'N'NGD - Lowden S35 12 Fret Cedar / Walnut

Celts88

'N'NGD - 'Nearly' New Guitar Day 

I haven't got my new guitar just yet, but hopefully getting soon this Lowden S35 12 Fret Cedar / Walnut. It's 2021 so pretty much new, and as I currently have a Taylor 914ce LTD Sinker / EIR it will hopefully be a nice change from that.

I'm hoping that the Cedar / Walnut will give a nice sound, and understand most Lowdens are renowned for their finger style / piano like sound.

I'm pretty much a beginner in the guitar world, extremely basic playing experience and I mean really basic, but for some reason I feel the Lowden will give me a good option as it's a smaller guitar with different tone woods and a 12 fret.

Hope I'm doing the right thing getting the Lowden (as the saying goes it's only money and you can't take it with you when times up).

Any comments much appreciated, even if they're not of the positive kind as every bit of knowledge I receive is a positive on the start of my guitar journey 

TheMadMick

Looked at this wood combination but when I heard it being played as I play - with a plectrum - decided to go elsewhere. However, Lowdens seem to make a good finger picking instrument.

I have to say, I don't get on with 12 frets although my foray into that territory yielded a lovely little Auden which sounds great but there isn't enough fret board real estate for me. Maybe you'll fare better.

Good luck. Hope it works out. I've liked the sound of every Lowden I've tried until I dig in.

guitarjack66

Lovely looking guitar but couldn't play a guitar without fret markers on the finger board itself. I am a basic player too.

Mellish

A "basic beginner" with a Taylor 914 and an upcoming Lowden? This ain't right.....only joking! Hope when you get it you'll like it  

brucegill

Wow, look at that walnut!! Looks lovely. Enjoy! I have a S35 all mahogany and love it to bits. Loud little things too! 

Celts88

guitarjack66 said:

Lovely looking guitar but couldn't play a guitar without fret markers on the finger board itself. I am a basic player too.

It has the fret markers on the side, and I assume once I get better then won't be leaning over looking at the fretboard with the side markers being enough.

Celts88

Mellish said:

A "basic beginner" with a Taylor 914 and an upcoming Lowden? This ain't right.....only joking! Hope when you get it you'll like it  

I knew it might ruffle a few feathers me being a beginner, and having a 914 and S35, but I've worked all my life and now at a more 'mature' age was happy to pay the money to get some nice guitars from the get go.

I know you're just pulling my leg, all good mate 

Celts88

TheMadMick said:

Looked at this wood combination but when I heard it being played as I play - with a plectrum - decided to go elsewhere. However, Lowdens seem to make a good finger picking instrument.

I have to say, I don't get on with 12 frets although my foray into that territory yielded a lovely little Auden which sounds great but there isn't enough fret board real estate for me. Maybe you'll fare better.

Good luck. Hope it works out. I've liked the sound of every Lowden I've tried until I dig in.

Even in my very short time playing the guitar I like the finger picking, and even if using a pick I don't attack it very hard.

A few say the 12 fret helps to add a slight bit more of the bottom end so there's that benefit I suppose.

As I've already got a Taylor with Sinker top and Rosewood back the Cedar / Walnut will be a change from what I already have so I was thinking from that perspective. Also the S35 being 2nd hand, and going for a very good price (to me anyway) it limits the choices, but I think except for missing out on a cutaway the specs look ok to me.

Hoping to get the guitar next month and then I can see what all the fuss with Lowden's is all about 

Tannin

Oh wow! That is a magnificent-looking instrument, just a joy to behold. If it sounds half as good as it looks, it will be a cracker!

Cedar and walnut is a great combination in my book. One of my two or three most-played guitars  is cedar and Queensland Maple which, although completely unrelated to walnut, is tonally similar. It's a dreadnought, so the shape and size is quite different, nevertheless (just as yours will) it produces a full-bodied, rounded tone, mellow and yet not lacking punch, rich but never in your face about it: something you can play any style on so long as you don't go too hard. 

Acoustic guitars are very like speakers (or microphones) - any given example has an ideal volume range. This is just physics: it takes a certain amount of energy to overcome inertia (less than that and you don't get a good quality sound); then there is a middle-range where the transducer (microphone diaphragm, speaker cone, guitar top) responds to further input more-or-less linearly; and then you get clipping as the input signal (singer's voice, amplifier's output, vibrating strings) is asking for more movement than the transducer can provide. Essentially, the heavier the transducer and the stiffer the mounting, the more energy it takes to start it vibrating, but the more energy it can handle without clipping. Conversely, the lighter the transducer and the softer the mounting, the less energy it takes to start but the less it is able to handle well.

The point of all this is that small guitars are more sensitive to light playing, and more responsive. The same applies to softer  (less stiff) tops like cedar and redwood. If that suits your style - as I'm sure it must, otherwise you'd be buying different instruments - you'll get a great deal of pleasure from this beauty. Enjoy!

drofluf

Lovely looking guitar, I hope you enjoy it!

@Tannin great explanation of the “dynamics” (for want of a better word) of guitars and volume. 

Tannin

Thanks @drofluf ;

DavidRees

looks fabulous. I used to own an S10 which was magical ...

