Fingerstyle guitar

[mr c]

a new member,i have a great DCE1HG.Which i have owned for 4 years.I am learning fingerstyle,and am looking for a fingerstyle guitar that will improve my playing.Anyone has a f30,and can tell me if thats the one to go for?

 

[Frosty]

Hello Mr. C, and welcome to LTG!

The "hardware", your guitar, and how it is setup is part of the equation for sure. But only part...

Maybe you could tell us why you think your DCE1HG will not work as a tool to aid you in improving your fingerpicking? Then maybe we can make some suggestions.

 

[Russell Letson]

As Frosty suggests, it's less the guitar than your physical comfort with it and your satisfaction with the sound. I've played fingerstyle on a Guild D-40 for more than 40 years, and the guitar just sounds better as we go along. A "good fingerstyle guitar" is the guitar on which you play good fingerstyle--and it might be any make or model.

 

[dreadnut]

Do you use fingerpicks? If not, you might want to try them - major improvement in volume and tone. This is how I improved my fingerpicking. Actually the picks were secondary - the most improvement comes from practicing and rote repetition of right-hand patterns until they become second nature.

 

[killdeer43]

I've been fingerpicking for almost 40 years and all my guitars have accommodated me. Although, I do find that a 1 3/4 nut and the wider string spacing closer to the bridge allow a little more room to work. It's all a matter of getting used to right-hand techniques anyway you pick it. Open tunings are great for practice, too.
I tried finger picks, but they never did feel right for me, so I keep the nails on my index and middle fingers trimmed to just the right length to get a good sound. That and a well-placed thumb do the trick. The nails also work well for clawhammer banjo.

Pick,
Joe

 

[Guildmark]

Switch to 12-string. That way if you screw up your fingerpicking, striking some other nearby string will sound like you meant it.
Hey, it's kept me out of the big-time for years!

Welcome aboard.

 

[killdeer43]

Switch to 12-string. That way if you screw up your fingerpicking, striking some other nearby string will sound like you meant it.

Ah, the magic of fingerpicking 12 strings! You make an excellent point, Mark. And the nut is certainly wider!

Joe

 

[JerryR]

I've been fingerpicking for almost 40 years and all my guitars have accommodated me. Although, I do find that a 1 3/4 nut and the wider string spacing closer to the bridge allow a little more room to work. It's all a matter of getting used to right-hand techniques anyway you pick it. Open tunings are great for practice, too.
I tried finger picks, but they never did feel right for me, so I keep the nails on my index and middle fingers trimmed to just the right length to get a good sound. That and a well-placed thumb do the trick. The nails also work well for clawhammer banjo.

Pick,
Joe

I try and keep my nails in good trim but sometimes they split or break, so I always keep a set of Alaska Piks handy - unlike most other fingerpicks they copy the shape of a nail. Available from Elderly Instruments in the US

 

[zplay]

a new member,i have a great DCE1HG.Which i have owned for 4 years.I am learning fingerstyle,and am looking for a fingerstyle guitar that will improve my playing.Anyone has a f30,and can tell me if thats the one to go for?

Welcome C. As you can see, on this forum there will always be a bunch of people trying to help and encourage.

I'm definitely not as experienced as some who have commented, but I'll speak from my experience as a fingerstyle player: an F-30 might well be the ticket for you, but I'd support the thought already expressed that says you should first analyze what works and what doesn't with you're present guitar, as that might help guide your search. For example, if you're having a lot of trouble fretting notes without muting adjacent strings, then a guitar with either a wider nut or wider string spacing might make a big difference. Also, if you play sitting and the body doesn't feel right, then a smaller guitar with thinner waist could help. In general, it might be hard to get the volume you want unless you grow your nails a bit or use fingerpicks, though there are players who do quite well with just flesh by working and working to strengthen their picking hands and developing callouses.

Personally, I found a wider nut(1 3/4") very helpful when I was starting out, though it seems to make less of a difference now. I just bought a dread - a DV-4 - that I'm finding to be great for fingerstyle, though I had the string spacing widened slightly at the nut with the initial set-up. I also own F-47 bodies that are great.
But, you'll find that the neck contours can vary a lot within the Guild line even on guitars with the same nut widths and that this can be a huge comfort factor. So, it's really best to actually play a bunch before deciding.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[mr c]

Thank you all for your welcome,and great ideas.I have been looking on the net and local guitar shops ,the selection is endless.My guild is used every day,and i get a lot of joy learning from this fine guitar.But i would like to buy another ,and fingerstyle is a style i love to play on any guitar.Anyway i like looking for the next one which will be another older guitar.Thanks again for your info.

 

[Scratch]

Welcome to LTG, mr c. Shopping for a new/previously loved Guild is half the fun. Playing it is the other 75%!

I've been very happy with the Guilds purchased from our LTG fam. Loyal LTGers routinely list guitars that may fit what you are seeking. Good luck and keep us posted...

 

[cjd-player]

Shopping for a new/previously loved Guild is half the fun. Playing it is the other 75%!

Nice to know that Scratch is part of our education system.

Obviously he has that "new math" thing down pat. :roll:

 

[Graham]

Shopping for a new/previously loved Guild is half the fun. Playing it is the other 75%!

Nice to know that Scratch is part of our education system.

Obviously he has that "new math" thing down pat. :roll:

5 out of 4 math teacher's don't really understand the "new math" thing yet anyway.

 

[cjd-player]

They're called economists. :mrgreen:

 

[Graham]

They're called economists. :mrgreen:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Scratch]

Its the new math fellers... 60% of LTGers understand. The other 65% don't... :?

 

[chazmo]

and 10% are undecided.

 

[cjd-player]

Its the new math fellers... 60% of LTGers understand. The other 65% don't... :?

Well at least I'm in the majority for a change. :mrgreen:

 

[Frosty]

We are thread veering, but everyone knows that there are 3 kinds of people in this world, right? Those who can count, and those who can't.

 

[JerryR]

We are thread veering, but everyone knows that there are 3 kinds of people in this world, right? Those who can count, and those who can't.

WHAT :!: You know thread veering is not allowed on LTG :shock:
:wink: :mrgreen: