Fingerpickers (including classical guitarists) tend to like a wider string spacing than flat pickers. Usually a 1 3/4" nut width on steel strings and 2" on a classical. While you can certainly play fingerstyle on a slimmer neck, the wider ones make playing cleanly easier.
Because fingerstyle tends to be a more "intimate" style, the smaller bodied guitars lend themselves nicely to it. They're also more comfortable to play for some of us. A dreadnaught works fine for fingerstyle too, and you can also strum the hell out of a smaller -bodied guitar. For playing rhythm in a band context a larger, dread or jumbo, body gives you the volume you want.
The major exception or rule would be that if you want to play with serious bluegrass people you must play a Martin Dreadnaught! That's only because they're snobs...
|