• Collings MT2 Cremona Sunburst Finish Giveaway

    Collings MT2 Cremona Sunburst Finish Giveaway

    Austin, Texas — Collings Guitars and Mandolins and the Mandolin Cafe are combining resources to give away a Collings MT2 Mandolin finished in their new Cremona sunburst finish on display at the 2018 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif.

    Included in the giveaway will be a Collings Traditional Handcrafted Case.

    The Collings MT2 given away will be Adirondack spruce top with Eastern flamed maple back, sides and neck, Ebony peghead veneer with mother of pearl Collings logo and flourish.

    The retail value of the mandolin with Collings' original vintage-style case is $4,400.

    The giveaway will be open to all visitors to the Mandolin Cafe from all international locations and will commence from a link on the Mandolin Cafe home page Feb. 28. One lucky winner will be selected at random and notified upon completion of the giveaway at 9:00 a.m. Central, March 10. No purchase is necessary to enter and business partners of the Mandolin Cafe and Collings are not eligible.

    Specifications - Collings MT2 Giveaway Mandolin

    • Top - Adirondack spruce
    • Back/Sides/Neck - Eastern flamed maple
    • Soundhole - F-holes
    • Body Binding - Ivoroid with b/w top and side purfling
    • Fingerboard Binding - Ivoroid with b/w side purfling
    • Peghead Binding - Ivoroid with b/w side purfling
    • Bracing - Tone bars
    • Bridge - Ebony w/ Adjustable Saddle
    • Fingerboard - Ebony w/ MOP dots
    • Nut - 1 1/8"
    • String Spacing - 1 9/16"
    • Neck Profile - Rounded V
    • Neck Joint - Dovetail
    • Frets - Medium 18% nickel-silver
    • Truss Rod - Fully Adjustable
    • Peghead Veneer - Ebony w/ MOP Collings logo and flourish
    • Tuners - Nickel Gotoh w/ ivoroid buttons
    • Scale Length - 13 7/8"
    • Fingerboard Radius - 5 1/2" - 11 5/8" compound
    • Body Finish - High gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
    • Pickguard - None
    • Tailpiece - Collings original tailpiece
    • Strings - D'Addario EJ74 (.011" - .040")
    • Case - Collings Traditional Handcrafted Case

    Inside Collings Mandolins



    About Collings Original Vintage-style Cases



    Collings MT2 Cremona Sunburst Finish Giveaway


    Collings MT2 Cremona Sunburst Finish Giveaway

    * Mandolin shown here is the same model and finish but not the mandolin being given away as that one is currently in production.
    Comments 108 Comments
    1. Darren Bailey's Avatar
      Darren Bailey -
      Good to see it went into a pair of hands that can make it sound so good.
    1. Bob Clark's Avatar
      Bob Clark -
      Seeing that great video put a larger smile on my face than winning it myself would have done. I am so glad this talented young artist won it. I am sure we will be hearing more from Kyle.
    1. biologyprof's Avatar
      biologyprof -
      Big congratulations to you Kyle. You really show what that Collings can do. That’s a great unboxing video. Thanks for that. I wish you many years of happy picking with your new mandolin.
      Greg
    1. Cheryl Watson's Avatar
      Cheryl Watson -
      That was great. Congrats Kyle, you deserve that mandolin!
    1. giannisgrass's Avatar
      giannisgrass -
      Bravo Kyle! Nice playing on Cuckoo's Nest.It reminds me Sam Bush solo on John Hartford's version of mid 70's with words on Flying Fish.
    1. JLedson's Avatar
      JLedson -
      I’d love to share with you all, 18yo Kyle just released his second album, “Left It All Behind.” On the record, Kyle plays all guitar and mandolin parts himself. And all mandolin parts were played on his Collings MT2. He loves that instrument and you can hear, we got great tone out of it in the studio. Please check out his album and let us know what you think. I’d like to post an amazing review of the record below..


      http://smarturl.it/o3wffh
    1. JLedson's Avatar
      JLedson -
      Kyle Ledson – “Left it All Behind”
      Review by Tyler Blue
      January 30, 2021

      You know that feeling where music completely sweeps you away from reality? Time ceases to exist, the worries of the world evaporate, and you just want to drive with no destination. It keeps happening to me every time I listen to Kyle Ledson’s new album, Left it All Behind. The songs visit me in my dreams and then dance through my head immediately upon waking. That says something, doesn’t it? There’s more going on here than meets the ear. What we’re talking about is an instant classic which should answer any question about who’s the hottest new star in the bluegrass universe.

