Thoughts on top wood for Fingerstyle...?

[chrismitchell]

I am looking at 12-strings for Fingerstyle. I like bigger bodies, the options are endless. As I have mostly been a spruce, mahogany player, and I see most fingerstyle players having spruce tops, what’s with the scarcity of woods like cedar and mahogany tops used by fingerstylists? PS-checking out all brands, like the idea of a cutaway and a full-scale.

[Neil K Walk]

(Western red) cedar over East Indian rosewood would be my first choice.

[tadol]

Hardwood tops are not generally used by fingerstyle players - they generally require more energy to be driven. Cedar and redwood can be good choices for articulate and well defined finger-styles, but fingerstyle on a 12 string has some interesting challenges -

[llew]

Originally Posted by tadol

Hardwood tops are not generally used by fingerstyle players - they generally require more energy to be driven. Cedar and redwood can be good choices for articulate and well defined finger-styles, but fingerstyle on a 12 string has some interesting challenges -

^^^This right here.^^^ I've owned western red cedar topped guitars with both rosewood and mahogany back & sides. Depends on what you're looking for but both work well. Best of luck!

[Methos1979]

Probably the best guitar I ever played for fingerstyle was a Huss & Dalton MJC cedar over rosewood. Just sublime! Ticks a lot of your boxes - full scale, cutaway, great for fingerstyle.

[steelvibe]

It's all subjective but also depends on what you mean by "fingerstyle". Spruce over rosewood is a good universal choice but you can get some interesting tones from pretty much anything. Cedar is a bit soft and can be a bit muddy on the low end for my tastes but I do like spruce. Mahogany is great for fingerstyle/ delta blues and I've found i like sapele even more. If you play a hardwood top you need a brighter string and possibly a strong nail attack but it can be done.

[llew]

I agree that Sapele is way under rated. Great tonewood!

[Dbone]

Engelmann spruce. Generally considered to be the best form of spruce for finger style given its relative sensitivity.

[M19]

Try a Taylor 562ce. 12 fret all mahogany. Love mine.

[musicman1951]

I have both spruce and sinker redwood and they are both wonderful, but I don't think that means every guitar with one of these tops will be wonderful. Everything affects sound and it's hard to arrive at a species of wood that delivers the same thing in every guitar.

I had a dread with Adirondack that required more energy than I usually use, but I definitely don't think that makes Adirondack a bad top for fingerstyle. That guitar wasn't the best fingerstyle guitar for me.

We don't all use the same finger pressure when playing fingerstyle. Like most things, you really need to play them yourself and see what brings you joy.

[The Bard Rocks]

With a big body, I am not sure cedar would be my choice. And if you don't want any sort of spruce (not even Englemann?), that leaves few choices: Port Orford Cedar (actually, despite the name, it is a cypress) Redwood, and Koa and Mahogany. If you have to have a cedar on a big body, I'd select Alaskan Yellow Cedar over Red or White.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

With a big body, I am not sure cedar would be my choice. And if you don't want any sort of spruce (not even Englemann?), that leaves few choices: Port Orford Cedar (actually, despite the name, it is a cypress) Redwood, and Koa and Mahogany. If you have to have a cedar on a big body, I'd select Alaskan Yellow Cedar over Red or White.

Hi TBR

My Olson Dreadnought is East Indian Rosewood/Cedar (Red Western), and it is an amazing guitar (and going on living in our house for 27 years). And I think most still consider Dreadnought a 'big' body.

Actually having played all sorts of combinations, my take on which wood is best for fingerstyle has to do with the builder, and the characteristics I want too play my fingerstyle with.

Fingerstyle doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. To Joan Baez it is different than to James Taylor, Phil Keaggy, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, or Andy McKee.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by chrismitchell

I am looking at 12-strings for Fingerstyle.

On a 12 string, your choice of finger picks might be more important than the tonewood. As well as the style. Kottke style?

[Arthur Blake]

Originally Posted by chrismitchell

I am looking at 12-strings for Fingerstyle. I like bigger bodies, the options are endless.

Hope you have better luck that I did.

12 strings tended to sound incredible when played finger style, but after a while I found it so difficult (playing a 6 string finger style well is challenging enough!) - I usually took off half the strings to use the 12 string as a 6 string, then the neck was too thick and the string spacing was a bit off.

Was actually decades before I bought a six string and began playing regularly, and starting to really improve, and buying better 6 string guitars.

I now play medium strings on a standard scale OM size, and that's enough.

The 12 string is there but I almost never pick it up.

Once again they sound terrific, could be I just never had it set up properly, or it was not high enough quality, but just too much effort for me, long term for finger style.

I only mention it because I had that 12 string Fender for a very long time and only began to really progress when I purchased a dedicated 6 string and began working with that instead.

[rolleiguy54]

I own three three great guitars. The top woods include redwood, Adirondack, and terrified spruce. All are good for finger style.

Good luck.