Collings D1A

basic guitar 2006 one of the better adi tops that I have seen, hondura mah. its 1 and 11/16 made in Austin Texas

works well with what I do I like to play hard wither it blues or christian worship. Can play just about anything on it. I was weaned on a 1969 Martin D-35 for years, I thought that was loud. This is a cannon,you can play loud and it never breaks up, I can overpower a lot of guitars. Play soft,nice clear tone

I bought this new the set up was fine but I still had it taken down just a tad

second Collings if its like the other one should be no problem

I thought I had a problem at first but I guess it was just me. Steve called right away and we talked about it

I had been looking for awhile for a guitar that would not break up under my attack now I have.This is a keeper it has a lot of songs in it

1999 Collings D1A
I bought this from the 12th Fret last summer as a gift to me. This one has some nice "extras" such as 42-style snowflakes, bound neck and headstock, gold waverly tuners, dalmation pickguard and a brazilian rosewood "Rio" veneer overlay on the headstock. Very easy on the eyes!

This guitar sounds wonderful! Tons of volume, definitely a banjo-killer! I also have a very nice Martin D-28 but it seems to be gathering dust these days. The Collings is very responsive and loves it when I dig in with the pick.

Since the guiatr was already 8 years old when I got it and played like a dream right off the bat I can only give 2 big thumbs up to the gang at Collings. I love the waverly tuners - very beefy and she stays in tune. The added features I mentioned above are definitely pleasing to the eye and set it apart from a "regular" awesome D1A.

I expect this guitar will still be sounding fantastic 50 or 60 years from now. They are built to last and will definitely be well sought after in years to come. I plan on using it not keeping it under cover so it will likely get a few nicks 'n' cuts but these guitars are made to be played.

These folks are great! I sent in the serial number to get the build details and Angela got back to me the same day! Fantastic. The warranty is non-transferable but I have no worries that it well ever need "warranty" work.

She is definitely one of the great ones. I just bought a brand new Collings MT mandolin to learn on; which speaks to their wonderful product quality and value. I keep it close so it better not grow legs! I will definitley purchase more Collings guitars as the budget allows - I already am planning for a City Limits Deluxe.

All the features you need for this type guitar, its super bare bones which is good.

Dont quite HEAR all the glowing reviews, a/b'd with my '89 Martin D35

Fine.

Not an issue.

N/A but I am sure its excellent.

I have been trying to decide between the Collings and the D 18 GE and based on my all day comparison with my 'lowly' D35 (not scalloped, Sitka top) I honestly cant see paying the premium. I have been playing 35 years off and on and have seen hype come and seen hype go. The Collings is certainly fine and beautiful but I dont quite hear the price differential, other than it being a much smaller enterprise. It is finished beautifully but I am not buying furniture.

Clue me in,

e

Flawless Finish, understated bling but amazing depth to finish.

Perfect harmonics, plays like "buttah"
Rich full sound

Action was like a custom set up guitar.

This guitar excells in live playing. I recently played with one of the best flat pickers in the country...we passed back and forth with his trusty old Martin. He was amazed an will probably be a Collings owner soon.

No customer support needed.... I did order a strap from the factory website and I think they forgot my order. Oh well...whoever said life was a bowl of cherries! hahaah My Martin strap works "just fine and dandy"

I have been playing for over 40 years and have several Martins, Gibsons and this guitar is the premiere instrument. I would replace it in a minute, should it be stolen. I played over 40 intruments before choosing the D1A. I love the sound and the gentlemanly understated ambience.

This is Bill Collings' version of a 1937 Martin D-18, updated in a few ways for the present day. Mine's a 1995, I think, but they haven't changed since Collings introduced the model.

Like the 1937 D-18, generally considered to be the best-ever bluegrass lead guitar, it's a mahogany-bodied dreadnaught with an Adirondack spruce top. The "A" in D1A denotes the Adirondack top. I understand that's a $700 option, but don't quote me; I got mine used. The neck is mahogany, with, I believe, a rosewood peghead veneer. Mine has a bone nut and saddle, rosewood fingerboard and Waverly tuners. The tuners amaze me. I couldn't believe how expensive they are but having used them, I am convinced they're worth every penny. Or they would have been if I'd had to buy them separately. Unlike the D-18's dovetail neck joint, Colling uses a mortise and tenon joint, which is strong, less critical to machine, and will cost less to work on should the neck ever need to be reset. The finish is gloss. I don't know what it's finished with. Mine has a "Dalmatian" pickguard, which is some kind of faux tortoiseshell with large transparent areas and a big pattern. It's distinctive, and looks really good. I give it a 10 for features because the only thing it hasn't got is builtin electronics, and you'd be crazy to use anything but a microphone with a guitar this fine. It's complete as is.

