OM v jumbo for finger picking

[Mark 63]

I've been thinking about buying an acoustic guitar, and need some advice. I haven't had a flat-top acoustic for 20 years, and mostly play electric (stratocaster). I also have an old Gibson L-48, which looks cool but intonates horribly. Since I got back to guitar a few years ago, I've mainly left picks aside and use my fingers to pluck the strings--trying to emulate Mark Knopfler to some extent. I don't use finger picks and don't employ any finger-picking technique, just thumb the strings and plink with my middle finger.


Anyway, I love the look of a Guild jumbo, but would a smaller guitar be better suited to finger picking?

 

[West R Lee]

Purely personal preference Mark. I fingerpick bare fingered and I'm a dreadnought guy, but I've got some jumbos. I think it's more a matter of what's comfortable in your lap, or what's strapped around your neck if you stand, they all do just fine for fingerstyle.

Welcome to the site.

West

 

[dreadnut]

Guld jumbos typically have a big sound and a comfortable neck. Wish I had one, "the one that got away" was a '97 black JF-30.

I'm kinda particular to my DV-52 for figerpicking, because the tone, volume, and clarity are all excellent, and well balanced across all six strings. The neck is thinner than the one on my old D-25.

 

[bluesypicky]

+1 to what's been said by my two fellowmen LTG'ers above.
Typically OM or OOO bodies are known for having great finger style intonations, because of their "compressed" mediumy, twangy, punchy, (etc... fill the blanks :lol: ) sound that's remindful of the old pickers, but when I pick my DV-52, I, like Dreadnut, (and I suspect West), am in heaven.
Welcome to the party!

 

[jgwoods]

Technique means a lot but I prefer the midsize- F40 and similar for fingerpicking- the big ol' thumb thumping the bass strings doesn't destroy the balance. I find Dreadnoughts and Jumbos make me have to be careful to keep things balanced- great for getting that flatpicked bass accompaniment used in stringbands though.

 

[Ridgemont]

Well if it's got some strings, it's good for pickin'! Good comments from the people above, and if you took a pole, I bet you would find a pretty even distribution. It really is all a matter of personal taste which includes comfort, tone, fullness in sound, projection...blah blah blah. Small body 000 size guitars with a short scale are a fairly popular model due to their articulation. The sustain of these models tends to be a bit less than a dread so each note can be heard, then fade quickly to allow other notes to be heard. But if you go on youtube and google some well known fingerpickers, you will notice their guitars are as diverse as they are. My personal tastes are strongly driven by comfort. I play fingerstyle on all my guitars, but prefer a smaller one due to comfort. To me, an OM/000 provides a nice balance from top to bottom. If you are having trouble deciding between a jumbo and an OM, my best advice is to try them both and see which one fits.

 

[bluesypicky]

Well if it's got some strings, it's good for pickin'!

That about sums it up.... :lol: :lol: :lol:
Next question? :lol:

 

[West R Lee]

Well if it's got some strings, it's good for pickin'!

That about sums it up.... :lol: :lol: :lol:
Next question? :lol:

:lol: Who can argue with that?

West

 

[Bill Ashton]

If I were to compare my D55 to my GAD30 PCE, I would say that the GAD (small body) just seems to be easier for fingerstyle guitar. Think Laurence Juber (Martins), Tommy Emmanuel ( Matons ), Doyle Dykes (Taylor) ... and no, I can't play like them :lol:

That said, Dave Van Ronk always played jumbos, most notably a pair of Guild F50R's...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMJRI_ne ... re=related

I try to play like him... :wink:

 

[Brad Little]

That said, Dave Van Ronk always played jumbos, most notably a pair of Guild F50R's...

I was going to mention him, too. I prefer my F-50 to the D-50 for fingerpicking. That said, for a lot of fingerpicking I use a classical, mostly because of my training as a classical guitarist.
Brad