Collings 000-2hBA

This is a custom ordered 0002h that is dated 3/93. It is a lefty model, with the following specs: Brazilian rosewood back and sides, Adirondack spruce top, 12 frets, long scale, 1-13/16" neck, slotted headstock, gold Sloan tuners with ivory buttons, and a gorgeous sunburst top!

With this wood combination, this is a flatpicking guitar! It excels at single note runs, and is an excellent rhythm guitar as well. I have messed around with my limited fingerstyle repertoire, and it seems to do well there, but that isn't a concern to me. This has enough cutting power with the ad top to keep it's place in a bluegrass jam, and is a great sing-along guitar in a group setting.

The 0002hBA is built with the attention to detail that is one of Collings' trademarks. This guitar was built before they started using CNC machines, yet there are no evident flaws of any kind. The woods are perfectly bookmatched, the ivoroid binding is perfectly in place, the neck is shaped in that **wonderful** Collings soft-V neck that is soooo comfortable, and the sunburst gives it that instant-vintage look!

It's a Collings. 'Nuff said! I'm the 3rd owner. The original owner kept it until the fall of 2001, then sold it. I traded for it from the second owner, who owned it for approximately 6 months. The original owner used this as his (???) office guitar, so it was played on a frequent basis. I've owned it for about 3 months now, and play it every night. It stays in tune, is ready to go when I pull it out of the case, and may possibly be my first ever "guitar for a lifetime."

Collings did pay for a neck reset when the second owner purchased it, and some of the first frets were replaced at that time as well. Typical for them, standing behind their product. Also, I called them when I purchased it, and asked if there were any records from when the guitar was ordered in late '92. Brian took my call, promised to send me any copies that he found, and sure enough I had a copy of the original handwritten order within a week or so. Pretty cool!

I've bought, sold, traded and owned 15 guitars in the past 3 years. I've owned Goodalls, Martins, Thompsons, Collings, and a Huss & Dalton along the way. Every guitar has a place in my heart, as I learned about different tones, wood combinations, and manufacturers. This is currently the best guitar, overall, that I've yet owned. The tone is fantastic. The wood combination is unbeatable. The sunburst is lovely. It sounds like a vintage guitar, with a dry, woody, resonant sound! I'm blessed to own it, and currently plan to keep it as the one non-dread in my arsenal. It's comfortable to hold, and will give me a different sound and feel from my modded '75 D18 and my soon-to-come Burkett AJ. I realize that if I ever sell it, that I wouldn't be able to afford to replace it at today's market value. So Lord willing I'll be able to hold onto it for the foreseeable future!