I've had the 45 Chester in Cedar for a couple of months now. I'd not really played for an age until Christmas, when I dragged the old faithful K.Yairi out from under the bed. I sold a nice Lowden F32 a few years ago in spruce. It was good to play and beautifully made. I liked the wider fingerboard, but for me it wasn't quite right. I have a Takermine ean45cx, I've always liked the body size of this guitar, so my thinking was Takermine body size and a wider fretboard.

I had a budget of two and a half and started using Google. I'm not one for going on shopping excursions these days. Very soon I happened upon R.Guitars. I probably watched all the available videos, I was sold on Richard's philosophy and his obvious attention to detail within the details.

I didn't know anything about Auden Guitars. My brain was going, made in China, really, fine guitars made in China! Can that happen? But the 45 Chester matched my wants in body size and fretboard width. I make furniture. I am fussy about build quality when I know something is hand-made. Honestly, the guitar is a thing of beauty. The feel, the weight, the balance, it arrived with a soul built into it. The craftsmanship is perfect. It's worth reading about the Auden workshop and how they pull the operation together.

Sound wise, I don't know what to say really. I can't imagine there could be better. It can be different, but not better. It's subtly rich, it's warm but not too warm. It's bright without sounding cutting. The separation is excellent, focused. It's an absolute joy to play. Sounds amazing plugged in too.

I'm a very satisfied customer. The updates once I had placed my order were first class. The set up of the guitar is perfect. I'm very happy with my Auden and I expect I will own another at some point in the future.

Why go for an Auden Artist series over a Taylor, Gibson, or Martin for the same money? I asked myself this question back in 2019 before watching Richards YouTube videos and reading up on Doug's workshop in China and the UK. First of all, this is a hand built hand finished guitar (the Chester spec I went for was rosewood back and sides, cedar top, mahogany neck, and with the slightly wider 45mm nut). For this money you won't find a better instrument sound, it's rich, smooth, fullsome, you can clearly hear the different notes chiming together, nothing is lost, with an excellent pickup to plug in to an amp when you want to. A gorgeous finish and wood arrangement, top class hard case, professional level of sound, and the fact it's hand built by luithiers and hand finished in the UK, for me, makes it such an excellent value for money instrument. For a guitar of this quality of sound, a Gibson, Martin or Taylor would cost a great deal more, may not necessarily be hand crafted from the beginning, arguably may not sound better, and are now a multinational factory item over a handbuilt, local craftsmen item. Put simply it's a beautiful, rich and fullsome sounding handmade guitar that should cost a lot more than it does. Still tempted by that Martin for £1,800? I'd say give Auden a go! You won't regret it!

Awesome instrument however I am only in the middle beginner stage of learning the instrument so not an authority. Sounds great to me and Richard’s was great to deal with; patient, gave advice and feedback on questions, and patient. Setup was great too.

I’ve wanted to live with this guitar a while before submitting a review. I have had the guitar 6 months now and I love it! The way the guitar rings out is inspiring. I have a few acoustic guitars (A Larrivee and a Bourgeois) and this one has been my go-to guitar since I’ve had it. I highly recommend the Auden - a make I was unfamiliar with until now. The pickup system is great. It’s always difficult to amplify the sound of an acoustic - but this is as good as it gets.

I also remember the half day I had at the shop - all to myself - thank you to the staff that made me feel welcome and nothing was too much trouble.

Kind regards and hope to be back

Paul Crowhurst

I only bought this through advice of how good these guitars are from Richard and the team. It would have been great to travel to store but not possible in Covid times.
The guitar is top top quality in build and tone. Every string just sings beautifully it’s so balanced. Auden are clearly a top brand to be considered. Richards exclusive 45mm nut is lovely too.
Thank you

