What's your favorite Guild for fingerpicking country blues?
- Thread starter glawton
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West R Lee
Venerated Member
It's either the DV72, DV73, D30, D55, JF65, D25, JF30 or the Prestige Classic.....I can't decide. The DV52 was nice too. Nah, seriously.....probably the DV72 beacuse it's so easy to play and the tone is just a notch above.....but the others aren't far behind. All I do is fingerpick....bare fingered as I've never learned to play with a pick......still can't hold one without it falling out of my fingers. I know I miss out on a lot of volume, but it never mattered to me......the tone is still there and I can amplify in a pinch.....those rare occasions that I play for an audience. They are all good finger picking guitars. I guess I've never really understood what constitutes a good fingerpicking guitar as opposed to a strumming guitar I suppose?This is the D55....
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West
FNG
Enlightened Member
Mississippi John Hurt played a Guild F-30.
Well, preference in tone is very subjective and ultimately will depend on you and your tastes. I have seen the old blues guys finger pick on everything from jumbos and dreads to small 0-size guitars. Their tonewoods of choice have also been anything from rosewood to mahogany to maple to ash and probably many more. For example, Dave van Ronk for most of his career preferred an F50R while Mississippi John Hurt in his later years jammed out on an F30. Pretty different, but great country blues came out of both. A question I always ask someone is what they want out of their guitar. Deep full bass? Balance? Tight midrange? Are you going to sing with the guitar unplugged? And if so, do you have a loud voice?
So here is my personal experience since I would say almost 70% of what I play is country blues. I used to have a GAD 30 which had mahogany back and sides and was a fun guitar for the blues. I wanted the emphasis on the midrange with the twang of mahogany. Good guitar, but some braces came loose, and through the warranty, Guild replaced it with a GAD 30R. Well, this has an elegant sound quite typical of rosewood. Loud, full, many overtones, sounds like a harp. The sound in my opinion is that fit for a king, but not the sound I was going for in terms of country blues. During this time a had acquired a D25. This has an archback mahogany b/s over spruce. Great full sound, booming bass, booming bass, and booming bass. It has the hog sound I was wanted. The guitar, while great, is not balanced and sometimes a thumping bass will overpower the melody played on the high strings. I also find dreads to be uncomfortable after long periods of playing. Sooooo, I acquired a Martin 000-15 earlier this year. Not a Guild but a great blues guitar. All hog and yes it sounds like an all hog guitar. It has my preferred size and sound so I play most of my country blues on it.
Now, if I had endless amounts of money at my disposal and was looking for a Guild for some good old fashion country pickin'......I would get an F30. It has the mahogany twang I enjoy so much and has a full sound. The ones I have played had the tone of my D25 but balanced. D25 is louder of course. I find them ideal for me since I sing while I play. I am not loud like van Ronk or a Gary Davis so a jumbo would drown me out. The F30 has a smaller sound so I do not have to strain my voice to be heard. The guitar is also small and comfortable for me so I can play until I decide to stop instead of being forced to due to discomfort.
Just keep in mind that some of the best blues music ever created came out of some of the crappiest instruments ever made. Good luck.
So here is my personal experience since I would say almost 70% of what I play is country blues. I used to have a GAD 30 which had mahogany back and sides and was a fun guitar for the blues. I wanted the emphasis on the midrange with the twang of mahogany. Good guitar, but some braces came loose, and through the warranty, Guild replaced it with a GAD 30R. Well, this has an elegant sound quite typical of rosewood. Loud, full, many overtones, sounds like a harp. The sound in my opinion is that fit for a king, but not the sound I was going for in terms of country blues. During this time a had acquired a D25. This has an archback mahogany b/s over spruce. Great full sound, booming bass, booming bass, and booming bass. It has the hog sound I was wanted. The guitar, while great, is not balanced and sometimes a thumping bass will overpower the melody played on the high strings. I also find dreads to be uncomfortable after long periods of playing. Sooooo, I acquired a Martin 000-15 earlier this year. Not a Guild but a great blues guitar. All hog and yes it sounds like an all hog guitar. It has my preferred size and sound so I play most of my country blues on it.
