Thoughts on the OM1T

JohnFrink
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:51 pm

Re: Thoughts on the OM1T

Post: # 3131Post JohnFrink
Mon Nov 30, 2020 1:06 am

007 wrote: Sun Nov 29, 2020 3:46 pm I want to hear more from JohnFink and the sorting of the 5 OMs! Did they all differ?
All the OM1Ts were remarkably consistent. All but one had baked Sitka tops; one was Adirondack. The earliest (2016) had the most playing time and had opened up beautifully, with a really lush feel to the bottom strings. I could have been deliriously happy with any of them, but I got stuck in a quest for the perfect neck profile.

As I've gotten older I learned that my left hand very much prefers a deeper profile, especially since I play thumb-over chords a lot and a deep profile permits a gentler (less-acute) bend in the thumb (and first finger). It took me a while to figure that out. Collings has used several different profile depths on the Traditional Series, starting with around 0.90" (1st fret) in 2016 and ending up at the current spec of 0.815". I liked all the Traditional necks I played, but my left hand was much more comfortable with the deeper profiles. When I acquired an OM1Mh custom that had been built with a VN neck (0.845") I knew I was getting close to the ideal; the VN felt great, but I wanted something just a little deeper. I was fortunate to find a dealer who worked with Collings to build me an OM1T that started with a VN profile, but they tweaked the depth of the CNC carve by +0.015" to produce a neck that's 0.86" at the first fret (0.845" + 0.015"). Perfect! Collings said that because the Traditional neck uses the VN profile as the basis for its shape, they were willing to build me an OM1T with a modified VN neck and still call it an OM1T. Now I have the perfect OM1T. It was beautifully balanced to start, and it's just now beginning to loosen up and show some of that sweet lushness in the bottom strings. It's fantastic, and it fits my hand perfectly. Couldn't be happier.
Last edited by JohnFrink on Tue Dec 01, 2020 8:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Bourgeois OM CB HS, Collings OM1T, OM1Mh, OM3Mh, RainSong CH-OM-N2, Santa Cruz OM

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

Re: Thoughts on the OM1T

Post: # 3133Post maplebaby
Mon Nov 30, 2020 12:50 pm

That's a great Collings story, thanks for sharing! Underscores what we know and love about Collings - passion for building the best instruments possible and also amazing customer support - it doesn't get any better IMO.

waterbound
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2020 6:31 pm

Re: Thoughts on the OM1T

Post: # 3134Post waterbound
Mon Nov 30, 2020 4:28 pm

sgarrity wrote: Sun Nov 29, 2020 10:35 pm Collings tend to be really consistent but they aren't all amazing. I had an OM1A about 10 years ago that was just kind of flat. Not bad but didn't live up to the Collings brand. I sold it and after the buyer had it for 2-3 weeks he emailed me and said "Now I know why you sold it...."

Have you owned Collings before? They're known for their clarity which some people say makes them sound sterile. Fewer overtones, not as woody as say a Martin. That's one of the things that makes them popular with the bluegrass and flat picking crowd. They are excellent jam guitars.

Maybe you'd prefer a rosewood model? I have an OM2H Traditional with baked Sitka top. Far and away the favorite Collings I've owned. For me the best wood combos Collings does is Sitka or German over EIR and Adirondack over mahogany.
It's my firth. I've had a D2H that was OK. A D1S that was great but the wide neck was an issue. And a 2000 Winfield, which I still have and love dearly. You might be right on the rosewood. Problem is that I'm retired now and don't have much toy money. I was just curious if anyone else was less that thrilled about theirs

:|

shotzy
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:21 pm

Re: Thoughts on the OM1T

Post: # 3135Post shotzy
Mon Nov 30, 2020 5:10 pm

My advice is to trust your gut, and also try before you buy whenever possible. Even though Collings are as consistent as they come, they still produce a combo of instant home-runs, late-bloomers, and occasional duds.

Case in point: I owned an OM1A for 2 years. Fantastic guitar but I wished it had a wider string spacing for fingerstyle and slightly more bass.

So, I ordered an OM1T online (sight unseen) thinking it would fit the bill. I was disappointed by this particular guitar (sterile sounding compared to my OM1A) and promptly returned it.

A year later I auditioned an OM1AT at a local music store. 1 year old dead mint. This one had exactly the tone and bass presence I was looking for. Confirmed by an A-B test with my OM1A. I bought the OM1AT and continue to be smitten with it 2 years later :)
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Collings OM1AT
Santa Cruz OM Grand (German / EIR)

My youtube guitar channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj1rzB ... 3l6XeRMktQ

JohnB
Posts: 77
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:18 pm

Re: Thoughts on the OM1T

Post: # 3137Post JohnB
Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:36 pm

The standard OMs and the Traditionals do sound different. I have two standard OMs and I strongly prefer them to two OMTs I've had a chance to play. I also often prefer the new standard OMs, though by not nearly as much. Many, if not most, prefer the Ts. I can't speak to what happens to the Ts over time, but the standards get richer without losing the clarity and liveliness that characterize most Collings. I've found that the overtones of the standards just suit my ear, and my playing and singing, better than the Ts. Long way around saying your OMT just might not be the best fit for what you'd like for sound.

I should also say that I have a D1AT that I've come to prefer to the many standard Collings dreads I've played and the one fine D2A I owned for a year. I do wonder if I wouldn't change my mind if I had the chance to listen to aged versions of both. And Shotzy's experience that the preference between standard and T might depend on the individual guitar might well override the common differences between the two.

Some years ago, around when the Traditionals first became available, I called Collings to ask about them. I was getting my son a guitar for his college graduation. The word back then was that they weren't thought of at Collings as a better Collings--though Bill was thrilled with them. They were simply considered a different voicing, and the advice given was to just listen to both versions and get the one that I liked best. I was struck that those I talked to at Collings weren't swept away by the newer model: they loved both. And my experience auditioning guitars has mirrored this feeling. I like both versions--but so far with OMs I lean to the standards, with dreads to the Ts.

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