Collings OM-1

Cutaway with mahogany back and sides, Adirondack spruce top, toroise binding, gloss finished mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard and bridge, nickel Waverly tuners...

Came with beautiful green-lined hard Collings logo case. Planet wave humidifier with temp/humidity gauge came with purchase (thanks to the good folks at The Podium in Dinkytown, Mpls. www.thepodium.com)

I bought this guitar when I really didn't have a defined playing style or sound. At the time of the purchase, I had been playing for 12 years as a rhythm player in several garage bands and punk-rock outfits. While I am a pretty proficient player, I did not know how to read music and I didn't know the first thing about musical theory. Therefore, I picked this guitar because of the way it looked (it is dead-sexy) and the way it sounded playing rapidly strummed chords (also dead-sexy).

The sound is incredibly bright. It is a little less bright when you play softly, but when you open this sucker up...man, it really sings.

Over the 3 years I have had the guitar, I have learned how to read music and I have taken several musical theory courses. I have also narrowed my style of playing down to flatpicking.

Don't get me wrong...this guitar is an amazing instrument. However, if I was buying another guitar knowing what I know now...I would have gone with a dreadnaught for a fuller and louder sound (I would still get a Collings....probably the DS-1)

This guitar is more for a discriminating fingerstylist than it is for a punk-rock bred flatpicker.

That being said, the sound is a perfect 10 for the fingerstylist...only a 9 for the flatpicker.

No flaws. Finish is exceptional. She is a sexy, sexy guitar. Her name is Sophie Mae.

While she is dead-sexy, she is also built to last. Very solid construction. I would depend on her in any environment to give a good solid sound. I took really good care of her temp and humidity during the first 3 years so I should be able to take her into environments where I can't really control the temp and humidity all that much.

Never had to worry about this one....but, it is under warranty and I have heard nothing but good things about Mr. Collings and his customer support. The Podium is also the best place to buy a guitar in the whole wide world. Go there if you are ever in the Twin Cities.

I have been playing guitar for over 15 years now. I own a La Patrie nylon string acoustic and a Fender American Tele. I wish that I had been a more serious guitar player when I purchased this instrument. It is a Ferarri when what I really needed was a simple pick-up. I compared it to several other brands with similar models: Santa Cruz, Froggy Bottom, Petros, and Martin. With the exception of the Petros (which was UN. BE. LEIV. ABLE.) the Collings outperformed every other guitar I played. Head-to-head, the Collings was right there with the Petros. Going back to the Ferrari analogy...it is like comparing a Ferarri and a Porsche...once you get above 195 mph...you are splitting hairs trying to say which is better.

2001 Orchestra Model (OM-1)- "Triple-0" body style.
Mahogany back, sides & neck, spruce top, tortoise-style binding & pickguard, scalloped bracing, ebony fingerboard & bridge, MOP dot-markers & logo, Waverly tuners. No flash....just a beautiful, simple well-crafted guitar. Sturdy, tight-fitting, hard-shell case, green crushed velvet lining. Everything you need in an acoustic guitar & nothing more.

Rich, bright, balanced tone. Beautiful ringing harmonics. Sustain. While finger-pickers prefer the 1 - 11/16" nut-width, I have no problem playing flat-pick style. Perfect intonation, med-low action, not a buzz anywhere on the neck. Records/amplifies beautifully when mic'd at the bridge. Sound that gives you goose-bumps every time you play it.

Factory action & intonation are perfect. The mahagony wood-grain is beautiful as is the spruce top. Top & bottom are 2-peice & are perfectly bookmatched. All wood-joints are even & perfect. The glossy finish is absolutely flawless. The Waverly tuners are keep the guitar in tune for weeks of playing. The sculpted soft-V neck is comfortable & a pleasure to play.

With proper care, this guitar is built-to-last. This guitar is rock solid and superbly crafted. While it would stand-up to gigging....I'd take cheaper guitars to gig.

Haven't needed customer support, probably never will.

