Hi Gene

Would not surprise me if He is using nylon strings instead
of usual bronze type,because there is no fret noise?

The rest of the sound is just reverb with a touch of compression.

Depending how you record the guitar makes a lot of difference
as well,using a decent mic and amplifier,but it may be the guitar
was miked up and recorded acoustically.

So many alternate ways of doing things,I share your frustration.

Alan