Collings MF upgrade to Collings MF5-v

[Lukeysboat]

Hey folks. Happy Holidays and all that good stuff!

This may have been covered in previous discussions, so I apologize for bringing up an old argument if that's the case, but I wanted to ask for an opinion on this.

I have a 1 year old Collings MF that has been well played and loved. While I love the way it has opened up over the short time I have had it, I wonder about upgrading to a used MF5-v. Leaving out the obvious argument about the substantial cost difference, are the MF5-v's a good upgrade soundwise, etc? More response, volume, clarity, etc? I know that my MF is very young with time to grow, but just wanted to see if anyone has personal experience with this.

cheers!

[BradKlein]

Just one guy's opinion, but I'd say that it will be hard to generalize about a difference in "response, volume, clarity" between any random MF and any random MF5-V. You can be sure that the latter will have a set of tasteful aesthetic 'upgrades' in inlay and engraving, and probably wood selection. And there's that wonderful varnish finish. But comparing the qualities you mention among two different model instruments from the same manufacturere requires having them in hand, (in my opinion).

It's just like saying, "will a Martin D-45 sound lot's 'better' than a D-28 from the same period?" Who can say? But you can be sure it will have that nice pearly border!!

[extremescene]

The woods on the MF and MF5V are essentially the same, you may get more figured examples on Collings top of the line MF5V, however. The varnish finish will make the most difference in tone... it won't necessarily be louder, and in fact may very likely be quieter than an MF, but it will have a thicker tone overall. The varnish will tame some of the high and upper mids found on the MF models and won't sound as dry. The varnish is also much more fragile, and will dent and wear much faster. Responsiveness should be comparable... the satin nitro is actually pretty darn thin so it is generally pretty responsive.

I actually had a chance to compare an MF5V with 2 MF models at Gruhns just a few weeks ago... there is a huge difference in sound! Whether or not it is worth $5k more is up to you.