Now, if I had endless amounts of money at my disposal and was looking for a Guild for some good old fashion country pickin'......I would get an F30. It has the mahogany twang I enjoy so much and has a full sound. The ones I have played had the tone of my D25 but balanced. D25 is louder of course. I find them ideal for me since I sing while I play. I am not loud like van Ronk or a Gary Davis so a jumbo would drown me out. The F30 has a smaller sound so I do not have to strain my voice to be heard. The guitar is also small and comfortable for me so I can play until I decide to stop instead of being forced to due to discomfort.
Just keep in mind that some of the best blues music ever created came out of some of the crappiest instruments ever made. Good luck.
Taylor Martin Guild
Senior Member
I think my D-55 sounds nice with a pick but it shines when played
finger style.
I'll try to post a clip.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=8602370
finger style.
I'll try to post a clip.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=8602370
shepke
Member
For me it's my Hobokan F-30. The neck is a little narrow, but once you get used to that, it shines - very lightly built, responsive, and balanced. The other Guild I've owned in the past the was especially great for fingerpicking was a beat up GF-40 (I've never sold a Guild I didn't regret later).
Like Ridgemont, I also have an all mahogany 00015S. Wider neck, 12 fret to body, and a great midrangey sound for blues. Overall, the F-30 has a bit more "sparkle" in the high end that I really like, although the Martin is certainly a close 2nd for me.
Like Ridgemont, I also have an all mahogany 00015S. Wider neck, 12 fret to body, and a great midrangey sound for blues. Overall, the F-30 has a bit more "sparkle" in the high end that I really like, although the Martin is certainly a close 2nd for me.
West R Lee
Venerated Member
And the DV72....another dread. I think you can fingerpick any guitar you like....jumbo, minijumbo, deadnaught, acoustic electric, thinbody, archtop....anything.
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West
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=6830421
West
Scratch
Enlightened Member
The F-40 is a very nice fingerstyle guitar. Perhaps my favorite was the F-47 (hog) that Grammy now owns. The comfort of the neck on that guitar was unreal... Something about the warmth of mahogany when fingerpicked...
Dadaist
Senior Member
And only because I play fingerstyle, sans picks, most any Guild, Dread or whatever is fine by me.
Back when I was starting to figure out the mechanics of fingerpicking as a fourteen year old, I played a late '30s Stella with the patented "Dobro" action setup, which translates into some serious distance between the strings and the fretboard. In hindsight, one didn't measure it in sixtyfourths of an inch, but in eighths. Long story short....I learned the basics of a walking bass on this guitar and when I finally got a little '43 Gibson LG2.....everything kind of fell into place. The fingers flew, as they didn't have to stop every twenty minutes to clean up the blood from the open cuts.
If I had to absolutely pick one Guild that would make, for me, a nice all-around fingerstyle guitar.....I'd probably go with an F40 of some sort and configuration. Maple is nice, but I wouldn't kick a Rosewood number out of bed so to speak. The smaller, auditorium size works for me. All that said, if any of you need to get rid of a nice F50R or JF-55, for tax purposes or because your collection has outgrown your music room....., well, far be it for me to refuse it. Great topic....
David
Back when I was starting to figure out the mechanics of fingerpicking as a fourteen year old, I played a late '30s Stella with the patented "Dobro" action setup, which translates into some serious distance between the strings and the fretboard. In hindsight, one didn't measure it in sixtyfourths of an inch, but in eighths. Long story short....I learned the basics of a walking bass on this guitar and when I finally got a little '43 Gibson LG2.....everything kind of fell into place. The fingers flew, as they didn't have to stop every twenty minutes to clean up the blood from the open cuts.
If I had to absolutely pick one Guild that would make, for me, a nice all-around fingerstyle guitar.....I'd probably go with an F40 of some sort and configuration. Maple is nice, but I wouldn't kick a Rosewood number out of bed so to speak. The smaller, auditorium size works for me. All that said, if any of you need to get rid of a nice F50R or JF-55, for tax purposes or because your collection has outgrown your music room....., well, far be it for me to refuse it. Great topic....
David
Is yours the re-issue or vintage? Do you know how those compare to the Guild M20?Ridgemont said:
Amen to that, most of the old blues guys just played whatever they could get their hands on.Ridgemont said:
Thanks for your responses, folks.
