CarlZen:

Everybody here agrees that a dreadnought is NOT an ideal fingerstyle guitar. I think the ideal fingerstyle guitar is an OM (Orchestra Model). I have had one now, for almost a year, and I just LOVE it. I fingerpick exclusively, playing a lot of Mississippi John Hurt, some Libba Cotton, some Dave Van Ronk and a little Ragtime. I LOVE Ragtime! Missippi John Hurt's Vanguard studio albums, from the mid sixties, were recorded with Stefan Grossman's 1930 Martin OM-45. They are available on CD, and you should try and listen to them, to get an idea of the superb sound of the guitar, not to mention MJH's superb playing.

The OM was invented by C. F. Martin in 1929, and mine is a vintage reissue of their 1930 OM-28. It is in their current catalog, and copies of it are made by Collings, Santa Cruz and others. The Taylor X12 is about the same size, but there is a major problem, right now, with Taylor's restrictions on its dealers' advertising, a subject for another thread.

What makes an OM?
000 body size, 14 fret neck, 1 3/4" wide fingerboard at the nut, wider string spacing at the sound hole (where you play), a longer (25.4") string scale and light, scalloped top bracing. These guitars are made for LIGHT guage strings.

What does this give you?
A clear, evenly balanced sound across the whole range of the guitar, from low bass to high trebel, with no obvious peaks, great sound projection and separation of individual strings, easier Right hand fingering, cleaner, if slightly more demanding, Left hand fingering on complex positions and changes. The "demanding" comes from the higher string tension of the longer scale and the slightly wider stretches, but you get used to that pretty quickly.

I too like Rosewood/Spruce for its rich, warm, dark tone and for its subtlety and expressive range. I also like the "Martin Sound", which is unique. I can play very soft or loud, and it still sounds great. I suggest you find a Martin 000-28EC (short scale) and an OM-28VR or their equivalents, and play them side by side, to compare the difference in sound and feel. In the end, the choice is purely personal, but you must try a lot of guitars, to find what is RIGHT for you.

Happy shopping, EZR