Acoustic for fingerpicking and soloing

I've got a '71 Guild D40 that I love for chords and that stuff but it is very hard for fingerpicking or soloing. I can do that with a classic guitar but not with my Guild. What I want is guitar that I can play easily like an electric guitar but getting some nice acoustic sound. Something like what Clapton does. I am guessing I'd need something like his Martin sig model for example.

For a budget of max. 3K would you buy something like a new 00028EC or you'd go vintage with let's say a 50s 0018 or what?

Thanks for educating me on this

rufes said:

For a budget of max. 3K would you buy something like a new 00028EC or you'd go vintage with let's say a 50s 0018 or what?

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I will die with my '55 00-18. I've only played a few acoustics that have rivaled it in tone, playability, and overall vibe. No, it's not the absolute greatest Martin I've ever played, but it does so many things so well - even with its small body - that it has been (and will continue to be) the only guitar I will never, ever sell. When set up with .12-.54 strings, the short scale makes for semi-easy bending and soloing. However, the nut width is the standard 1-11/16" which some don't like for fingerstyle (myself included). But I almost always use a pick with an acoustic, so I'm happy with it! :hank

I think, on average, the Martins from about '64 and earlier tend to sound better than newer guitars. Not all, however - I once played a dog '51 000-21, and the sweetest-sounding Martin I've EVER played was a brand-new OM-45GE. I've tried about a half-dozen new 000-28EC's over the years, and they always sound and play very nice. But so far I haven't found one with "the mojo."

If you can, try to get out and play as many Martins as possible. They are consistently good, but it isn't too hard to find a GREAT one from those vintage years.

I love the Martin 000-28, generally speaking... The Standard Series is in the $2,500.00 range, and worth every penny... The EC model is a little under a thousand more, and while the upgrades are worth the up-charge to a lot of people, they weren't to me...

Great finger-pickin' guitar.

Vintage Martin's? Sure, but that's gonna kill your 3K budget...

A used slightly beat Collings would thrill you if you can find one. I have seen more thn a few Martins that come in around there. My D-18 Golden Era was close to that.

You can find wholesome pre-war O-18s for around that if you look carefully - they're woefully overlooked instruments. Louder than you would think and generally slightly bassier than the double o. There's a 1943 on eBay right now for under $3k that looks like it's well played and wholesome - my experience has always been that '43s are great sounding...

rufes said:

I've got a '71 Guild D40 that I love for chords and that stuff but it is very hard for fingerpicking or soloing. I can do that with a classic guitar but not with my Guild. What I want is guitar that I can play easily like an electric guitar but getting some nice acoustic sound. Something like what Clapton does. I am guessing I'd need something like his Martin sig model for example.

For a budget of max. 3K would you buy something like a new 00028EC or you'd go vintage with let's say a 50s 0018 or what?

Thanks for educating me on this

Click to expand...

There are many great guitars in that price range that are great for fingerpicking.

But my advice is play them until you find the one that suits you best.
Trying to second guess this ahead of time could cause you to miss a better guitar.

Thanks very much for your replies. Very interesting reading.