Dreadnoughts and fingerpicking

[arwhite]

Curious how other dreadnought/larger bodied guitars fingerpickers do things. What works for you? Bare fingers? Long manicured nails or mostly flesh? Thumb and finger picks? Flatpick and fingers? Or some combination of those? Medium strings? Light strings? Low setup or higher setup?

For me; I like dreads with medium strings (13s) and medium setup (no lower than 3/32 low E at 12th fret). I'm mostly bare finger flesh with some short fingernail action in play. I'm trying different combinations of thumb pick and fingerpicks and have been pretty happy with what I've found there. Would like to develop more of a flatpick between thumb and first finger and fingerpick with middle to pinky style. Struggling with that a bit.

My playing style might range from flatpicking bluegrass and fiddle tunes or other single note run type songs to spirited strumming of cowboy and barre chords to fingerpicking in the span of three straight songs. I like the fullness of the medium strings and higher setup for the boisterous stuff, but they can be a challenge as far as fingerstyle.

[6L6]

I use PB Light gauge strings, low action, a plastic thumb pic, and two or three metal fingerpics depending on the song.

[reeve21]

Hello ar,

I've always been a dreadnaught/strummer kind of player. Medium strings cause I like to play loud and cover up my vocals

Started finger picking several months ago. Bare flesh, no nails or picks.

I bought a cheap OM with a 1 and 3/4 nut because I read on AGF that is what I needed to fingerpick

Low and behold, I do better with my narrow necked dread. I have narrow fingertips so the string spacing isn't an issue for me, and my left hand is so used to a narrower nut that I tend to mute some of the strings just a little but on the wider nut. Bad technique, for sure, but I've had lots of practice that way.

I did switch to light strings for finger style. Kind of hard to get the top moving with the mediums, especially the trebles. I get a clearer sound with the lighter strings.

I think I would consider some kind of fingerpicks if I were in your shoes and playing such a varied repertoire. I believe Toby Walker uses metal fingerpicks and light gauge strings, check out his stuff. He gets plenty boisterous when necessary

Given that I play gigs plugged in, I use light strings (why work so hard?), a plastic thumb pick and two brass finger picks. The nut width is whatever the standard Martin Dread nut width is, as I have found no advantage to the wider spacing of so-called "finger style" guitars. I get all the volume and tone I want and the guitar is easy to play. What else d'ya need?

[martingitdave]

Arwhite, I am in exactly the same boat. I use the same setup and similar techniques. I have just learned to adapt. I never liked the tone of light strings and low action. I'm trying different types of thumb and finger picks to find the right combo, but I alway go back to fingers. I keep my nails medium length.

[MrErikJ]

I use dreads and find that my Guild doesn't fingerpick well w/mediums so I use Pearse PB lights on my Guild GAD-50. My Alvarez is cedar on khaya so that gets light Pearse bronze strings. The Alvarez works slightly better for fingerstyle but the Guild really shines for fingerpicking when you put it in open tuning.

I'd like to get an OM/SJ/GA guitar of some sort in cedar/rosewood but I find that you can do whatever you want with a good dread if you approach it properly. You're correct that you just have to adjust your technique accordingly. A D-28 that's set-up for Bluegrass might struggle with bare fingers but fingerpicks can be the great equalizer. A simple change of strings and action goes a long way too.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, My humble is that theoretically,at east,you can play anything on on any type of guitar .... but .... we know that differing styles of guitar were designed for different purposes ... so why not use the most suitable for your style?

I love my dreads and my jumbo (all 12 frets - so pre '34 designs) wth mediums. Being 12 fretters they have the wider necks which facilitates more intricate left hand work.

The post '34 designs of dreads and jumbos had the same thin necks as archtops - because they were designed as rhythm boxes for dance bands etc.

The whole idea of a big resonating top isn't for fingerpicking.

The exception - maybe - is the original OM (14 fret orchestra model) which was designed for rhythm - but, if you can cope with the skinny neck - just happened to have a 000 shape which proved great for finger-picking.

