CFers -- do you mainly fingerpick or strum?

[byudzai]

I think a lot of my critique of CF guitars comes from my being a heavy strummer. My X30 handles that well but my Sable and the X20 I sold produce a sound I find tinny and unappealing, when strummed.

But both of those guitars have a beautiful sound if they're played gently, fingerpicked or tenderly strummed.

So, I was wondering if you guys are primarily fingerpickers or strummers? I'll see if I can get a poll going for fun.

[RP]

I know that you say "primarily" but for many of us it's kind of a 50-50 breakdown so I didn't vote...

[byudzai]

Originally Posted by RP

I know that you say "primarily" but for many of us it's kind of a 50-50 breakdown so I didn't vote...

You know, I gotta be honest that I just went to vote and realized the same thing.

[steelvibe]

Both but for me it's probably 70/30. I voted accordingly.

[121]

I voted strum because I'm not a finger picker but do use a plectrum to pick and do more picking than strumming on all my CF acoustics.
My 2017 X20 gets the most play followed by my 2018 X30 then my 2016 X7.
I do not feel my X20 sounds like a tin can, it's very clean and pleasant but not as mellow as my X30.

[David Eastwood]

Pretty much exclusively finger picking for me. I don’t sing, so there’s a whole world of strummable music out there I just have no interest in playing. I do use a pick for single note playing every once in a while.

[mountainmaster]

I am primarily a fingerpicker but when I strum I also use my fingers.

I find that hitting those strings with four fingers at once produces a full and warm sound that you just cannot get with a pick.

[raysachs]

When I first got into carbon fiber, I was mostly a strummer. I didn't love the sound of the X20 - not sure I'd call it tin-can terrible, but it was definitely brighter than I liked. I loved the X-7 though, which I thought had a fuller, mellower sound than the X20, if with slightly less volume. I loved the sound of the X7 and if I'd stayed almost exclusively a strummer, it might well have been a lifetime guitar.

But then I finally, after 40 years of lacking the patience for it, took up fingerpicking. And as I got a bit better and more aware of the process and how I approached the guitar, I found myself picking up my X7 less and less, and my Martin 000-15SM more and more. It wasn't because of the sound - they were both great sounding guitars strummed or fingerpicked.

It took me a while to figure out what the problem was. It was how my hand hung over the body of the X7 and where the bridge was located - way toward the back end of that tiny little body. Which meant my picking hand naturally fell several inches in front of the bridge, and getting my hand back to the bridge for whatever combination of palm muting and anchoring while fingerpicking, was very very uncomfortable - it was not a natural position at all. Whereas on my 000, my hand fell just barely in front of the bridge and it was easy to move back slightly to palm mute or sometimes to anchor my hand.

Then I tried a CEO-7, which combined many of the best features of the X7 (short scale, great strummed sound) and the 000-15SM (very natural and comfortable right hand position, great sound) and also added wider string spacing, the most comfortable (to me) neck I've played in decades, and an awesome sound for both strumming and fingerpicking. The scale is actually a goldilocks preference for me - the 24.9" Martin short scale is more comfortable for me to play than either the 24" on the X7 or the 25.4" on the 000 (and roughly the same on the X20). So I sold the X7 and 000 and now I'm a one-acoustic guy again, but now it's wood instead of carbon fiber.

When i had the X20, I hadn't started fingerpicking yet, so I don't know how I'd have liked it for that, but I didn't like it for strumming enough to keep it.

-Ray

[Earl49]

I am a 75% bare nails finger picker, with the rest "boom-chuck" rhythm strumming plus some runs. You could call it moderate intensity strumming. I do very little actual melodic flat picking. All of my CF and wood guitars work for either, but to varying degrees. I adapt my playing and choice of flat pick to modify the tone according to the situation.

It is important that comments from users consider the style of the player, as Ray detailed. If you really need a Phillips screwdriver, then all of the flat blade screwdrivers in the world won't help you.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by RP

I know that you say "primarily" but for many of us it's kind of a 50-50 breakdown so I didn't vote...

This. My CA GX works for both.

[ealmasy]

I tend to go back and forth from week to week, but in the end, as others have said it's probably 50/50. IMHO my Cargo is a little better suited to strumming, but my CA GXi is terrific for either.

[jdinco]

It's a shame that there's no reference for "heavy strumming" . I'm a fairly light strummer, but when I really get into it and do what I consider "heavy strumming" I love the way the Sable sounds. The X20, not as much.

