Thinking of taking the proverbial plunge...
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:13 am
Hello, new forum member here
I am 47 and live in the UK. I pay in 4 bands - 2 soul, 1 rock and 1 acoustic duo.
For the duo, and for playing / composing at home, I've been thinking of getting a versatile, high end guitar.
I have a Gibson SJ-200, but I find that a bit dry for finger picking. Credit where it's due - it's very good for strumming, but it lacks overtones and lushness. Mainly due to the maple back and side the decay is extremely fast.
I've tried several Martins and actually bought (and returned) a J-40 and an 000-42. The J-40 had the sound I liked, but it was too big - physically and the top wasn't very attractive. The 000-42 was a beautiful instrument, but I found the sound a bit honky / boxy.
My style is 50% finger picking (with bare fingers) and 50% light strumming (with a soft pick). I like the sound of dreds for chords, but prefer the look of smaller guitars. If I am going to buy a dred, it must be sunburst or what Martin call ambertone as I find that gives the optical illusion that the body looks smaller and leaner (which is what I prefer).
I recently tried a Collings D2H and absolutely loved its tone, strings separation sound and feel. This guitar's G and D strings in particular really stood out in a way no other acoustic has. I almost bought it on the spot, but at £5200 ($6500) it was way over the budget I had set, so I decided I would rummage the internet to look for a good deal.
My questions are the following:I would appreciate a few pointers from the Collings owners / experts:
- Do all unbound Collings necks have that really shiny black strip on the side of the fingerboard ? I absolutely love that touch.
- How does the bound binding look on the bound necks - is it grained or uniform. Collings website describes that as ivoroid but is it on the white side or more of a cream/vintage hue?
- On the necks with 1" 3/4 nut, what is the neck width at the 12th fret? The website does not specify that.
- Is the difference between D2H and D3 models just cosmetic?
- I mentioned I liked the D2H - what other model should I consider for that tone? CJ? I do prefer rosewood for the back and sides.
Many thanks in advance
I am 47 and live in the UK. I pay in 4 bands - 2 soul, 1 rock and 1 acoustic duo.
For the duo, and for playing / composing at home, I've been thinking of getting a versatile, high end guitar.
I have a Gibson SJ-200, but I find that a bit dry for finger picking. Credit where it's due - it's very good for strumming, but it lacks overtones and lushness. Mainly due to the maple back and side the decay is extremely fast.
I've tried several Martins and actually bought (and returned) a J-40 and an 000-42. The J-40 had the sound I liked, but it was too big - physically and the top wasn't very attractive. The 000-42 was a beautiful instrument, but I found the sound a bit honky / boxy.
My style is 50% finger picking (with bare fingers) and 50% light strumming (with a soft pick). I like the sound of dreds for chords, but prefer the look of smaller guitars. If I am going to buy a dred, it must be sunburst or what Martin call ambertone as I find that gives the optical illusion that the body looks smaller and leaner (which is what I prefer).
I recently tried a Collings D2H and absolutely loved its tone, strings separation sound and feel. This guitar's G and D strings in particular really stood out in a way no other acoustic has. I almost bought it on the spot, but at £5200 ($6500) it was way over the budget I had set, so I decided I would rummage the internet to look for a good deal.
My questions are the following:I would appreciate a few pointers from the Collings owners / experts:
- Do all unbound Collings necks have that really shiny black strip on the side of the fingerboard ? I absolutely love that touch.
- How does the bound binding look on the bound necks - is it grained or uniform. Collings website describes that as ivoroid but is it on the white side or more of a cream/vintage hue?
- On the necks with 1" 3/4 nut, what is the neck width at the 12th fret? The website does not specify that.
- Is the difference between D2H and D3 models just cosmetic?
- I mentioned I liked the D2H - what other model should I consider for that tone? CJ? I do prefer rosewood for the back and sides.
Many thanks in advance