Mellish

@Celts88 ; no worries mate 

bertie

Im pontificating  cedar on walnut  for "my next" -  that looks nice, be interested to hear what it sounds like in real terms, ie not from reading about it   (especially compared to spruce on r/wood)  

I played a cedar on koa parlor and it was amazing 

Looks quite a deep body too,  sure that will add to a fuller sound -  


two £4k+ guitars for a "beginner"  ?         not a bit jealous     -  enjoy

Soupman

I am of the opinion that you should indulge your hobbies. The fact that you have a Taylor and are buying a Lowdon indicates guitar playing is not just a passing interest.
 I wish I'd had the funds to get a quality instrument when I started, it makes a difference. I have a Lowden O25 cedar/rosewood and every time I play it I'm wowed by the sound quality. I doubt that you'll be disappointed. Let us have your impressions when it arrives. It certainly is a looker, and it will have a different sound from the Taylor. Congratulations 

Celts88

bertie said:

Im pontificating  cedar on walnut  for "my next" -  that looks nice, be interested to hear what it sounds like in real terms, ie not from reading about it   (especially compared to spruce on r/wood)  

I played a cedar on koa parlor and it was amazing 

Looks quite a deep body too,  sure that will add to a fuller sound -  


two £4k+ guitars for a "beginner"  ?         not a bit jealous     -  enjoy

Yeah, a bit over the top for a beginner , but I suppose if I've made the right choices first time and spend the money wisely(ish) then in the long run I'll have no regrets. Luckily I managed to find mint condition guitars at a reduced cost being 2nd hand so if for any reason in the future I want to move them on then I shouldn't be too far out of pocket (not that I have any plans to do that).

Soupman said:

I am of the opinion that you should indulge your hobbies. The fact that you have a Taylor and are buying a Lowdon indicates guitar playing is not just a passing interest.
 I wish I'd had the funds to get a quality instrument when I started, it makes a difference. I have a Lowden O25 cedar/rosewood and every time I play it I'm wowed by the sound quality. I doubt that you'll be disappointed. Let us have your impressions when it arrives. It certainly is a looker, and it will have a different sound from the Taylor. Congratulations 

I'm a beginner, but I'm of a 'mature' age so the funds are more accessible at my age. I'm hoping that I've successfully jumped a few rungs of the ladder and got a couple of guitars that will see me happy for the foreseeable (I bet lots say that then GAS takes over )

bertie

^^ exactly,  if you've got the funds,  why not    

let us know how that S35 sounds  

Celts88

Tannin said:

Oh wow! That is a magnificent-looking instrument, just a joy to behold. If it sounds half as good as it looks, it will be a cracker!

Cedar and walnut is a great combination in my book. One of my two or three most-played guitars  is cedar and Queensland Maple which, although completely unrelated to walnut, is tonally similar. It's a dreadnought, so the shape and size is quite different, nevertheless (just as yours will) it produces a full-bodied, rounded tone, mellow and yet not lacking punch, rich but never in your face about it: something you can play any style on so long as you don't go too hard. 

Acoustic guitars are very like speakers (or microphones) - any given example has an ideal volume range. This is just physics: it takes a certain amount of energy to overcome inertia (less than that and you don't get a good quality sound); then there is a middle-range where the transducer (microphone diaphragm, speaker cone, guitar top) responds to further input more-or-less linearly; and then you get clipping as the input signal (singer's voice, amplifier's output, vibrating strings) is asking for more movement than the transducer can provide. Essentially, the heavier the transducer and the stiffer the mounting, the more energy it takes to start it vibrating, but the more energy it can handle without clipping. Conversely, the lighter the transducer and the softer the mounting, the less energy it takes to start but the less it is able to handle well.

The point of all this is that small guitars are more sensitive to light playing, and more responsive. The same applies to softer  (less stiff) tops like cedar and redwood. If that suits your style - as I'm sure it must, otherwise you'd be buying different instruments - you'll get a great deal of pleasure from this beauty. Enjoy!

That's as good an explanation as any I've heard about the 'physics' of guitars and relation to their 'output' 

Not saying this is thee best example of showing the guitars capabilities, but I really liked the below video showing of a S35 12 fret Cedar / Walnut. He certainly puts it through it's paces with varied 'playing' techniques especially the 2nd half of the video (most videos just show soft finger picking).

guitarjack66

Celts88 said:

guitarjack66 said:

Lovely looking guitar but couldn't play a guitar without fret markers on the finger board itself. I am a basic player too.

It has the fret markers on the side, and I assume once I get better then won't be leaning over looking at the fretboard with the side markers being enough.

I had this perception about getting so good I didn't need fretboard markers when I began but have noticed how almost all guitarists,even professionals,tend to still look at their fretboard when playing. Maybe just a bit less than us more mature beginners.

drofluf

I’m also at a beginner level and found the lack of markers on my Faith wasn’t an issue, I just used the ones the neck. 

Mellish

@Celts88 ; we're just joking mate, it's your money, you've earned it and you can spend it how you like. So what if you're a beginner who likes (and has) nice guitars? I guess a bit of joking around is our way to make you feel welcome here