Collings DS42

This is a 1996 12 fret Dreadnaught slothead with spruce top,rosewood back & sides with ebony fretboard & bridge & mahogany neck.It has 42 style appointments which are abalone binding on top extending around fingerboard & also around soundhole. Also has the torch inlay on headstock & 42 type fretmarkers starting at the 5th fret. It looks similar to the Martin Gene Autry model excluding the fretboard. Also has Waverly nickel tuners. Mine came with a Baggs MicroDuet system installed.

I own 2 others Collings, a 00042BA & a OM2SB w/cutaway & this is my favorite sounding guitar. The guys at Elderly Instruments described the sound as killer in their ad for this guitar & even though that is sometimes a tired, overused phrase they were right on the money with this one. This guitar has the richest,most sophisticated & exquisite tone I have ever heard on a guitar. I am baffled as to why the original owner parted with it. I bet it wasn't because he found a better sounding guitar. This guitar can handle anything you throw at it without missing a beat. I particularly love it because I can go from flatpicking to fingerpicking without any compromise in sound quality whatsoever. I could go on and on about this but I won't. But trust me when I say that you really should check these out if they are in your price range.

The action,fit & finish on this guitar is typically Collings which is to say as finely crafted as any musical instrument I've ever seen. I am sure my grandkids will cherish this one when they play it. Just for those who are interested, the abalone inlay on this guitar is outstanding. The mix is slanted toward the lighter pinks & greens giving it more of a vintage look I think. My 00042 on the other hand has a darker green slant which to me gives it a bold rather than vintage appearance. Of course this is one man's opinion.

Made to play, made to last, made to enjoy-not made to put away in a display case & deny anyone the pleasure of hearing this thing sing. I am positive this guitar will be playable when it reaches 100. Make no mistake, this is a heirloom grade instrument. I can't comment on the MicroDuet because I have only plugged it in once to a suitable amp & it worked pretty darn good considering I was too lazy to do any tweaking. I guess the MicroDuet will last awhile but it doesn't matter to me at this point.

As I said, I own 2 other Collings so I have had some communication with Steve McCreary from Collings & he is a stand-up guy (read my 00042-BA review) They have been the best guitar company I have ever dealt with when answering questions, helping with a problem etc. In fact they are one of the best in this regard I have dealt with compared with any business. Really straight-foward, honest & concerned about their product after it is sold. They want to know about a problem so they can be sure it won't be repeated.

I've been playing close to 40 years & this is the best sounding acoustic guitar I've ever played. I would ask Collings to recreate this one as soon as possible if it was stolen & I wouldn't change a thing other than leave off the pick-up system. I'm very loyal to the Collings brand due to their excellant product, commitment to customer satisfaction & reasonable price. Don't ever buy an acoustic guitar until you have tried a comparable product from the Collings line. You won't be sorry.