      Technically Ledson isn’t exactly a new thing. He released his debut album – Crooked Mandolin – in 2016. He’s appeared onstage with a wide array of well-respected bands. Now at the ripe old age of 18, the kid has become a man and is clearly ready to enter the big leagues. Is it uncommon to possess this sort of talent on mandolin and flatpicking guitar at his age? Extremely so. Pair that with heartfelt, wide-ranging vocal abilities and he’s catapulted even further into rarified air. However, the element that gets me the most excited is his songwriting prowess. As you listen to the 12 tracks on the album, it is stupefying that he wrote all but three of them.

      The list of people who have written heavy weight material before the age of 18 is a short one. It’s not so easy to write convincingly about that which you have not yet experienced. It’s doubtful Ledson has actually done much running from the law, dealt with too much heartache or worn out his hands working at the factory. His unwavering sincerity makes us believe he’s lived the equivalent of several lifetimes. These songs leap off the ledge with the urgency of this moment while seeming chiseled in stone with timeless resonance. They follow the textbook of classic songwriting while injecting a soulfulness which can’t be taught.

      It helps that he’s going to battle here with a squad of players who couldn’t be more up to the task. Almost every track features different groupings of all-star personnel and the chemistry is off the charts. That wouldn’t count for so much if it wasn’t matched by the production. His old pal Nat Keefe of Hot Buttered Rum was the lead producer with Ledson also sharing credit. The real wizardry came through the engineering and mixing from Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Oysterhead) and Danielle Goldsmith. Listen to this in your car, your house or especially on headphones and the attention to detail is vibrantly illuminated. They were able to capture that thing so many artists strive to achieve: an album which taps into the energy of a live performance coupled with the lush, full-bodied elegance of the studio.

      Left it All Behind harkens to that vintage record experience where you want to hear it start to finish because it’s one quintessential journey. “Appear” is a mystical entry point, opening a clearing in the forest where tales of past, present and fantasy are about to entwine together. The fluidity of Ledson’s guitar and interplay with the banjo of Peter Domenici (The Good Bad) is disarming right off the bat. He sings, “I’m a traveler taking on the world. I won’t prove nothing ‘til I get out there and be heard.” The guy has a firm grasp of the situation.

      Ben Kaufmann’s upright bass (Yonder Mountain String Band) graces seven of these tracks and you’ll rarely hear the majesty of this instrument recorded more beautifully. His nimble, low-end manipulations are a key undercurrent in the outlaw saga “The Bend.” Ledson and Domenici join in escalating the action until it rapidly builds to a boil and our protagonist plunges into the Ohio River. Yes, the imagery is rich and relatable. A couple songs later these three are joined by fiddle player Zebulon Bowles for a rapid-fire romp through “Wait Until the Sun Comes Out.” This caps off one of the most blistering first halves of an album anyone could aspire to.

      Rewind back to track three – “No Footprints” - and we find ourselves navigating a more exotic, seductive mood. The curtain is pulled back by a high-pitched mandolin riffing on a jazzy lick reminiscent of David Grisman. Then an ethereal pedal steel melts through the fog and we realize we’re in unicorn country. That’s where the distinctive handiwork of Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz tends to reside. Whoa…there’s drums too? Yes, that’s Ezra Lipp bringing the heat along with bassist Steve Adams (all three are members of ALO). Together with Ledson they launch into the stratosphere both on this song and “Meant to Be” (the latter sans Lebo). Both epitomize Ledson’s extraordinarily advanced development as a songwriter and arranger. These are deep concepts he’s exploring. Things that could make people feel less alone. Most importantly, these songs are bursting with emotion. You can’t help but care.

      The B side of the album, so to speak, shifts gears where you might think for a second that it’s venturing into cliché bluegrass territory. Think again! It’s just Ledson and his pickers paying tribute to the giants who walked before them while emblazoning their names in the book. Nothing is capable of being average with this personnel and production. Also, the commitment to top shelf vocals is not lost for a second. This is especially true on “He Ain’t Coming Home” which benefits from Keefe’s harmonies. It’s followed up by “Off the Rails” – an endearing bluegrass song of the hard luck variety which sees Bowles swinging mightily. The ALO guys return for the gorgeous “Better Day” with Lebo’s pedal steel once again traversing the angelic realm.

      Arriving at the ascending chord progression of “Left it All Behind,” we can tell this is going to be epic. “I said goodbye yesterday, but yesterday was in another life.” I don’t know how Ledson digs to this place within himself, but it’s downright haunting. When it’s time for the mando solo, he’s instantly on the attack. Kaufmann is there thundering through the clouds with Domenici’s banjo showering down like splintering rain. As they push the jam to the brink, you can sideslip into the multiverse where the same moment is happening in a club, surrounded by ecstatic fans. By the time many musicians finally put out an album, they’re ready to move on to the next thing. With a foundation as solid as this one, he definitely won’t be leaving it all behind.
    1. robhanesworth's Avatar
      robhanesworth -
      Wonderful looking mandolin. It would be an awesome upgrade from mine.