Need advice on first FingerStyle Acoustic Guitar purchase.

[Archangelmm]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and fairly new to playing guitar, I started learning how to play the guitar almost a year ago on my 56th birthday, something I have always wanted to do and really enjoy learning something new every day. I would like to buy a good quality Fingerstyle Acoustic guitar, preferably for under $1,000, new or used would be ok with me.
I have looked at several but still a little confused about the specs.
I definitely would like a cutaway with a solid top not laminate, preferably a satin finish, but not sure about other specs and how important they might be.
Orchestra, Grand Orchestra or Dreadnought?
Spruce or Cedar?
A wider nut width - 1-3/4" or more?
A wider string spread at the saddle 2-3/16" or 2-1/4"?
Rosewood or Mahogany for back and sides?
Fingerboard radius 12”, 14” or 16”?
Is there anything else I should consider?
Anything to avoid or that would be a deal breaker?
So far I have looked at and tried,
Epiphone Masterbuilt EF-500 RCCE (my favorite so far)
Epiphone Masterbuilt DR-500 MCE
Takamine GD20CE-NS
Takamine Pro series 3 P3MC OM (nice but over my budget)
Ibanez AE305NT
Yamaha L-Series LL6 ARE
Yamaha FGX820C
Yamaha FGX830C
Guild GAD 30R
Eastman AC708CE (at the top of my budget)
Larrivée (nice but way over my budget)
Any others I should consider or be looking at?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Archangelmm

[pleasurepaul]

Hi Archangelmm, I regard guitars as individuals. To me, two of the same model number are two different guitars. You have played many, that's the way, trust your feeling. The specs you mention won't make or break a fingerstyle guitar, but they should suit you. A little space on both ends of the string will help, but now I'm already getting personal. Light response is important for fingerstyle. Have you developed a feel for neck shape? V or C and their many variations could feel quite different. Good luck.

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Hi Archangelmm, and welcome to the forum!
All good guitars are fingerstyle guitars.
I agree with Paul, get a guitar that suits you, and has specs that you like, and it will be a great fingerstyle guitar for you.

[jaymarsch]

Welcome. Play lots of guitars and take note of what feels and sounds the best. No two guitars are really alike but you will be able to dial in your preferences the more you pay attention to how each guitar sounds and feels. It is a process and there are some good choices to be found in your price range. Enjoy the journey and if you have a friend who also plays guitar go with you that can be helpful.

Best,
Jayne

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by Archangelmm

Hello,
I am new to this forum and fairly new to playing guitar, I started learning how to play the guitar almost a year ago on my 56th birthday, something I have always wanted to do and really enjoy learning something new every day. I would like to buy a good quality Fingerstyle Acoustic guitar, preferably for under $1,000, new or used would be ok with me.
I have looked at several but still a little confused about the specs.
I definitely would like a cutaway with a solid top not laminate, preferably a satin finish, but not sure about other specs and how important they might be.
Orchestra, Grand Orchestra or Dreadnought?
Spruce or Cedar?
A wider nut width - 1-3/4" or more?
A wider string spread at the saddle 2-3/16" or 2-1/4"?
Rosewood or Mahogany for back and sides?
Fingerboard radius 12”, 14” or 16”?
Is there anything else I should consider?
Anything to avoid or that would be a deal breaker?
So far I have looked at and tried,
Epiphone Masterbuilt EF-500 RCCE (my favorite so far)
Epiphone Masterbuilt DR-500 MCE
Takamine GD20CE-NS
Takamine Pro series 3 P3MC OM (nice but over my budget)
Ibanez AE305NT
Yamaha L-Series LL6 ARE
Yamaha FGX820C
Yamaha FGX830C
Guild GAD 30R
Eastman AC708CE (at the top of my budget)
Larrivée (nice but way over my budget)
Any others I should consider or be looking at?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Archangelmm

I'm in your boat. I've tried a bunch of different sizes, necks, nut widths, tops, and string spacings. This is my input.

You say you're looking for a focused fingerstyle guitar. In my admittedly experience, that means a top that's easily moved with light effort ("easy-to-drive"). That to me means cedar (BUT not over-coated in polyurethane!), or high-end spruce (that may be out of your price range). Easy-to-drive means "limited headroom," so that means hard strumming will overdrive the top and sound bad. As others have noted, ideally you'd play samples to hear the sound you like, but that's not always possible. Try to find the guitars you want on youtube, use amp/speakers or headphones. Look for the more professional reviews to get most representative sound quality.

You're asking the right questions about nut width and saddle string spacing. I have tried them all and, at my stage of learning (again, similar to yours), more spacing at the saddle is important. I have medium fingers and I find 2 3/16 a little narrow, so my recommendation would be 2 1/4. 2 5/16 is better yet for fingerstyle, BUT the extra space on that one (1) causes noticeable note decay and (2) slows flatpicking.

Nut width - I didn't like 1 11/16 at first because I kept muting strings due to newb technique. I have 1 11/16, 1 3/4 and 1 13/16. I'm getting better with 1 11/16 and may end up with only that width one day, but for now, my preference is 1 3/4 as the best compromise. 1 13/16 at least on a mild V neck profile feels too big for my medium hand's comfort.