Where to start? If you hate lengthy reviews and just want to cut to the chase: buy an Auden guitar from Richards Guitars. The guitars are beautifully made, play brilliantly and represent fantastic value for money. And Richards Guitars provides a level of customer service you don’t get from the average high street retailer. If you’re interested in why I believe this read on.
I came across Richard’s YouTube video reviews while researching Furch guitars. Having played, bought and sold quite a few acoustic guitars over the years I had grown disenchanted with the so-called ‘top’ brands which, I felt, too often provided disappointing value for money. So I was sympathetic to Richard’s focus on lesser known and ethically produced brands that appeared to offer real value. Intrigued, I emailed Richards Guitars in May and asked for some advice on the differences and relative merits of a Furch Blue G compared with an Auden Chester Neo. Both of which were highly recommended in Richard’s reviews. Clearly my email reached Richards Guitars just when the country was in full lockdown and everyone who couldn’t source a puppy had decided to learn guitar. The result was some delay before I received any response to my email enquiry. Not a particular problem for me as I wasn’t in any rush to buy another guitar. After a couple of weeks (and a gently reminder from me) I received a phone call from Richard Cholerton - yes, THE Richard! - who was extremely apologetic and keen to help. As lockdown meant that I couldn’t travel to his shop Richard very generously offered to send me both a Furch Blue G CMC and an Auden Chester Neo 45mm - both solid mahogany guitars with cedar tops - to try out at home, on the understanding that I would pay for one of the guitars and return whichever one I preferred least. (In fact, it would have been open to me to return both had I chosen not to buy either.) At my request, this arrangement also involved Richard fitting a Fishman Matrix pick-up to the Furch, which inevitably caused a further delay. By the time the Furch was ready to ship Richard had only one B-stock (ex-demonstrator) Auden Chester Neo 45mm left in stock. Rather than wait for new stock to arrive I agreed to take the B-stock Auden on the basis that a. It would allow me to compare it with the Furch; and b. If I preferred the Auden I would have the option of either buying the B-stock guitar at a discounted price, or keeping it until new stock arrived at the end of July. The guitars arrived on the day arranged and provided the perfect distraction during lockdown. The opportunity to compare two such accomplished guitars with each other, in my own playing environment, without any particular time pressures was unique. But what was equally valuable was the opportunity to compare them with the guitars I already owned. Let’s face it I can’t be the only one to have come home with a shiny new guitar to discover that it sounds pretty much like the one hanging on the wall.
I had assumed that the Furch would be the one to beat and it was certainly a beautifully made instrument with loads of sparkle. But for me perhaps a little too much sparkle, which was not what I had expected from a cedar/mahogany combination. Although the Fishman Matrix pick-up was effective it seemed to me to add to the rather sterile sound of the Furch. Instead I found myself drawn to the Auden Chester Neo which I found hard to put down. The sound was smooth, balanced and versatile - particularly good at accompanying vocals. The satin finish and the very simple design aesthetic also made it feel like the ideal guitar for just sitting on the sofa playing for hours. But, the astonishing Clark Supernatural pick-up meant that it was also well able to provide a high quality amplified sound if required. After a week of comparing the two guitars I returned the Furch and continued to enjoy the Auden for the remainder of lockdown, while awaiting the arrival of Richard’s new stock.
When I phoned Richards Guitars in July to enquire about the new stock and spoke with Jon, I professed my admiration for the smooth balanced sound of the the Auden Chester Neo but questioned whether it might be a little too softly spoken. We talked about other Auden models that might offer the same balanced sound but with a little more horsepower. Keen on the shape and size of the Chester one option was the spruce top and mahogany combination but at that time Richards couldn’t supply a 45mm nut which I’d decided I liked. In the end and having studied various reviews (not just Richard’s YouTube videos) I asked Jon to send me the Chester Artist 45mm cedar/rosewood cutaway. This seemed likely to me to offer a combination of the warmth of cedar and the clarity and depth of rosewood. I was not disappointed. The guitar is utterly superb. Although not cheap, it is immaculately constructed and finished to a standard for which some other manufacturers would charge £3k. When the time came to settle my account I’d become so ...

I was a little nervous contacting Richards Guitars about buying a guitar but I shouldn't have been. From the start they were incredibly helpful and reassuring. The bio-safe arrangements were perfect. I had the testing room to myself for 2 hours and tried out ~10 guitars from 3 makers. There was no pressure but when I needed help/guidance it was there. It was a difficult choice - all the guitars were fantastic and I was surprised how each sounded different. So I am pleased I tried them out in person rather than bought unseen based only on on-line reviews. My choice, the Auden 45 series Chester cutaway cedar/rosewood, sounds incredible and even after nearly a month in my hands it continues to blow me away!!!! Thanks to all at Richards Guitars.