#16
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I would recommend the Yamaha FS and FG line of guitars would be good to try. The made in China FS3 and FG3 are both under your budget. The Japanese build FS5 and FG5 are just over your budget. I have an FS5 and its an amazing sounding guitar.
FS is closer to the 000 size and the FG is a dreadnaught size. Both great for fingerstyle. Another good choice for what you play would be the brighter sounding Yamaha LL-16 or LS-16, both in your budget too. Both of these models are a little higher-end than the 800 series you had mentioned and would be good choices for great versatile guitars. Martin
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***************************** Gibson L-00 Standard 2018 Yamaha FS5 2020 Gibson J-45 Standard 2020 |
#17
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Love my 12 fret 000-15SM (hog) from the 90's, so I found a used discontinued Martin 000-17SM (spruce) for 1K to sister it up with online at a Minneapolis GC, my first ever purchase from a big box store.
Hoping I don't discover why it was discontinued, but many wide nut 12 fretters are perfect for fingerstyle, especially where fret hand fatigue is an issue.
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JZ '36 Gibson L00, '50 J50 '63 Guild F30 Martins- '07 OM-21, '19 0-18, '99 00015S 12 Fret Hog |
#18
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I’d like to add the Eastman E10-00 or E20-00 into the mix. Perfect for fingerstyle, wide nut (1 13/16”) and a lot of guitar for the money. Essentially they are interpretations of the Martin 0018 or 0028 respectively.
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#19
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There are many reasons that any guitar model gets discontinued, often having nothing to do with specs or tonal quality. It either sells well, or not. It may be a wonderful model with a killer balance of specs (for some) but if it doesn't move units at retail....
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#20
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You should be able to pick up a used Martin OM1 or OM16GT for less than $1,000 fairly easily. Great fingerstyle guitar! My OM1 is the first Martin I ever bought and I still have it. Bluegrass strings seem to be what it likes. 2nd from the left... Good luck!
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Martin Dreadnought Junior Martin HD28E Martin OM1 Martin 0015M Martin Backpacker |
#21
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Take a look at Breedlove's new Organic Series. They're all solid wood. These have torrified European spruce tops with myrtlewood back and sides for <$1000:
https://breedlovemusic.com/instrumen...rganic-artista Currently Breedlove is running a $100 off special.
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_zedagive If you play it right the first time, it's not hard enough. Breedlove Exotic CM Classic E: Red Cedar/Black Walnut Bedell Angelica Bellissima Parlor: Sunken Cedar/EIR Breedlove Crossover OO Mandolin: Sitka/Maple |
#22
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There are two stand-out fingerpicking guitars in your price range. They are clearly the best instruments you can find for the money, and you'll even get change. Those two are the Martin D-18 and the Taylor 410. Yes, the ones you already own. You could probably pick a pretty fair tune out on the J-15 too.
OK, I'm not just trying to be funny here, I have a genuine point. Except by very lucky fluke, you are not going to get as good a strummer or as good a bluegrass picker as either of those two for $1500 USD. And you are certainly not going to get as good a fingerpicker. You can get something quite nice for $1500 USD, but let's face reality: even fingerpicking (which is not what Martin dreds are designed for) the D-18 will eat it. And so will the Taylor. And possibly even the J-15. You can get a pretty decent strummer or even flatpicker out of Asia for $1000 (Cort, Samick, Eastman, Epiphone, Faith, Sigma, many others). But for a good fingerpicker, you have to spend real money. My tip is play your beautiful Martin and save your pennies until you have enough for a fair-dinkum fingerpicker's guitar. It needn't be mega-expensive. You can get very nice instruments in the $2500-3000 AUD range - that's about $2000-$2500 USD. I'd be looking at (just to name some examples) the excellent and often underrated Taylor 314; a Yamaha FS5 (made in Japan); the Maton EBG808TE (a wonderful all-rounder); or any of several made-in-Japan Takamines. The ones just mentioned all have a 44mm nut, same as your Martin. If you want the slightly wider nut that (in my view) really supercharges fingerstyle playing, sadly that is much more expensive. The Godin/Seagull group makes some very well-regarded instruments with a wider nut at very reasonable prices, but they are the exception. After that you are pretty much looking at European guitars (which often come standard with 46mm) or custom builds at prices fit to paralyze your accountant.
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Tacoma Thunderhawk baritone, spruce & maple. Maton SRS60C, cedar & Queensland Maple. Maton Messiah 808, spruce & rosewood. Cole Clark Angel 3, Huon Pine & silkwood. Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 12-string, Bunya & Blackwood. |
#23
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I'll offer up one suggestion that will put money back in your pocket and get you a new or used (if you can find one?) guitar to boot. Eastman E2OM-CD. Cedar/Sapele short scale and just over $500 new...or they were pre pandemic.
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Jim Dogs Welcome......People Tolerated! |
#24
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See if you can find a used Guild D25 arch back.
If you play one, I bet you'll buy it. A good Guild is hard to beat. My pick for your price range. Wait a minute, If you are blind how do you read this thread.. |
#25
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You didn't say but if you are opposed to nylon strings a classical guitar I think would be a great choice for finger style.
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2007 Indiana Scout 2018 Indiana Madison Quilt Elite 2018 Takamine GJ72CE 12-String 2019 Takamine GD93 2022 Takamine GJ72CE 6-String 2022 Cort GA-QF CBB 1963 Gibson SG 2016 Kala uke Dean A style mandolin. (Year unknown) Lotus L80 (1984ish) Plus a few lower end I have had for years |
#26
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Quote:
And I have reading glasses that are 6x. Most reading glasses are 1.25 to 1.75 x |
#27
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People with less sight than Tycobb73 (yes, including people with no sight at all) have been browsing the Internet and reading pages like this using made-for-purpose text-to-speech software for many years now. This is one of the many reasons why HTML and CSS web coding standards matter - a badly coded page is difficult or impossible for the software to read in a sensible way.
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Tacoma Thunderhawk baritone, spruce & maple. Maton SRS60C, cedar & Queensland Maple. Maton Messiah 808, spruce & rosewood. Cole Clark Angel 3, Huon Pine & silkwood. Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 12-string, Bunya & Blackwood. |
#28
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Many here asks all the wrong questions.
For best fingerpicking I need wide stringspacing at the bridge. With a 2 5/16 string spacing at the bridge I could use eg. a thumb pick from day one. That was my 4e attempt to learn how to use a thumb pick. If you can play anything. Good for you. But wide string spacing at the bridge is the most important aspect for a good fingerpicker. How many sub 1000 have 2 5/16? |
#29
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Quote:
(My point here is different people, different needs. But you'd have to have very odd requirements indeed not to be able to fingerpick on a standard mainstream instrument like a D-18 or a Taylor.)
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Tacoma Thunderhawk baritone, spruce & maple. Maton SRS60C, cedar & Queensland Maple. Maton Messiah 808, spruce & rosewood. Cole Clark Angel 3, Huon Pine & silkwood. Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 12-string, Bunya & Blackwood. |
#30
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Quote:
There has never in the history of AGF ever existed a tread taking up just this aspect about the importance of wide stringspacing at the bridge for fingerpicking since it is a non-issue. |