fingerstyle Electric

[eyesore]

I have been over at "Acoustic guitar Discussion " on this site, Let me try here . I am looking for an easy to play fingerpicking guitar . All the acoustics at these stores are set up so high that they are impossible to fret! I need something I can plug in [of course] and I really need a guitar with a 1 3/4 nut. Any ideas? forget" $ "
'now , I just wanna know what is out there. I have Tele but the nut is too narrow.Thanks.

[welshruss]

I swapped my Tele for an ES335, not quite 1 3/4 but a full neck.I only fingerpick my guitars.

[GoPappy]

At least some of the Eastman archtops have a 1-3/4" nut. And the Gretsch G6122T-59 Country Gentleman does too. Other than those, I think you're looking at building a partscaster with a Warmoth neck. You can order a 1-3/4" or even a 1-7/8" nut width. See this link:

https://warmoth.com/guitar-neck-nut-width

But if your statement is true: "All the acoustics at these stores are set up so high that they are impossible to fret!", then you need to find some new guitar stores.

[Jimi2]

The Eastman semi hollows also have 1.75” nuts, though the neck on mine is pretty shallow, which I don’t like. Not a lot of options out there, so I ended up building a Warmoth guitar with a nice fat neck and 1.75” nut width. I’m currently getting it set up with 12s and plan on dedicating it to fingerpicking.

[eyesore]

Originally Posted by Jimi2

The Eastman semi hollows also have 1.75” nuts, though the neck on mine is pretty shallow, which I don’t like. Not a lot of options out there, so I ended up building a Warmoth guitar with a nice fat neck and 1.75” nut width. I’m currently getting it set up with 12s and plan on dedicating it to fingerpicking.

Now you're talkin!! I 'm about to give up on acoustic guitars.

[jonfields45]

I went electric a few years ago. I am fingerpicking, strumming/singing, and gigging the same repertoire, but now with an electric. I started out with a PRS McCarty S2 594 and am now using an Ibanez Q52 (also a Q54) because it is so comfortable and airline friendly.

For my hardcore acoustic repertoire, I found to my ear, a neck humbucker into a clean Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb model, a fairly wet reverb (spring or hall, but spring is my favorite), and a lighter touch on the guitar sounds very good. My audiences when asked, never say they preferred it when I used an acoustic. Certainly something like my Spark Mini has more clean volume than any acoustic guitar and works plain better when the (often living or dining) room is split between talking and listening.

The light touch was critical to get a pleasant tone and completely unfamiliar from decades of trying to get every last drop of volume out of an acoustic. I still find myself, at times, playing too hard and most often for gigging distorted leads, damaging an otherwise sweet tone with too much buzz. But while fingerpicking is entirely different, it matters to me there too.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by eyesore

...I am looking for an easy to play fingerpicking guitar...I need something I can plug in [of course] and I really need a guitar with a 1 3/4 nut. Any ideas? Forget" $ "...

Speaking as a Gretsch guy since 1964 I'll second the '59 Country Gent; if you've never played one of the current Japanese-built Professional Series instruments the playability and QC are incredible - exceeding all but the best Brooklyn originals (of which I've played - no exaggeration - several hundred in my lifetime) as well as any of their present competitors - and if you're a Chet fan, I'm sure you're aware that nothing else sounds like a Gretsch but a Gretsch. Not cheap @ $3500 - if you were OK with a 1-11/16" neck I'd recommend the Sweetwater-exclusive G5420TG-59 Electromatic at one-fourth the price (FYI the Korean-made E-matics are fully-gigworthy, professional-grade instruments that just happen to sell at step-up/intermediate-player prices, giving up very little to their upscale stablemates and competitive with similar instruments selling for two and three times their nominal cost) - but head-shoulders-&-navel above anything coming out of the big-name American factories in a similar (or even higher) price range...

[nostatic]

Eastman has some variability, but my archtops are wider than 1-11/16 - pretty close to 1-3/4”. The other factor is the bridge spacing. My ebony bridges are 2-3/32 and one with a metal tune-o-matic is 2”. I find wider us a bit easier. The bigger the box (and more solid vs laminate), the more acoustic vibe you tend to get.

Because I’m nuts, I just pulled the trigger on an AR380CE. All laminate, but two pickups, ebony bridge, and 16” body that is 2.75” deep. I find that to be a sweet spot for both jazz and acoustic tunes, and the 2.75” deep body is more comfortable than something like a dread but deep enough to have some air underneath the notes.

[fpuhan]

(Side note): John Cipollina, one of the three lead guitar players for the old San Francisco rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service, was an electric finger-picker. He used metal fingerpicks and played on a very tricked-out Gibson SG. While QSM never made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his rig has a permanent display on the top floor.

[rmp]

Don't give up on acoustics!!

you just need the right instrument for this kind of playing. Acoustics, unless they are setup with very low action and light gauge strings, which will make them "not right" for everything else you'll play on it won't really be a good choice unless you have hands like Godzilla

and I don't think that's a bad thing either.

I've gone thru a few iterations of "finger style" electrics.

Some ones I've got in the collection at the moment.
Goodin 5th Ave King Pin II
Gretsch Electromatic 5422TG
Gibson ES-135

[29er]

Another vote for the Gretsch G6122T-59. I bought mine for the very reason the OP started this thread. It's got the 1 3/4" nut width that I need and the build quality is top shelf. Yes, it's an expensive guitar but you do get what you pay for!

[gmr]

The Loar LH 309 could be a good candidate for you. It has a big chunky neck and a 1 3/4 inch nut width. A single P90 mounted on a solid carved top. Definitely built with a fingerstyle player in mind….. aka Mother Maybelle, electrified. It might need some tech work or a pickup change but then again, maybe not.
I don’t see how you could go wrong with a Gretsch as mentioned above.
We used to go watch a guy who was a pretty good fingerstyle player. He played one of those Godin Nylon electric guitars and also a big bodied Epi archtop. The Epi was a modest 1.69 ish sort of nut width.

[airborne1]

Originally Posted by fpuhan

(Side note): John Cipollina, one of the three lead guitar players for the old San Francisco rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service, was an electric finger-picker. He used metal fingerpicks and played on a very tricked-out Gibson SG. While QSM never made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, his rig has a permanent display on the top floor.

Wow, a blast from the past!

Saw them at a free concert at Fairleigh University in New Jersey!

They were awesome!

[Wags]

Originally Posted by eyesore

I have been over at "Acoustic guitar Discussion " on this site, Let me try here . I am looking for an easy to play fingerpicking guitar . All the acoustics at these stores are set up so high that they are impossible to fret! I need something I can plug in [of course] and I really need a guitar with a 1 3/4 nut. Any ideas? forget" $ "
'now , I just wanna know what is out there. I have Tele but the nut is too narrow.Thanks.

I've got an Eastman T185MX. 1 3/4 nut. Works great for fingerstyle. https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=585317

[RichardN]

I would suck it up and keep playing the acoustic to build up hand strength. It doesn't take that long. If you have an even moderately priced acoustic the action should be comparable to most electrics. The main difference is the thickness of the strings.

Bot of course also get yourself an electric. As stated the Eastman's mostly have the 1 3/4" neck and are great value.