Joined the OM1A JL Club

Georgelange
Posts: 94
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 3:30 am
Real Name: George lange
Location: Ancaster, Canada

Re: Joined the OM1A JL Club

Post: # 848Post Georgelange
Sat Mar 09, 2019 9:57 pm

I have the 1. 11/16 inch and love it. I ought a used D2H with the same neck size and I am very happy with this size too. I too make more mistakes on the 13/4 inch neck size guitars.

markT
Posts: 125
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:10 pm
Location: West Palm Beach

Re: Joined the OM1A JL Club

Post: # 852Post markT
Sun Mar 10, 2019 2:25 pm

Peanut73 wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2019 8:33 pm I have never been an OM superfan, but these Julian Lage guitars are something otherworldly. I actually think it might be the best guitar that Collings makes right now.
Congratulations on your JL.

I feel the same way.

Mine is the “Traditional” neck carve with 1 3/4” x 2 5/16” and I’m crazy about it. Never tried the JL neck carve, but all I hear is good things.

Enjoy!~

Georgelange
Posts: 94
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 3:30 am
Real Name: George lange
Location: Ancaster, Canada

Re: Joined the OM1A JL Club

Post: # 995Post Georgelange
Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:33 pm

I put some Curt Mangan strings on my Om1a-jl and now it sounds even more interesting. Makes a big difference compared to the the nickel bronze strings that come standard on this guitar

TStop
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2019 12:29 am
Real Name: Tom S
Location: Iowa

Re: Joined the OM1A JL Club

Post: # 1433Post TStop
Sat Jun 29, 2019 4:27 am

please advise who will re-shape a T neck? I have a 1-3/4 Trad D I would like to slim down. I don't care about re-sale value down the road. Thanks
TS

007
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2019 3:01 am

Re: Joined the OM1A JL Club

Post: # 1611Post 007
Sun Jul 28, 2019 2:23 pm

I had a tough decision between keeping my OM1A or buying the JL. I went back and forth for a few months.
Eventually decided on the JL. Both are great guitars. For a while, I had both under the same roof and I posted some thoughts on the acoustic guitar forum. I'll share here as well:

"The JL I have I has the 1 11/16” neck modeled after Julian’s 1939 Martin 000-18. In my hands, the JL 1 11/16” neck is a touch easier to play than Collings’ 1 3/4.” Julian spoke about a “balance” between the neck and body in a promotional video, and I think the design is spot on relating to the weight balance between the neck and body. There is a district difference in the weight between the two models as well. The JL is significantly lighter than the OM1A.

I have both guitars strung w/ D’Addario NB lights which come stock on the JL. They are somewhat different than the EJ16s that come on the standard Collings model. Among other things, the NBs feel softer with less tension than the EJs.

The JL tone has more dryness to it whereas the OM1A has more chime to it. A few years back, I heard Bill Collings speak about how some players desired a more fundamental tone than what his guitars offered. He learned that some players thought the chime could get in the way. After playing the JL, I understand what he was describing - re keeping the chime out of the guitar.

Additionally, the low end and mid response is different between the two models. The JL offers slightly deeper low frequencies, and the mid are deeper as well. The JL has a more “scooped” EQ than the OM1A. The OM1As response lends to a balanced EQ shared by all the strings. In promoting the JL, Julian described his ‘39 000-18 having “phantom bass.” After playing the JL, I hear what he and Collings were going for with the JL.

When reading about the Traditional Series, a “rounded” fretboard has been described. Again, after A/Bing, I can notice it on the JL.

In sum, I think the OM1A provides much of what the JL has, but delivers more in terms of chime (for lack of better description), and has more volume. But to some players, that buries the sought after fundamental tone offered in the JL."

Flash forward to this morning...After having an undersaddle pickup installed in the JL, I've now done two gigs with it. The first took a little getting used to considering I had used the OM1A in the same capacity for over 10 years. But after the second gig (last night), it felt like the guitar was now mine. Hard to describe, but no longer new and now road-tested. The JL is starting to really come alive. Just before I sold my OM1A, when A/Bing, JL surpassed it in volume, perhaps due to the lighter finish, lack of tongue brace, and (to my eye) slightly lower back braces. The JL has a slightly greater tonal palette overall. More of everything on the EQ chart - but with the overall characteristics, I described above. I anticipate this is due to the guitar aging and opening up. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase. I miss the OM1A, but am looking forward to a long relationship with the JL.

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