I play a nice old (1969) D-18 with no pickup installed. I get a LOT of volume with my two metal fingerpicks and one plastic thumbpick; I developed my technique years ago when performing (unamplified) on streetcorners. (I learned to sing pretty loud, too.)

I find myself practice-playing at home barefingered more often than I used to, but I still put on the picks to perform in in public and for at least some practice sessions. I get a wider range of tonal colors and better control using picks, while on the other hand can be a little more delicate and creative without them ~ I'll develop a new little wrinkle in an arrangement noodling around barefingered, and later learn to duplicate or approximate the same riffs wearing picks.

I'm not a working professional, and I am woefully audio-tech illiterate. My little monthly coffeehouse appearance involves two microphones (guitar and vocal), and the only thing I know about adjusting the sound rig is to turn the bass down and the treble up on the guitar-mic channel, to compensate for my instrument's bottom-heavy sound. Works for me.