Collings OM-3

Austin made, Collings OM3. Sitka top Indian Rosewood back and sides. mahogany neck. brazillian head plate (bound), gold waverly tunners. Bone nut and Saddle, bound ebony fretboard, Abalone rosette. solid ebony bridge, bridge pins (With abalone dots-Really cool) and strap pin. Adirondac bracing. the neck is a modified V which means its a bit thicker then most standard guitars you see these days. the nut is 1&3/4 or 1.75 From a configuration/Matereal standpoint this is a standard guitar. Came with foam fitted case, very plush in dark green velvet, my favorit color.

I cant say I have figured out where the hell I am going in guitar playing. No direction yet, I can play you a tune in & of most anything, Though nothing I am happy with. Either way, I know that while I am teaching myself Volte, I will be having a mental orgas-m from the "Bell" like tone of this guitar. I have (And whats recomended) Light strings on it, and it will dance along with my fingers and make the most beautifull over tones. The sustain is much more present than eny dred I have played (all the inturments at the local shop + my old D35 - Sold). I can also tell you when I am playing old Againt Me! that this guitar is louder then any other dred my friends have... though I am the only one with a high end acoustic... So to the way it sounds, other then the fore-mentioned, with folk (Dylan-Young-ish-ie) rather cross that out, With anything requiering you to use your fingernails your golden. That is if you dont have a nervous habbit of bitting off your thumb nail... With a decapitated thumb nail, in my exsprience, my mids and highs get a little overpowering as the bass is that guy thats mumbling acoss the street thinking you can hear him but you cant then he gets mad. So the remidy for that is a thumb pick. then your trully golden. just make sure to use a nail file to file it down to proper proportions for your thumb, (And so the wrap around doesnt get cought on the strings)So. with a pick (I use Jazz III picks) this is a fast guitar. you have to do all you can to stop yourself from "Running" Jazz is way fun to play on this guitar, every note is punctual.

So Over all after that dribbleing. This guitar is a 10 for me but, sound is relitive to the person making it. Go out and play one, decide yourself. I am leaving this as a No Opinion.

The action on this guitar is so, that unless it is in tune with all the strings tightend the low E will buzz, not alot but ever so slightly. If all the strings are on there and pulling theres no buzz its low, Just as fast as any strat or gibson... well maybe not an L-5, those are the Sh... Oh, if your wondering, this guitar has been compared to an Electric in the ease of playing. A frend of myne who plays Metel played Book Of Black Earth on it. i dont know what song, but it was great, didnt miss a beat.

this guitar never leaves the house. well untill i move or get kicked out. Its nice to hold, the neck has some meat to it, so you can man handle that part a little. but for the 4k price tag, i dont man handle it to much. the pick guard was an option on this guitar, Witch means it looks alot better without it, and i have it in the case, just in case I want to put it on, ever (Adheesive back). That being said, I dont dig in to this guitar with Giant flatpicks, I keep it tight, and play what notes need to be played.

Life time warranty.

I have been playing for a few years. I plan on being better. at least to myself. going to finish that LP when i get layed off. I am 22 i live on my own and come home to a 20/15 box, and look forward to this guitar. its just a delight all the time. the case smells like... hmm fertalizer and the wood section at home depot. my D-35 witch i bought and hatted the day after, smelled like hot cocoa (The most redeming thing about it!)

To end:
This is MY guitar.

Not sure of the year, spruce top, indian rosewood back and side. mahogany neck. Killer looking sunburst, abalone sound hole ring. Waverly gold butterbean tuners. No fretboard markers....Nitro finish.... this thing is amazing. It looks pretty understated, but two things...tone and playability.

This is the holy grail, one chord was all it took....comparing it with Santa Cruz, Taylor, Martin, Larivee, Bourgeois, and this thing blew them all away. Couldn't put it down, had to have it.

Beautiful, amazing, stupendous. Again, not flashy, just perfect.

Use it live? Well, as long as nobody breathes on it wrong. This is a solid guitar, and as long as I treat it right (may the hair on head never grow if I don't) it'll be great. Solid tuners, stays in tune, everything about this guitar is consumate picture of professional.

Haven't dealt with them yet, but they have a great reputation and again, professional.

I've been seriously for about 10 years now, I own all manner of other instruments, but my other guitar is a Taylor 414ce. This guitar is by my account as perfect as a guitar can be. It makes the Taylor sound like an electric piano vs. a grand piano. Overtones, amazing harmonics, clarity, it does it whatever you ask it, bright, warm, fat...whatever you want. If it was stolen I would weep, gnash my teeth, and pray that another guitar of this caliber might come into my life. Big thank yous to Bill Collings and his company.

1994 Collings OM-3 with Adirondack spruce top and B grade brazilian back and sides. It has waverly butterbean tuners with abalone inlay around the soundhole.

Great sound. Great for fingerstyle work

Fantastic fit and finish

1998 Model Collings OM3 made in Austin, TX. Koa back and sides, solid spruce top, mahogany neck, gold Waverly tuners, 25 1/2 scale. I bought this new last year as a custom guitar with the abalone fretboard added and a bound fingerboard and headstock. The neck has a very slight Vee which is gives it a nice feel. It came with an American Vintage Series tweed case. The case fits the body well but is a bit long and wide for the neck which allow it to slip around a bit. I would hesitate before I bought another AVS case.

I play bluegrass/folk/americana, usually solo in small crouds and this guitar works well for that. It is very bright, much more so than my Martin HD28, which lends well to many things that I do. It does not project as much as many Collings dreadnoughs I have heard (size is obviously one factor here) but it may open up with age and as it gets played more. It is very crisp sounding with good definition from string to string.

The action is set just under medium. I use light gauge strings. The woodwork is outstanding. The only minor annoyance is that the pin holes were not drilled consistently which results in the string pins sticking up at various hights across the bridge.

I don't have much experience in this category yet. My early thinking indicates that this guitar will have a long life. I would definitly use it at any gig although it would need to be miked if the crowd were very large - not unlike most small body guitars however.

I actually got some feedback while Collings was buiding the guitar which made me feel very good about both Collings and the retailer that I purchased it from.

Before I purchased, I compared this with Taylor guitars. Taylors are very nice but did not sound quite as crisp to me. I considered SCGC and Lowden guitars but I didn't have a nearby source to do any comparisons and I wasn't going to buy a guitar without ever having played a few from the brand I was considering. I have a Martin HD28 which was my "comparison" model. Obviously there are many differences in the OM body and the dreadnaught body but the Collings OM3 feels very much like the HD28 (lower bout, neck, and scale length) which for me makes switching from one to another a breeze - it just takes a few minutes to adjust my hearing from a bright sound to the boomy sound of the 28. If I ever lose this one I will definitly get another just like it. If I ever lose my Martin it is likely I would replace it with a Collings dreadnought as well. The primary feature I enjoy is the body style itself (OM or OOO body) which "fits" my body better that the dreadnaught and it therefor easier and more enjoyable to play because of the added comfort level. It was expensive but for the qualify of the guitar I feel it was well worth it. As they say in the business, "It's a keeper."