Advice on 'neat' little fingerpicker . Max £2k

jakeolly

hi chaps
Brother in law is wanting to push the boat out . Fingerstyle, big hands so no big strummer looking for experiences / advice for fingerpickers up to £2k

000 and 00 martins are the obvious but interested in your knowledge 
ta 

TimmyO

There was a secondhand Lowden F32 at Coda when I was there for 2k 

crunchman

Furch/Stonebridge are good.  I have one of their OMs.

Look out for something like an Atkin.  I've seen them starting from around £1500 second hand - although a lot of his output seems to be dreadnoughts.

McSwaggerty

Eastman E10P....E20....00... etc
Great nut width and Bridge spacing for fingerpickers with big hands.
Great Guitars !

AliGorie

good suggestions guys but that Lowdie is THE one if
Furch/Stonebridge etc -
oh dont forget Larravee.
can I say I've got quite big hands / fingers and a mate has a Eastie EOM and I find it a tad 'tight' for digging in but after a while you get used to the string spread @ saddle - in saying that I'm used to the <> 2 - 1/4 inch spread on my Lowden and Bourgeois - like for decades.
go try that F32 Jake.
 

TimmyO

Just checked - it was £2,099 actually.

That sounds like a number expected to be rounded down if ever I saw one :-) 

BigLicks67

There's a nice used Martin 00-18V on eBay for less than 2k.

jakeolly

Thanks people. Great help and advice as ever. Much appreciated 

earwighoney

jakeolly said:

hi chaps
Brother in law is wanting to push the boat out . Fingerstyle, big hands so no big strummer looking for experiences / advice for fingerpickers up to £2k

000 and 00 martins are the obvious but interested in your knowledge 
ta 

I'd avoid new Martin's if possible.  Most of the new ones have 2 5/32" string spacing at the saddle, which isn't wide enough for fingerpicking IMO. 

Where is your bro in law based?  I'd recommend heading to a guitar shop and trying as many guitars before buying a guitar.  

earwighoney

AliGorie said:

good suggestions guys but that Lowdie is THE one if
Furch/Stonebridge etc -
oh dont forget Larravee.
can I say I've got quite big hands / fingers and a mate has a Eastie EOM and I find it a tad 'tight' for digging in but after a while you get used to the string spread @ saddle - in saying that I'm used to the <> 2 - 1/4 inch spread on my Lowden and Bourgeois - like for decades.
go try that F32 Jake.
 

The Eastman OM has tight finger spacing but the 0/00 models have fat necks with 1 13/16" nut, and 2 11/32" string spacing. 

BigLicks67

earwighoney said:

jakeolly said:

hi chaps
Brother in law is wanting to push the boat out . Fingerstyle, big hands so no big strummer looking for experiences / advice for fingerpickers up to £2k

000 and 00 martins are the obvious but interested in your knowledge 
ta 

I'd avoid new Martin's if possible.  Most of the new ones have 2 5/32" string spacing at the saddle, which isn't wide enough for fingerpicking IMO. 

Not true, the latest D18 has a spacing of 2 3/16, as do a number of the new standard models.

mellowsun

This one at Coda is worth checking out - Marc Beneteau is one of the world's top luthiers

https://www.coda-music.com/secondhand/beneteau-concert-jumbo-sitka-flamed-maple-secondhand.html

TimmyO

mellowsun said:

This one at Coda is worth checking out - Marc Beneteau is one of the world's top luthiers

https://www.coda-music.com/secondhand/beneteau-concert-jumbo-sitka-flamed-maple-secondhand.html

I played that one when I was there - it's lovely - quite a different sound to the Lowdens I played alongside it - beautifully made and felt fantastic 

Bluesman1989

There's a 1997 Lowden D32 at TAMCO that might be worth a look. Only issue for me would be the nut width. That Beneteau at 2k though!

woody

Keep an eye on ebay,especially the more obscure brands.i picked up a tom doerr 00 for £1500.it betters everything i own by a margin at half the price.

Trude

I have a lovely Martin 000-18 from 2014 that I'll be letting go for £1500 soon.  Also has a K&K pure mini pickup installed.  PM me if you want to know more!

KDS

Brook

proggy

Eastman E20p. Solid rosewood back and sides and adirondack top, all for about £1,300.

I've got one, it's lovely.

thomasross20

Larrivee. Destroys all others for less money, too. 

TBH I'm considering nylon string for fingerpicking.... The bass notes seem louder and the nylon strings are easier on the fingers...