Preferred back and sides for fingerstyle?

[MrBJones]

Sure it's personal preference...but what's yours, and why? Feel free to tell us about your preference on top-wood to go with that B&S.

[DukeX]

I like Rosewood for lyrical fingerstyle but Mahogany for bluesy/folksy stuff. That's why I have both.

I like cedar and mahogany for my tops these days.

[sloar]

My Taylor 320, Mahogany top Sapele back and sides. Very responsive to a light touch fingerstyle with no pick or nails.

[musicman1951]

My Lowden has Sinker Redwood over African Blackwood and that's a wonderful combination, but for a poll like this I think that's a little too hard to come by.

I've heard so many wonderful combinations. Michael Watts has shared some maple guitars that were to die for. I played a wonderful Koa Martin Authentic that just sang. I've heard some sweet Mahogany guitars with great sustain.

I think the builder is a lot more important than the wood, but as a general rule spruce over rosewood just works, and it still works when you want to go with a flat pick.

[donlyn]

Preferred back and sides for fingerstyle?


I fingerpick all my guitars using my nails as picks. While I enjoy the differences in woods and builds, a spruce over rosewood guitar is what I prefer. Four of my solid wood guitars are spruce topped rosewood. But it's nice to have mahogany, walnut, and sapele for variety. The two laminates are maple, each with a solid spruce top.

Don
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[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by DukeX

I like Rosewood for lyrical fingerstyle but Mahogany for bluesy/folksy stuff. That's why I have both.

I like cedar and mahogany for my tops these days.

Ditto.

Walnut/spruce is great for finger style.

[Picking Moose]

I really believe back and sides materials of a guitar have nothing to do with the style used to play.
Guitar neck and body size and shape do, together with how the whole guitar has been built with (I believe) the least importance given to types of woods used for back and sides.

[sdelsolray]

I play solo fingerstyle and classical guitar. I have guitars with b&s woods of Indian rosewood (2x), Madagascar rosewood, Honduran mahogany (2x), Koa, Oregon Big Leaf maple and Tasmanian Blackwood.

I enjoy them all and do not prefer one over the other generally, although I prefer some for certain musical sub-genres.

[Wrighty]

I like Mahogany or Sapele for it’s clarity and balance..but I also like Rosewood for it’s resonance and overtones..

[Rinaz]

I voted for rosewood cause I have them and I prefer them as well. I had some mahogany and they're good too. It's less sparkling but the sound is very clear and direct

[ruby50]

Any of them can sound good. I like my Osage Orange parlor

Ed M

[fregly]

Whatever has the cleanest voice. Maple is suited best to my ears. Getting a good one is a bit of a crap shoot, whereas mahogany seems always to sound good or is usable most times no matter what guitar (almost).

[douglasfan1]

I voted for rosewood but recently I notice KOA is also a good choice!

[TBman]

I like both.

[pegleghowell]

As long as it sounds good I don`t really care.