Collings D2HA Varnish High E String "Falling" Off The Edge Of The Fretboard
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:22 am
Greetings, Collings lovers.
As the title implies, I have a Collings D2HA Varnish whose High E string is constantly "falling" (sliding, dropping, slipping) over the edge of the fretboard when I fret it.
If I fret it with an absolutely 100% centered press (no southward bend of the fretted string, not even by a tiny bit) then it doesn't fall off the fretboard's edge and everything is perfectly fine in both sound and feel.
However, if I play it in the same way that I do my Taylor guitar and allow the finger that is fretting the High E string to relax and "droop" just ever so slightly downwards - then the string just instantaneously falls/slips off the edge of the fretboard.
This is insanely irritating and even though I'm aware that a slight change of technique could completely remedy this problem - I am also extremely unhappy with being forced to alter an existing fretting technique which I've nurtured for almost a decade.
The Collings in question is my first ever Collings guitar and has been bought from The Music Emporium and is brand new and mint. There are absolutely no structural problems with it and it is currently in the identical shape and condition as is shown in the photos of the TME link below:
https://themusicemporium.com/guitars/co ... arnish-ntb
These are it's specs:
Select Adirondack Spruce top
Adirondack Spruce bracing / No tongue brace
East Indian rosewood back and sides
Cross-cut grained ivoroid and wood nitrate strip rosette
Grained ivoroid top/back body binding
Herringbone trim with matching 2-style backstrip
Pre-war scalloped bracing
Tortoise-style celluloid pickguard
High-gloss Varnish finish!
Mahogany neck
Square headstock with volute
15 degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard with ebony belly-style bridge
Mortise and tenon hybrid neck joint
20 Frets, neck joins the body at the 14th fret
Modified V neck profile with 2 3/16" string spacing
14"-26" Compound fingerboard radius
1 3/4" Bone nut and drop-in saddle
25 1/2" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl diamond and square fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Ebony bridge pins and end pin
Nickel Waverly tuners with 16:1 ratio
Serial No. 22893
I absolutely adore the sharply projecting "singing" trebles and the pronounced meaty mid-range, and even though I find the bass-register slightly muddy and not as clear as I'd want it to be - I'm still fairly satisfied with my purchase.
Regardless, I definitely do regret not purchasing a D2HMRAT with a thicker and different Traditional neck which was also available at the time instead of the D2HA Varnish, seeing as the Madagascar would've probably produced a much nicer low-end response - but above all I regret not taking the D2HMRAT on account of the slightly wider neck off of whose fretboard edges the High E string most probably wouldn't keep falling/slipping off due to a different neck, fretboard and nut design that apparently accommodates a slightly more relaxed angle of fretting.
The D2HMRAT's link for comparison with the D2HA Varnish's fretboard:
https://themusicemporium.com/guitars/co ... raditional
If it wasn't for the retarded High E string drop-off effect whenever I would relax my finger press by just the tinniest tad - I would rate the D2HA Varnish as a very solid 4/5. But with this irritating drop-off effect I don't even play it at all actually.
Even the thickest, Low E string drops off the upper edge of the fretboard with extreme ease if I'm not super careful with my fretting hand. Still, the High E is just ten times more prone to "slippage".
I hate this XXXXXXX guitar now. 6800 USD for this piece of XXXX (including a Traditional Collings Case).
So please, dear Collings enthusiasts - tell me if you've ever experienced this High E string over-the-fretboard slip-off effect with any of your Collings guitars?
If so, was the issue restricted only to Collings models of the Standard acoustic line-up, or was it also present in the Traditional product line-up as well?
Is there anything I can do to prevent the High E string from constantly falling off the lower edge of the fretboard besides revising my playing technique?
If it is of any importance, I have very slender and feminine hands with long elegant fingers (I'm male). I am NOT pressing too hard on the strings. I am classically trained yet still prefer just a slightly more relaxed finger-press/fret angle.
Please share your similar experiences or offer some advice, if you have any.
Thank you.
As the title implies, I have a Collings D2HA Varnish whose High E string is constantly "falling" (sliding, dropping, slipping) over the edge of the fretboard when I fret it.
If I fret it with an absolutely 100% centered press (no southward bend of the fretted string, not even by a tiny bit) then it doesn't fall off the fretboard's edge and everything is perfectly fine in both sound and feel.
However, if I play it in the same way that I do my Taylor guitar and allow the finger that is fretting the High E string to relax and "droop" just ever so slightly downwards - then the string just instantaneously falls/slips off the edge of the fretboard.
This is insanely irritating and even though I'm aware that a slight change of technique could completely remedy this problem - I am also extremely unhappy with being forced to alter an existing fretting technique which I've nurtured for almost a decade.
The Collings in question is my first ever Collings guitar and has been bought from The Music Emporium and is brand new and mint. There are absolutely no structural problems with it and it is currently in the identical shape and condition as is shown in the photos of the TME link below:
https://themusicemporium.com/guitars/co ... arnish-ntb
These are it's specs:
Select Adirondack Spruce top
Adirondack Spruce bracing / No tongue brace
East Indian rosewood back and sides
Cross-cut grained ivoroid and wood nitrate strip rosette
Grained ivoroid top/back body binding
Herringbone trim with matching 2-style backstrip
Pre-war scalloped bracing
Tortoise-style celluloid pickguard
High-gloss Varnish finish!
Mahogany neck
Square headstock with volute
15 degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard with ebony belly-style bridge
Mortise and tenon hybrid neck joint
20 Frets, neck joins the body at the 14th fret
Modified V neck profile with 2 3/16" string spacing
14"-26" Compound fingerboard radius
1 3/4" Bone nut and drop-in saddle
25 1/2" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl diamond and square fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Ebony bridge pins and end pin
Nickel Waverly tuners with 16:1 ratio
Serial No. 22893
I absolutely adore the sharply projecting "singing" trebles and the pronounced meaty mid-range, and even though I find the bass-register slightly muddy and not as clear as I'd want it to be - I'm still fairly satisfied with my purchase.
Regardless, I definitely do regret not purchasing a D2HMRAT with a thicker and different Traditional neck which was also available at the time instead of the D2HA Varnish, seeing as the Madagascar would've probably produced a much nicer low-end response - but above all I regret not taking the D2HMRAT on account of the slightly wider neck off of whose fretboard edges the High E string most probably wouldn't keep falling/slipping off due to a different neck, fretboard and nut design that apparently accommodates a slightly more relaxed angle of fretting.
The D2HMRAT's link for comparison with the D2HA Varnish's fretboard:
https://themusicemporium.com/guitars/co ... raditional
If it wasn't for the retarded High E string drop-off effect whenever I would relax my finger press by just the tinniest tad - I would rate the D2HA Varnish as a very solid 4/5. But with this irritating drop-off effect I don't even play it at all actually.
Even the thickest, Low E string drops off the upper edge of the fretboard with extreme ease if I'm not super careful with my fretting hand. Still, the High E is just ten times more prone to "slippage".
I hate this XXXXXXX guitar now. 6800 USD for this piece of XXXX (including a Traditional Collings Case).
So please, dear Collings enthusiasts - tell me if you've ever experienced this High E string over-the-fretboard slip-off effect with any of your Collings guitars?
If so, was the issue restricted only to Collings models of the Standard acoustic line-up, or was it also present in the Traditional product line-up as well?
Is there anything I can do to prevent the High E string from constantly falling off the lower edge of the fretboard besides revising my playing technique?
If it is of any importance, I have very slender and feminine hands with long elegant fingers (I'm male). I am NOT pressing too hard on the strings. I am classically trained yet still prefer just a slightly more relaxed finger-press/fret angle.
Please share your similar experiences or offer some advice, if you have any.
Thank you.