Size/Type - Personal preference. I bought a dreadnought and realized it wasn't comfortable for my bad right shoulder, so now I have 15" lower bout or smaller. That limits me to OM, Grand Concert, 00, and 0/Parlor. Dreadnought has great sound, but doesn't do as well fingerpicked because the tops are big. You didn't ask about scale, but full scale (25.5) gives great power at the price of string bendability, greater distance between frets (means longer finger spans for fretting). I have 1 full scale, and do fine with it, but my others are all shorter scale (25.0, 24 7/8), that play more easily.

Back/Sides - Rosewood and mahogany are just different and sound different. Different makers will get different results with the same wood, such that you may prefer maker A's mahogany, but maker B's rosewood. Too subjective a question, I'm afraid.

Misc. - I'd avoid a slotted headstock - personal preference, others differ, though most don't. I'd go for the lightest finish possible on the guitar. You'll get more bumps/bruises that a thicker finish would prevent, but a thinner coating allows greater wood movement. Satin's good for that, poly's (gloss) bad. Some makers do a very thin gloss on their high-dollar offerings beyond your price range, so I'd aim for Satin, for best sound. Neck width is one thing, and neck PROFILE is another to consider. Thick/thinner (front to back), rounded "C", "D" or "V" (slight/fuller) make a world of difference to different hands. I may love a C and you may hate a C - just depends.

All of that said, at your experience/price point, and not having played any of the guitars on your list, I'd lean most heavily toward the Epiphone EF-500 you favor, just based on the specs. I understand it may have 2 1/4 or 2 5/16 bridge spacing, but I couldn't find confirmation of that. In your place, I'd get something that met my basic specs for the type of music I thought I wanted to play, learn on it for a while and audition other sounds during the process, then decide whether to upgrade or stand pat. No use paying a lot of money now while you're determining what you like in a guitar. Consider resale, always.

That's my 2 cents - enjoy the ride.

Edit: I saw vids that confirm the 2 1/4 bridge spacing. Also, I like the acoustic-only sound on this video - underscores the probable success if you go with the Epiphone:

[DukeX]

You can find used Larrivees and Taylors in your price range.

[_zedagive]

I play only fingerstyle. I owned one of these for a few years and thought I'd never sell it (I got it at GC with an even trade for a excellent condition 1975 Martin D-28). I think it has everything you're looking for, but just slightly over your budget. The cedar/EIR is a great combination. This one a reverb looks like a very good deal.

https://reverb.com/item/9902252-used...ustic-electric

[George Henry]

I have played fingerstyle for many years and have owned numerous guitars by many makers. I highly recommend a Breedlove Oregon Concert with spruce top which can often be found used in excellent shape at GC for $1000. Find one online and have it shipped to local GC. I've got one and love it. Perfect solid wood American guitar.

I looked up GC used inventory and found two, one for less than $1000 and one for $750.

[TBman]

I played a Breedlove Oregon Concert at Guitar Center a little while ago at it was amazing. Totally surprised me.

[ChalkLitIScream]

Body size, Neck profile, nut width, string spacing (at the nut, this can be customized to however you like it) and top wood should be your main targets to base your choice on.

Im vouching for the Eastman 708ce for your best bang for your buck. It isnt easy to find Englemann tops in this price range, the Yamaha L series being the exception. You also get the scalloped bracing.

If you are ok with a dreadnaught, there is a used Eastman 820CE (1 step up from the 700 series with the same Englemann/ rosewood, but I presume better build quality with nice flamed maple binding) here in the classifieds for less than $800. Check it out, see if it fits your bill.

[_zedagive]

Originally Posted by George Henry

I have played fingerstyle for many years and have owned numerous guitars by many makers. I highly recommend a Breedlove Oregon Concert with spruce top which can often be found used in excellent shape at GC for $1000. Find one online and have it shipped to local GC. I've got one and love it. Perfect solid wood American guitar.

I looked up GC used inventory and found two, one for less than $1000 and one for $750.

Yes, I would also second this excellent selection.

[Fishfood]

I would check out Vintage Parlor Guitars. That's where I got my first fingerstyle guitar. Steve rebuilds old parlors, 0, 00 guitars to modern specs. He also makes new guitars (I think he's got a 00 on his site now.) All very reasonably priced. He allows home a home trial. Definitely a great place to start. He's just about the nicest person you'll meet.

http://www.vintageparlorguitars.com

[littlewing1208]

I would put a lot more emphasis on saddle spacing. It is generally not heavily weighted in guitar buying decisions but for fingerstyle, I feel like it might be the more important parameter. I’d go 2 1/4” or greater. Unfortunately this is hard to find.

I notice the OP hasn't checked back in. It's like at a party, you're in a group, someone asks a question, a discussion develops, but the question-asker slips away and never reappears.

[Archangelmm]

Originally Posted by Fishfood

I would check out Vintage Parlor Guitars. That's where I got my first fingerstyle guitar. Steve rebuilds old parlors, 0, 00 guitars to modern specs. He also makes new guitars (I think he's got a 00 on his site now.) All very reasonably priced. He allows home a home trial. Definitely a great place to start. He's just about the nicest person you'll meet.

http://www.vintageparlorguitars.com

Ok, thank you so much, I will check that out.