I'm fortunate to have a number of great fingerpicking guitars:
Martin D35
Martin 016NY
Gibson J35/1939 reissue (Fuller's)
Jubal J185 custom
several Fraulini customs
Euphonon/Larson Bros. New Era custom
I've recently received (from one of the LTG community) a D212 12er
(jury's out as to whether I'll keep it - great guitar but I still have
troubles with justifying a 12 string). I'd like to pick up a Guild 6-string
and I fingerpick (bare fingers) country blues, country, folk, and a little
r & r. There are just so many models and from a number of different
historical periods - makes it difficult to know where to begin. This
is helping - so please keep the comments/ops coming!
Regards,
Geoff
PS - I will say that the F30 and F40 models catch my eye.
But I love a good dread as well!
I'm fortunate to have a number of great fingerpicking guitars:
Martin D35
Martin 016NY
Gibson J35/1939 reissue (Fuller's)
Jubal J185 custom
several Fraulini customs
Euphonon/Larson Bros. New Era custom
I've recently received (from one of the LTG community) a D212 12er
(jury's out as to whether I'll keep it - great guitar but I still have
troubles with justifying a 12 string). I'd like to pick up a Guild 6-string
and I fingerpick (bare fingers) country blues, country, folk, and a little
r & r. There are just so many models and from a number of different
historical periods - makes it difficult to know where to begin. This
is helping - so please keep the comments/ops coming!
Regards,
Geoff
PS - I will say that the F30 and F40 models catch my eye.
But I love a good dread as well!
killdeer43
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What it's going to come down to, IMHO, is NOT necessarily the guitar itself, but the player who's fingerpicking or flatpicking or practicing some other form of picking that's yet to be discovered (now there's a setup for you).
I've fingerpicked every guitar I've owned over 40 years and they were all just fine. Some better, some not as good as another one.
I like to fingerpick the one that's in my lap or hanging from my shoulders.
That's as technical as I can get.
It's just like the ladies: love them all!
Joe
I've fingerpicked every guitar I've owned over 40 years and they were all just fine. Some better, some not as good as another one.
I like to fingerpick the one that's in my lap or hanging from my shoulders.
That's as technical as I can get.
It's just like the ladies: love them all!
Joe
AlohaJoe said:
Unfortunately I do not. I have wondered about this myself (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16612&hilit=martin+00+15&start=15). As for my 000-15, nope not vintage but brand new (2009). I can say that with 2-3 month old strings, its tone has many of the characteristics you hear with Nick Drake. It has a very distinct thump in the bass that I really enjoy for a repeating bass line. I just ordered a bone saddle from Bob Colosi, so it will be interesting to hear the difference when I swap out the tusq saddle.
I bare finger pick a lot of Country Blues, and I often use a late 40s Gibson LG-2 or a 00-15 all Mahogany Martin. Both are small body Guitars, But I have to agree that my Guild D-55 seems to be very adapt for this style.
It has a super richness of tone, equal string to string balance, and the extra volume sometimes needed to really sound off in this playing style.
It sure shocks a lot of folks.
The neck may be too narrow for a lot of finger pickers, ( not me..same as the 00-15), but no one ever questions the tone.
IMHO a D-55 is a multi-purposed Guitar.
Dale.
It has a super richness of tone, equal string to string balance, and the extra volume sometimes needed to really sound off in this playing style.
It sure shocks a lot of folks.
The neck may be too narrow for a lot of finger pickers, ( not me..same as the 00-15), but no one ever questions the tone.
IMHO a D-55 is a multi-purposed Guitar.
Dale.
charliea
Senior Member
You don't need a new guitar, just loud fingers.
dogberry
Member
I fingerpick both my D-40 and F-30R, and for me for country blues the F-30 is my favorite -- it's a combination of sound and comfort, the F-30 is so comfortable to play for long periods of time. That's a function of the size/shape of the body and the short scale, which makes some things a little more accessible for my short fingers.
Ian
Senior Member
Hi guys,
First off I'm not currently playing and even when I could I wasnt a picker but it's an interesting topic and I do own some of the guitars mentioned so heres my two cents worth.
As somebody rightly points out Missippi John Hurt played an F30 Which he was given. Most of the old Blues guys seem to have played Stellas and the like simply because it was what they could afford. I believe MJH was given the F30 after the Newport Folk Festival ( theres probably a story there but I dont know it...). Interestingly enough guys like Jack Whiite and Seasick Steve also play what could be considered pretty crappy guitars but this I think this is meant more as a n antifashion statement and a middle finger to guys like clapton rather than an inability to afford anything decent. Again the stuff they play tends to be old US Kays and Harmonys rather than some $89 Chinese thing.... .
