Finger Style Question

Fuengi

I'm not sure I know what finger style really is. 
What are the 'standards' of finger style?

What are certain acoustics 'better' for finger style?

Steve-O

I would use it to refer  to "finger picking" guitar styles like Merle Travis and Chet Atkins, later Tommy Emmanuel, Richard Smith e.t.c.  A few standards would be "Ill see you in my dreams", "cannonball rag", "windy and warm".

With this type of finger style you are often reaching around the neck with your thumb to hit a bass note, so a guitar with a slimmer neck may be desirable. Something like a Grand Concert Taylor would be great. 

ToneControl

I'd say it is where you are not using a pick, and are not strumming, but are using more than one digit to pluck the strings

If you have no nails, a brighter sounding acoustic might be better

It's perfectly easy to play fingerstyle on large bodied acoustics, and it will be a fuller sound, with more bass.
Many people go for "Jumbo" or "Grand auditorium" size, rather than the dreadnaught, which can be boomy mic'd up  

Lestratcaster

By using the thumb and index/middle/third finger to play individual strings, sometimes together but you don't use a pick.

DulcetJones

Most classical guitarists play fingerstyle on a nylon string guitar, as do most flamenco players.  Popular steel string fingerstyle examples are "Blackbird" (Beatles) and "Dust in the Wind" (Kansas).  There are some electric players that don't use a pick but sound a lot like they do, such as Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits .

Fuengi

Would you say that the intro to Wish You Were Here, or Tracey Chapman's Fast Car is finger style?

DulcetJones

Tracy Chapman might be playing fingerstyle on that, but I think it could be done with a pick, Wish You Were Here is probably a pick as well.    In the  Pink Floyd case it sounds like a 12 string, they're harder to fingerpick crisply on and I know how to play it and find it is easily done with a pick.    When you can hear a bass note and a high note simultaneously you're probably hearing fingerstyle, bass note - thumb, high note - a finger.

menamestom

Babe I'm gonna leave you to me is the archetypal steel string fingerstyle tune.

Lewy

Some more iconic fingerstyle standards:

Streets of London - Ralph McTell
Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotton
Guitar Rag - Merle Travis

munckee

A lot of simon and garfunkel is fingerstyle, the boxer is a nice piece to learn.

Kilgore

There are loads of Beatles songs you can play fingerstyle. Here Comes the Sun is popular.