Pre Owned 2014 Collings D1A Guitar VN Varnish Adirondack and Mahogany with Vintage Now Neck and Varnish ID-10044
Collings D1A VN Varnish Adirondack and Mahogany with Vintage Now Neck and Varnish Pre Owned 2014
This guitar just sounds amazingly open and old. The absence of a tongue brace frees the top to allow enhanced vibration which results in a richer, fuller, tone with more low end resonance. This Collings D1A comes with a custom Vintage Now neck coupled with a 1 3/4" nut and 2 1/4" string spacing at the saddle. Collings Vintage Now necks are the perfect compromise for many players that think a modern neck is too flat in profile, yet the typical neck on a 40's style instrument is too thick.
For the die hard rosewood fans here in the shop, this varnish guitar bridges the gap between rosewood and mahogany, projecting incredibly articulate note definition common with mahogany and the power and low end associated with rosewood.
Collings' exclusive neck profile is uniquely adapted to players looking for vintage width and girth, with contemporary playability. The slightly wider string spacing at both ends of the guitar also makes fingerstyle playing and chordal accompaniment more enjoyable. With a traditional "cut-through" saddle there should be no doubt as to the inspiration for this beast.
Each and every time we have a D1A in the shop with a hand-rubbed varnish finish, it is time and time again one of our favorite guitars in the shop. This is a highly customized version featuring many of our favorite upgrades along with master grade Adirondack Spruce and Mahogany, brought to life by the masterful builders at Collings!
Thinner than nitrocellulose lacquer, the varnish finish is more flexible and allows the wood to resonate more, significantly smoothing out the mids and highs of the Mahogany and Adirondack, while enhancing the low end and warming the highs considerably.
The Adirondack Spruce drives the top of this guitar and provides ample power and headroom for heavy handed flatpickers while the fast response of the varnish provides a much better fingerstyle experience as opposed to lacquer.
The custom Adirondack Braces are lighter and stiffer than Sitka, therefore they are more responsive and offer a more efficient transfer of energy through the top.
This D1A also was also custom built without a tongue brace. As people search for the mythical tone of old guitars, the tongue brace comes into scrutiny. Martin added the tongue brace in 1940 and it has become standard every since.
This is a great feature for players who may be looking for a compromise between the mahogany and rosewood dreadnoughts. 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.
Check out some of our other Collings Guitars
Specifications:
Shipping Weight: 20
Serial: 22442
Top Wood: Adirondack
Back Wood: Mahogany
Nut Width: 1 3/4"
Scale: 25 1/2"
Bracing: Adirondack Braces
Inlays: Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Rosette: Black/white wood nitrate strip rosette
Neck Wood: Mahogany with Lacquer Finish
Fretboard: Ebony
Nut Material: Bone
Saddle Material: Cutthrough Saddle
Saddle Spacing: 2 1/4"
Bridge: Ebony Vintage Now
Bridge Pins: Ebony
Tuners: Nickel Waverly tuners with 16:1 ratio
Purfling: Black/white wood purfling
Body Binding: Tortoise-style binding
Pickguard: Tortoise Style
Backstrip: 1-style walnut backstrip
Headstock Shape: Square headstock with no volute 15 degree headstock angle
Headstock Overlay: Ebony
Headstock Inlay: Collings Logo
Frets To Body: 14
Neck Profile: Vintage Now Neck
Body Depth: 4 7/8"
Lower Bout Width: 15 5/8"
Body Length: 20"
Total Length: 40 1/4"
Case: Hardshell Case Included
Misc. 1: Varnish Finish
Misc. 2: No Toungue Brace
Misc. 3: Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Misc. 4: Fully adjustable truss rod
Misc. 5: Mortise and tenon hybrid neck joint