Smaller bodies (esp. tops) with lights - can be far better for fingerpicking.

At least that's my experience.

[Glennwillow]

I have a fair number of guitars, but I have used a 1967 Martin D-35 dreadnought for something like 48 years to finger pick. I currently use a Fred Kelly Slick Pick, extra heavy. I use 2 or 3 fingers depending on the song, plucking the strings with short nails and my finger tips.

I use light PB strings and find that I do not like the added stiffness of the unwound medium strings and I don't like the sound from medium strings, either. I am fine with a 1 11/16" nut width on typical dreads and generally prefer it to wider nuts and fretboards. Some of my guitars are as wide as 1 7/8" at the nut.

Most dreadnoughts are too stiff for what I would consider responsive fingerstyle playing. The D-35 has lighter bracing compared to a D-28 or D-18, and I found that worked better for me and my style of playing.

- Glenn

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I have a fair number of guitars, but I have used a 1967 Martin D-35 dreadnought for something like 48 years to finger pick. I currently use a Fred Kelly Slick Pick, extra heavy. I use 2 or 3 fingers depending on the song, plucking the strings with short nails and my finger tips.

I use light PB strings and find that I do not like the added stiffness of the unwound medium strings and I don't like the sound from medium strings, either. I am fine with a 1 11/16" nut width on typical dreads and generally prefer it to wider nuts and fretboards. Some of my guitars are as wide as 1 7/8" at the nut.

Most dreadnoughts are too stiff for what I would consider responsive fingerstyle playing. The D-35 has lighter bracing compared to a D-28 or D-18, and I found that worked better for me and my style of playing.

- Glenn

I will say that I'm not "super" picky but do find that a 1.75" nut is preferable to me but my Guild has a 1 11/16" nut and I make due. I try not to let little specs get in the way of me using what I have available but the 1 3/4" does feel better.

[musicman1951]

I prefer my 000 for finger style, but I definitely also play it on my D 28 Authentic. Mostly flesh with a little fingernail. I have pretty much given up on the thumb picks. I like the versatility, but none feel secure for up strokes and it's difficult to keep the bass at the same volume as the fingers with the thumb pick (too powerful and a bit of added edge).

I just put Martin Titanium strings on the dread and they help. Good sound, and less tension is a bonus.

If I'm in the amp the dread is good all night, but without the amp it takes a lot of energy to make it sing.

I fingerpick with flesh and/or fingernail tips. My stage instruments have been dreads or jumbos (currently an Epi EJ-200) and I don't have any issues with the tone of these large instruments.

The one exception is my Yairi classical, where I fingerpick with flesh. It is the loudest acoustic I've ever owned lol -

I fingerpick my HB with just the flesh of my thumb/fingers along with nails on certain strums. This makes for a fatter and quieter sound, which is perfect since I play in the house with other people around who won't want to hear a booming guitar. I'm used to the 1.72 nut on my Gibson since I've been using guitars with that width for nearly exclusively with only an occasional detour.

[Tico]

I've been playing all styles on my dread for 50+ years.
I don't understand when I read other body sizes are better for fingerpicking.
I can understand personal preference for a different size for physical reasons, but soundwise? Hmmmm.

The laws of physics hold, all other things being equal a larger body will have more volume, projection and bass.
I want those qualities available to me regardless of what style of music I'm playing.

Too much bass you say? Not so, in the hands of a skilled player.
If the bass did sound overpowering I'd just change where I pluck/strum the bass strings and how hard.

Ferraris can go 15 MPH too.

[Llewlyn]

I play fingerstyle on a OM. I have strong views about that: the dreads sound too "muddy" on the trebles when I fingerpick (but I like the L-shape of Larrivee).

I play with my fingertips, no nails no picks. I use the classical posture.

Ll.

I like fingerpicking on a dread, but it's the size of the instrument that bothers me. For sitting on a couch and fingerpicking with comfort while practicing it can be a bit much. Otherwise, you can fingerpick on anything. Your body will adapt to what it's playing over a short period of time.