Quote:
Originally Posted by nikpearson
Lowden make a really nice crossover guitar, the SxxJ models. [...]
Takamine also use an x-brace in their crossover instruments.
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Didn't know about Takamine crossovers but I have their entire range down as instruments meant to be plugged in, which means I never even look at them anymore.
The Lowden however ... had a discussion about them on my jazzguitar forum because they're marketed as their jazz line. My opinion and the consensus was that they're very disappointing and apparently added to the catalog for "us too" reasons and are aimed at (Lowden) steelstring players who're looking for a nylon stringer that they can play with minimum adaptation. Hunt down the Peghead Nation demo of one of them to hear what I mean.
And this is knowing that George Lowden is capable of building concert-grade classical guitars.
I just listened to a few steel-string OM vs GA comparisons, but have yet to find one that compares within a single brand, with identical wood choices and sporting the same strings. That said, the OMs tend to sound a little too jingly and with too little bottom-end to my taste. That's a usual problem I have with steel strings where the basses never seem to attain that warm darkness you can get with nylon strings and the trebles are overly present and, well, jingly. But that difference (between the models) could work in my favour in a nylon-string version; one thing I reproach the traditional classical/Spanish guitar is boomy basses and trebles that lack a bell-like/singing quality. (The latter is why narrow waist and shoulders combined with x-bracing to use more of the top appeal to me.)