The Collings Forum

I’m looking for a rosewood o size guitar. There is nothing on the used market. I’m considering new; collings 02h or a martin custom shop 028. Neither is available to test drive here in Philadelphia. I have a few of each brand and love them both. The collings is about 900 more but has herringbone trim and the Martin doesn’t. Otherwise the two guitars are virtually identical. Any thoughts?

I’ve owned an O2h which was a great sounding guitar and the neck profile was spot on. I’ve played both side by side and the 02h definitely has more clarity with a bit more sparkle and high end with balanced bass response. It did have a few wolf notes when playing a Bflat note on the low E string which bugged me a little and didn’t hold up with strumming too well so I ended up exchanging it for a C10 with rosewood b/s.

The Martin has more bass response with warmer highs. I preferred the tone of the Martin better but the playability and comfort of the Collings.

Dexter, Thanks very thoughtful.

Look into Martin binding issues before making your decision. Sure, a lifetime warranty is great and all, but when the binding starts falling off your $5,000+ guitar after owning it for just two-years, you'll wish you had picked the Collings.