How does the sound of a Collings MT age?

[FrDNicholas]

I just got my MT and I love the powerful sound it has. My wife says it screams, and she preferred the mellow sound of the old A4 snakehead Gibson I had. That led me to wondering if any of you have had a Collings for a number of years, and, if so, how does the sound change with age?

[Ivan Kelsall]

I can't answer your question directly with regard to a Collings Mandolin,but there does seem to be a predisposition for 'most' mandolins to sound a bit 'shrill' when new. Even my beloved Weber Fern was a bit 'toppy' when i first got it,but after a few weeks of playing it settled down & has opened up wonderfully. A fellow Cafe member whom i had the pleasure of meeting for the first time,this last June has an MT. I can truthfully say that it was one of the very nicest Mandolins i've had the pleasure of playing,it was as sweet as could be, & it's simple but beautiful construction, was a real joy to behold. There's not many Mandolins that i've 'coveted',but that was one of them for sure,
Saska ;)

[Patrick Gunning]

One thing that might be affecting this problem is the fact that women hear significantly more of the treble range than men do, so if there are some jangly overtones to the MT your wife could hear them even though they don't register for you.

Back on topic, I have had an MT for a while and it has mellowed out considerably from when I first got it. So there is hope for the low end to come in and balance it out. Also, doing things to lessen the harsher overtones can help, like putting a leather strip between the bridge and tailpiece. I prefer Elixir mediums on mine for a less shrill tone than I got with J74's.

Best of luck, and I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your new Collings.

[Dagger Gordon]

Mine has certainly mellowed over the two years I've had it.
It did sound new and perhaps slightly shrill when I first got it (not sure shrill is quite the right word, but I know what you mean) but the overall sound did attract me - otherwise I wouldn't have chosen it - and it was a powerful sound. It also seemed to have good overtones which are still there.
I really like the sound it makes now, quite a lot more than when I got it.

[Phil Hopkins]

I can only be of limited help, since I bought my MT used. Still, it hadn't gotten a lot of play before I bought it. It had J74s on it, and I mostly use those, but I've tried LM-11s also, and that's what it has on it now. These strings make a big difference. They aren't as loud, but they have a MUCH mellower tone. Of course, the treble courses are just plain steel.

To the point, though, mine was more tight than brash when I got it. I've had it about a year and a half, and I play it most days (at least every other day on average). It didn't take long after I got it to open up and sound just lovely. I had an Eastman before and a Newell flat top. My family, mostly women, all liked the Newell (typical ringing flat top tone), but at least my wife didn't like the MT when I first got it. I think she also thought it was a little harsh in the treble. She loves it now. My daughter listens to mine and several others sometimes, including many different mandolins on cd, and she thinks mine sounds better than most of them. I can get pretty loud with it. Not banjo-spanking loud, but pretty loud. Or I can hunker down and get just the loveliest tone from it on those old european folk tunes.

So, although I can't speak to brand new tone, I can attest that given time and playing, mine, at least, has grown to a lovely sound that the women dig. :-) And it's wonderfully playable.

[adgefan]

Mine is the MT of which Saska speaks :)

When I first had it the trebles seemed a little tight, and perhaps "shrill" could have been a word to describe them. Over the past 3 years the mandolin's sound has changed considerably and I often get people complimenting its sweet, mellow tone.

I've played a couple of brand new Collings mandolins this year and they had that same brightness on the E strings. I would guess they'll open up with plenty of playing.

[Steve Ostrander]

I wouldn't say that my MT has changed a lot, but I've only had it for not quite 6 months. I thought it sounded great to begin with, though. If I could find time to play it more it might open up more.

I think the MTs, for a production mando, have a very consistently good sound. I've never heard a bad one.

[Rick Schmidlin]

As for my Mf5 is has changed and sound sweeter then it did when purchused three over three years ago. One you get the feel of it with age and you playing you wife will love it.

[Paul Hostetter]

I have worked on quite a few Collings mandolins, starting when they first came out. Some of those (actually all of them) struck me as tight and bright. Exquisite workmanship, strong sound, but rather harsh.

Lo and behold, as those owners whacked their frets down to the wood, the early ones on which I'd tweaked setups came back for new frets, and I was able to revisit them. Wow, I was impressed! Not harsh, not tight. Overall they have aged extremely well. It really informed my knowledge and understanding of new instruments.

[Dagger Gordon]

That's interesting, Paul, and pretty much describes how my MT has changed.

The top strings always had a bright sound which I liked, and were not that tight, but I did have some reservations about the G and D strings. However as time has passed I see the biggest difference in the bass strings and the sound is now roaring out off them -a lovely throaty roar.

It's dead easy to play now. I mentioned in another recent thread that someone described the sound as 'showering harmonics'.

I've often wondered if other types of Collings mandolins would have aged in the same way, such as the MT2 which is a similar but quite a bit more expensive instrument. To be honest, I find it hard to imagine it would play or sound any better than the MT, which I believe is Collings' cheapest model.

[Ken_P]

I've often wondered if other types of Collings mandolins would have aged in the same way, such as the MT2 which is a similar but quite a bit more expensive instrument. To be honest, I find it hard to imagine it would play or sound any better than the MT, which I believe is Collings' cheapest model.

I would expect all Collings models age pretty similarly. My experience from many trips to Mandolin Bros. is that Collings have remarkably consistent sound across the entire line, even going so far as to A/B an MT and an MF5V.

I've also noticed with my new MT2 what a lot of people here have been saying about new MTs. The E and A strings sing wonderfully right out of the gate, while the D and G don't quite have the same punch yet. I'm sure a few years of hard playing will open up the bottom end quite a bit. It sounds great already, so I can't wait to hear what happens when it's been played in!

[charlesgwilsonjr]

My 2002 MT-2 has aged and opened-up wonderfully. It is now rich, woody and smooth as silk. Chuck

[FrDNicholas]

Personally, I'm thrilled with the sound of the instrument right now. It's powerful, strong and deep tones that I find extremely delightful to my ears. I guess I was just wondering how folks who had theirs for a couple of years or longer have found the sound changing. I am really looking forward to listening to how the sound changes over the years. I expect it will only get richer as time goes by. After playing an old Gibson for 25 years, I am excited and my playing seems renewed by the different sound of the Collings.