Have been playing guitar for almost 40 years. Have owned this OM-1 for several years now. Have owned Martins & many vintage electrics. Had searched for a really good 000 for several years & when I strummed one chord on this guitar, I knew in a heart-beat, this was THE guitar. If I could only have one guitar (GASP!), this would be it! Don't even want to think about it being lost or stolen. This guitar is an absolute pleasure to play.

2001 OM-1. Sitka/mahogany. Wannabe tortoise binding. Simple stuff. No frills, no fu fu fancy crap that I don't want to pay for. Let's here examine the differences between sitka and adirondack, shall we? I think that "cheaper" woods get a bad rap cuz they're cheaper. If mahogany were as rare as African Blackwood or Brazilian rose, then I would believe that more people would want mahogany guitars. As for sitka, I prefer sitka, but adirondack has its benefits. Adirondack has a greater bass response and has a kick to the attack. Also sounds darker to me. Very nice, if you like that stuff. On the other hand, it sounds boxy, giving the impression that the guitar is shallower than it really is. Perhaps this is because the adirondack resonates more independently from the back/side woods, where a sitka top would "cooperate" more with the back and sides. Sitka sounds rounder, fuller, brighter, and more open. It's also quiter and has less bass, but John Greven asserts that sitka eventually catches up with adirondack where volume is concerned as it ages. Encouraging! I think I prefer sitka simply cuz it sounds more "true."
Let me mention something about Collings' tops. I notice that I don't like many wonderful guitars as much as Collings, like Breedloves and Goodalls. I believe this is because the latter companies believe that thinner = better, when it comes to tops. I think thinner = wussy. Doesn't give meat to the tone, or I'll say avocado since I'm a vegg. I think thicker tops braced lightly would be preferable to thinner tops braced more heavily. More wood is driving air, as opposed to less wood vibrating more intensely, I guess. To be fair, though, I love Goodall jumbos and Breedlove Gerhards. Perhaps bigger bodies compliment thinner tops.

If this guitar were a president it'd be called "Baberham Lincoln." It's a robo-guitar, if I may say so. I gave this guitar the name "Crystal." That's because she sounds crystal clear. So honest, pure, and true. Doesn't try to knock you over at first play, but lulls you in till you're hooked. I must admit that I was not impressed at all when I played Collings' for the first time. I prefered Lowdens and Everetts for their brightness, response, and overtones. But as time wore by, I found myself falling in love with Collings (not Bill Collings, but his guitars... I hope...). The mahogany gives a wonderful clear woody tone, and the sitka is crisp and defined with plenty of headroom. This guitar does exude overtones, and all the overtones I need. They are pure overtones. Strumming an open E chord results in gentle F#s and G#s that are even present when the third is not played. They are subtle, but there. One little qualm: not as loud as some of it's thinner-topped cousins when played gently, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had more headroom.

Flawless.
I was first taken aback when I found out how extensively CNC machines are used. But over time, I read certain tidbits saying that Bill (me and Bill are on a first name basis, I call him "Lacresha") uses them for consistency and not profit. Let me tell you, machine-made or not, this is the best sounding guitar I've ever played. Plus, the things are glued, tap-tuned, and the braces are shaved by hand. I guess I can't really complain if the neck or bridge tailpiece thing was made from a machine, so long as it plays PERFECTLY (and it does).

like I said, the top seems like it can withstand more than other guitars. The simple binding also contributes further to the stability.

Got a postcard from Collings asking me to call them and discuss some issues that I had and suggestions. I didn't call, thinking that I didn't want to waste their time with my thoughts.

I think I said everything I needed to say (and then some) above. I haven't played another guitar I liked more, although a ziricote McCollum GA was also phenomenal. I found it hard to put this guitar down when I first played it. Didn't plan on buying it, but a 000-2H instead at the same price. Only thing, I was able to put that guitar down. I played Crystal, and I was sold. I could have bought an older one for $400 less online, but I didn't want to risk it cuz this one sounded so incredible. My standard for buying guitars: better than anything I can envision. And it is...


for comments/hatemail/anti/pro-Bushsayings, I would love to hear from you. Especially if you are a beautiful woman who likes long-haired activist hippies!