The Collings Forum

IMO and experience, the James tailpiece is much more easy to string. It doesn't have the sharp edge of the Collings tailpiece where some of our hands come to rest. As good as the Collings tailpiece looks engraved. The James has more real estate for engraving and Weldon Lister has done a bunch of ver...

I don't know the actual reason, but I'll agree that the varnish guitars were something special tonally. I had a very fine lefty D1aV varnish , that sounded as spectacular as a guitar could be. I do know the varnish guitars took up a lot of space for long periods of time due to the process & the ...

Dogsby, Since you're ordering custom, you could get a 000 with a 1 3/4" nut width. I'm betting you could custom size the string spacing at the bridge..... I've had Ds with 2 3/8".... As mentioned Collings standard nut width on the 000 is 1 13/16".....

I'd be inclined to check out the 12 fret 000 Collings. They're a very powerful guitar....& might offer a little more 'something' than an OM DB

A little bit of heat....& the bushing come out.... a soldering iron or a nail heated up on the stove touched to the inside of the bushing & they're free

Fresh off the line and shipping to Action Music Guitars.
photo from Collings on Instagram
The Waterloo lives!

I think the 00 will be just right.... the Goldilocks guitar. A little more resonant than the 14 fret model. I've had a lot of Collings Ds as well as an 01A and a 0001G. The 01a was a powerful guitar, focused and loud but not as resonant as vintage versions ('30s-early 40s). The 000 is a big guitar. ...

I did see both mandolins & Waterloos in various stages in the works during our November visit.

Randall, I'm pretty sure the dark sunburst is a style 2. I've only had one a D1a.... & we didn't call it anything. I called Collings and sent them a photo of my friend's 1937 D-18 shadetop....& they copied it.
The D3 model would have the bound neck and headstock (& abalone rosette)

Ranren.... there were no Collings T guitars in the '90s...... the series started around 2017.