Model info denotion

Hobbswherescalvin
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2020 4:04 am
Real Name: Stephen Hobbs

Model info denotion

Post: # 2682Post Hobbswherescalvin
Wed Jul 15, 2020 4:12 am

After 17 years as a certified luthier, im finally able to afford owning a high end acoustic. Ha!

I worked as a martin warranty tech, as well as, a number of other companies while living in santa cruz. i rarely came across a collings though, sadly.

I was recently offered a Collings OM2HBaA

After searching on the subject, ive found it hard to figure out exactly what BaA stands for, as well as, the other denotions. Such as BbA.

I was curious if there was a chart or if someone could simply go over what these refer to, i have the general idea that it means brazilian rosewood and Adirondack top.. i think, at least that what it seems like when i look at the guitar. But how does one know. What does BbA stand for.

Thanks for the info in advanced.
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maplebaby
Posts: 198
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 2:31 pm

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2683Post maplebaby
Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:10 am

According to the sticker inside your guitar you have a OM2H as you ‘base’ guitar - meaning body size is OM - 2 meaning the kind of appointments it has, H meaning Herringbone.

The big B means Brazilian Rosewood back/sides, the little ‘a’ is the grade or quality is the rosewood. Brazilian Rosewood is graded by Collings as singing, double or triple ‘a’ with single a being the least of the grades. As you’ve said the large ‘A’ means the guitar has an Adirondack top.

Congratulations on having a very nice Collings, although when your guitar was built the folks at Collings gave the BR an ‘a’ rating that is relative to some degree. By that I mean it’s relative to what was generally available at that time.

Looking at your pictures I would say by today’s standards of BR your guitar might merit a higher rating for its back and sides.

Enjoy!
dale

Greg Y
Posts: 208
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:35 pm

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2684Post Greg Y
Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:12 am

Your guitar is a beauty. There was period at Collings where the Brazilian was graded. Your guitar is B Brazilian,grade a, A for adirondack top. The grades were visual and not tonal & as supplies got slimmer, the grading changed. An older 'a' grade back and sides could in fact look nicer than an 'aa' grade made years later. Towards the end of the period where Collings was building with brazilian, they stopped letter-grading the wood. During the early 2000s, as i recall, Bill would only put an adirondack top on mahogany or brazilian rosewood. Later he acquiesced and offered adirondack over EIR. That's a gem of a guitar
Last edited by Greg Y on Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

maplebaby
Posts: 198
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 2:31 pm

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2685Post maplebaby
Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:29 am

OM2HBaA = a Brazilian Rosewood guitar with single 'a' rated wood to my understanding. The B signifies Brazilian not the rating of the wood, the little ‘a’ is the rating with the large A meaning adi top.
Last edited by maplebaby on Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

Hobbswherescalvin
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2020 4:04 am
Real Name: Stephen Hobbs

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2686Post Hobbswherescalvin
Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:37 am

Thank you guys, much appreciated.

Thats kind of what i guessed but i wanted some confirmation.

From my experience as well with brazilian (ive built about 20-30 of them and worked on probably 100 more)

The wilder the grain, although it looks amazing and may sound unbelievable. The grain tends to crack, it seems like due to the wild grain and possibly waxes and cellulose patterns, what have you. Ive seen guitars i was a part of the build on suddenly start splitting when they were hanging ready for final polish. It was really sad, i watched 5 out 6 get severe back cracks suddenly one afternoon, nothing different with the shop, just a very bad day.

Not trying to bash the quality standards BY ANY MEANS. This is something that just turned me off to the concept of super figured BR. So when i saw this mostly straight grain, first i was surprised it was brazilian, and second when i found out it was, i was actually really happy because to me, it gives me a bit of peace of mind that it should stay together for quite a while. I love repairing and building, but i want a guitar thats perfect, that ill want more to play it then to fix it.

Greg Y
Posts: 208
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:35 pm

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2687Post Greg Y
Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:03 pm

Thanks Dale, the b was a slip of the keyboard, from an all too quick read of Hobb's post. My eye was on the photos. Corrected above. A wonderful guitar.
Last edited by Greg Y on Wed Jul 15, 2020 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

MSEV
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2019 2:08 pm
Location: Omaha

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2688Post MSEV
Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:52 pm

Beautiful guitar.
I had a Collings Bb at one point, so the grade of the Brazilian wood was a "b", below all the "a"s (where the more "a"s, the better the rating at the time).
It was not highly figured, it was just very black wood where you could hardly see the grain, with a strip or two of red. It was very pretty to my eye. Excellent guitar.
Actually, come to think of it, I had another Collings dread that was a Bb, which WAS highly figured, so I have had two Bb dreads. It was one of the finest guitars I have ever owned or played (fabulous sound, super easy to play). It was also about 20 years old at the time so I think/hope the wood was "settled in" and would not crack.
So there can be a grade of "b" also for the Brazilian Collings guitars.
Bob K
Omaha

Greg Y
Posts: 208
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:35 pm

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2689Post Greg Y
Wed Jul 15, 2020 6:38 pm

Hobbs & Bob, My observation is that Collings is and always was very judicious about the aging of the tonewoods used in their guitars. Having said that, my take is that cracking is most likely to occur during the bending of the sides. I've owned quite a few Collings guitars in the last 20 years and never had the slightest issue with instability. I'd have no qualms at all about an OM like the one in Hobb's original post.

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Fidalgo
Posts: 58
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2019 11:29 pm

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2690Post Fidalgo
Wed Jul 15, 2020 9:55 pm

Cool guitar, Mr. Hobbs!

uponamouse
Posts: 64
Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:39 pm
Real Name: Tom N

Re: Model info denotion

Post: # 2691Post uponamouse
Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:00 pm

Congratulations on a nice looking and presumably nice sounding Collings!
If you're still in Santa Cruz, I'm at the southern end of the bay, if you ever want to play and compare with two other Collings.
Cheers, Tom

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