To my ears a Martin 00015 (I owned a 0016DBM at one stage) is no way similar to an M20 Martins seem to have a more rounded sort of sound with more overtones. Whilst we are on the subject, I'm firmly of the opinion that Nick Drake doesnt play an M20 on his records, I've got a 65 M20 together with a pretty reasonable stereo system and original pressings of Nick Drake, and theres no way that sounds like an M20 on the records, I'd lean towards the D28 theory if I had to guess.
Back to the Op, my recommendation would definately be a Hoboken F30, mines a thunderous blues machine, my guitar buddies reckon it's the best guitar I have
First off I'm not currently playing and even when I could I wasnt a picker but it's an interesting topic and I do own some of the guitars mentioned so heres my two cents worth.
As somebody rightly points out Missippi John Hurt played an F30 Which he was given. Most of the old Blues guys seem to have played Stellas and the like simply because it was what they could afford. I believe MJH was given the F30 after the Newport Folk Festival ( theres probably a story there but I dont know it...). Interestingly enough guys like Jack Whiite and Seasick Steve also play what could be considered pretty crappy guitars but this I think this is meant more as a n antifashion statement and a middle finger to guys like clapton rather than an inability to afford anything decent. Again the stuff they play tends to be old US Kays and Harmonys rather than some $89 Chinese thing.... .
To my ears a Martin 00015 (I owned a 0016DBM at one stage) is no way similar to an M20 Martins seem to have a more rounded sort of sound with more overtones. Whilst we are on the subject, I'm firmly of the opinion that Nick Drake doesnt play an M20 on his records, I've got a 65 M20 together with a pretty reasonable stereo system and original pressings of Nick Drake, and theres no way that sounds like an M20 on the records, I'd lean towards the D28 theory if I had to guess.
Back to the Op, my recommendation would definately be a Hoboken F30, mines a thunderous blues machine, my guitar buddies reckon it's the best guitar I have
Terry Allan Hall
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For me, it's my JF-4 (mahogany jumbo), but if asked what my preferred flat-pickin' or strummed guitar might be, I'd say...my JF-4.
That guitar just makes me want to play all day long! :wink: 8)
That guitar just makes me want to play all day long!
:wink: 8)SkippyX
Member
Guys (and - if there are any - Gals), I've only been back into playing for three years. To tell the truth I wasn't that good at it when I was a kid, either. The best I could accomplish back then was some Neil Young (Heart of Gold, Old Man, Needle and the Damage Done, that sort of thing). I might be way off the beaten path here.....but......
I have recently come to the conclusion that the best finger picking guitars are small-bodied guitars with wide fretboards. I tried out a Martin Eric Clapton Signature small body last week and loved it. The wide string spacing made it easy to fret the string I wanted to fret without damping one of the adjacent strings and the wide spacing down by the sound hole made it easy to dig with my picking hand. The small body made it extremely comfortable to sit down with. Later that week I also tried out a small bodied Recording King guitar and had the same thought.
"Dang, this thing is easy to play and sounds great."
I don't know enough to tell the difference between an 00, a 000 or an OM sized guitar. They're all small bodies to me.
I love the tone of my Dreds - both six and twelve - but playing the Martin and the Recording King made me lust for a small body.
For me the string spacing had everything to do with the ease with which I could finger pick.
So, is it just that I don't have enough practice yet at finger picking or do some of you feel the same way about it?
I have recently come to the conclusion that the best finger picking guitars are small-bodied guitars with wide fretboards. I tried out a Martin Eric Clapton Signature small body last week and loved it. The wide string spacing made it easy to fret the string I wanted to fret without damping one of the adjacent strings and the wide spacing down by the sound hole made it easy to dig with my picking hand. The small body made it extremely comfortable to sit down with. Later that week I also tried out a small bodied Recording King guitar and had the same thought.
"Dang, this thing is easy to play and sounds great."
I don't know enough to tell the difference between an 00, a 000 or an OM sized guitar. They're all small bodies to me.
I love the tone of my Dreds - both six and twelve - but playing the Martin and the Recording King made me lust for a small body.
For me the string spacing had everything to do with the ease with which I could finger pick.
So, is it just that I don't have enough practice yet at finger picking or do some of you feel the same way about it?