New Puchase Collings OM2HC - a few questions, thanks

[Teja]

Hi I'm Teja, just discovered this great forum! First post...so naturally it's too long
I've been hunting for a mid-size (OM) guitar to compliment my vintage D28 and parlor guitar. After playing scores of Collings, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, Froggy Bottom, Huss & Dalton, etc. my top pick is the Collings OM2H cutaway. Nothing else matches Collings' string separation/articulation and shimmering overtones, which are both of top importance to me.

There are several dealers around USA that have this model (or the OM2H without cutaway,) and I played one I love at Acoustic Vibes in Tempe, Arizona. The only thing (FOMO!:-) that kept me from laying down my credit card was wondering if other OM2HC's at other stores might sound even 'better.' Store salesmen want to insist the consistency level of Collings is so precise, any 10 of this model will sound exactly the same. As a 50-year top piano-technician who has tuned/played 1000's of Steinway Concert Grands, I know that's not true. My ear can detect subtle difference and overtones in each one.

Unfortunately, I can only play these in person at a few stores within a 300 mi radius. The rest are happy to send me one from their inventory to try at home - with a 48-hour tryout/return-ship window, and me paying shipping (sometimes both ways) plus a cc fee and a 3%-10% restocking fee. That's hundred's of dollars each tryout - no thanks!

Questions:
- How does the OM1 (Mahogany) compare to the OM2 (Rosewood) tonewise?
- Does the OM3 have any tonal advantage or just the fancier rosette? And why no fret dots/inlays on their 'fancier' model (and very few dots on the OM1 or 2?)
- New guitar resale: If I pull the trigger on the one from Tempe, then happen to play another of same somewhere else in USA and like it better, what's the likelihood of getting most/all of my money back selling/trading the first purchase?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Greg Y]

Teja, Collings are remarkably consistent....which is a good thing, but even though you could spend more money than the cost of the guitar, travelling the USA looking for the one that sounded incrementally better than average, at some time you have to accept what's in front of you and make the best music you can with it. The OM3 is essentially that...a little more bling, and perhaps prettier back & side wood. No tonal advantage except the variation we know about from one instrument to another. The mahogany OM1 will have more clarity and string separation compared to the more depth of the OM2.
As for resale. There was a time circa 20yrs ago when you could get all your money back. Today you'll take a hit selling a recently acquired Collings. There are many on the market both new and used.
One of the few companies trading near original prices currently is the Pre*War Guitars Company.....because they have a 2 year wait time on orders.

[Teja]

Thanks much, Greg. Very clear and informative. I was able to order 2 OMs with reasonable return/refund policies: the Tempe OM2H Cutaway I mentioned, and an OM1 (Torrefied Addy/Mahogany.) They will both arrive next week, so I'll at least have those two to compare side-by-side. I'm sure there will be a noticeable difference from the tonewoods alone. Beyond that, I'm taking your advice, and won't fly around the country looking for 'incrementally better.'

The only other question that popped up in my search is, a few of the OMs offered said they were a custom "deep-body" model...hadn't heard of that. Sounds like a bit larger in the lower bout. I wondered if you or anyone else had experience with these "deep-body" models, and whether it made a significant difference in bottom end (or top end) tone.

Even though I loved the OM2HC I played in Tempe, the only thing I found wanting from it was a fatter, warmer bass, so wondered if the "deep-body" model remedied that. Of course, I've never owned a mid-size before, so my ear tends to compare everything to my vintage Martin D28 and its substantial bass response.

[pto]

Teja- welcome. 2 things strike me. yes, Collings is as consistent as there is - in the rarified air of top-end makers. however, given your ear training, extensive experience listening, and what you musically prefer, you would likely find separation between instruments that i would never notice. (i have a young concert pianist friend who doggedly searched for two years until he found THE piano, a Schimmel, for him... ).

the second thing is that, as Greg Y stated, you may take quite a hit on resale of a new instrument these days... not just for wonderful Collings but for most of the top boutique makers, as well.

all that said, you are on a wonderful journey. good luck. find the guitar that is yours.

[Teja]

(i have a young concert pianist friend who doggedly searched for two years until he found THE piano, a Schimmel, for him... ).

Hehe:-) After playing thousands of the best Steinways, Bosendorfers, etc. that money can buy, I found the best sounding piano in the world...it's a Schimmel and its in my studio

Still looking for a response about the custom "deep-body" OMs from my last reply to Greg. Hope he or someone can answer that.

Many thanks.

[Greg Y]

Teja, the original OM design produced from 1929-early '34 is a superb design. If you add a deep body to a Collings OM i think you'll lose some of the ideal tonal balance and cut...and i think that will affect recording and on stage sound management. Every new guitar is going to sound somewhat green. The great mandolin builder Michael Heiden once told me he build to make sure the treble is there, and the bass will come in more after playing. I also think the OM has it's own signature sound and adding the deep body messes with that....in trying to make it a mini Martin dreadnaught. Other peoples' opinions will vary.

[DenverSteve]

T,
When I’m on the road, I always stop in to see Jeff and the guys at Acoustic Vibes Music. They are a solid group and I usually buy one (or this year two) guitars when I’m there. I have found the Collings guitars extremely consistent from one to another. Probably the most consistent guitar company building today. That said, like you, I generally only buy guitars I’ve sampled personally. I doubt you’ll find another Collings of that model that sounds any or noticeably better.