Best Acoustic Guitars for Fingerpicking

At some point in almost every acoustic guitarist’s musical journey, there comes a time to put down the plectrum and boldly venture into the world of fingerpicking. It’s true that it’s not for everyone; many guitarists will quickly find that they prefer the precision of the pick or perhaps bring out a fingerpicking tune only on rare occasions. However, for many guitarists, the rhythmic, harmonic, and arrangement possibilities of fingerpicking are a revelation.

For brave musicians, investing in a dedicated fingerpicking instrument pays dividends. Why? While the big-body dreadnoughts that almost every acoustic guitarist starts on can fingerpick just fine, a smaller and more balanced acoustic often proves a superior tonality for many schools of fingerpicking. And even if you prefer punching out your ultra-modern percussive fingerstyle patterns or old-timey blues pieces on a dread (or even a jumbo!), the smaller-bodied guitars so commonly found in the world of fingerstyle indisputably offer a distinctly intimate tone all their own.

So, whether you’re a fingerpicking guru looking for a new 6-string or just diving into your first few patterns, allow Sweetwater to guide you through our expertly curated choices for the best guitars for fingerpicking!

Note: At Sweetwater, we know there’s no such thing as “best” when it comes to music gear. Every player and artist has unique tastes, which is what makes selecting gear so fun! The items on this list feature some of our favorite products from top manufacturers to help you start your buying journey! Explore these recommendations and dive into Sweetwater’s massive collection of gear on our online store. For personalized picks and expert advice, please contact our knowledgeable Sweetwater Sales Engineers at (800) 222-4700!

Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy Flat TopYamaha FS820 Concert Acoustic GuitarAlvarez AF60SHB Artist 60 Folk Acoustic GuitarFender CC-140SCEWashburn Bella Tono Allure SC56S Acoustic-electric GuitarGuild M-20 Concert Acoustic GuitarGibson Acoustic L-00 Studio RosewoodLarrivée OM-05-MH Acoustic GuitarTaylor 812ce Acoustic-electric GuitarMartin 000-28 Modern Deluxe Acoustic Guitar

Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top

Style and tone straight out of the blues age

Small, punchy, and packed to the brim with vintage vibe — the Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top boasts all the hallmarks of a top-class blues box. This guitar’s basswood body and petite parlor shape deliver a decidedly mid-forward drawl, instantly calling to mind the raw and rustic sound of pre-electric blues. And while the 12th fret neck joint may restrict a little range up on the dusty end, it more than makes up for it by imbuing this guitar with a superior depth and surprisingly fierce projection. What about playability? The Jim Dandy’s slightly short scale length, 1.6875-inch nut width, and C-shaped, walnut-topped nato neck form a comfortable foundation for bluesy bars and classic country patterns. Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the Jim Dandy’s endlessly cool Depression-era appointments, including an old-school top-loading bridge, a single-ply pickguard with a “G” graphic, and stylish binding/purfling.

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Yamaha FS820 Concert Acoustic Guitar

Yamaha’s tried-and-true entry-level concert acoustic

Whether you’re shopping for your first guitar or your fifth, Yamaha guitars are recommended for their extraordinary consistency, impressive tone, and sheer value. The Yamaha FS820 Concert acoustic guitar is the perfect instrument for the guitarist looking to dive headfirst into fingerpicking. The FS820 boasts a classic concert shape that’s essentially the de facto standard for fingerpicking guitars. This shape supplies you with enough power and balance to serve admirably as a solo instrument or in an ensemble context. The time-tested tonewood combination of a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides delivers a clear, dry, and exceptionally versatile sound. From melodic fingerstyle elegance to country-style Travis picking to bluesy bark, the Yamaha FS820 Concert is a top-notch fingerpicking guitar for players of all stripes.

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Alvarez AF60SHB Artist 60 Folk Acoustic Guitar

A natural choice for folksy fingerpicking

Ideal for the aspiring fingerpicking-plus-singer/songwriter extraordinaire, the Alvarez AF60SHB Artist 60 folk acoustic guitar is perfect for top-class tones and the utmost playing comfort. This guitar’s shorter 24.8-inch scale length, 1-3/4-inch nut width, and ultra-playable soft V-to-C-shaped neck profile offer an appealing package for the burgeoning fingerpicker — and that’s before we even get to the solid A+ Sitka spruce top and crisp-sounding mahogany back and sides! Factor in the true bone nut, traditional dovetail, and Indian laurel fingerboard, and the Alvarez AF60SHB Artist 60 is a true workhorse of a 6-string that’s sure to please fingerpickers of all backgrounds.

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Fender CC-140SCE

For the stage-bound fingerstyle

Another perfect pick for the player looking to hit the stage is the Fender CC-140SCE. It delivers the best of both unplugged and acoustic-electric worlds. This guitar’s classic concert size, mahogany Fender easy-to-play neck profile, solid spruce top, and rosewood back and sides ensure proper fingerpicking tones and playability right out of the box. The deep cutaway grants you full access to all 20 frets of the rosewood fingerboard. Lastly, the Fishman Presys Plus preamp — complete with 3-band EQ, phase switch, and built-in tuner — makes this concert-sized acoustic-electric a gigging powerhouse. Simply put, the CC-140SCE is one of Fender’s best guitars for fingerpicking, boasting a skill set that’s as relevant in the practice room as it is in the performance theater!

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Washburn Bella Tono Allure SC56S Acoustic-electric Guitar

Stage-ready performance, eye-catching aesthetics

Before you ever strike your first chord (or pick your first pattern), the elegant aesthetics of the Washburn Bella Tono Allure SC56S acoustic-electric guitar will make a statement! From the abalone and turquoise beach scene inlays to the striking binding, this guitar will enrapture the eyes of any audience. That’s all well and good, but what about the all-important tone? Luckily for fingerpickers everywhere, the Bella Tono Allure SC56S’s solid spruce top and select acacia studio-shaped body deliver a deep, defined, and projecting tone that more than matches this instrument’s extravagant looks. For the fingerpicker hunting for an instrument with equally impressive looks and performance, it’s tough to top Washburn’s Bella Tono Allure SC56S.

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Guild M-20 Concert Acoustic Guitar

Vintage-inspired Guild boasting all-mahogany construction

While they’re certainly less common among strummers and most plectrum-playing guitarists, small-bodied, all-mahogany guitars, like the Guild M-20 Concert acoustic guitar, hold a special status in the fingerpicking world. Why? Compared to their spruce-topped siblings, mahogany-topped instruments sport a darker and slightly softer tone, which perfectly pairs with the touch-sensitive dynamics of a small-bodied guitar. The M-20 perfectly fits this mold, with an all-mahogany body that provides immaculate string-to-string balance and ringing resonance with every note. A short, 24-3/4-inch scale length, C-shaped mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, and wide, 1-3/4-inch nut width seal the deal with fingerstyle-friendly playability. It’s a natural choice for old-school blues fingerpickers. Still, the M-20 is perhaps most famous for possibly being the sound behind legendary fingerpicker Nick Drake — a hotly debated point. But it’s hard to argue that the Guild M-20 doesn’t nail the moody, haunting tones found on a record like Pink Moon.

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Gibson Acoustic L-00 Studio Rosewood

Gibson’s petite, small-body 6-string emboldened with resonant rosewood

Since it debuted in the 1930s, Gibson’s L-00 model has served as an all-time classic, small-bodied guitar with a particular penchant for midrange-heavy fingerpicking bite. However, compared to your typical L-00’s mahogany back and sides, the L-00 Studio pairs its solid Sitka spruce top with a stunning solid rosewood back and sides. The result? A more open, full-range fingerpicking tone that offers deeper lows and clear, zingy trebles. Plus, while the tone is quite different from a mahogany-body L-00, the Gibson L-00 Studio Rosewood retains the same focused attack and touch-sensitive response that has made this model a fingerpicking classic for nearly a century. Fishman Sonitone electronics complete the package, faithfully translating the L-00 Studio Rosewood’s lush harmonic-laden unplugged tone into a powerful acoustic-electric punch.

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Larrivée OM-05-MH Acoustic Guitar

Professional-grade, do-it-all orchestra model

Undoubtedly, the Larrivée team in Oxnard, California, is making some of the finest acoustic guitars that Sweetwater offers. The Larrivée OM-05-MH acoustic guitar is no exception, sporting all the ultra-high-end appointments found on almost every Larrivée in the book, including a 1-piece mahogany neck, an ebony fingerboard, and maple binding. And although the OM-05-MH’s elegant looks are worth mentioning, the show’s real star is its 6-string tone. This guitar features an all-solid configuration of a Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and proprietary bracing carved from moon spruce. What does that mean in tonal terms? Crisp highs, forward mids, and a robust bottom end form the perfect foundation for fingerstyle finesse. What’s more, as an “OM” (Orchestra Model), the OM-05-MH sports a 25-1/2-inch scale length, granting a more full-bodied tone overall. That makes this instrument particularly suited for players who regularly experiment with alternate tunings.

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Taylor 812ce Acoustic-electric Guitar

Lush, balanced, and ready to hit the stage

When it comes to fingerpicking, string-to-string balance can be a deal-breaker — an instrument with excessive low end or overpowering high strings can dampen even the most well-rehearsed arrangement. If you’re after an instrument where every string rings out with the same depth and intensity, then look no further than the Taylor 812ce acoustic-electric guitar. Sweetwater musicians revere Taylors of all shapes and sizes as some of the best guitars for fingerpicking, and the 812ce’s ultra-responsive, spruce-topped rosewood Grand Concert body, deep Venetian cutaway, and comfortable armrest all add up to a truly excellent instrument. What about plugged-in tones? Taylor’s Expression System 2 electronics produce the most authentic-sounding acoustic-electric tones in the 6-string realm, and you even get a versatile set of tone controls and a polarity switch to tweak your sound to perfection.

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Martin 000-28 Modern Deluxe Acoustic Guitar

Inspired by Martin’s prewar golden age

Whether you’re playing Travis-style or ultra-modern, melodic fingerstyle patterns straight out of the mid-20th century, the Martin 000-28 Modern Deluxe acoustic guitar is one of the best guitars for fingerpicking at Sweetwater. This instrument is essentially a premium version of the Martin 000-28 acoustic guitar — a fingerpicking titan for well over a century — with a few choice updates thrown in for good measure. Just like the standard 000-28, this Modern Deluxe guitar has a gorgeous rosewood back and sides, but the spruce top undergoes a cutting-edge VTS (Vintage Tone System) process for a beautifully aged tone right out of the box. Next, the mahogany neck gives you an asymmetrical, ultra-low-profile carve and a 1-3/4-inch nut width to facilitate fingerstyle finesse. At the same time, the ebony fingerboard houses a set of ultra-durable gold frets. Frankly, while the 000-28 Modern Deluxe is one of Martin’s best guitars for fingerpicking, this heirloom-level instrument is indeed a do-it-all 6-string that’s ready to provide a lifetime of masterful Martin tones.

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Shop Sweetwater’s Favorite Fingerpicking Acoustics

While these 10 instruments are certainly some of our favorite fingerpicking guitars, the truth is they’re just the tip of the iceberg — Sweetwater carries hundreds of fingerstyle-ready guitars from all the 6-string world’s top brands. Need help to decide? Call your personalized Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700, and get started today!
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