It’s a big acoustic - an F50, so it seems it should have no problems with 12’s. I do need to get it into a tech but the nearest one is about 30 miles away. Part of the problem of living in the middle of nowhere. Maybe this is justification to get another acoustic? “Hey wife, I need to leave my guitar in that far-away town but I can’t live without having one for so long” 
I was watching the David Lindley link (Brings back my teenage years; thanks for that Wordman) and saw this.
I want an oud now, Dammit!
Wguy, I think that would be the prudent option! Perhaps a nice maple Taylor to sooth your soul…
My god, that is badass. Playing an oud in a more traditional way, and the rocking a classic Delta Blues song on it. Jeez, Lindley is a genius polymath string whacko. I love him.
I use D’addario phosphor bronze 12s on my Martin. If I can find them, I get the semi-flat wound ones. On the Strat, I use Ernie Ball slinky 10s. I play acoustic differently than I play electric.
This is going to sound about as guitar newb as it comes, but, here it comes:
I’m having a hard time playing a clean C/G. I cannot consistently get the D string to ring cleanly. My pinky seems to muffle it too much. I’ve tried pushing my ring finger and pinky towards the low E side but that doesn’t seem to help. I have tried to really “arch” my fingers and stand off my thumb and this seems to get better results. However, it still is not reliable. I get the best results if I plant my ring and pinkie and then pick those two and then plant the middle and index but it doesn’t make a smooth chord unless you are doing arpeggio type stuff.
And, as you can tell, I have an even harder time trying to describe what the hell I’m trying. :smack: Any advice? I don’t even have fat fingers!
Please share the fingerings you are using.
I assume that, starting on the Low E to the High E, you are playing:
-
C = xx32010
-
Which G?
-> 320003 with your Index, Middle, Ring?
-> 320003 with your Middle, Ring and Pinkie?
-> 320033 with all four fingers?
None of the above. Maybe I didn’t write it correctly (wouldn’t surprise me)…I’m trying to play a “C slash G” which I thought was notated as C/G. C chord with a G on the low E string. So:
332010
Does that make sense? It’s the D string that isn’t ringing.
I do like that you gave the C notation for a 7-string 
Had to do a triple-take.
Try playing 330010 and see that the D string ring. You may find your problem that way.
Missed the edit window:
I should note that I have no problem playing any of the versions of C or G you listed above. Have been moving to the 320003 version of the G with middle, ring and pinkie for better options (using the index where needed) as well as speed of transitions. Doing the same thing for E - makes transitions quicker, particularly when moving to barred shapes of the E up the neck.
I stink at notation. Hopefully I get my point across.
Okay, you are going for a full C, adding the Fifth, the G, to the lower end of the chord.
First, try NOT doing that. Play the 7-string C I showed above ;). Just mute the Low E with your thumb over, and use your three strongest fingers - Index, Mid, Ring - to play C on the A, D and B strings.
When you can do that cleanly with your stronger fingers, try adding the low G, but it is not necessary for the chord.
I have tried this as well. I just can’t seem to get my pinkie out of the way reliably. If I plant the ring and pinkie very deliberately and then the other two, I can get it most of the time. I’m guessing this is just a case where I just need to practice it every time I pick up the guitar and eventually I’ll get it. Like the full F chord was long ago (and most barre chords).
Ok, you know your problem then. Practice probably will help but I think a wider fretboard may be what you want.
My Guild acoustic does have a narrow neck. Thanks for giving me yet another reason to get another guitar. 
I can play the C chord cleanly and reliably transition between it and A, E, G, D. I just can’t add that lower G. The version of “You are my Sunshine” I am learning uses that version which is why I have been trying it lately. Thanks WordMan.
Muscle memory is a definitely a huge part. When I was learning barre chords I remember holding the chord as long as I could and just strumming. When my hand gave out, I’d shake it out, and then go again. Eventually it will feel natural.
Recently, just for fun I flipped my guitar around and tried to fret some chords left handed. I forgot how difficult it was starting from scratch!
Apparently, there is a new magazine called Guitar Connoisseur. They have come on board as a sponsor of the Acoustic Guitar Forum: Welcome new sponsor - Guitar Connoisseur Magazine! - The Acoustic Guitar Forum
::sigh::
I appreciate their sponsorship of the messageboard, but a flip through the magazine just grinds me.
I weighed in about how I feel about this type of magazine in a previous thread: Why Guitar Aficionado is all about the Douchebag Lifestyle (Jim Irsay, Colts Owner) - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board
Is there any content in that magazine or is it just all ads for guitars I could never afford? I got tired of flipping forward to yet another ad…
12s on both.
Anything lighter doesn’t have the punch on my acoustic, but I really don’t like acoustic because those strings always feel harder to fret than the same strings on an electric.
Anything lighter doesn’t sound like jazz on my electric. 12s or 13s, always flatwound.
These days, after months of playing bass alone (much longer scale, thicker strings), my guitars all feel like children’s instruments in my hands, with thin wires ready to slice through my fingers. My fingers feel particularly clumsy on a guitar, though I occasionally pick one up and run through a progression of jazz chords, just to see if I have forgotten everything.
On the plus side, I’m getting all kinds of great finish ideas for builds…
Such as?