Collings mandolin thoughts?

[Steve Ostrander]

I’ve never played a bad Collings. I owned an MT for a couple years. Never shoulda sold it...

[Luna Pick]

I have to admit, with all the stunning quality and good looks Collings puts into their mandolins I've been surprised at their ongoing choice of both tuners and tailpiece, but to each his/her own.

[Caleb]

Caleb, would be interesting to hear what specific problems you're having with the Golden Age tuners.

After reading your post, I inspected my MT and noticed that I'd unwittingly lost two of the button screws. I had found a screw in the floor last week and didn't know where it had come from, so that one's no problem, but the other is gone and I'll have to get a replacement. My mandolin is 11 years old, and I have had no other problem with the tuners.

The Rubners are interesting, there are sale prices at the Rubner site, looks like a bill +- to switch to Rubners. https://www.rubnertuners.com/hauser-...lin%20Machines

I like that one of Marty Jacobson's mandolin headstocks is featured on the first photo on the main page slideshow.

I don’t think Collings has always used the Golden Age tuners, so yours might have a different brand. The trouble with my tuners is stiffness. One of them in particular is ridiculous, worse than the bad ones I swapped out the first set for. Most of the others are not smooth and are also too stiff, while one of them is perfect.

Someone mentioned the Collings tailpiece. I like it aesthetically, and it is solid and seems well made, but I don’t understand why they didn’t put some teeth on the posts to grab the strings? Would make string changes a lot easier.

[Mark Gunter]

The posts on my beautiful Collings tailpiece are angled back. I've never had trouble changing strings. But, I've always kept slack from strings when changing them, even on pinned guitar strings, you can't install a string anyway with too much slack, right? I've found that holding tension on a string when changing it is even more important on mandolins - every mandolin I've owned, anyway.

[Sherry Cadenhead]

ehhh...guess this one sounds okay.... anything more needed?

That's amazing.

[Mark Seale]

There are a lot of variations within the Collings line once you start playing with the different tone woods available. While I've never played one that I felt was a pure bluegrass monster (Gibson-ish,) I have played several that were tremendous instruments that would hold their own or excel in any genre. They are very versatile instruments tonally, and I think that's why players like Kym Warner have found a home with them. My favorite Collings ever was a black top MT2 that was at Fiddlers Green last year. That particular instrument would hold its own against any. Another favorite was an MT2V with Italian Spruce top and birdseye back/sides. It had a very Monteleone/Heiden sound that just rang for days.

All that being said, if you want that mid-range crunch of a bluegrass machine, Gibson and its derivatives are the answer.

[Sherry Cadenhead]

To me, it's all about the sound. I think the Collings sound is less Gibsony than a Gibson but more Gibsony than a Weber.

Is Gibson the standard to which other brands are compared?

Apologies for stepping on OP's thread. I'm just trying to learn all I can about different brands, styles, etc. And am trying to hold out to upgrade until I've played 5 years (May 2020). There's a Collings MF that a new jam friend thinks I need. I haven't asked the price since I'm afraid she might give me a really good deal.

[HonketyHank]

Yes, I think you can call it a standard. Some folks prefer something different from the "Gibson sound" but since Gibson has been around longer and has a much bigger "installed base", the sound is a convenient reference point.

The thing about Collingses is that they kinda latch onto you; once you pick them up you can't put them down. Watch out.

[Louise NM]

Sherry, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it's doubtful you are going to make it another 2 1/2 years! That said, if you have a line on a used Collings at a terrific price, think carefully before letting it be the one that got away.

I get the impression that the entry level Collings mandos are the Honda Accords of the mandolin world. Rock-solid, do everything you want or need them to do, no drama, and suitable for just about anything. There may be people who really prefer a Camry, but that throws no shade on the Accord.

Great idea: don't pass on the Collings. Get it, ship it to me, and I'll look after it for you until May of 2020.

[DataNick]

I’m looking to buy a Collings mandolin. What are some of your thoughts on them and how do they compare to newer Gibson’s? Thanks

How do they compare?...Depends on a lot of things, and at the last it should always be an instrument to instrument comparison, meaning one particular Collings to one particular Gibson.

Collings mandolins have changed a bit over the years; supposedly models #1-130 were graduated by Pava K. when she worked there. Stefan Passernig also worked at Collings. At the outset of his mandolin venture, I read somewhere where Tom Ellis said he shared Loar diagrams, etc. with Bill Collings. The ones that I have played from that era (early 2000s) were decidedly "Gibsonesque" in feel and tonal quality.

Similarly Gibsons have changed a lot over the years; even the Dave Harvey Gibsons are different if you compare pre/post flood examples. I know it's like a broken record, but you really can't generalize, and you have to personally play/check out the mandolins you want to compare; preferably together...YMMV

[LadysSolo]

And Louise, if you can't watch over it I will let it share the room with my Collings MT. LOL!!

