Hi Peter,

Having a classical background, I bet you’re a great fingerstyle player and I’ll be looking forward to your showcases and submissions as I love fingerstyle playing!

As for the gear suggestions, it’s really hard to recommend anything because of different tastes, influences, anatomy, and what not… A wider fretboard narrows it down a bit and Martin guitars come to mind but … what is your budget? There are so many choices, I think it would be best to stop at a guitar store in your area and try some out.

Personally, as much as I love Martin guitar tones, my dream fingerstyle guitar would be one of the higher end Taylors but I have small hands etc etc. I think they sound fantastic, look amazing, and are sooooo easy to play! (again – for me). I have a GS mini now and absolutely love it but it’s just a travel size guitar.

Generally, smaller body acoustics (ex. parlor or orchestra size) sound great for blues – especially played fingerstyle but I could be proved wrong by many. So it all comes down to YOUR preference and taste. By the way, I’ve seen a few players play blues on classical guitars and they sounded awesome! For example, here’s one of my favorites:
Blues on a classical guitar

And here’s another blues played on nylon strings.

Richard

When I first heard this JoLa, I thought ‘damn it’ I’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere on my journey.

Richard

Peter

Much of that would depend on your budget and how much you are wanting to spend

For lower priced guitars, Yamaha, Alvarez, Washburn are some brands that you could check out. Martin & Taylor both have several models under $600

I think everyone here will agree that the best thing to do is go to local shops and try everything that this available in your price range

Keith
aka GnLguy

Hi Peter,

I agree with the comments above; your budget is a key factor.
Normally, I wouldn’t recommend expensive instruments to beginners, but you seem to be a very experienced player already, so the situation is different.
I really urge you to try and play as many instruments as you possibly can before buying anything.

You say you want to play blues. Do you mean blues only, or do you include other somewhat related genres such as folk, country, ragtime, … ?
The reason I’m asking is because if you mean strictly blues, you’ll probably obtain the best results with small-ish all-mahogany guitars (mahogany top, sides and back) such as the Martin 000-15M and the like, but that sound is very specific and may not be so adequate for other genres where spruce tops will usually sound better. Also, I don’t know if the Martin has the cut away as an option.
If you are really after that blues sound, this may steer your hunt in a particular direction. Note that spruce tops won’t prevent you from playing the blues – it’s just going to be a less blues-focused sound.

I also wonder why you want an amplifier? You really don’t need one, unless you plan to play live gigs. But I think it is a good idea to equip the guitar with a pickup system anyway, just in case. I would recommend LR Baggs or Fishman. But a competent repair shop can always install that later.
If you do want to buy an amplifier, I would recommend having a look at the Schertler acoustic amps (for example the Jam 100). In my personal opinion, they are the best, but yes, they are more expensive than comparable units from other brands. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with the Fishman Loudbox or the the Fender Acoustic.

Hope this helps…

Long time AM member here, also a classical guitar owner. I’ve got about 15 guitars, electric and acoustic. I have some experience playing a classical guitar, but seldom play it now days. Here are my personal preferences:

A wide neck, same as you. Very few steel string guitars have a wider neck, sadly. Seagull guitars (Canadian) are said to have the widest necks. Google it. And just lately I’ve started playing some blues on my long-ignored classical. Love it!

A shorter scale length and smaller body. There’s a reason why so many pro guitarists are switching to small body guitars. I have a Taylor GS Mini, a Taylor Baby (I installed a Fishman pickup on it), a Martin Dreadnaught Junior, an Alvarez AF-30CE, and a carbon fiber by Journey, all small body guitars. Did you know that the shorter the string length, the less tension on the strings and easier to bend notes and make bar chords? Just ask Ed Sheeren, Taylor Swift, Justin Johnson, etc. They all prefer small body guitars.

I have 4 amps – 1 small, 2 medium, and 1 large, mostly Blackstars. But I seldom use any of them, even for my electric guitars. That’s because I record all my stuff on Logic Pro (same as Brian). My guitar goes: guitar > Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 > MacBook + 6″ KRK Rokit studio monitors. Of course, by turning on Live Monitoring in Logic Pro, I can choose any of thousands of effects, so no pedals needed. And one day it occurred to me, why do I even need any amps? My studio monitors sound even better, and there are maybe hundreds of built-in amp simulators in Logic.

I know how to mic an amp and get a quality recording, but with direct input to Logic it’s waaaay faster and easier, and most people can’t tell the difference. Plus I hate wearing headphones while playing a guitar.

Am I just a grumpy old man? Not really, just a lazy old man.