Leee
Another vote for MusicLab's RealGuitar series, they have acoustic and electric guitars, very playable, strum by hand or with preset patterns.  

Indiginus and Orange Tree also make some great VST guitars, and they have built in efx.
But my first choice for all around quality and playability is MusicLab's guitars.

I've got both REALGuitar and REALLPC. They are fantastic. The LPC plays nice with Amplitube - it's really easy to dial in a tone from the presets.

+1 for RealGuitar. I have RealGuitar, RealStrat and Real LPC and use them on almost every backing track I record for my duo. Real Guitar is just great as is while Real Strat, especially, is a happy co-worker with Guitar Rig. 

Thank you all! Lots to check out. Very cool stuff.

One question I have after doing some looking at the recommendations: will a 25-key Novation MIDI keyboard work? Looks like all the demo videos are using bigger keyboards. Most concerned with having a few keys mapped as key switches and enough keys left over to play auto chord strum an fingerpicking patterns.

I also have a 76-key controller, but it would jam up my small bedroom recording space. Could make it work spacewise but would prefer the smaller 25-key if I can get away with it.

Realitone is supposed to have finger picking done right - that's what the web site says.

Have all but one (RealGuitar) of the above... and many more... as a guitar/bass player with failing/aging hands I've been on a continual search for "guitarz" for decades and I'm not shy of buying it all and giving it all a chance...
 
Both Jude and Than.... nailed it, by a WIDE margen...Orange Tree Samples OTS Acoustics!  IAO OTS products are far beyond anything on the marked... latency, best strum&playing engine and best programability, most awesome guitar/effects rack, best quality of samples, continual useful updates, one on one interaction, a local dude, right here in the free state of California, with the best bundle/rewards program ever devised.
 
You would do yourself a disservice if you went elsewhere...if you want the best... I've spent ooooodles...I Now own everything OTS makes...still buy all of Tracy's stuff (another free stater, I do believe) and Pettinghouse over in Europe is a very inexpensive way to go (he has an everything... 11 pretty awesome guitars for 99$ deal on right now, for the next couple days, which is pretty insane). 
 
However, do you want to have an intelligent discussion with the developer?  Do you wanna have the best?  OTS is the place... I have chatted with Greg many times... He'ss awesome...and has implemented things we've discussed.  He is constantly butting up against Kontakt limitations and immediately innovates when new abilities are introduced...
 
The only other real unique acoustic is Realitone's "fingerpick".  NO OTHER guitarz FINGERPICK!!!  It is amazing and I love it, although it needs EQing to bring out the luster of the Takamini (same as mine) that he sampled,...  It is still available for the intro price of $79, regular $119, which would still be a fantastic deal... Here again, Mike Green is a local free stater in Southern California, very approachable and a one man army! 
 
In summary,  

1. If your funds are limited, grab the pettinghouse and fingerpick deals; huge leg up on any other approach right away...
2. If you just want the BEST steel string or nylon, and don't wanna bother learning multiple gui's (many crappy and all others very limited), go OTS...   
3. If both of the above is true, do 1. above and save ur money/sign up for OTS's newsletter, and grab his awesome stuff in a sale... it's almost xmas...and... in the long run, if you start bundling up, $175 products become $100-125 products which for the quality and consistancy of awesome gui/instruments, is a steal!

 

Or spend hours watching the Uboob videos. There's a ton of 'em and some 'r well done.....

Vastman
Have all but one (RealGuitar) of the above... and many more... as a guitar/bass player with failing/aging hands I've been on a continual search for "guitarz" for decades and I'm not shy of buying it all and giving it all a chance...
 
Both Jude and Than.... nailed it, by a WIDE margen...Orange Tree Samples OTS Acoustics!  IAO OTS products are far beyond anything on the marked... latency, best strum&playing engine and best programability, most awesome guitar/effects rack, best quality of samples, continual useful updates, one on one interaction, a local dude, right here in the free state of California, with the best bundle/rewards program ever devised.
 
You would do yourself a disservice if you went elsewhere...if you want the best... I've spent ooooodles...I Now own everything OTS makes...still buy all of Tracy's stuff (another free stater, I do believe) and Pettinghouse over in Europe is a very inexpensive way to go (he has an everything... 11 pretty awesome guitars for 99$ deal on right now, for the next couple days, which is pretty insane). 
 
However, do you want to have an intelligent discussion with the developer?  Do you wanna have the best?  OTS is the place... I have chatted with Greg many times... He'ss awesome...and has implemented things we've discussed.  He is constantly butting up against Kontakt limitations and immediately innovates when new abilities are introduced...
 
The only other real unique acoustic is Realitone's "fingerpick".  NO OTHER guitarz FINGERPICK!!!  It is amazing and I love it, although it needs EQing to bring out the luster of the Takamini (same as mine) that he sampled,...  It is still available for the intro price of $79, regular $119, which would still be a fantastic deal... Here again, Mike Green is a local free stater in Southern California, very approachable and a one man army! 
 
In summary,  

1. If your funds are limited, grab the pettinghouse and fingerpick deals; huge leg up on any other approach right away...
2. If you just want the BEST steel string or nylon, and don't wanna bother learning multiple gui's (many crappy and all others very limited), go OTS...   
3. If both of the above is true, do 1. above and save ur money/sign up for OTS's newsletter, and grab his awesome stuff in a sale... it's almost xmas...and... in the long run, if you start bundling up, $175 products become $100-125 products which for the quality and consistancy of awesome gui/instruments, is a steal!

 

 
Thanks for the great review and suggestions. Bummer I don't have (and don't have the dough to buy) the full Kontakt, which Pettinghouse site says its product requires, in addition to, a vst. The OTS sounds great, but is kinda pricey; I have my eye on some other music-making goodies to add to my arsenal, with a fixed budget. Realitone Fingerpick works in the free Kontack Player. I'm going to give it a 30-day try and see how it goes. $79 looks hard to beat. Was really most interested in good finger-picking. I'm a decent strummer, but can't fingerpick worth a lick. 
 

soens
Or spend hours watching the Uboob videos. There's a ton of 'em and some 'r well done.....

Ha-ha! No doubt! I've probably seen them all!!

Orange tree works in the Kontakt Player and today started their 30% off sale

Have a fruitful holiday

For finger-picking: OrangeTree Evolution Acoustic
For strumming: Prominy Hummingbird
 
Pettinhouse Acoustic also has an easy to use strum pattern system, but the guitar isn't as full-bodied as I'd like.
 
Regards,
Dan