The video of that is here.
When discussed on the MCafe the consensus was that the Collins A5 belonged to Edgar.
Larry
The video of that is here.
When discussed on the MCafe the consensus was that the Collins A5 belonged to Edgar.
Larry
From what I see is that many regular players who can afford Collings mandolins buy them. Fantastic quality and sound. But it seems the the vast majority of professionals still play Gibson mandolins.
ntriesch
Buzz Gravelle plays an MT.
Personally I would have phrased that as "From what I see many regular players who need a fantastic sounding mandolin but can't afford a Gibson or else need a budget second touring instrument buy a Collings". Collings are great sounding and playing mandolins at an almost affordable price, which makes them very attractive to professional musicians who 1. Don't have a lot of money and 2. Need a professional level instrument. To me they are the quintessential workhorse mandolin - excellent, but from an investment viewpoint not something I'd be interested in (Of course, I'm not an investor anyways so that doesn't matter). I see them as holding their value well as a useful tool, but never rising anywhere near Lloyd Loar prices as a piece of art/master craftsmanship, because that's not really what they were designed to be IMHO.
- 2004 Macica A
- 1952 Selmer Centered Tone
- Eastwood electric mandola
(and lots more)
A friend of mine has a stable of great vintage Gibsons, and a Collings MT. He tells me he prefers the MT in the recording studio. I didn't follow up so I am not sure if its because of the sound, or because, being new, it might be less finicky than the vintage Gibsons.
I'm an investor only in that I like to buy used, simply to avoid the "buy high, sell low" mess.
Was at a small jam that included a former teacher of mine (really good player), and we swapped instruments. He played my MT, and I played his Weber A. (Absaroka I think.) I think both of them are in the same price ballpark, in any case.
He marveled at how easy mine was to play, and he certainly made it sound awesome.
Pro mandolin players who favor Gibson are many times traditional bluegrassers, and there's a certain sound they hear in their heads that they want to hear from their mandolins. Probably the same reason that many bluegrass guitarists play Martins. But it's not absolute, by any stretch.
I think Collings (specifically the MT) is, like someone said, a "workhorse." It's a do-anything mandolin, a swiss-army knife, perhaps. They might not have a "traditional" sound (whatever you deem that to be), but in the hands of someone who plays it well, it sounds damned awesome.
Last edited by terzinator; Aug-23-2013 at 3:47pm. Reason: typo!
Well I tell you the custom Collings Mandolins being sold by Acoustic Works in Pittsburg are as good as anything I have ever seen, varnish custom models with exquisite woods and workmanship. I own a custom birds eye maple MT2 lacquer with some custom appointments. It is a professional quality instrument that is very satisfying to play. Every instrument is different as we all know, but this is as good as I have played over the last 30 years or so. I would expect the custom instruments to accrue in value over the years.
John
2012 Collins MT-2 Birds Eye Maple
1924 Gibson F-4
2010 Custom National Resonator (one of a kind)
1930 National Resonator with new custom neck and "Doug Unger" inlay and back painted by Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong
2005 Godin A-8
2013 Kentucky KM-1050 "stage and club mandolin"
Bookmarks