Just received a 2018 D1A T in the mail yesterday and frankly it's total dud!
Bass is muddy, mid range weak, treble thin. Horribly un balance and not very loud. I actually started to look at it as a fake but it's real Collings. I've owned ~6 Collings D's over the years and currently have a 2013 D1A that knocks this things socks off! This is worst by far! If I had tried in the store it would have been back in the case in seconds. Shipped with probably old strings which almost made me cry when I played the first chord! Installed new Martin Tony Rice Monels, my favorites, and big improvement but still....
Set up is fine. Strings are snug to bridge plate. I wonder if the nut could be the problem as it looks like a porous piece of bone with almost a crack perpendicular to fretboard.. Nut on my D1A is SOLID highly polished bone without any hint of porosity. Like a highly polished piece of white quartz that shines and glows.
The D1A T has other weirdness. They used a greenish grain fill on the mahogany that looks weird. Not a real pretty piece on back either. Kinda dull color whereas the D1A is a beautiful reddish tone with no filler colors.
Bummer because price was right and it's in "perfect" cosmetic condition and still smells of lacquer. A non popsicle brace version too! Came with trad case!
I almost think it just was never played as it's so clean with minimal cowboy chord fret wear......But I thought these were designed to have a broken in tone?
So disappointed as I've owned many as I said and played LOTS more and never had a bad one...never had less than spectacular which was why I was confident ordering online would be no problem.
Only get a 48 hour return window so wont have time to pound o it to see if it opens up at all...
Ever get a bad Collings??????!!