[Acousticado]

My style is bare (all) finger picker/strummer.

[Lauren_WarEagle]

If I’m performing, I’m strumming about 98% of the time because I’m not super confident with my fingerstyle capabilities in front of an audience. But if I’m at home, about 80% of the time I’m practicing fingerstyle.

Also, I’m trying to learn how to play using a thumbpick, and it’s been difficult— sometimes I think I won’t ever get the hang of it!

[BlueStarfish]

This is an interesting poll, I’m learning something useful.

I have an Emerald X20, have had it for about at year. I’m still fairly new in my guitar learning — have only been playing for 2 years now, after a nearly 30 year break from music. Previous musical experience was all horns, not fretted instruments, so guitar is requiring a complete retraining of mind and body which is very humbling. I bought the X20 because I was at the point where I thought I might enjoy a “better” guitar and like the idea of the stability of carbon.

My focus so far has been playing with a pick. Roots-oriented and sing-along stuff. Trying to get to well-played rhythm guitar as an accompaniment to singing songs. Working in bass runs. Just starting to work on simple Carter-style melody work. I’m very pleased with how much I’ve been able to learn in 2 years, but still have a lot to learn. And I have not bothered at all to do any fingerpicking, I’ve got my hands full learning how to play with a pick. So it’s 100% playing with a pick. Of which 90% rhythm and 10% starting to learn melody work.

How does this work on the X20? I would say OK but not great. Here are things I like about the X20 for this style of play:

+ Great bass. Nice, strong, clear bass notes.
+ Trebles are great, carry well
+ Super comfortable to hold and play
+ Excellent dynamic range. Can play very quietly to very loudly with ease
+ Manufacturing quality on the X20 is fabulous. Perfect intonation up and down the fret board, great playability, etc.

All of those things are good for what I do.

What are the downsides? There are two aspects of the X20 that are big negatives for my style of play.

- Too much midrange. I’m realizing there is a reason dread-style guitars work so well for traditional roots-oriented rhythm guitar — the “scooped” EQ profile is more pleasant for playing rhythm guitar with a pick. The 2nd and 3rd strings stick out strongly on the X20, whereas on a dread they blend a bit more.

- Overtones and sustain too strong. Because of its light weight, lack of bracing, and inherent stiffness, the X20 has super-long sustain and very strong overtones. I have realized I actually prefer a drier tone for rhythm playing.

Those two characteristics interact in particularly negative ways when playing in the keys of E, A, and D. The reason I think is that the standard open E, A, and D chords feature thirds on the first three strings. The X20 EQ balance brings those strings forward in the balance. I’ve learned that thirds, in the equal temperament system, are the most “out of tune” note in the scale. The X20, which has perfect intonation, makes those notes stick out. Even worse, it gives them very strong overtones. As a result, strummed E and A chords in particular don’t sound so great on an X20, they sound surprisingly dissonant. Standard open G is not great either — but I’ve learned to play bluegrass G equally well (so it’s a 5th on the 2nd string instead of a 3rd) and that sounds much better. Standard open D chord also has a third up high, but for some reason it is not quite a dissonant as the others. Put it all together and playing rhythm in keys of E, A, and D sound a bit rough on the X20. Whereas if I play same material on one of my wood guitars (which are Seagulls, not fancy but serviceable and well set up) those keys sounds great.

If I play on the X20 in keys of G or C, it’s more acceptable, because in those keys you don’t get the thirds on the top strings. But the overtones are still a bit much and I prefer my Seagulls if I am playing rhythm to accompany singing. One of my Seagulls is spruce top / lam maple back and sides. The other is mahogany top / lam mahogany back and sides. So much drier tonewood combinations and constructions.

Anyways I see from the poll that respondents so far are finger pickers about 3 to 1. That makes sense as to why X20 gets such rave reviews. I can see how the aspects of the X20 which are bugs for me, are features for finger pickers.

Meanwhile, I keep asking myself if I should sell the X20. It’s clearly a great guitar. But I’m realizing it’s not a great guitar for the kinds of material I’m trying to learn right now. So I don’t play it nearly as much as my value-priced Seagulls.

I’l close with a question for you wiser folks. I am wondering, is there is a CF guitar that has a tone profile similar to a mahogany backed dread like a Martin D18 or Gibson J45? Meaning, strong bass and trebles but a more scooped midrange, and a drier tone, with less overtones? If so maybe that would be better for me.