Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

[Peter Krasov]

Hello gentlemen!

I know, that this topic has been already discussed, but I haven't found a proper answer for me.

Now I'm choosing between two guitars: Guild F512 and Guild F412. The thing is - I don't use any picks and play only with bare fingers - strumming and picking, both in studio or on stage, plugged or unplugged. Also I downtune all my guitars a whole step lower and use medium-to-heavy custom strings sets: 12-56. Which one - rosewood-bodied F512 or maple-bodied F412 will suit better for such style of playing? I would like to get the sound closer to Pete Seeger, with highly focused bass, mild mids and high notes.

I don't have a chance to compare both instruments at one time.

Thanks!

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

If you are trying to be like Pete I would go probably go with rosewood, but he mainly used a luthier made baritone 12 string guitar. IIRC Pete also used finger picks.

Here is the replica Martin made. http://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin-...-String-Acoustic-Guitar-108431164-i1763603.gc

 

[Peter Krasov]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

Thanks!

Pete Seeger signature guitar is quite out of my budget, and I don't need 27'' scale.

 

[Grenade]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

Take a listen to Leo Kottke. Lot of his stuff on youtube.

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

Rosewood will have more bass response and scooped mids (I think), typically.

The maple guitar should be a little more focused and cutting. Though with a bigger jumbo body, the F412 may give you more bass, but still a focused bottom end.

Another thing you will want to think about is body shape. I don't normally think of jumbo acoustics as being finger pickers. I normally associate them with strumming and chording. Are you mainly strumming with your fingers or are you finger picking most of the time?

 

[Peter Krasov]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

I'm strumming mailnly with my fingers.

Rosewood will have more bass response and scooped mids (I think), typically.

The maple guitar should be a little more focused and cutting. Though with a bigger jumbo body, the F412 may give you more bass, but still a focused bottom end.

Another thing you will want to think about is body shape. I don't normally think of jumbo acoustics as being finger pickers. I normally associate them with strumming and chording. Are you mainly strumming with your fingers or are you finger picking most of the time?

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

Can't go wrong with rosewood...

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

I'm strumming mailnly with my fingers.

To completely generalize, I guess it comes down to whether you want a brighter tone or not. But this is a big generalization.

I used to have a maple bodied acoustic and while it was really nice, it lacked the warmth I was looking for. I sold it a couple years ago and bought a rosewood acoustic and it fit the bill perfectly. Both had sitka spruce tops. Admittedly, my current acoustic has no cut-away and has a slightly larger body, but it sounds a lot fuller to my ears (both in volume and the tonal spectrum).

The maple guitar (Taylor 614ce) was great for finger picking, as it was super clear. My current guitar (Taylor GS8) is not quite as cutting, but it still sounds great for finger picking. In fact, I actually like the way it sounds for finger picking better than the maple one. That being said, if you're playing in a band live, the maple one will probably cut through the mix better.

Really, I think you should play both. Every time I've gone shopping for an acoustic I've gone in thinking I knew what I wanted, only to walk out with a different guitar than what I had in mind. Guitars can, and often do, surprise you. What draws you to those two models?

 

[Peter Krasov]

Re: Guitar for fingerpicking: Guild F512 or F412?

I tried some 6 and 12 string Guilds couple of years ago, and right then I wanted to get myself one of them, but I hadn't had a chance to do that.

Yesterday evening I've got a rosewood JF55-12, which is a sibling to F512. I really need warmer, thicker and darker tone, which is generally not the matter of maple bodies, as far as I know. I have already two really bright guitars: these are completely rebuilt vintage Fender Villager and Fender Shenandoah. They are jangly bright with concentrated attack due to bolt-on maple necks.

If this rosewood Guild doesn't suit my sound, I will swap it for maple-bodied F412 or something else.

Thank you for helping me to make the final choise!

To completely generalize, I guess it comes down to whether you want a brighter tone or not. But this is a big generalization.

I used to have a maple bodied acoustic and while it was really nice, it lacked the warmth I was looking for. I sold it a couple years ago and bought a rosewood acoustic and it fit the bill perfectly. Both had sitka spruce tops. Admittedly, my current acoustic has no cut-away and has a slightly larger body, but it sounds a lot fuller to my ears (both in volume and the tonal spectrum).

The maple guitar (Taylor 614ce) was great for finger picking, as it was super clear. My current guitar (Taylor GS8) is not quite as cutting, but it still sounds great for finger picking. In fact, I actually like the way it sounds for finger picking better than the maple one. That being said, if you're playing in a band live, the maple one will probably cut through the mix better.

Really, I think you should play both. Every time I've gone shopping for an acoustic I've gone in thinking I knew what I wanted, only to walk out with a different guitar than what I had in mind. Guitars can, and often do, surprise you. What draws you to those two models?