The Collings Forum

Owned an OM-2H with torrified Sitka that I loved. Would buy it back if I could.

I have owned OM1T's and OM2HT's with Sitka tops baked and unbaked, and the baked tops have more of what I'm looking for; the unbaked tops were excellent, the baked tops are better, in my opinion. Just my two cents.

I have played quite a few and I haven't been able to hear a difference?

I’ve played a few guitars with torrified tops and torrified Adirondack bracing and, yes, I can hear a difference in sound. Aging and drying out the top and braces does make a discernible difference for the better. This change in the cell structure, once a wood top has been baked, can be observed with the aid of a microscope. The wood cells of a real old guitar top look very similar to a torrified guitar. The cells of a new guitar too look different

I just bought a new D1T with a baked Sitka top. Other than a 1934-38 D18, it is the guitar I have dreamed about owning for over 20 years. I have had a D1A and several iterations of D18s over the years, but this Traditional with the baked top sounds unusually beautiful. I know the tone is a combination of the Traditional bracing and torrefaction and Sitka top, but it has a warmth and dry depth - almost a diffused dryness - that is rarely heard in modern guitar.

I'm finding that my standard D1 sitka baked top is louder when strummed softly but does top out when hit harder, boomier and more crisp than my D1AT . The D1at is very focused in the mids and has a ton of headroom..but still plenty of highs...You can hit it hard and it just keeps going. The standard D1 is simply sweet sounding in every way and I think it can be as loud head to head as the D1at...Both awesome guitars but different tonally. Anyone else feel that baked sitka keeps up with adirondak?

I just got a 2017 D1 torrified with red spruce bracing, and the only guitar I’ve ever had that was louder was a D1G (#2) that one was a monster and so is this one.... very loud

Like others before this post have said I'm not a big fan of the look of the wood that's been 'pre dried' and prefer the 'natural' time way of watching wood change and season. I have it on very good authority, so good I cannot mention, that tortified wood is not a friend of glue, steer clear.

Considering the source who shared this information with me I would never consider it period. Having done a small amount of research online it seems others have expressed similar concern. The question being with this flaw/concern is it enough to make a difference over time. Again as had been shared already, only time will tell, I frankly I don't have 30-50 to find out.

I used to be fairly dead set against baked tops. The Martins I played with baked tops were "frighteningly efficient" but left me a bit cold. Then just because I was curious and was sure I would get a great guitar I bought a Collings D2H Baked Top this year. It's an amazing instrument. I told Joe at The Music Emporium that it's like the great white shark of dreadnoughts. So, what I think now is that baking the top tends to take the new guitar edge off a new instrument. You don't have to wait 8-10 years for the guitar to begin to reach its full potential. In the end baking just seems to speed up the top's aging process a bit. Baked tops are a winner in this respect for me.

Just picked up a used C10 ss with torrefied adirondack top and torrefied maple back and sides and can’t put it down. I wasn’t sure about torrefication until now. Incredible tone coming out of it, and it also looks amazing.