I got this guitar sight unseen to augment my Martin D-35. I was playing bluegrass guitar at the time and the banjo was drowning the Martin out. What I was looking for was a very loud dreadnaught that would cut through the jam. Though I did get that - and the D1A is a CANNON! - I was surprised at the beauty of its tone, loud or soft. You can regulate the brightness of the sound by your choice of strings. D'Addario phosphor bronze mediums will give you all the brash bluegrass tone you'd ever want. I toned it down a bit by using the Elixir mediums, which just take the edge off the high end of the sound. I'm no longer a bluegrass guitarist; now I play country blues, old-timey music, contradance tunes, Irish/Scottish/French Canadian fiddle tunes and fingerpicked and flatpicked singer-songwhiner folky-type music. The D1A's sound is superb for whatever I play. It handles low tunings really well. I've done a lot of work in DADGAD, open G and open D tunings and it all sounds great. By varying your playing style, playing with or without picks, playing at various points along the string, you can get a lot of different shades of tone. Did I mention the harmonics are amazing?
The only limitations of the sound are that it always sounds like a spruce top, a mahogany body and a 25.4" scale length. If you're looking for a Gibsonesque sound, you'll need a shorter scale.

I didn't get this guitar from the factory; I bought it sight unseen from Elderly Instruments. My hat is off to them. This is the third guitar I've bought through them, a thousand miles away, and each has been exactly as advertised, reasonably if not cheaply priced, and set up exactly as I asked. There are a few "character marks", thank goodness - otherwise I would feel bad about taking it out to so many places and playing it so hard - but I would bet big money that it left the factory dead mint perfect. Collings has that reputation for obsessive perfectionism. In fact one of the reasons I bought a Collings without trying it first was that many friends who were guitar snobs told me that every D1A sounds exactly like every other D1A. I haven't been disappointed.

I've played out with this guitar a whole lot, recorded a CD with it, and sometimes played hard. If it was a person it would be quality personified. I did mention the Waverly tuners as being especially excellent. I would hope that anybody with a guitar this expensive is going to take care not to destroy it, but you'd have to work at it, or let somebody stupid and drunk play it, to do it a lot of harm. DON'T LET STUPID DRUNKEN PEOPLE PLAY YOUR EXPENSIVE GUITAR!

I have no idea what the warranty would be or whether it applies to my used guitar. The Collings people have a good reputation for being friendly and helpful.

I've been playing 42 years. I own lots of good electric and acoustic guitars including the aforementioned Martin D-35, a 1935 Gibson, and an Olson SJ. If the house was on fire and I could only rescue one guitar, this would be the one. Scratch that thought, it's too painful to contemplate.

My friend has a real 1937 Martin D-18, currently worth - what - $17,000? We spent a weekend playing his and mine, swapping them back and forth and comparing them. You'd have to have golden ears to tell the difference in tone. The neck feels about the same too. This is one of the wisest purchases I've ever made. I'm attached to all my good guitars, but I love this great one.

Same as the others. My favorite tone feature is the adi top! My favorite cosmetic feature is the dark stained ebony headstock. For me, it really dresses up the look of the instrument compared to the standard D1 and other mahogany guitars. I'd give it a 10 if it came standard with bone/ivory pins and an ivory bridge. The bolt on neck is something I like as well.

The neck shape is better for me than any other guitar I've ever played.

If a pre-war D18 is a 10, I'll give this guitar an 8. It is closer to that pre-war sound than any other "young" guitar I've ever played, but it has some maturing to do. It can be a little harsh in the upper mids when you are playing a driving rhythm by yourself. On the otherhand, this is the punch you need to cut through in a band situation. It sounds amazing from the 7th fret up.

I was a died-in-the wool rosewood guy before I bought this. I can now see why people like having at least one of each.

Absolutely flawless. I defy you to buy a better built guitar at any price. I'm not a Martin hater (I've owned two), but the last few GE guitars I've seen have had visible (and palpable) edges between the binding and the side of the guitar. Does it affect the tone? I doubt it. But why not get it right on a high-end guitar? The stitching on a Mercedes seat doesn't make the car drive better, but you won't find many flaws there!

So far so good. It is about a year old at this point and the action seems very stable. I baby it, and only "gig" at church and other very controlled environments.

I bought it used, and have not had a need to call them. Others report little difference between the treatment of "new" owners and "used" ones.