[Jill McAuley]

Jill, which Rubner set did he install for you?

These ones - they were on sale so I couldn't pass them up!

Brushed Nickel Luxury/Ebony buttons

[Sherry Cadenhead]

And Louise, if you can't watch over it I will let it share the room with my Collings MT. LOL!!

Maybe the "watch" could go to the highest bidder? Hmm. Interesting concept.

[LadysSolo]

Sherry, I've been playing for roughly 2 1/2 years, bought my Collings last fall and don't regret it in the least. If the price is good, you've played it and like it, and you can afford it, go for it - I don't think you'll be sorry!!

[Luna Pick]

I may be a bad example, but I bought my Martin dreadnought before I could make a chord on a guitar. I just knew I wanted to learn guitar, got a great price on it and like the tone, and didn't want to go through a series of guitar steps before getting there. Glad I did, and FWIW.

[Mark Gunter]

You guys are doing exactly what I feared to do, encouraging Sherry to buy the mandolin. I agree 100%, if it's a really good deal and you can swing it, then don't pass it up. There may be other options as well ...

[bjewell]

There's always a ton of them used for sale on the Forum. This tells me people buy them and then move on to something else. I've found all Collings instruments to be sterile sounding but loud. If you like them, that's great. They're just not for what I want.

[Jack Roberts]

I had an MF for years. It was a great sounding instrument with a lot of character and it had a great Bluegrass sound. I eventually traded away to a professional musician who heard me play it and said he wanted it for studio recording and BG gigs. As for all Collings sounding the same, it isn't true. I bought one, played it for a week, returned it, and got the second one. There was nothing "wrong" with the first one, but at the time I was looking for what I imagined to be a "woody" sound, and it wasn't more "woody" than the instrument I was playing before. The second one was the keeper. So try before you buy.

Anyway, I agreed to the trade because our BG band split up and I was taking a different direction musically. I regret trading it away now. It was a lifetime keeper, and I should have known better.

[Russ Jordan]

There's always a ton of them used for sale on the Forum. This tells me people buy them and then move on to something else. I've found all Collings instruments to be sterile sounding but loud. If you like them, that's great. They're just not for what I want.

Sterile sounding? YMMV--- mine sure does!!

[CES]

Sarah Jarosz's sounded amazing when I saw her live last year. As did her Clark GBOM, her frailing banjo, and her flattop. She's not current playing bluegrass, IMHO, but she used to, a lot, and it sounded great there.

Yes, if you can get a great deal on the Collings, go for it! They hold their trade/re-sale vale very well, so if your tastes change down the line, you'll almost certainly get an impressive chunk of you cash value back...

Oh, and keep the Alvarez to use as a "beater," but don't expect that you'll want to play it much!!

[Mandobar]

Interesting comments. Everyone has their own tastes, but I will say this, just about any dealer will take a Collings mandolin in trade. That is not true of a lot of other brands. If you buy one and don't like it, there's a large market for resale for them.

[Mark Gunter]

There's always a ton of them used for sale on the Forum. This tells me people buy them and then move on to something else. I've found all Collings instruments to be sterile sounding but loud. If you like them, that's great. They're just not for what I want.

Hilarious. I only wish I had time to find some of Scott's responses to how often someone comes along with the same spiel about virtually every brand of mandolins ever built. It always goes something like,

"So many [brand X] popping up in classifieds and auction sites right now. Must be something wrong with them."

Fill in the blanks. Everything from Weber to Gibson to Kentucky to ...

------------------

Here's my own spiel, every bit as scientific ... the musician who sold me his MT had decided to sell it for one reason only: Another musician offered him a great deal on a Collings F. This tells me that anyone who sells off their Collings is making a definite upward move of their own choice rather than expressing dissatisfaction with the axe they've loved for years of performing.

Now, I know how silly it would be to generalize that experience I've had - but no more silly than the post I've quoted above IMHO.

[CES]

I only got rid of my MT because I’d been wanting a mandocello forever, liked my Silverangel a lot, and TMS had an Eastman I could have traded pretty close to straight up for (I’d have needed a couple hundred bucks, but not bad). They ended up giving me an exceptional price on a Weber Yellowstone that had been eating shop space for a while, and I couldn’t be happier. They gave me an extremely fair trade in value on the Sheraton Brown MT, based solely on my email claim (without pics) that it was in exceptional condition, which it was. It was on the TMS site at a very fair price for less than a day before it sold.

I miss the neck on that thing, it was awesome! But, that cello really, really thumps

[almeriastrings]

They are (in my experience) excellent instruments. Very good indeed. Across the board, build quality, materials, finish and playability is very fine indeed. This is not to say YOU might end up liking something else 'better', but that's subjective. There's really very little to criticize. They certainly will not "hold you back"....

[Elb2000]

ehhh...guess this one sounds okay.... anything more needed?

Yes, a shirt with Collings Mandolin