The square-shouldered 14-fret dreadnought is the most popular steel-string acoustic guitar body shape in the world. While Collings is certainly not the first to build them, they bring a new tonal clarity to the depth and warmth usually associated with such a large, deep-bodied guitar. Although its bass response makes the dreadnought ideal for vocal accompaniment, Collings versions are also often employed by bluegrass flatpickers who must compete with inherently louder instruments such as banjos and fiddles. The wide range of woods and neck sizes offered allow dreadnought fans to find a Collings model ideally suited to their playing style and tonal preference.

This 2011 D2HG is always an instant shop favorite, featuring a German Spruce top, Adirondack Spruce bracing, and no tongue brace.  We love German Spruce here at Artisan because it not only offers a rich and complex tone, but is versatile for many different playing styles.  German Spruce offers exceptional stiffness together with low weight making the tops more responsive.   We often find German to be a perfect compromise between Sitka and Adirondack, since it responds so well to fingerstyle playing and also holds up to a heavy pick attack.

Accompaniments like the Adirondack bracing and the removal of the tongue brace make this guitar that much more menacing.  Adirondack Bracing offers a more efficient transfer of string energy to the top, since Adirondack is much stiffer than the standard Sitka braces.  This allows for a more responsive and powerful sound board.

We are also a big fan of leaving the tongue brace out of these instruments.  As people search for the mythical tone of old guitars, this brace comes into scrutiny. Martin added the tongue brace in 1940 and it has become standard every since. The absence of a tongue brace frees the top to allow enhanced vibration and results in a richer, fuller, tone with more low end resonance.  It is speculated that Martin added the brace to prevent top cracking, but the years have proven this to have been unnecessary and actually decreases resonation.

Incredibly hard to distinguish used from new, this 2011 Collings D2H is in absolutely pristine condition. There are a few very light scratches on the back that can be seen in the photographs below. There was a strap button installed on the heel of this guitar and has since been removed and professionally repaired at Glaser's here in Nashville. It is such a well done job, it was unable to be even photographed! The  Original Hardshell Case included.

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