Collings D-2H

Built in 9/98 in Austin, TX Drednaught with solid Sitka top,I have installed Fishman Matrix II(active),solid rosewood sides and back,nickel Waverly tuners, 1 11/16" neck, very basic looking at first glance, but upon close inspection a very detailed, beautiful, handmade instrument

I bought this guitar because I wanted something that would crossover the many different styles I like to play,blues bluegrass,fingerstyle. I've owned Martins but have found them to be very limited in that regard, unless of course you run into "the one" My only regret is that the Collings 1 11/16 neck is just a little narrow for fingerstyle playing but certainly makes up for it in the flatpicking department! I am constantly amazed at it's balanced tone and resonance. I probably have spent more time trying to find its limitations, having constantly adjusted the action (3 trips to where I bought it in 1 week!Collings has a special wrench for truss rod adjustments that only their dealers have, and they were saying "see ya tomorrow, Bill!") and messing with the saddle height to gain optimum playability for me. I did discover a little buzzing in a couple of places when I hit it hard,but that probably is more me than anything to do with the guitar. At any rate, a small price to pay for the incredible tone!

As I've mentioned in the sound catagory, I may be the culprit in search of the nirvana playability. There was no pickup from the factory. The top of this instrument is just incredible,with the entire top highly figured.

I'm still a little nervous about taking "my baby" outside of the house,usually jamming with friends here, but when I want to make a strong impression with my acoustic or plugged in, the Collings will always be my choice! For those who are familiar with Collings, I consistently get the "oooohs and ahhhs" from other players,for those who aren't I like the idea that they are hearing pure unadulterated tonal excellence in this instrument, without all of the abalone and stuff that makes other guitars that cost this much seem cheap sounding.

Haven't had to deal with Collings yet, did not receive and warranty cards or documentation with this instrument. My dealer, The Fifth String in Sacramento, CA, has been great about indulging me and my adjustments. On this end, the service has been exemplary!

An outstanding acoustic guitar. I hope that I am able to purchase one of the OOO or OM Collings guitars in the future. I would have to concur with others that this guitar is "the Holy Grail"

East Indian Rosewood Back and Sides Sitka Spruce Top Ebony Fret Board Ebony Bridge Wavery Open Gear Tuners HD-28 Style Apointments--"Herringbone"

First of all, this guitar is a few hours old. I picked it up this afternoon. I was planning on buying the D-1 but this guitar sold me last second. This is the finest sounding acoustic guitar I have ever played. It is no where "opened up." I'd say it has a long way to go before it sounds the way it should. This is the nature of all fine acoustic guitars. I will answer questions about this guitar and will post a more complete review after the guitar is six months of age or it begins to open up. I will post another review after it is a year old. This is without a doubt a superior instrument to Taylors and Martins. I also played a Santa Cruz and liked the Collings better in every way. I have rated this guitar an 8 because it has not yet reached its full potential. However, like i said, this is the finest acoustic i have ever seen or played.

This guitar is perfect. Action, Fit and Finish are what a guitar of this caliber should be. Flawless. This is a fantastic guitar. The herringbone binding is fabulous looking, and all the apointments have an incredible amount of detail. This guitar's appeal is in its sound and understated appearance.

This is as well made a guitar as I have ever seen. Many consider it to be of superior construction to a pre-wwII martin. I don't know very much about high-end vintage guitars, but i can't imagine what a more well made guitar would look or sound like.

I have had no experience with the company.

I've been playing for 9 years. I play bluegrass, jazz, rock, folk and mostly flatpick. This guitar is superior to any instrument I have played. I can hardly imagine what this guitar is going to sound like when the top opens up. This is the first high-end acoustic that I have purchased. If it were stolen i would not replace it. I would hunt down the thief, beat him with his own shoes and reclaim my guitar. Of course, if that were not possible, i guess i would replace it.

I purchased this Collings D2H January 2000. It looks like a Martin DH28, except that the appointments and eye for detail really stand out as being a notch above Martin made guitars. The top is sitka spruce and has a very tight, handomse grain. The sides and back are select Indian rosewood with beautifully formed grain. A herringbone trim is on the top, with ivoroid binding. The pick guard is their "peporoni" tortoise. The neck is stained in a very dark cherry look and is made of solid select mahagony. The tuners are varely tuners. The neck is very, veryt playable and is comfortable. It comes with a Geib style case and reminds one of a plush lined coffin. I am a left handed player, and it is rare that lefties are treated to the opportunity to own superior, top of the line instruments, so purchasing a left handed Collings was an exceptional expereince.

What a sound. I have tinkered with many Taylor and Martin style guitars over the years and never found one that completely satisfied my ear. Taylor's were easy to play, and were refreshingly bright compared to Martin's. Taylor's, however, appeared to always lack the "full" sound and were on the tinny side of sound. Martin's, on the oterhand, always have the dark sound, that lacking in the Taylor. However, Martin's always appeared to have a muddy midrange and weak high end. The Collings D2H incororates all the positves sounds associated with the Martin's and Taylor's. In other words, the are a big, incredibly balanced, with a very dark low end, a big mid range, and unbelielable high end sustain. When I first hit full E chord on the Collings, I literally jumped back with amazement. I was so stratled at the big, full sound that I almost dropped the guitar. I have played guitar for over 25 years, and have played professionally on and off during this period of time. While I have progressed into more of a fingerstyle played, I was amazed that the dreadnaught could be used both as a flat picking and finger picking instrument. This D2H was also ordered with a 1 3/4 inch neck which makes it very comfortable to play either way. This guitar, in short, is one incredible instrument. The first evening I sat down to play the D2H, I was experimenting with some alternate tunigs (DADGAD). I experienced something that I have have never experienced before in playing an acoustic guitar. After landing on a couple of notes, and holding the notes with a finger vibrato, I heard a sound similar to feedback inn an electric guitar. In other words, the sustain was so strong that it literally sounded as if the guitar was feeding back, and I was not even plugged into an amp!!!!!! Unbelieveable!!!!!!

