Wide Neck Collings ?

[Wesley]

The typical Collings neck is supposed to be 1.125 inches wide. I was at the Music Emporium website and saw some Collings listed this way - this is a cut and paste from their website -

"Collings MT2SB Wide 1 3/16" nut
For a couple years, we've been bugging Collings to make us some wide-neck mandolins. They have finally delivered, in a big way, literally, and figuratively. Keeping the familiar soft V neck shape and radiused fingerboard, this new model offers a 1/16" increase in nut width, allowing just the littlest bit more space for big hands, or for anyone fingering complex closed jazz chords."

I'm back - I've tried a few Collings and liked them but thought the necks were a little narrow for my stubby fingers. Have y'all tried one of these yet ?

[steve V. johnson]

I was casting about, I think it was last August or September, to see which luthiers/companies would make me a mandolin with a 1.25" nut width. Collings told me that they might go to 1 3/16" "under certain circumstances" but wouldn't tell me what those were. The correspondence I had suggested to me that they weren't eager to make variations, so I moved on.

Maybe it was because I was asking about an MT instead of some $6k+ instrument?

stv

[Jim Roberts]

The Collings web-site says their nut is 1 1/8".

Acoustic Music Works in Phildelphia has had a few Collings MT's with 1 3/16" nuts sold through their shop. #They have also sold several MT2's with 1 3/16" nuts. #The Music Emporium in Lexington, MA web-site indicates they currently have an MT2 with a nut of 1 3/16" for sale. #I used to own a Collings blonde Birdseye Maple MF5V that had a 1 3/16" nut. #I personally prefer the stock neck of 1 1/8" nut but my fingers are not stubby. #I think Gavin Baird builds his beautiful mandolins with 1 3/16" nuts and they feel really comfortable.#I guess it's all in the hands of the beholder!

To say Collings is not eager to make variations is, I believe, unfounded. #Acoustic Music Works has recently sold two burgundy stained mandolins (much, much prettier in person than their web-site pictures show). #And take a look around the web and see all the variations of guitars that Collings builds. #Perhaps go through a dealer, Steven, and have them address your wishes to Collings and you might get further in your quest for a mandolin with a 1 1/4 " nut. #Or maybe not!

[fangsdaddy]

acoustic music works is in pittsburgh.
http://www.acousticmusicworks.com/index.html

[Jim Roberts]

Oops...thanks fangsdaddy. #At least I had the correct state. #I gotta get some stronger coffee. #The wife's Starbucks Houseblend just ain't staining my teeth enough!

[Wesley]

Steve I have to agree with you about the "variations". About a year ago I was looking into an MT2 - but I didn't want a sunburst. I contacted a couple of stores and felt like I'd run into a brick wall when I asked about other options from a sunburst.

And that suprised me. I've owned two Collings guitars and I never ran into that when I was asking questions about the guitars - just mandolins. I just figured they were still "new" in the mandolin business and wern't ready for "variations" just yet. But now I see that they've made at least one solid burgundy model. And it's a looker too.

[Jim Roberts]

Wesley...they've also made lots of blonde mandolins and blackface mandolins, too. Sounds like you went to the wrong dealer! Send me a PM and I'll tell you which dealers can get 'er done for you...

[steve V. johnson]

Thanks for the good words, Jim!

It's often a bit of a challenge to find the right... 'channel'... to the right folks get special orders done, or to establish the communications to get it right. My communications were with Collings via email from their website, and not thru a dealer, perhaps speaking with a dealer would have been better.

I don't mean to disparage Collings in any way. I had a similar experince with Santa Cruz guitars. I have an OM PW model guitar, and I love it. When it came out it was their 'loss leader,' very inexpensive relative to the rest of their line, and underpriced to bring folks to the brand. I asked if they'd make me an OM PW with some custom features and I was told that they wouldn't make custom variations on the low-priced model "for the forseeable future." Now, the PW line is successful and they are offering variants of the model and doing custom orders.

I figured that the MT was in a similar position, and that perhaps later Collings would accept more customizing... Certainly making a wider neck is a very different task from applying a different finish.

If I didn't like 'em, I wouldn't have asked! <GGG>

Thanks,

stv