Best Tonewood for Fingerstyle Guitar?

[William2]

I was watching a recent video on Heartbreaker Guitars of the Larrivee SD-40R and the SD-24. They compared strumming, picking, and fingerstyle. At the end of the video, one reviewer preferred the SD-24, and the other reviewer decided the SD-40R was better for picking and strumming and the SD-24 was better for fingerstyle playing due to its clarity, immediacy, and response. As someone with only a Larrivee D-40 and a Martin DSS-17 both with mahogany backs, I can attest to the attributes the reviewer stated. Not that fingerstyle doesn't work on rosewood. I think I still prefer its lushness overall, but you need both. For fingerstyle playing, do you prefer a mahogany tone wood? Lastly, my impressions of the two instruments were that while I'd like an Adirondack topped instrument, I thought they were equally powerful and that the SD-40R long scale length easily equaled the SD-24 short scale length with the Adi top in power. Too bad Larrivee doesn't offer Adirondack on all their models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL8Vmlajpos

[B0WIE]

 I don't think I have one preference. I'm very much info the idea that different guitars can enhance our playing in different ways and I am into many different types of fingerstyle. Some are darker and slower, some bright and nimble. Flatpicks make a certain sound. Fingers can make a massive range of sounds, IMO.

 On small and mid-sized guitars, my favorite woods tend to be either hardwoods (koa, mahogany) or redwood and cedar. They just add a lot of interest, to me. I do like spruce on SDs and dreads in general because I think they often benefit from the more dry sound of spruce. Keeps them from getting too murky. But, there's always builds that break what we expect woods to sound like.

 

[John in Charm City]

For finger style (bare fingers) EIR and Sitka was my go to for years.  As I get older the booming bass of that combination was starting to sound unpleasant to my ear so I have been trying Engelmann, Mahogany and Cedar.

Short scales are a mixed blessing. Strings can become too bendy, especially with lower tunings, so I now have a renewed respect for longer scale lengths (but I still usually prefer short scale).

No right answer - everyone's ears and style change over time.

John

[BlueBowman]

All the tonewoods can be great if they find themselves on a well-designed and well-built guitar. I didn't care for sitka/EIR until I played one of the best guitars of my life (one I thankfully now own). Not that I thought that combo was bad previously, it just never blew my hair back. I now have a different view of those two woods (it's the builder  ). Same goes for Adirondack/mahogany. Whereas sitka/mahogany is warm and mellow, Adi/hog could be brash to my ears. All depends on who built the guitar. I love cedar as a top wood, and if I was told to pick a guitar at random from the world, I'd probably ask for one with a cedar top.

I don't know if I can pick out all the differences in the spruces (some I'd swear I could, but who knows), but I also really like Engelmann and European (or moon) spruce. Those two woods, along with cedar, seem to lend themselves well to fingerstyle guitar. On the right guitar, the response under the fingers can be a beautiful thing.

I love all the wood combos. I think I've owned most of them. Redwood is one I don't have as much experience with, and I would love to own more koa guitars (either spruce/koa or cedar/koa or all-koa: I've played guitars with all three that were killer). Lastly, one of my favorite guitars is a run-of-the-mill sitka/mahogany combo. It sounds wonderful fingerpicked, but it can also get after it with a flatpack. So sitka/hog can be great.

I don't think I helped you narrow things down much, William. I guess my answer would be: it depends.

[John Lee Pettimore]

Lastly, my impressions of the two instruments were that while I'd like an Adirondack topped instrument, I thought they were equally powerful and that the SD-40R long scale length easily equaled the SD-24 short scale length with the Adi top in power. Too bad Larrivee doesn't offer Adirondack on all their models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL8Vmlajpos

I think I watched/heard that video when I was starting to learn about Larrivee.

I like both Rosewood and Mahogany for fingerstyle play, and all styles of play. I like walnut too.  My tonal/voice preference on any day is often relative to numerous factors, including the song(s) played.  Granted I own only two species of top wood and two species of back/sides wood. But to me a great sounding guitar sounds great no matter what style of play it is subjected to. 

I would think a long scale would tend to be equally or more powerfully voiced than a short scale.  My understanding is that the strings and top are under greater tension on a long scale than they are on a short scale in the same tuning. 

Or have I misinderstood? 

[teh]

Jean Larrivee got his start building classical guitars which are primarily fingerstyle instrument and I believe this has influenced his approach to guitar building. Defining the best woods for a fingerstyle guitar is a difficult question to answer since individual preferences and personal playing styles factor into the equation.

For the past month, I have only been playing my 12 fret, mahogany topped 00-24 because I've been traveling. I chose this guitar because it is lightweight, versatile and easy to play. I also brought three different thumb picks, a full capo and a partial capo along for the ride. On another day, I might have chosen a 14 fret dread or OM which are both better suited for strumming or open tunings in addition to fingerstyle.

I currently have Sitka, Moonwood and Mahogany topped guitars with a variety of back and side woods including rosewood, mahogany, walnut and flamed maple. In addition to tone woods, other factors need to be considered. I've said this before but the thinner 1/4" top bracing used on 35 series Martins definitely sounds better to my ear than the standard 5/16" bracing used on their 18/28 models. My last three guitars also have scalloped bracing. Short scales and Venetian cutaways also make it easier for me to play. YMMV.