The finsish of the instrument was perfect, as is with most $3,000 + instruments. I easily adjusted the neck action in lowering the bridge to accomodate a fingerstytle action. The set up from the factory is perfect for flatpicking.

I only am a couch potato type of player now, so I do not know whether this guitar would withstand live playing, bit I would not see why it would not. It has a large enough sound to be used without a pickup.

The only flaw with the guitar was that the inside sticker was missing when it was delivered to the dealer. I called Collings' Customer Service Dept. and was treated very warmly over the phone by their Customer Service Department. The only negative was that I was put on hold initially for about 5 minutes. Collings is a small company, does not want to become the no. 1 guitar builder, and is more interested in continuing to make the best high end guitars. There are less than 50 people employed at Collings, all with specailized roles, as you would see in a smaller sized company.

I have benn playing uitar for over 25 years. This is the finest left handed acoustic I have evr seen, heard or played. It is an honor to be able to own one of these jewels. I am so impressed with their instrument, that I have recenlty prdered a 2nd Collings, an OM model. I cannot really compare it to any acoustic guitar I have seen , as they are leaps above any Tayor or Martin I have owned, seen or played. If lost or stolen, I would not think twice about ordering another one.

Purchased new in 1999 albeit a tad shopwarn. This is a '98 dreadnought, rosewood back and sides, spruce top, herringbone border, scalloped bracing, mahagony neck, ebony fingerboard/bridge and Waverly tuners. Hard shell case included (no key came with the case). Very nice features all around except for the scratches on the pickguard and a couple of dings in headstock. Made in Texas.

I play a variety of musical styles from jazz standards to country and was in the market for a pure, unadulterated deradnought with a full sound. Whether fingerstyle or strumming, I was in search of a guitar that could get me there without the need for amplification. This Collings fits the bill. Its loud enough to accompany a piano and solo, its hard to even hear the phone ring!

The action on this guitar is perfect! My fingers practically slide across the fretboard, although the medium-guage strings take some getting used to. The hammer-on's and pull-off's are tough compared to the lights which I am used to, but that's my problem. There is a noticable buzz on the open D and E which may require a set-up or at least re-stringing. Also, I tend to bend the 2nd string alot when I play (just a habit) and have to tune the B on this guitar more often. Other than that, I'm a happy girl! Aside from the flaws mentioned above, this baby is a dream.

I play on the livingroom couch. That's it! This guitar doesn't leave the house. On the road I would take my 20-year old Ovation Custom Legend. I suspect the Collings could withstand as much as any other dread in its class, but why risk it? I bought this one for pure pleasure. Everything appears to be solid and dependable.

I called Collings in Austin, Texas twice (long distance) about my guitar (the buzzing strings and the year it was made). The first time they took my name and number and said they would call me back "in a little bit" but never did. My subsequent call was a bit more successful. They told me the buzzing in the open strings should be taken back to the dealer for checking. OK. Collings assured me my guitar was made in 1998 and was shipped to the dealer on 7/19/98. The date on the label inside the guitar reads "7/28" instead of 7/98. No e-mail address, no warranty info or registration card, no use and care guide, no company info included at all with the purchase. As I am from Brooklyn and was raised not to trust anyone, I found this a bit curious. But then again, they are Texans!

I've been playing for 30 years and so far this is the nicest guitar I have played to date! I grew up on Gibsons and Guilds, have had hit-or-miss experiences with Martins, became disenchanted with Ovation, soured by Larivee and almost gave up altogether. I'm happy to be playing daily again and my Collings D-2H can accept full responsibility for that! It somehow plays me and its such a pleasure everytime I pick it up.

D-2H: East Indian rosewood back and sides, select spruce top, grained ivoroid binding, prewar scalloped bracing, crosscut grained ivoroid and black/white nitrate strip purfling, herringbone border, crosscut grained ivoroid and wood strip rosette, tortoise style pickguard.
Gloss-finished mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard and bridge, rosewood peghead overlay with mother of pearl Collings logo and a traditional diamond and square inlay and nickel Waverly tuners. Includes geib style hard shell case with a green velvet interior.
Looks very similar to a Martin HD-28VR, without the aged toner look.

I like to play unplugged type acoustic pop/rock, and this is the only guitar I found which delivers the brightness of a Taylor with the rich full sound of a Martin.
I originally bought a new Martin HD-28VR, which is a vintage re-issue of a 1930s Martin. It sounded great, but it just didn't give me the high end brightness I was looking for.
The Collings sounds way better than any Martin I have played. Don't get me wrong, I still have the utmost respect for Martins.
I've played several Collings and they really are very consistent from one guitar to the next. Every one is a gem.

I'm still new to guitars, but the setup feels good. The finish is flawless.

Feels like it was built to last. Will only get better with age.

Haven't dealt with Collings yet.

I've only been playing for around 3 months. My first guitar was a $500 Larrivee, which I still LOVE to play!
I originally went out to buy a Martin HD-28VR. And although this was much more expensive as Collings only give a 10% discount as oppsed to a 30% discount from a Martin dealer, I feel it was weel worth the extra cash.
I met another customer who had changed from the HD-28VR to the Collings also.
I keep hearing that the Collings is the Holy Grail of acoustic guitars, and I have to agree!