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What's your favorite combination of top and back for big finger style players. I'm not talking your average picker but on the scale of the Michael Hedges, etc

Thoughts
R

I think wood combinations and the sound of guitars is a very personal thing, but...

I do seen to recall reading that Michael Hedges' favorite guitar was a Ken duBourg which had a German Spruce top and Honduran Mahogany back and sides. Apparently it was well suited to the dropped tunings that Michael used. I believe it was the guitar he played on "Breakfast in the Fields".

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Mike

(MH)===:::

Too vague a question I'm afraid. Bert jansch played a rosewood yamaha, doc Watson mostly a mahogany dread, Robert Johnson likely played a ladder braced mahogany spruce little box. ..

Also, for professional players, a guitar for live playing with a pickup is a different proposition to a gifted amateur playing at home.

Those are my player based rather than experienced luthier opinions.

What Mike P. said.

Richard, it really is a wide-open conversation. It depends on your definition of "finger style", and also what type of sound the player is looking for.
Then you would need to discuss body style and scale length, etc.

That said...

I personally love a mahogany guitar with either a cedar or redwood top for more contemporary and celtic types of tunes.
You can't go wrong with adi and BRW for other things, and of course then there are a myriad of combinations that work for the myriad of players out there. A lot of traditional finger style playing was done on OM sized instruments, and smaller too.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Who's Michael Hedges?
He anything like Bill Broonzy?
Seriously, different players like what they like. I like red spruce/white oak or red spruce/BRW.

Unfortunately Michael died very young -- I had the good fortune to hear him in concert twice -- simply amazing. He was not your average finger style player -- He is known for having pioneered percussive finger style guitar.

I think the question is rather broad brush and has no real answer. There is no silver bullet. As an example Alex DeGrassi uses a Quilted Maple Lowden in concert (and a Taylor 800 I think Rosewood) -- but the truth is the guy could make just about any guitar sound great. Rick Russkin made a lot of recordings with a smallish Mahogany and Spruce -- again the guy is brilliant -- likely he could make a "swinette" sound good. $.02

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

From what I understand, in addition to the Dubourg guitar mentioned previously, Hedges favored a Martin D-28 and Lowdon L250 as well.

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George :-)

Let's not forget Rev. Davis with his jumbo Gibson. Hardly anyone's first pick as a "finger style" guitar.

I had the pleasure of meeting Hedges when I was in high school. At that time he was gigging exclusively with a D-28 that had been stolen and then found. It was outfitted with a frap pickup and a sunrise soundhole pickup. As with most all of the percussive style player's instruments, it was setup with extremely low action. In fact, I think most pickers would bottom out with a setup so low.

You might try to get ahold of Andrew White. He is a great builder and has made several custom instruments for percussive players, including Andy McKee and Kaki King. He might be able to give you some more detailed information than the generalities that most of us can offer in response to your question.

Also, check out the Candyrat label. They sort of specialize in the genre, and you can learn a lot about what those player's preferences are.

I saw Hedges three times, Pierre Bensusan twice, Don Ross twice, once with Andy Mckee, and once with Alex DeGrassi. All great musicians, but Michael Hedges was a special performer. He was comfortable enough in his own musical ability to do covers of other musicians songs, and not make them unrecognizable.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker