The Collings Forum

I'm considering an OM1 or 001 14 fret. I play mostly fingerstyle in dadgad. Over the years I have predominately played more contemporary style guitars such as Ryan, Goodall, Taylor, etc but I'm at a point where I'd like to have just one guitar that works for everything and I think maybe an OM1 or 001 14 fret might fit the bill. The Q is - should it be a Collings OM1 or 001 14fret?

Q's
How do you like the neck and overall playability of your Collings?
How do the OM1's and 001 14 frets handle/respond to tuning down, etc.
Do you think the Collings om1 is stiff feeling and/or sounding?
Do they respond to a light touch?

Whatever you want to tell me about your experience with your OM1 or 001 14 fret is appreciated. Thanks!

For one guitar that does everything well, you’ve come to the right place with the OM1! The hard part is choosing among the various incarnations (top woods, neck profile, standard vs trad, etc).

To answer your Q’s based on my experience:

How do you like the neck and overall playability of your OM1?
- I find the standard V neck to be super comfortable in the fretting hand; string spacing at the saddle is great for flatpicking but feels a tad cramped for complex finger-style. I actually prefer the wider string spacing on the traditional models. There are also wider necks available for standard series guitars - aka vintage and vintage now neck options - although I don’t have experience with these.

How do the OM1's handle/respond to tuning down, etc.
- They work great in standard and altered tunings.

Do you think the Collings om1 is stiff feeling and/or sounding?
- Standard OM1 can feel/sound a bit stiff brand new but they open up nicely over time. You can get around this by buying used or going with the OM1 traditional which has a lighter build and looser feel.

Do they respond to a light touch?
- They respond equally well to a light touch and a hard thump! Depending on your playing style this is where there are some options to explore. I find the traditional series to be slightly more responsive to a light touch. You can also chose among Sitka, Engleman, German or Adirondack tops depending on what feel and output you’re looking for.

I found my ‘do everything’ guitar in an OM1A Trad but there are lots of OM1 options to audition if you get the opportunity!

-Eric

Thanks for your input, Eric - I appreciate it. I listened to your recordings and you're a fine guitarist. Early on, I must have played Bouree in Em a million times over. Bach really lends itself well to the guitar - not all of course.

Thanks again!

dadgad, I've had a number of guitars with vintage necks 1 3/4" nut width and 2 3/8" bridge spacing..... as well as one 'vintage now' neck. These options are available to you. If you play fingerstyle with a light touch, you might like the German Spruce tops. They have lots of sparkle, respond well to a light touch and have lots of headroom. I had a 0001G that was magic. Best of luck with your search, I don't think you can go wrong.

Hi Greg,
Your suggestions are appreciated. All of my current guitars have 1 3/4 nut spacing with a fairly low profile neck shape. From the measurements on the Collings site it looks like the standard neck profile would be a good fit with the 1 3/4 nut. I think the 2 1/4 or 2 5/16 saddle spacing would be best though so I'm not sure what the compromise would be.
As for the German Spruce. I was searching for an OM1Gss for a while and didn't find one. The new 001 14 fret with a German top would probably be a killer guitar!

Anyone else?

Hello dadgad6strings,
I have a 2020 OM1T with a baked Sitka top and here are my thoughts:

The neck profile is thin from front to back in the cowboy chords area but plumps up nicely to a soft v that is 1” as you get closer to the 9th fret. It doesn’t have much in the way of shoulders so it feels slimmer than it is and as a result, I feel like I am more agile than I actually am on this neck.

Mine is currently strung with Santa Cruz parabolic tension strings and I feel that it responds quite well to a light touch. I’ve been playing Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah for the last few days with my fingers and can really coax some good dynamics out of it with a more nuanced touch.

I’m sure that this is true for all OM1 models, but this guitar is making me a better player every time I pick it up. The string separation is great so I can hear everything I do, whether it’s good or bad. I find that I focus more on my playing and that I get more out of it than I have with other guitars. Also, it just sounds great!

Here is a link to a video that is representative of my experience with this guitar:

https://youtu.be/RtUOdWwWYCY

Here is a link to someone else playing the guitar I actually own:

https://youtu.be/lhO8UJVwxDs

I don't have an OM-1 but do have three Collings guitars. Responding to your inquiry about an OM-1, this was Pete Huttlinger's signature guitar when he was alive, and as well now Julian Lage's guitar. So I think that you will be very satisfied. I do prefer the mahogany end of the sound spectrum for fingerstyle and note separation. Regarding string spacing at the saddle, the regular Collings spacing works great for me. I currently play a lot of fingerstyle stuff on a a maple Collings SJ, so similar sound to an OM-1, meaning dry end of the sound spectrum.

Jeff

Thanks Scott and Jeff! I appreciate all of the input from everyone.
It's a tough decision with so many incredible guitars and luthiers that are building so many great OM's!

Anyone else care to share their feelings about an OM1 or 001 14 fret?