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#1
09-26-2002, 03:35 PM
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Fingerstyle characteristics
I didn't want this to get lost in the fingerstyle taylor thread. What exactly are the characteristics that make a guitar better suited for fingerstyle playing? I've mostly seen vague references to less bass response, or boominess. Anything else?
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The Dude. 6 & 12 string guitar fretted & fretless bass 
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#2
09-26-2002, 03:51 PM
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Wide neck.
Lots of treble. That whiney lonesome, 'Lisbeth Cotten sound.
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#3
09-26-2002, 06:40 PM
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To me, for fingerstyle you need a guitar that responds to a lighter touch, has good volume when 'caressed" and has a warm rich well-balanced tone.
Some guitars have specific models that, because of construction techniques, wood choices, etc., need to be driven harder to get the ideal response from them. Dreadnaughts are usually considered to be in this category, as are rosewood bodies and spruce tops .... (Allright, guys - I said "Usually") Generally (note equivication here) Grand Auditorium size bodies (Taylor X14 models) are preferred by many fingerpickers here. Many like Cedar tops better than spruce. But, again, it's all in what you hear when you play a particular guitar. My current finger-picking axe is a 1991 810, rosewood/spruce..... that may change this fall when I get a chance to hear the new Limiteds. More opinions will follow, I'm sure. Yoda 
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I'm lost but I'm making good time.
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#4
09-26-2002, 07:29 PM
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I'm with Yoda. A fingerstyle guitar needs to respond to a light touch but have a wide dynamic range. Cedar or Engelmann offer this, and that, in turn allows more control in the right hand.
For the left hand, you want a wider neck to make fingering easier. Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website)
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#5
09-26-2002, 07:34 PM
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Wow, I like how you put that Yoda. I really prefer the comfort level offered by the X14 body, though.
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#6
09-26-2002, 08:46 PM
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Yoda's post is ringing some bells. I've owned dreads for one reason or another and always have to play very hard to get a decent tone fingerstyle.
I'm now looking to replace my 310, but I'm reluctant to shell out the kind of cash needed to get into the higher end Taylors. It's time to start looking elsewhere, I guess. Anyone looking for a mint-condition 310ce?
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The Dude. 6 & 12 string guitar fretted & fretless bass
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#7
09-26-2002, 10:43 PM
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By higher end I'm assuming you mean 'more expensive", and that ain't necessarily necessary. Try a 314, or a 414, or one of the 3xx or 4XX limiteds, if you can. You might find the tone you're looking for without moving up the series. I recently played a killer 514.... sweeeeet!
Yoda
__________________
I'm lost but I'm making good time.
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#8
09-27-2002, 12:52 AM
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Interesting topic as I struggled with this for some time in the past year. I ended up getting two different models. I found a CPSM with the 1 7/8 nut and string spacing at the bridge of 2 3/8 inches. The CPSM has the Engelmann top and is very bright and clear. My second choice for fingerpicking was a 712ce with a 1 7/8 nut, a 2 3/16 string spacing at the bridge and a cedar top. It has a very warm more blended sound and I would say is not as bright. So I switch off from one to the other based on what kind of a sound I am looking for out of a particular piece.
The wider nut just seems to make it easier for me to move my fingers around the fretboard without hitting another string. I also have found that I can learn a new piece quicker with the wider nut than on my drednaught which has a 1 11/16 inch nut. The difference in the string spacing at the bridge is interesting to say the least. I go back and forth on which one I like more. At present I am thinking I like the 2 3/16 inch spacing the most because at times I pull the high and low E string off the fretboard when I plant a finger on one of the strings. However the extra string spacing at the bridge for my fingers I really like. Both the CPSM and the 712 are smaller body guitars but seem to be well balanced. I am not suggesting they give you as much bass response as the X14s do. I thought hard about getting a 714ce with a 1 7/8 nut so that I would have one which would give me not only more bass responce but also may serve a more general purpose. As to being able to be lightly picked I would agree with this. I think it must also be able to be picked hard for example when you put your thumb under the string when you want that note to stand out. So I have to agree with many of the comments that have been made before me.
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