Collings Guitars

Building guitars based on classic American designs, Collings have an exceptional reputation across the Atlantic, where they are rated by many players (and also, secretly by many rival manufacturers) as the best acoustics ever made. Collings guitars are never average, every model we have ever tried has been among the very best of its kind.

Until recently they were unavailable outside the US, but now a small number are being imported into the UK, and Sheehans have been fortunate enough to secure a dealership for these truly stunning instruments.

On this page:

• Body sizes and shapes
• Models
• Custom options

Other relevant pages:

• Shop for Collings guitars in our online store
• Contact our acoustic guitar department

Jim D'Addario (from D'Addario strings) is the proud owner of this
custom Collings OM3, with flame maple back and sides

Sizes and Shapes

Collings guitars are available in all the classic body sizes - Dreadnought, Grand Auditorium (000), Jumbo - and also a selection of more unusual designs including models with 12-fret necks.

[Top of Page]

Models

All production models feature a select spruce top, ebony fingerboard, mahogany neck (except the SJ with its maple neck and body), open-backed vintage style Waverly tuners and a tortoiseshell pickguard. Custom options are available - see below.

All models include a Collings hard case.

Dreadnoughts

The most popular steel string body shape - in our opinion these are the best dreadnoughts money can buy! In Collings' own words they are 'an interpretation of the fabled Martin dreadnoughts from the 1930s and 40s', harking back to the golden era of acoustic guitar design.

The D1 has select mahogany back and sides; a percussive sounding instrument with a prominent mid-range and bright, sparkly trebles.

The D2H copies Martin's famous 'herringbone' inlay pattern around the edge of the soundboard, and features select Indian rosewood back and sides. Tonally it has rich, deep basses with a smoother treble and mid-range, perhaps a little better suited to legato styles.

The D3 is essentially the same as the D2H, without herringbone inlays, and with the addition of a bound fingerboard and headstock, abalone soundhole inlay and gold plated machine heads.

OM Models

'Orchestral Model' instruments with a grand auditorium (000) body size; prefered by many fingerstyle players as, although lacking the dynamic range of dreadnoughts, they produce a slightly 'sweeter' sound and are a little more sensitive at lower volume.

According to Collings their OM series 'are an interpretation of the Martin short run of instruments made between 1929 and 1933'. Specifications of models OM1, OM2H and OM3 mirror the Dreadnought series (see above).

12-Fret Models

A range of guitars with 12th fret neck-body joints, slotted headstocks and wider necks (hence wider string spacing). Again aimed at the fingerstyle player, and capable of sustaining notes a little better than the standard 14-fret neck, they tend to have enlarged sound chambers over their 14-fret counterparts, producing more volume overall.

The DS1 and DS2H are dreadnoughts after the D1 and D2H, the 0002H a grand auditorium shape after the OM2H, with the 002H and 0042 featuring a smaller 'grand concert' body size with Indian rosewood back and sides, the former with herringbone inlays and the latter with abalone inlay around the edge of the soundboard (after Martin's '42' style instruments).

SJ

Nominally the 'Small Jumbo', although in reality a large bodied, country players' guitar with Maple back and sides. Loud, percussive tone with plenty of 'twang', evenly balanced from bass to treble. Based 'on the body shape of the Gibson J-185 model from the 1950s'.

CJ (Collings Jumbo)

According to Collings this model is 'based on the Gibson Advanced Jumbos from the mid and late 1930s'. Externally the guitar resembles a dreadnought, but with slightly more rounded 'shoulders', although the CJ has a much heavier body than any of the Collings dreadnoughts.

The guitar needs to be played reasonably hard to sound at its best, but when given some 'welly' it really is stunning, with a sweeter tone and perhaps a little more volume than the dreadnoughts. Back and sides are made from Indian rosewood, and the guitar is available in either a natural or vintage sunburst finish.

C10 & C10-Deluxe

Parlour guitars, with dimensions based on the Gibson model L00 from the late 1920s. An ideal choice for ragtime and fingerstyle blues playing.

The C10 features select mahogany back and sides; the C10-Deluxe has select Indian rosewood back and sides and also features a bound fingerboard and headstock.

Baby

A small bodied instrument with a shorter scale length (24 1/8" / 613mm). Good for a travel instrument, or for playing while relaxing in an armchair!

Select Indian rosewood back and sides, herringbone border inlays, 14 fret neck, nickel Waverly tuners.

[Top of Page]

Custom headstock inlays

Custom Options

A range of custom options available on all models (unless otherwise stated):-

• Engelmann spruce / European spruce / Koa tops
• Brazilian rosewood / koa / maple back and sides (and maple neck)
• Cutaway (illustrated below*)
• Fingerboard & headstock binding
• Abalone soundhole rosette inlay, 41 and 42 style** border inlays
• Wooden binding / inlays (soundhole rosette, borders, fingerboard, headstock)
• Herringbone inlays (standard on models ending in H)
• Sunburst finish
• 1 3/4" (45mm) neck width
• Gold Waverly tuners (on models without a slotted headstock)
• A selection of custom inlay designs for the headstock and fingerboard

*Cutaway on the C10 Deluxe.

**Abalone border inlays

'41 style' borders go around the edge of the soundboard, starting and finishing at the neck-body join.

'42 style' borders continue around the edge of the fingerboard where it meets the body (as shown in the picture).

[Top of Page]