What is your favorite guitar for fingerstyle?

[ChuckS]

My playing is almost entirely solo fingerstyle arrangements , so all my guitars are selected for that style. Balance, note separation, and trebles that support the melody are important to me. I also prefer 1 13/16" nut width and 2 5/16" string spacing at the saddle. Also, I have soundports on the 2 guitars I commissioned.

I have a Carruth 12 fret 000, in Pernambuco and Adi, that is really nice for what I consider my 'beautiful' music, Christmas songs, and early jazz.

I have a Poling 14 fret somewhat deep body OMish, in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz, for country blues, ragtime, Piedmont ragtime/blues, marches, etc.

I have a Posch 13 fret 00, in EIR and Adi, that fits somewhere in between the other two guitars.

[palsed]

Lowden S 35M for me.
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[silvereagle48]

Any 00 or 000 works best for me.

[sakar12]

Lowden F35 for me.

[M19]

McIlroy A30c. Plays great and sounds heavenly. All tunings and capo locations. If I ever get rid of it, have me committed please!

[opencee]

I always play with bare fingers and open tunings.

It took me 50 years of playing to find what works best for me.

Five years ago, I found a Custom Shop 00-18 with long scale, deep body, Adi top, and GE bracing. That is my favorite.

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[donlyn]

What is your favorite guitar for fingerstyle?

Depending on the song/material to be played, one of these:

my Taylor 818e sitka/rosewood Grand Orchestra;
my Taylor 412e-R sitka/rosewood Grand Concert; or
my Taylor 458e-R sitka/rosewood 12 string Grand Orchestra.

It's just a matter of the right tool for the right job.
The 412e-R is a short scale guitar. The other two are 25.5" scaled.
I use Elixir PB HD lights on both those six stringers, and the Elixir PB light gauge 12 string set on the 458e.
I think the 818 is a vastly under-rated guitar, and really sounds great playing anything. Dynamite response when picking lightly. The HD light gauge reduces and balances the bass a bit for my ears.

(From Elixir website) HD Light Strings:
Diameter (in) / Tension (lbs) .013 / 27, .017 / 26, .025 / 34, .032 / 31, .042 / 30, .053 / 26

I fingerpick all my instruments all the time, using my nails as picks.

Don
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[Methos1979]

Current fave is my Emerald X10 nylon custom. It has a 1 7/8" nut and 2 5/16" string spacing that is perfect for fingerstyle.

Past guitars are a Martin 000-18GE custom, Martin 00-18 UMGF, Martin 00-28VS and a Huss & Dalton MJC that was sublime.

I generally prefer small body, lightly built (and therefore usually very resonant) guitars with wider nuts and string spacing for fingerstyle.

I had a couple Santa Cruz 00 1929's that were awesome but with the narrow string spacing at 2 3/16" they were a little cramped for fingerstyle. Great tone though.

[musicman1951]

My favorite (so far) is my Lowden, but I played a lovely Bourgeois on the same shopping trip.

I've played a lot of good (for me) fingerstyle guitars. My personal preference is for a short scale 000 or 00 size, at least a 1 3/4 nut and tons of sustain - not heavily biased toward the treble side of things please.

[TBman]

I reach for my Avalon first, but I can spend hours playing my Larrivee or Guild and be happy.

In a couple of years I'll be retiring and adding a cedar topped Furch or a Taylor is anticipated. Not because my current guitars are lacking, but, well, just because.

[cliff_the_stiff]

I tend to like a Mahogany back and sides and a cedar top for finger style songs. I like a V-class Taylor for alternate tunings- The Taylor 514ce is a good example of an instrument that checks those boxes, but it is really tough to beat the lows of a big Martin- but playing on a big sound instrument, your fingering hand will need a good muting technique.

[Beanctr]

I noticed one but I'm curious why more people don't use a nylon string guitar for finger style playing. It seems to me they are louder, easier on the right and left hand and you use fingernail if you like. You can also really dig in.

For general finger style and chord melody I've been using a Taylor Academy nylon string and its been great. Rick

[handers]

favorites are not to be equated with "best"

There is no best fingerstyle guitar

My faves are:
Froggy Bottom
Traugott
Sexauer
Circa
Goodall
Lowden
selected Martins (hugely variable for me)

There are 20 other makers with whom I whom not have much experience who would be just as great as the above.

I like a smaller (000) body with somewhat shorter scale (24.9") and a wider string spacing at nut 1-7/8" and the saddle (2-1/4"+). Sustain is important but continuous sustain is detrimental to voicing and articulation. I think Froggy Bottoms hit the sweet spot for me. Also, a recent Circa I played at Artisan Guitar Show (Harrisburg 4/2019) was remarkably articulate: not dry but crisp and clear with open notes and fretted notes having identical timbre, just the right balance of fundamental and sustain (partials). This guitar is one of few that haunt my memories.

Play as many guitars of all varieties that you can. Look at the guitars which the finest fingerstyle players use: Bensusan, DiGrassi, Martin Simpson, Stuart Ryan, Michael Hedges, etc .... they are all over the map!!

Enjoy the safari.

hans

[Blind Dog]

Almost exclusively finger pick, just nail.

Larrivée OM-O3 mahogany/bear claw (14 fretter) works for me.

[handers]

Originally Posted by Beanctr

I noticed one but I'm curious why more people don't use a nylon string guitar for finger style playing. It seems to me they are louder, easier on the right and left hand and you use fingernail if you like. You can also really dig in.

For general finger style and chord melody I've been using a Taylor Academy nylon string and its been great. Rick

I ask myself this questions too because I still play both steel strings (80%) and classical (20%) guitars

They are different animals.

Classical guitars allow for nuance and colors which are difficult to get from any steel string. Steel strings offer a power and zing (?) which no classical can match.

I can't imagine what Pierre Bensusan would sound like on classical guitar.

I can't imagine what Manuel Barrueco would sound like on steel string.

There is an interesting album of duos that Manuel Barrueco released with guests called Nylon and Steel. The guests are sometimes on steel string (acoustic and electric) and sometimes both players on clssical/nylon. The guests are Al DiMeola, Andy Summers, Steve Morse. Manuel plays classical (probably his Ruck but nothing in liner notes) on all tracks. The most interesting comparison between Barrueco on classical and guest on acoustic steel is the second to last track Crow at Midnight (Steve Morse). Here it is clear the difference in the definition of timbre and tone in the two types of guitars.

If we could all achieve the tone the focussed and clear tone that Barrueco achieves on classical we might be more likely to play nylon stringed guitars. I think steel strings are a bit more forgiving, but maybe this is poppycock. I think it's harder to make a nylon sound dynamic and beautiful. The tension on steel strings is higher, so less effort to get a certain volume/sustain. Classicals have a bit more attenuated sustain so you can use this to benefit: push harder for more sustain and volume. That range of attack for tonal effect is greater in a nylon than steel string because they come with a bit less to give at the outset. Sometimes the effort for a steel string is needed to quiet notes which ring too much.

Thankfully both instruments offer beauty and can be used for many different purposes.

hans