Quote:
Originally Posted by LWJ
A question. I am considering taking up fingerstyle. I have been a bass player for years (past life) and think learning a new skill might be fun and good for my brain.
I had a 000 mahogany way back in the 1980's. Loved it. It broke. Long story. I am drawn to parlor and OM sizes. Any recommendations? Thoughts? Do I need a 1 3/4 inch nut? I have a sweet archtop that I LOVE. Should I just play that? TIA!
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I play finger style about 70 percent of the time. What style of music are you interested in? There are some great courses on TrueFire
I have a Martin 000-28ec which I find great for finger style but for the last 30 odd years I’ve just used what I had, mostly a Santa Cruz 12 fret dred with a 1 7/8 nut. The extra space is great for finger style but i much prefer the 1 3/4 on my martins. I also have a gibson L-00 that is great for finger style
The thing with smaller body, shorter scale guitars besides comfort, is their sensitivity which is very important for finger style.. however there are larger guitars like my Santa Cruz or my Martin d-41 which are very responsive to finger style even though they are large guitars
Also, I don’t use finger picks. Whether you will is up to you. I would focus on artists that inspire you and study what they do.
Finger style could mean playing like Chet Atkins (and the entire list of artists who continue on with his style like Doyle Dykes and Tommy Emanuel) or Merle Travis or Mississippi john hurt or it could mean playing like John Mayer or Jeff beck or it could mean playing in a classical style, etc….all very different
But honestly It never really mattered to me which guitar I had….tele, Gretsch whatever. Your arch top is likely just fine if it plays well
For something under $2k, check out the Martin 000-15SM