Need some advice on fingerstyle guitars - Page 2

TBman · #16 10-21-2018, 10:56 AM

+1 on palm muting. Put some new strings on the Maton, maybe D'addario NB LT top/med bottoms.

zombywoof · #17 10-21-2018, 11:19 AM

I am still trying to wrap my head around the somebody else's opinion of a guitar you own has taken away your inspiration to play. Who the flip cares what somebody else thinks. If I listened to the opinions of others I would not own some of the guitars that I do.

I taught myself to play with my fingers some 55 years ago. My guitars are all over the place when it comes to sound. But what tends to link them is they have a faster decay. They give you one big note and then get out of the way. It works real well for me. Does not mean it will work for you. But then again I was far more influenced by guys like Dave Van Ronk and Scrapper Blackwell than Tommy E.

vindibona1 · #18 10-21-2018, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doakez19

I mainly play fingerstyle. I have a taylor 214ce-FLTD and it sounds great, but I find when I play some really fast Tommy Emmanuel tunes like T.E Ranch, The low strings overpower the high strings. And it's not pleasant to my ears... I really need some advice on what guitar to get for fingerpicking.

THIS is a perfect example of a guy ready to ditch his guitar for another (or spend a bunch of money)... when all he really needs to do is balance the one he has! The answer may be as simple as placing a single African Blackwood pin in the low E slot. Or perhaps buffalo horn pins in slots 3 and 4 might bring out the mids and help the upper strings along. I don't know. But a custom recipe will certainly help. I'll bet anyone a beer.

Basic rule of thumb for those who haven't been following along: Buffalo horn pins accentuate the articulation and volume of a string. African Blackwood pins reduce volume and brightness. Ebony (as supplied by Taylor) is sort of in the middle with a round, warm sound and good volume; a great set to start with. So with that information you can create your own recipe for balance. Just keep in mind that the strings are INTERACTIVE. So what you do to one string will affect the harmonics across several strings. So don't be afraid to experiment in singles or in pairs. It's simple. Just add materials, patience and a good set of ears listening for the right stuff.