Amazing tone, great playability, solid construction, flawless finish. What else is there?

If it were lost or stolen I'd cry...a lot...then buy another one.

2005 Custom D1A: Standard D1 w/ following upgrades: premium adi top - flowerpot headstock inlay - MOM fretboard inlays - 1 3/4" nut width - style 3 backstrip - no tongue brace - vintage ivoroid waverly tuners

Growling/balanced/open/airy/loud/sweet....

Insane. Untouchable. Bluegrass/flatpick/old time - indescribeable...incredible...speechless

Collings has mastered the art of the perfect production guitar. Every one I have ever seen is stone cold perfect.

C'mon...it is a Collings.

Lifetime warranty. Great company w/ great reputation. Also, I ordered/bought this guitar from Acoustic Music Works. Steve is the best. The finest dealer/shop I've ever come across...

Playing all my life. Best I've ever played for bluegrass/flatpick.

I own a Collings D2H (great for rythym), Alvarez-Yairi DY-40 twelve string, Alvarez-Yairi WY-1Koa, Martin D-18, Fender Tele

The only guitar to have, if you can only have one.

This a custom guitar. It's a D1A in sunburst with a torch inlaid in the headstock and a custom neck width and no tongue brace in the guitar (to open up the sound). The top is adirondack spruce, the sides and back are mahogany. The nut and saddle are bone. It has Waverly open back tuners.

It's exacttly what I wanted sound wise. Most mahogany guitars are bright and stiff sounding. This on has a huge sound, cuts like crazy through other guitars, but has a certain dark crunching growling quality. It is incredibly loud but also has a certain subtle sweetness. The pre-war build style (no tongue brace) really seems to give it some warmth and extra woof.

Collings builds an almost perfect guitar. I can't find a flaw on it anywhere and the fret work is dead perfect. The intonation is dead perfect. This thing is like polished glass - best sunburst I have ever seen. I asked for a custom finish and I got just what I asked for.

This guitar is amazing. the dealer shipped it to me - it arrived in tune. It is incredibly stable. I bought it sight unseen, but the dealer told me Collings are almost overbuilt in terms of stability and integrity. I think he's right.

Never had to deal with Collings - I expect they would be great from what I have heard and what the dealer told me. The dealer was great, patient and very knowledgable.

I have played a Martin D28 for 20 years. I thought about getting a new D18 GE and I called a few dealers and couldn't really get any good thoughtful answers about premium tonewoods and custom neck widths and stuff. The Collings dealers seemed to know a lot about Adirondack spruce ("the Holy Grail" a few called it) and though it was an expensive upcharge - it was worth it. I was nervous about spending this much, but the dealer told me it was an heirloom grade guitar and he was right. If this guitar got stolen, I would freak. But I have it insured and I would order the exact same thing from the same dealer!

October 2004, the first of its kind made for Acoustic Music Works with the following specifications: highest obtainable Adirondack top, Honduran mahogany back and side, style 3 back strip, no tongue brace, lightly braced ala 30's Martins, torch headstock inlay, no fret markers, Waverly tuners with ivoroid buttons, Clarence White neck carve (a sixteenth narrower at the nut working its way to standard 1 3/4 spacing at the bridge pins). Stone cold dead solid perfect, or as close as can be achieved by the hand of man. The rating is based on simplicity, which would make the Parthenon a three, but it ain't my rating scale!

I play everything that can be played on a steel string acoustic, save for the ultra-exotic Hedges new age stuff. Blues, jazz, rock, folk, country, fingers, pick, pick and fingers nashville style. I never use my teeth, even though I have dental coverage. I am a serious player, and this is the best acoustic guitar I've owned, and that's out of upwards of 40. Volume, dynamics, subtlety, touch sensitivity, sustain, dark brilliance, and just sheer Catherine Deneauve in Umbrellas of Cherbourg beauty. It sounds thirty years old. I wish I did. I own five Collings, and have owned six others. This is the best, and it ain't easy to get there.

If someone made a better acoustic guitar than Bill Collings, I'd find it and buy it. Now. Wood choice, design, execution of an attention to detail, and whatever alchemical mojo they do in that shop outside of Austin. Jeez. If I were asked: which is better, the sound of the D1A custom or the finish work, the answer would be yes.

The children of my grandchildren will play this guitar, if I'm not still playing it myself.

Having played Collings for 12 years, I have never had an issue of any kind with any of their guitars. I am convinced that they would make it right if a flaw developed after the instrument left the shop. There are no flaws when it leaves the shop. For anyone who thinks American workmanship ain't what it was, I suggest they play one of these, and then pull out your wallet and buy it. Unsurpassable.

