Lowden Guitars Original Series S-25

Sonic Evaluation

It will never cease to amaze me how much tone the wood wizards at Lowden manage to pack into their S-sized bodies, and this serial--an S-25C--is overflowing with sweet sounds. The first thing that immediately jumps out at you is how responsive and dynamic it is. Notes escape the soundhole almost the instant your finger touches the string, and you can alter the tone wildly by varying your right-hand technique. At lower volumes, it has a warm, open, rich tone laden with purple-hued overtones. As you put more energy into it and the top moves more, the lows and mids become more focused and the high-end chimes with bell-like brilliance full of cascading overtones.

Since the guitar has so much dynamic range, and because its tone can change based on your mood, it makes for a wonderfully expressive playing experience. Its rich tone is easy to get lost in, but it also stays remarkably balanced and articulate, likely due to the S-sized concert body. It's pretty hard to beat as a fingerstyle guitar, but it's also a marvelous small-bodied strummer if you're looking for a sweet, jangly, sunny tone. If you're looking for a dynamic, full-bodied, articulate concert acoustic, this Lowden will do marvelously for you.