| Model ↕ | Series ↕ | Treble Material ↕ | Bass Tier ↕ | Tension ↕ | Warmth / Brightness ↕ | Special | Character on Lowden S-32J | Lowden Fit |
|---|
Alliance (Carbon) brighter, more projection, better intonation stability. Factory setup on both reference guitars. Carbon strings settle faster and hold pitch reliably. Tradeoff: can sound metallic on already bright-voiced guitars.
New Cristal (Nylon) warmer, softer feel, more organic tone. Slightly fatter diameter. Breaks in slower but settles into a rich voice. Brighter than Traditional but never metallic. Most useful experiment on Taylor whose factory setup is already carbon-bright.
Traditional (Nylon) original rectified nylon trebles. Warmest and most vintage-flavored. Less consistent than New Cristal but very musical. Rarely the right choice for a crossover guitar that needs projection.
Creation proprietary hybrid: New Cristal on strings 1-2, Alliance carbon on string 3. That carbon G string is the key move, preventing the tubby muddy quality common with all-nylon sets. Nylon warmth on high strings with carbon clarity on transition.
Evolution newest premium treble, Cantiga Premium sets only. Uses carbon on strings 2-3 and G. Exceptional intonation and projection, one step beyond Alliance. Most technically sophisticated treble Savarez makes.
Corum entry-level silver-plated basses. Warmer and more neutral than Cantiga, with more flexibility. Slightly less projection. Good for budget experimenting and players who want a rounder softer bass response.
HT Classic mid-level silver-plated copper basses from the 540 series. Actually brighter than Cantiga, which surprises many players. Reliable and consistent. Solid step up from Corum without premium price.
Cantiga premium silver-plated basses. More defined, better sustain, clearer fundamental. Described as brighter and more lively than Corum, with colorful articulate character. Long life: Cantiga basses hold their tone significantly longer than most competitors at same price.
Cantiga Premium top-tier basses with new high-tech raw materials. Slightly warmer than regular Cantiga with richer deeper fuller sound. Less metallic or clangy than regular Cantiga, useful for recording. Exceptional longevity.
Lowden S-32J ships with Alliance trebles plus D'Addario Pro Arte hard basses. The 510ARJ is the closest all-Savarez equivalent. Taylor 812ce-N uses D'Addario Pro Arte Carbon throughout. For the Taylor, the most interesting experiment is switching to New Cristal nylon trebles (510CR or 510CRJ) to hear what a warmer more organic voice sounds like on that body shape and Sitka spruce top.
Warm (0-35): Traditional nylon throughout. Rounded vintage organic. Less projection. Good for intimate playing.
Warm-leaning (36-50): New Cristal trebles with Corum or HT Classic basses. Full warmth, decent definition.
Balanced (51-65): Nylon trebles with Cantiga basses, or Creation throughout. Neither extreme. Suits fingerstyle songwriting.
Bright-leaning (66-75): Alliance trebles with mid or premium basses at normal tension. Open and articulate. Factory Lowden zone.
Bright (76+): Alliance or Evolution at high tension with Cantiga Premium. Maximum projection. On Taylor, proceed carefully; bright-on-bright risks harshness.