get an estimate for a guitar build.​
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sound samples to follow
body shaping and wider tone options
Commissioning an SC No 2 build lets you tailor guitar body ergonomics.
Choose between normal or thin-line body thickness and whether to include a front fore-arm contour or a rear ‘tummy’ contour…. Or both!
Sound wise, our SC No 2 brings an optional additional neck humbucker, and like the SC No 1 you can opt for one of our suggested pickup pairings.
SC No 2 opens up more aesthetic options too, with figured wood tops and a wider range of finish options.
​All our SC No 2 guitars are unique instruments and individually priced, starting at around £1399 for a new SC No 2 shape guitar in a solid wood body with front and rear contours, including a single humbucker pick-up in the bridge position. You can add a second humbucker and an additional set of tone and volume control for that pickup for +£200.
Our SC bodies are normally made from Cherry, Alder, London Plane, Ash, Walnut or Mahogany / Sapele, with more expensive woods and figured tops adding to the base cost of the instrument.​
​
All our SC guitars now come fitted with our own Gowen Humbuckers . We've developed these in partnership with one of the UK's top boutique pickup manufacturers to create a unique pickup voicing to our own specification.
​​​
A single-pup SC No 2 with a solid wood body with front and rear contours comes with:
​
-
​Gowen 57-59 PAF+ Bridge Pickup (9.5k) or Gowen 68-72 PAF+ Bridge Pickup (15k)
-
Gotoh 501 tuners
-
Gotoh wraparound Bridge
-
CTS/Bourns fittings and 500k pots
-
.022uf (600v) Orange Drop Capacitor
-
Schaller straplocks
-
Gator Spider case​​​
​​​
Options for wood finishes include:
-
Satin Lacquer (our standard finish)
-
Gloss Lacquer (+£0)
-
Nitrocellulose lacquer lustre / silk, 'heritage gloss' finish
(+£250)​
-
Bespoke oil Finishes (Osmo, TruOil, Tung etc. P.O.A)
We'll advise on recommended finishes for your chosen body woods. Our standard finish is satin lacquer.
​
All our necks are finished in satin Osmo or satin lacquer finishes.
​
​
Contact us to get an estimate for a guitar build.​
​
Jump to the full SC specifications
Thinline (35mm thick) Single Wood SC No. 2 (twin pup) in Lime Wood with Sicilian Walnut and Ash top, with front and rear contours. Satin finish.
sound samples to follow
carved body, more tone options
Our SC No 3 guitar allows for a more sculpted approach to body ergonomics, with increased carving and softer curves to the front, top, sides and back, for a more contoured feel.
SC No 3 models are typically carved from solid wood slabs without figured tops. The SC No 3 shares the same pickup options as the SC No 2, with optional coil-splitting via push-push pots.
​All our SC No 3 guitars are unique instruments and individually priced, starting at around £1599 for a new SC No 3 shape guitar in a solid wood body with front and rear contours, including a single humbucker pick-up in the bridge position. You can add a second humbucker and an additional set of tone and volume control for that pickup for +£200, plus optional coil-splitting for +£250.
Our SC bodies are normally made from Cherry, Alder, London Plane, Ash, Walnut or Mahogany / Sapele, with more expensive woods and figured tops adding to the base cost of the instrument.​
​
All our SC guitars now come fitted with our own Gowen Humbuckers . We've developed these in partnership with one of the UK's top boutique pickup manufacturers to create a unique pickup voicing to our own specification.
​​​
A single-pup SC No 3 with a solid wood body with front and rear contours comes with:
​
-
​Gowen 57-59 PAF+ Bridge Pickup (9.5k) or Gowen 68-72 PAF+ Bridge Pickup (15k)
-
Gotoh 501 tuners
-
Gotoh wraparound Bridge
-
CTS/Bourns fittings and 500k pots
-
.022uf (600v) Orange Drop Capacitor
-
Schaller straplocks
-
Gator Spider case​​​
​​​
Options for wood finishes include:
-
Satin Lacquer (our standard finish)
-
Gloss Lacquer (+£0)
-
Nitrocellulose lacquer lustre / silk, 'heritage gloss' finish
(+£250)​
-
Bespoke oil Finishes (Osmo, TruOil, Tung etc. P.O.A)
We'll advise on recommended finishes for your chosen body woods. Our standard finish is satin lacquer.
​
All our necks are finished in satin Osmo or satin lacquer finishes.
​
​
Contact us to get an estimate for a guitar build.​
​
Jump to the full SC specifications
sound samples to follow
Gowen SC Specification
Single cutaway body with either single or twin pickups
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Gotoh 510UB Wraparound Bridge
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Enamelled pickup selector surround washer (2-pup)
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flat front and back (Nos. 1 & 2)
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carved front and back (No. 3 only)
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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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Gowen 57-59 PAF+ humbuckers (custom voicing option as standard) or Gowen 68-72 PAF+ Bridge Pickup (15k)
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Separate volume and Tone controls for each pickup
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Optional coil tapping (push-push knobs, not thinline bodies) on SC #3
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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 . ​​​
Gowen SC No. 1, 2018 shape
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 in 2018 had a 35mm, thin, 2-piece body which tapered towards the neck pocket, and a set neck. It was fitted with. single Irongear Dirty Torque pickup. 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 switched to a bolt-on neck and Gotoh machine heads. Standard pickups for dual-hum bucker guitars were either a pair of Irongear Tesla Sharks or a set of Irongear Dirty Torque (bridge) and Irongear Blues Engine (neck).
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In 2023 we completed our first SC No 2, which featured both front and rear body contours on a thinline body.
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In 2024 we introduced the SC No 3, which is typically built around a thicker body (40mm+) and includes more pronounced and complex body carving.
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In 2026 we began fitting our Gowen 57-59 PAF+ humbuckers to our SC guitars as standard pickups, with an option for customers to request custom windings and coil splitting.​