The Lowden S-25J is one of the world’s finest acoustic-electric nylon strung, cutaway jazz instruments. Its sound is thrilling – displaying exceptional clarity and articulation, long sustain and airy acoustic presence. Its lines are graceful -- the cutaway being soft and languorous like the silken touch of a highly paid courtesan on the thinning hair of a libidinous former governor. The body is bordered in Koa, the top is cedar, as are so many of the world’s finest classical guitars, the headplate overlay, bridge, back and sides are East Indian rosewood, the fingerboard is ebony. Its tuners are very high quality three-on-a-gold-plated plate with pearloid large buttons. The “Lowden” script and underlined logo is inlaid in colorful mother of pearl in the artfully slotted headstock. Its fingerboard width at the nut is a comfortable 1 7/8th” while its string spacing on the pinless tie bridge is 2 ¼”. The guitar measures 14 11/16th” in width at the lower bout; it has a long scale length of 25.6” and a depth at the bottom side of an even 4”. The back of the neck is laminated at the center with ebony and walnut, which adds to the strength and stability of this instrument, making it more than adequately suitable for that paid visit to the space shuttle that you’ve scheduled for 2014.
All this -- the combination of the neck that is slimmer and more inviting than that of any traditional classical, the longer scale and the grand concert size - makes it so comfortable to play that you may forget you are playing guitar and drift off into a reverie of unexpected yet refreshing short term dormancy. This is the type of guitar you would want to come home after a long and busy workday slaving over a hot widescreen 24-inch LCD flat monitor lizard, light the candelabra, put on your smoking jacket and play Spanish etudes, fantasias & sonatas until your fingers get Sor. It is, when not in your arms, a guitar that enjoys your gazing upon its sensual curves from afar, during periods of focused and extremely self-satisfied introspection.