The Collings Forum

Hello, I have some questions concerning a D1A Special built in 2009.
Do the neck specs and string spacing vary from a typical D1A?
Do they have a tongue brace?
Were the tops torrified or processed somehow?
And with the lighter build would you be more concerned about the geometry going bad over time?

Thanks in advance for any info.

"Special" could mean a number of many things. Special means it was a special order with one or more non-standard features.....like, Adirondack braces, no tongue brace, Vintage Now Neck package, special inlays and or binding, figured mahogany, etc.....
Best to get the serial number and email Collings. They will tell you exactly what you have.

Thanks for the reply. I was under the impression that it was a limited run model. The shop that is selling it claims it to have thinner top and back plates, and lighter weight heel and neck blocks.

Bill Collings was funny about changing specs on his guitars in ways that might make them less durable. Without confirmation from Austin I'd be skeptical that the top or back were thinner than normal.
I agree with Mark's speculation. Those are things that Bill and the guys often did per dealer orders.

The good thing is that you don't have to speculate. Like Mark suggested, give Collings a call with the serial number and they can pull the build sheet with all the specs on it.

Of course, the only real question is does the guitar really sing to you? If Bill Collings put his name on a guitar it is built to play for many years.

I wish I could try it but it's 15 hours away. I have a request in for the serial.

Ok so the selling dealer claims this guitar is one of about 35 made for Namm of that year. He says it is basically a Traditional from before that was a model.

Considering the time and care taken by Bill and others to develop the Traditional, the seller's claim seems unbelievable. This may be a fine guitar, but I'm betting the "special" is pretty much a creation of the seller. The seller should be able to tell you exactly what it is that makes the guitar special--or custom in standard terminology. There is no way 35 of these guitars were brought to NAMM, so I have no idea what the seller means by "made for" NAMM; and I can't track down what exactly Collings brought in 2009 other than their first ukuleles. I would be very wary purchasing from this seller. In any event, if it's possible these days, you do need to track down the serial number with Collings.

I think I’ve seen this D1A Special online and wondered about it. Seems I remember zooming in on the label photo and seeing what might be “Special” printed with the model number. Before the traditional models were developed, Collings built some “light build” guitars, maybe for Mass Street Music. I know there were some light build OMs. My memory’s fuzzy on it but maybe some others here will recall the details. But certainly Collings can give you the exact specs on that S/N, maybe when they get back to work.

Thanks guys. I believe I will pass on this and grab a D1A instead. The string spacing on the traditionals is not what I want here. All the info is appreciated.

Are there any other reasons why D1A might be a better option?