Responsive, delicate, sensitive fingerstyle guitar recommendation?

[Brucebubs]

A brand not normally associated with finger-style but certainly worth considering - I had a maple Huss & Dalton MJ Custom that was super responsive, delicate and sensitive.

Very lightly built - I only sold it this year as I'm more of a strummer but it was superb for bare-flesh finger style.

[Aimelie]

Maybe consider a Furch cedar over rosewood? Cedar is very sensitive to a light touch and Furch do cedar very, very well, (for a reasonable price) imho.

Mine is a Yellow Grand Auditorium.

[Woolbury]

Another recommendation for cedar. Be sure to try a nice cedar topped guitar before you settle. We have a custom builder here and I have been fortunate to play a couple of his cedar/koa models side by side with his spruce top models. If you play with a light touch, ala Mississippi John Hurt, cedar sounds fantastic.

[EZYPIKINS]

What you describe is exactly how I play my OM-28. I'm just loving it.

[buddyhu]

Goodall is the first maker that comes to mind. I like the grand concert size, or maybe a Concert Jumbo.

[PassingThru]

A 000-18 or 000-28 would seems to be a good fit from your description. Mine plays with finger tips and sounds good.

[wisedennis]

Olson SJ

Somogyi Mod-D

👍👍

[Jwills57]

Hey, Nathan777--Sent you a private message. Best, Jack

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Nathan777

On the hunt for a new guitar. Something super delicate for fingerstyle with just the pads of fingers. I want basically the opposite of a bluegrass guitar. Something that you can just tickle and get a pleasing sound from. Sparkle, chime, bell, piano, all those confusing words are my favorite. Is there a specific maker, body shape, tonewood, bracing, construction, or other attribute that makes a guitar more sensitive and enjoyable for easy playing, or is it just about trial and error like most things in the acoustic world and eventually you'll find that one? Budget say $5k and under. Any advice would be great!

Without reading the thread, don't get a Waterloo, or a 00 or smaller parlor.

Avalon, Furch, Guild, Taylor, etc. will get you there and I'm sure there are plenty of others.

[Skip Ellis]

I have to get in a plug for Brook. Check some videos from our own UKPhil.

[mcmars]

Haha, what an open ended question, beauty is in the eye if the beholder counts here. All kinds of light build pre-war guitars came to mind, but I am thinking you are wanting a modern build. I own 3 guitars that sang out, "me, me!" when I read your question.

In a waterloo flavor, I would vote the WL-K gets the prize with the ultra light responsive build that resonates so intensely. I really like the 2 3/8's saddle spacing on the waterloo's, no need to be anchoring a pinky to know exactly where the strings are.

I have a 13 fret Canadian made custom build 00 by Josh House that has cedar top on rosewood back and sides and it really responds well to a light fingerstyle with a very sweet response.

And my new favorite guitar is my Iris 12 fret slot head OG, just wow! But it does well for both light touch and heavy handed playing, so bit of a jack of all trades guitar. Iris makes another model that might be more fingerstyle perfect, the CH. Here is my Iris in an instrumental I figured out in G tuning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2888_B3_XM

[sinistral]

Listen to the guitars that Michael Watts plays in this video:



Of course, Michael Watts could make a $200 Recording King sound responsive, delicate and sensitive, but you get the idea. Basically, as several others have suggested, a lightly built, smaller bodied guitar (e.g., 00 or a 000 with a short scale) would be a great choice.

[Boozehound]

My Santa Cruz 000 is very responsive. I there there is a Cedar topped one still for sale in the classifieds. I’ll bet it sounds pretty amazing, but is right at the top of your budget.

[cedartop52]

Finally a question I know the answer to! Lowden F25 (mid-size, cedar/rosewood)

[Shortfinger]

Any of us that play fingerstyle have that guitar you want. My D-18 even meets your delicate and sensitive specs.

Here is one I play on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUCWQKFzSf0&loop=0