I've played since '65. I've owned, minimum, 40 guitars, including the usual suspects (Martin, Gibson, Guild, Taylor, Goodall, Collings) and electrics (PRS, Tom Anderson, Fender, Rick, Gretsch, Heritage, and on and on). I consider Collings guitars the best product of any kind by any maker of any material thing I have ever owned. No, I don't get compensated for anything other than the joy of hearing these guitars, even though almost every one of my guitar playing friends in several states have now switched allegiance to Austin.

Mine came with an ebony peghead veneer... which I find very cool.... I threw some Fossil Ivory waverly's on it to dress it up some more...After owning some more fancier appointed guitars I appreciate the simplicity of the design... so I can't really rate it on features

I love it.... I agree that it's louder than most guitars you're likely to come accross... warmth comes with age.... i love how it growls when you're cross-picking in a lower register... I use a lighter touch up high... I'm so used to forcing sound from the b & e on the upper frets... The Collings seems to kick into high gear in those areas

exquisite craftsmanship.... It took getting used to the 1 3/4" but now I'm looking to sell my other boxes and get an adironick/Rosewood with a 1 3/4" ... everything else is great... I've had it for about 6 mo. now and still haven't had to get a set up job..... I'll probably get a fret dress before I get any tweaking done.

It takes a while to get psychic get the temperment of a box.... I'm getting there.... I'm sure it's always me and not the box.

Collings custom D-3
Santa Cruz Vintage Artist

2002 model D1A-SB (sunburst) looks great - subtle colors in burst - very classy, great craftsmanship

I'm a composer and player... let's put it like this... two of the best session players I know in NYC have said this is the best sounding acoustic they've played. It records like a dream - none of the boominess of rosewood back & sides... the mahogany it soooo the way to go if you're recording.

I had to have the action adjusted a few times but now it seems to have settled in nicely. The finish is beautiful, and the wood is top quality all over... the neck, front, back & sides are excellent.

I hardly ever have to tune it more than a tweak or two (of course after new strings settle in)... I also have an OM3, they both have a remarkable way of staying in tune... although I paid so much I wouldn't want to take it outside of my house. ; )

great - very quick responses and excellent support.

Other guitars I own:
'94 Collings OM3
'84 Michael Gee (classical)

Love the guitar - the only thing is be prepared for the sound difference, it's not boomy like a rosewood guitar - although it's very clear with great separation and excellent volume - THE BEST FOR RECORDING - (can I say that any clearer?) ; )

2002 collings d-1a, 1 3/4" neck bought new

Is not a feature rich guitar, basic design, simple dots on the fret board, unless you count powerful sound that cuts through any jam session even with 3 loud banjos and 4 out of tune mandolins, can you actually tune a mandolin?

I am a flatpicker and this guitar is the best i've ever played when it comes to flatpicking and i've owned a bunch, I currently own a 1978 doc watson gallagher...great guitar with a warm tone and quite loud but can't compare to the volume the D-1a puts out, plus can you imagine how warm and powerful the d1-A will be in 25 years, Also own a 1969 brazilian martin d-28 also a great warm sound but doesn't put out the volume of the d-1A, and I am in the process of selling my 1998 santa cruz vintage artist, a pretty sounding guitar but doesn't have the power to be a great flatpicking guitar. The D1-A has amazing intonation and response all over the fret board, I found myself playing phrases I had never thought of in my 25 years of flatpicking the first day I owned the D1-a and the new ideas and inspiration keep on pouring out, It's like the guitar is channeling the ghost of Clarence White, I Love This Guitar

I've only owned this guitar for 2 weeks and it came with light strings, I haven't switched to mediums yet, I tend to play with high action, but the action on this guitar when combined with the 1 3/4" neck is high for my standards, when I put the mediums on I'll play with the truss rod to see if that gets it to my ideal height but i suspect I'll also have to shave the bridge a little. Other than that
the guitar was perfect, I knew from the first note I was buying it but played it in the store for an hour because I couldn't put it down. This guitar has a beautiful specimin adirondack top

This guitar will out last all of us which based on the way the worlds going these days doesn't say much any more

I haven't dealt with the company but anyone who cares enough to build the greatest flatpicking guitar on the planet surely will provide excellent service

been playing 25 years

Other gear...1969 brazillian rosewood martin d-28
1978 gallagher doc watson model
1999 santa cruz vingage artist
1976 gibson les paul custom
2002 american standard telecaster
2002 buddy guy stratocaster
1970 fender vibrolux amp

1996 model, Adirondack top, Quartersawn Honduras Mahogany back, sides, and nack, Waverly tuners, 1 and 11/16 neck width at the nut, no fretboard markers. I use a Fishman blender, microphone and piezo system. This is a Plain Jane instrument. Features are the ones that give you the sound. It looks plain but sounds fantastic.

