Pre Owned 2014 Collings C10 Maple A Torrefied Adirondack Spruce and Birds Eye Sugar Maple ID-8136

Pre Owned 2014 Collings C10 Maple A Torrefied Adirondack Spruce and Birds Eye Sugar Maple

Based on parlor guitars first introduced around the same time as the OM orchestra model, the Collings C10 is a leaner alternative, with the narrow waist and small upper bout resulting in a precise, focused response. Of all our acoustic models, the C10 is perhaps the easiest for electric guitarists to adapt to, thanks in part to the more rounded neck profile. The small oval neck heel is ideally suited to the optional cutaway, which allows unrestricted access to the upper frets. With its unique shape and asymmetrical headstock's lines echoed in the curvilinear pick guard, C10 models offer a welcome alternative for those who find that most small acoustic guitars look too much alike.

The Adirondack Spruce as well as the Birds Eye Sugar Maple on this guitar has been treated with a process called Torrefaction. The commercial version of this process, known as, “thermo curing”, “wood torrefaction” or “roasting”, was developed in Finland and was originally used on flooring, building sidings, and outdoor furniture, where it enhanced stability, durability, and appearance. During this process the wood is heated in an oxygen-free environment at a relatively low temperature.

This process, reduces the oils, sugars, and resin content of the wood thus reducing mass and weight and increasing stiffness. As these elements are basically cooked off, whats left behind is cellulose and lignin--the “glue” that binds cellulosic fibers together. Once processed, mass and weight are reduced, absolute stiffness is increased and internal damping is decreased; stiffness-to-weight ratio and velocity of sound (the rate at which vibration transmits through solid material) are dramatically increased. The result is a similar chemical transformation that naturally occurs in wood over decades of air drying. This produces similar characteristics we associate with the aged cell structure of vintage instruments, after the natural 'gassing off' of the cell lining over an extended period of time.

Read More About The Torrefaction Process

Adirondack Spruce, a special appointment on this guitar, was the legendary top wood used on most pre-war American-made guitars that has come to be known as the "Holy Grail" of top woods. Adirondack has a high stiffness across and along the grain, making it one of the go-to top woods for flatpickers.

Birdseye Maple is not technically a distinct species of Maple, but rather, it’s a figure that’s occasionally found in Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple) trees. It’s named “birds eye” (sometimes simply written out as: Bird’s Eye Maple) because the figure resembles small bird’s eyes. The figure is reportedly caused by unfavorable growing conditions for the tree. The Sugar Maple attempts to start numerous new buds to get more sunlight, but with poor growing conditions the new shoots are aborted, and afterward a number of tiny knots remain. Maple is a great traditional tone wood, from guitars to Stradivarius violins. It's hard to beat the combination of a Birds Eye Sugar Maple body with an Adirondack Spruce top. Maple produces an immediate string response, a bright sound and excellent projection.

Like naturally cured spruce exposed to UV light over an extended period of time, Torrefied tops are darker in color, opaque vs. translucent, highly stable when exposed to changes in humidity, and have a sweet, woody smell. These same changes naturally occur in spruce tone woods after many decades of exposure to oxygen, UV radiation and other environmental elements.

This Collings guitars made with torrefied materials combine characteristics of both new and vintage guitars. Players describe their sound as “immediate, “open”, “responsive”, “loud” and “surprisingly broken in”. New guitars made with Torrefied tops will continue to break in as the top reacts to continuous string loading and vibrational activity.

This is the first guitar which Collings has built with Torrefied woods, and would make a handsome addition to any collection. The flamed Maple neck has been finished in a custom lacquer, stained to match the roasted amber color of the Adirondack top, and Bird's Eye Maple back & sides. Of course it is built with the same inspiration and attention to detail that Collings provides with all their guitars.

This guitar comes equipped with a Barbera pickup. "Unlike under-saddle pickups, string balances do not depend on the flatness of the saddle slot or the compression of a transducer beneath the saddle. Because the sensors within the Soloist saddle are not being compressed between the saddle and the bridge as in an under saddle pickup, the amplified tone is very open and natural sounding. Soloist pickups are highly responsive to playing dynamics, enabling the effective use of a wide range of expressive playing techniques." - Barbera Pickups

This Pre Owned 2014 Collings C10 Maple A Torrefied Adirondack Spruce and Birds Eye Sugar Maple is in excellent + condition with just a few pickguard scratches, very minor fretwear and includes the original hardshell case

Check out some of our other Collings Guitars

Specifications:

Shipping Weight: 68 lbs

Serial: 22447

Top Wood: Torrefied Adirondack Spruce

Back Wood: Birds Eye Sugar Maple

Nut Width: 1 11/16"

Scale: 25 1/2"

Bracing: Pre-war scalloped bracing

Inlays: Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays

Rosette: Simple ivoroid rosette

Neck Wood: Flamed Maple

Fretboard: Ebony 14"-26" Compound fingerboard radius

Nut Material: Bone

Saddle Material: Bone

Saddle Spacing: 2 3/16"

Bridge: Ebony Straight Style

Bridge Pins: Ebony w/ Pearl Dots

Tuners: Nickel Waverly tuners with 16:1 ratio

Purfling: Black/red/white wood purfling

Body Binding: Grained ivoroid top/back body binding

Pickguard: Tortoise Style

Backstrip: 1-style walnut backstrip

Headstock Shape: Unbound "Haircut" headstock 15 degree headstock angle

Headstock Overlay: Ebony

Headstock Inlay: Collings Logo

Frets To Body: 14

Neck Profile: Medium-fat "C" neck shape

Body Depth: 4 1/4"

Lower Bout Width: 14 3/4"

Body Length: 19 1/4"

Total Length: 40"

Pickup(s): Barbera Pickup

Case: Original Hardshell Case Included

Misc. 1: Fully adjustable truss rod

Misc. 2: Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire

Misc. 3: Mortise and tenon hybrid neck joint

FP Featured - Line 1: Collings Torrefied

FP Featured - Line 2: C10 Adirondack & Maple