Collings OM1A Vs Taylor 814CE Deluxe Comparison Video - Page 3

opencee · #31 07-21-2017, 02:11 PM

I have no brand loyalty to either of your guitars. I don't own a Taylor or a Collings.

I do own a number of mahogany guitars, my favorite being Adirondack over mahogany, so I really appreciate your Collings OM1A. I think a lot of the difference in the recorded presence of these two is in the woods.

Another difference may be explained by, being that you have owned the Collings longer, you may have figured out how to exploit its assets more than your new Taylor. Just a guess, as I think we all figure out our own guitars' assets after a while and play to the strengths.

That said, the Collings is a fantastic instrument. In my opinion, it has a lot more going for it than the Taylor. (No offense to anyone here. Just my opinion.) I would never get rid of that one. If you have to get rid of one, let it be the Collings not used in these videos. I have no feelings one way or the other about that one.

Oh, and your playing sounds good too.

opencee

.

Glennwillow · #32 07-21-2017, 02:11 PM

Hi Groberts,

I have a dread-depth body Collings OM1A so I understand your dilemma very well. Mine sounds very similar to yours except that maybe there is a tweak more bass in mine. When I get around to playing mine, I absolutely love it. But for whatever reason, I don't play it as much as some of my other guitars. Furthermore, while I have considered selling off my Collings OM1A (no cutaway), I have not been able to do it, either.

I thought both guitars sounded terrific in your videos and your playing sounded really good. I can see the appeal for the Taylor for live performance.

I suspect that if you don't sell the Collings now, you will sell it later. To me, it just doesn't sound like it fits your needs.

Me, I don't see the day coming when I will sell mine. But we all have different preferences. I mostly like spruce/rosewood guitars, but for whatever reason, my Collings OM1A just has a great sound. Yours does, too. Best of luck with this difficult decision.

- Glenn

Groberts · #33 07-21-2017, 05:50 PM

Thanks Guys. Your comments collectively echo my overall feelings.

While the lack of cutaway is limiting, I really do find this OM1A "musical". It sounds nicely broken in to me. (2011) But it might still open up more.

I made a couple more video's just to embrace and see how it inspires. Ironically, I mentioned that I thought the Taylor felt and played better in my hands in the first video. But today, I realize I am able to focus and play cleaner on the Collings.

JimmerO · #34 07-21-2017, 07:07 PM

Well I think the Taylor has great E strings (even though you were in drop D). The top and the bottom are great. The low E is rich and powerful and the high E is sweet.

The Collings has a lovely rich and colorful midrange. The sound while sustaining makes me want to hear every last sound wave. It's a beautiful sounding guitar.

So take the Collings midrange and stick it into the Taylor...

You have practical needs and you like the way the Taylor plays. If the other Collings that you have are just as lovely sounding perhaps the Taylor will have more utility for you.

But if it were just based on sound and you didn't have any other guitars I'd want to keep the Collings myself.

Shades of Blue · #35 07-22-2017, 03:39 PM

This is tough. I have a 2015 814ce and the bass response is the ONLY real reason it stays in the stable. It's got more bass than any dreadnought I've ever played. But it's clangy, and I hear that in your vids. If the Taylor had a bit more woodiness to the tone it would be my dream tone.

Just curious what strings you use on it. 3 week old Pearses are the magic ingredient my 814 was missing. That said, I prefer to play my 814, but I wish I heard more of what that Collings sounded like in the tone!

Mr Fingers · #36 07-22-2017, 04:23 PM

If we restrict the question to a choice b/w this Collings and this Taylor, I think the Collings comes out on top hands down. It's a matter of better and best, as both are terrific guitars, but I definitely prefer the Collings tonally. They're also incomparably built, too -- better than Taylor, though Taylor's build standard is awfully high as well. Of couse, it comes down to "what do you want?" If you really want a more whopping bass (something I do not like that much anymore, myself, after decades of loving low-end "boom") then I guess you would get that from the Taylor at the expense of the rest of the tonal spectrum. BTW, the Collings 000 series is 12 fret and designed so that you can get true volume, brightness, and powerful bass in a non-dreadnought configuration. My 0002HCE is a cutaway that allows easy access to the upper frets even in the 12-fret format. It's the most versatile flattop I've ever owned and the sound is ethereal. I can keep up when bluegrassing, or go delicate fingerstyle and everything in between.

Authentic · #37 07-22-2017, 09:36 PM

You may consider what Taylor has to say about Collings:

I don't post to Facebook, except for today. Bill was my friend. A real friend. We shared secrets, discoveries, observations and ideas down to the smallest details about what made things work, or how to make them. He always had the upper hand which I freely granted because he was a better guitar builder than me. He had deep seated understanding of the mechanics of stuff and how guitars could sound good and hold up well. He was hands-on, a whirlwind of important things to say and to try to keep up with. And don't waste your time trying to predict where he was going. We had fun. He was generous and had a big heart. He took care of people, which I know because I saw it. I have a Collings guitar which I love, and which I stare at, wondering how they did it. The nuances can't always be explained, but can be experienced. I experienced Bill Collings and he's part of who I am. I'll tell his story as long as I live. He was really something and I'm as glad to have know him as I am crushed that he's gone.

