Lowden Guitars S-25J Nylon String East Indian Rosewood & Red Cedar

Lowden built the Jazz Series to sit between two traditions: a nylon string guitar meant to feel familiar to classical and steel string players alike. The neck, which Lowden calls the GL Jazz profile, measures 48mm at the nut and 60mm at the fourteenth fret, giving the right hand room to work between nylon strings while staying much closer to a steel string neck than to a classical one, and the ebony fingerboard carries a gentle radius rather than the flat board of a classical guitar. The 25 puts that design on Original Series appointments, where the woods and the build do the work rather than the ornament.

The S is the smallest body Lowden builds, 374mm across and 105mm deep, and the Venetian cutaway is standard on the Jazz models. At that size the guitar sits close and answers quickly, and the soundbox is voiced for acoustic response while staying stiff enough to hold together at volume on stage.

Red Cedar over East Indian Rosewood suits nylon particularly well. Cedar responds to the lightest touch of nail or fingertip and gives a warm, rounded midrange with immediate attack, while the rosewood back and sides add depth underneath and a clear, ringing top end, along with the harmonic complexity that keeps single lines from sounding plain. The five piece neck here is mahogany, walnut, and purpleheart rather than the mahogany and rosewood of the steel string models.

An L.R. Baggs Session VTC is fitted as standard. The soundhole panel carries volume, a tone control that moves between a rounder voice and added clarity, phase inversion for working against feedback, and a battery check, along with a trim for analog saturation that adds warmth and harmonic content the way studio tape and tube gear do. Behind the controls sit three narrowly focused bands of dynamic EQ that respond to playing dynamics in real time.

The headstock is slotted in the classical manner and fitted with Gotoh Classical Gold tuners and ebony buttons. The rest of the trim stays quiet: mahogany binding with maple, rocklite, and mahogany purflings framing the cedar and the rosewood, and a plain concentric rosette. The label inside carries the serial number and George Lowden's signature.

It ships in Lowden's current custom hardcase, a hardwood shell under a tear resistant covering, with an integrated suspension system shaped to the body and a dual support that cradles most of the neck against knocks. The close fit also slows the effect of outside humidity and temperature swings, letting the air inside the case change gradually rather than all at once.

Ideal for

Crossover and jazz playing, fingerstyle, accompaniment, and amplified stage work, particularly for players arriving from steel string.

Tone profile

Warm and immediate, with a rounded midrange, clear ringing highs, and the softer attack and quicker decay that nylon brings.

Specifications

• Model: Lowden S-25J (Jazz Series)
• Year: 2026 (New)
• Serial Number: 29372
• Completed: 16 September 2026
• Soundboard: Red Cedar
• Back & Sides: East Indian Rosewood
• Neck: 5-Piece Mahogany / Walnut / Purpleheart
• Neck Profile: GL Jazz, 48mm at Nut / 60mm at 14th Fret
• Fingerboard: Ebony, Radiused
• Scale Length: 650mm (25.6")
• Body: S with Venetian Cutaway
• Binding: Mahogany
• Purflings: Maple / Rocklite / Mahogany
• Tuners: Gotoh Classical Gold with Ebony Buttons
• Strings: Alliance Savarez Red / D'Addario Pro-Arte
• Electronics: L.R. Baggs Session VTC
• Case: Lowden Custom Hardcase