The sound has taken some time to come out. I would compare it to the sound that Norman Blake used to get when he played a D-18. I did some recording recently, and listening to the sound reminded me of Norman's old records. It has a definite pop, short sustain, quick decay, very focused sound. The sound is definitely for flatpicking, for a person who wants every note to be distinct. I have a D-2H Collings as well. In contrast, I use the D-2H when I want to strum and give a more melodic tone. I use the D-1A when I want to flatpick. The combination of Adirondack and Mahogany is so different than Sitka and Rosewood that you have to hear it to describe it. I would say loud, distinct, with short decay (D-1A) versus loud, rolling, and sustaining (D-2H). This guitar is not for a person who wants just to strum or play rhythm. I use a Fishman Blender with dual input on the guitar. I play it weekly for church worship. The sound engineer runs it through monitors and a PA.

The only flaw on the guitar was a bit of glue bubble showing next to the bridge on the soundhole side. I asked my local luthier about it. He said he had seen the same thing on Martins, and that it would take removing the bridge to touch up what was a very minor cosmetic detail. So I left it alone. Set-up is subjective. I have a nearly flat neck with about 6/64" on the bass side (12fret) and 5/64" on the treble side.

I play the guitar hard. My style is such that I tent to wear a hole in the finish on the sound hole just in front of the pickguard. Other than that, the guitar is bulletproof.

I have called Collings (Steve) about the guitar. I bought it used, barely. It was less than a year old. I have the feeling that if something went wrong, they would fix it as if under warranty. But what could go wrong?

I have been playing for over 35 years and have owned all kinds and makes of acoustic guitars. I currently own two Collings (D1A and D2H), three Taylors (912, 355 Twelve, and BabyM), 1925 Martin 2/17, a Gibson tenor, Gretsch 6120, Heritage 576, and G&L ASAT classic. The Collings guitars are the best I have ever owned. I have had Martins, Gallaghers, Gibsons, etc. Without a doubt, Bill Collings is building the best of them all. The D1A screams at me, "Play me!" It has, as David Wilcox once said about his Olson, "more songs in it." I would cry a river if it were lost and then make tracks to the nearest dealer and buy another just like it.

Basically this is a reproduction of a late 1930s Martin D-18, except it has an adjustable truss rod. The "A" in D1A denotes that the top is Adirondack or "red" spruce.
I don't know how to rate it for "features" - if you want a mahogany-bodied dreadnaught, it's got every feature you'd want.

I bought this guitar in order to be heard in acoustic jams. It was supposed to be loud. Well, it is, but whether I play it loud or soft, with fingers, fingerpicks or flatpicks, the sound is gorgeous. Near-perfect balance from open low E to the high E string fretted as high up as I can go. This thing sounds like God coming over the hill. It is a cannon that cuts through a jam well, yet can sound sensitive and lyrical on soft fingerpicked tunes. Very nice in open D, open G, and DADGAD tunings too.
A friend of mine has a 1937 Martin D-18, pretty much the Holy Grail of flatpicking guitars. We played his and mine together for a solid weekend, A/B;ed them, traded them and compared again many times. They feel identical. The sound is very very close, but we agreed the Collings has a slightly more pronounced midrange - not a bad thing at all as far as either of us is concerned. I play bluegrass, folk, Celtic and singer-songwriter stuff on the D1A. As far as I'm concerned, it's the one guitar to have if you could only have one.

Workmanship on the D1A is flawless. I can't tell how it was set up at the factory since I got it used, but the action didn't need any adjustment when I got it.

This is my main gigging guitar. I use it without a backup and unless somebody sits on it, I expect it won't self-destruct within the next 60 to 70 years. It deserves a good case, of course, which it has.

I've never dealt with Bill Collings but his company has a golden reputation. As a used instrument, it has no warranty, but I'm not worried considering the build quality.

I've been playing since 1963. I own lots of other high-end guitars including an Olson, a Martin, and a National. This is the best guitar overall. No question about it. It sounds great, plays great, looks great, and is $6000 cheaper than the equivalent prewar D18. A best buy even at $2400 or whatever they go for new.