Collings mt

[JeffD]

Just yesterday I had a lot of fun trying out a new Collings MT.

I had never played a Collings before. This instrument sounded and played wonderfully.

Very fat sounding through out, low end growlers had a great tone and no "thunkyness". The high end was perhaps not as brilliant some mandolins, especially F style mandolins, but a beautiful tone nonetheless, not the slightest bit "brassy".

I would almost say it sounded creamy, in the sense that I could move between the high and low ranges without any of the small but distinct changes in timbre you can hear with a lot of mandolins.

When I switched to my Read Bear Tortis C style heavy pick, I fell in love with the mandolin all over again. The sound was to my ear an oval hole sound, though the MT has F holes.

Just beautiful.

Great playability as well. The neck fit my hand perfectly. Playing around I got the feeling that everything was within reach.

I just loved it. Collings MT is on my list.

[cgwilsonjr]

I sure enjoy my Collings mando. Mine not only has good tone but the playablity is excellent. The price for an MT is a good value as well (IMO).

[Rick Schmidlin]

Another possitive MT story,the chop goes on.

[shadco]

I took my MT along with me to A+B with a Ratliff R5 as I'm adding an F Style. I know it's not fair to play one that is somewhat played in compared to one that is but I doscovered I just couldn't deal with the playabilty of the Ratliff (flat neck and faux scooped extension).

[John Hill]

I used to have an MT and regret selling it. Great bargains regardless of what price range you're discussing.

[JoeD]

The high end was perhaps not as brilliant some mandolins, especially F style mandolins, but a beautiful tone nonetheless, not the slightest bit "brassy".

I'm constantly going on about what a great little mandolin my MT is - probably the smartest instrument buy I ever made. The comment about the high-end struck me though. The high-end on mine was pretty tight when I bought it too. I've had it just under two years, and it's opened up beautifully.

[lovethemf5s]

I bought my Collings used a few months ago. From the lack of fret wear it appeared to have not been played much. I put an end to that foolishness and have been playing it a lot every day. It sounded great when I first got it but the tone keeps improving all the time. Loud with nice bell like notes all over the fingerboard.

[HogTime]

I recently bought an '04 MT from the classifieds to compare against my '84 Flatiron A5Jr. Definitely got a different sound - not quite a bassy as the Flatiron. I was very interested if the MT played easier than my Flatiron. I'm not finding that much difference between the two and will probably sell the MT later. I do prefer the thinner neck on the Collings, but didn't really notice a difference between its radiused fretboard vs the flat one on the Flatty. My Flatiron at $600 cheaper is looking like a pretty good deal.

At this point I'm just trying to compare mandos on a longer term basis than one hour at a store. I figure if I buy a popular model used, I can't lose that much money on it.

[JeffD]

I have been interested in instrtuments that do not have the Gibson sound. Not that I don't love the sound, I do. But I have a Gibson, a 1923 A2, and it sounds wonderful, and I don't need another mandolin that tries to sound like it.

That is what I liked about the Collings MT, it sounded wonderful, and distinctly not in the same way a Gibson does. It is hard to describe, but if you played them side by side you would probably know what I am getting at.

The playability is another aspect that is hard to put into words. I liked the neck shape, it was very comfortable. And the MT was my first radiused fingerboard, and I found it effortlessly easy to work my way around it. As Archie Fisher used to say, my "fingers fairly flew".

It is right to comment that purchasing after 90 minutes of in store play alone is not wise. (Sort of like marriage after the first date.) I am prone to paralysis by analysis - so I will study and worry this out for a while.

That being said, it sure was a fantastic first date.

[Andrew DeMarco]

I <3 my Collings MT.