[BlueBowman]

I would think a long scale would tend to be equally or more powerfully voiced than a short scale.  My understanding is that the strings and top are under greater tension on a long scale than they are on a short scale in the same tuning. 

Or have I misinderstood? 

All things being equal, yes. And for a large portion of guitars in the world, yes. But a short scale guitar built with intelligence can have just as much power as a long scale one, given that's the goal of the builder. Scale length then simply becomes a playability preference.

I often prefer long scale for the extra power, but make no mistake, there are short scale guitars that can deliver the same goods. The feel will be different, but the power will not be constrained in any way.

I often notice the short scale "showing itself" on the b and e strings more so than the other strings. The feel is different, even on great guitars.

[B0WIE]

My personal opinion on the short vs standard/longer scale instruments is that the volume is less important (to ME) than what happens with the tone. The bass on a longer scale instrument will usually be deeper, have more definition and "growl", while the shorter scale has a higher Q to the bass, warmer and less defined. A similar thing happens in the highs, though so many things affect the highs that you can't define one or the other as always imparting a certain sound. I do consistently hear it in the bass though, be it electric, acoustic, bass, etc. One is not better than the other, though I've found I'm more inclined to fall in love and keep my full scale instruments because of how I like the bass to sound.

[BlueBowman]

I also prefer the added definition in a long scale, but, for the most part, I can get on fine with the bass sound on the short scale guitars I've owned. It's the short scale trebles that almost always turn me off. I like for those treble notes up the fretboard to retain their integrity when played dynamically and not "plink" out. Going up in gauge on the b and e strings can mitigate some of the issues I have, but not always.

Long scale guitars also seem to intonate better to my ears, especially on the treble strings. It's a subtle thing, but it's there to my ears.

It's for these two reasons I've sold off most of my short scale guitars. The one I've kept is the exception that proves the rule. Articulate yet colorful: a combo I've LONG sought out. The trebles can be played dynamically with no problem. The added "sweetness" in those trebles is also a big plus.

[William2]

I've never heard a J-45 that could match a D-18. Also, that recent video on Heartbreaker Guitars with a Larrivee SD vs a Larrivee SD-24 was interesting. I guess that Adi top didn't make up for the 24s short scale length.

[Koamon]

Having gone through a Martin HD-28 and OM-21, I discovered I did't prefer Rosewood as a body wood for my fingerstyle playing. Too much bottom end for me. I found my Mahogany Gibson Hummingbird and Martin D-318 more to my taste. That was until I discovered Larrivee guitars at the shop Unclrob was managing at the time. Being a Larrivee Dealer, I was able to check out the shop's  full line of Larrivees. That was around 1999.  Falling in love with the sound, workmanship and appointments, I started with a LV-5, a great guitar. Then later at the turn of the Century, Larrivee released a great run of Koa and Blackwood models. I found Koa more complex tonally than Mahogany with Blackwood being like Koa but with more punch. Looking for my forever guitars and always wanting a Martin 40 series guitar, I discovered Larrivee released several deluxe Koa 10 series models for NAMM. I was fortunate to trade in my collection for a C10K and DC10K with Sitka tops. Had a 10 series Blackwood been available, I probably would have opted for one, even though there were D and L 09s available and sounded great. After 25 years, those are the standard I compare against any guitar I have the opportunity play. For me, my Koa guitar with the exception of some very expensive boutique guitars, always come out on top.

[teh]

Yesterday, I spent a few (uninterrupted) hours at Alamo Music in downtown San Antonio and limiting my choices to a specific set of tonewoods would cause analysis paralysis. Here's a quick rundown of what I played the most:

Martin
000-17 all mahogany and 000-18, D-18, D-18 CFM IV 1955 model Sitka/Mahogany

Overall, the 000-17 was the nicest sounding and playing guitar for the money, however: since I already have an all Mahogany Larrivee 00-24 and a Martin Custom Shop 000 12 fret Sitka/Mahogany, the 000-17 was not significantly better than either of them.

Larrivee
J-09 Moonwood/Rosewood

This was the first time I ever played a Larrivee Jumbo and this guitar is a beauty. The following guys all played jumbos for fingerstyle and finger picking including Leo Kottke (Taylor), John Denver (Guild, Yamaha, Taylor), Rev Gary Davis and Ernie Hawkins (Gibson). The Larrivee would be a great choice for someone who wanted a big bodied, full sounding guitar that's comfortable to play.

Taylor
112ce ((honey burst top) and 114ce, both with Venetian cutaway and expression system plus an 8 string Baritone.

The 112/114 both came in at $899 and were easy to play but the quietist guitars I tried.

Furch
Violet Series Grand Concert Engleman Spruce/EIR and Violet Grand Concert with a barndoor pickup. Both have a Venetian cutaway. This was the first time I ever played a Furch and I was impressed with the build quality, finish and all solid wood selections. Since I am not a fan of barn door electronics, that was a negative for me on the second My answer would probably be different if I was a stage performer and had the controls and tuner at my fingertips. The pricing for the Czech Republic made Furch guitars took a hit because of the tariffs but still appear to be a good bang for their buck.

I also played an all Koa Martin custom guitar and saw but did not play a Jeff Tweedy signature model. The entire staff at Alamo was friendly, knowledgable, not at all high pressure and a strong testament for supporting a brick and mortar store. If I lived closer, I'd probably be living in a cave full of guitars.