July 16 at 4:02pm

memphis1 · #38 01-20-2018, 10:23 PM

I realize this thread is months old, but I just ran across the comparison videos on youtube and just wanted to throw in my 2 cents....I hear all the time on these threads that folks don't feel the bass on Collings is as present as what they hear on many other guitars (like this one for instance) and I guess my ears just hear things very differently. It's true the Taylor in these clips sounds good and has a very bassy tone, however...it seems to me like a diffuse tone. It sounds not so distinct in other words. Yes the sound is low, but spread out and undetermined. The Collings on the other hand has a VERY distinct tone, and every note carries a weight with it, including the bass string. I hear very strong bass notes that are clear and determined. And all other strings sound equally weighted and thick. It's near a perfect acoustic tone to my ears. The Taylor is absolutely no slouch, but that Collings is a world beater!

Groberts · #39 01-21-2018, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by memphis1

I realize this thread is months old, but I just ran across the comparison videos on youtube and just wanted to throw in my 2 cents....I hear all the time on these threads that folks don't feel the bass on Collings is as present as what they hear on many other guitars (like this one for instance) and I guess my ears just hear things very differently. It's true the Taylor in these clips sounds good and has a very bassy tone, however...it seems to me like a diffuse tone. It sounds not so distinct in other words. Yes the sound is low, but spread out and undetermined. The Collings on the other hand has a VERY distinct tone, and every note carries a weight with it, including the bass string. I hear very strong bass notes that are clear and determined. And all other strings sound equally weighted and thick. It's near a perfect acoustic tone to my ears. The Taylor is absolutely no slouch, but that Collings is a world beater!

I could not agree more. The Collings is world class, rich and complete in ways that make it (for me) more musical overall in terms of detail, harmonic complexity and sweetness. There is plenty bass note. On the Taylor, I think some of the bass notes are 'felt' with a deeper presentation but they also swallow up some of the midrange complexity where more detailed nuances would live.

I sold the Taylor and the Collings OM1A is a life time / desert island guitar.

Mbroady · #40 01-21-2018, 06:10 AM

Both guitars sound great and you play them well. If I were in the room it might be more of a toss up but I find the Collins has a clearer and more defined note separation. I would attribute this to the hog back. For recording purposes this can be advantageous. The Taylor has more pronounced overtones which for in a live setting I might find more pleasing.

I think I would have made the same choice as you and keep the Collins. It most likely is more multipurpose.

Of course this is just "IMHO"

magazine · #41 01-21-2018, 07:14 AM

A few years ago had a 2011 814ce that I traded for an OM1. To my ears the collings may have had a slight edge tonally but by such a very small margin. And to be fair I didn't have both the same time to do a comparison so I could have just been overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and lightness of the Collings. Your video to me shows indistinguishable tones. They both sound phenomenal. I feel like the Taylor was made for the player a but more. The neck was more comfy. The tuners are better, the case is better. The electronics are spot on. And that was the old system! I just felt the Taylor had more of what I wanted in a guitar. Unfortunately I lost a great 814ce in that trade and have not had another quite on that level. If you allreadynjave other Collings its a no brainer. Keep the Taylor. They both have so my distinction.

Groberts · #42 01-21-2018, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magazine

A few years ago had a 2011 814ce that I traded for an OM1. To my ears the collings may have had a slight edge tonally but by such a very small margin. And to be fair I didn't have both the same time to do a comparison so I could have just been overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and lightness of the Collings. Your video to me shows indistinguishable tones. They both sound phenomenal. I feel like the Taylor was made for the player a but more. The neck was more comfy. The tuners are better, the case is better. The electronics are spot on. And that was the old system! I just felt the Taylor had more of what I wanted in a guitar. Unfortunately I lost a great 814ce in that trade and have not had another quite on that level. If you allreadynjave other Collings its a no brainer. Keep the Taylor. They both have so my distinction.

This thread was recently revived. the Taylor is gone and while I respect all the points you mention that make it a great gigging players guitar, the Collings won out for so many reasons that put it on another level for overall balance and musicality. No regrets. But that is not to dismiss the the Taylor. They are world class great instruments. There is good reason we see so many on stage.

brencat · #43 01-21-2018, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by memphis1

I realize this thread is months old, but I just ran across the comparison videos on youtube and just wanted to throw in my 2 cents....I hear all the time on these threads that folks don't feel the bass on Collings is as present as what they hear on many other guitars (like this one for instance) and I guess my ears just hear things very differently. It's true the Taylor in these clips sounds good and has a very bassy tone, however...it seems to me like a diffuse tone. It sounds not so distinct in other words. Yes the sound is low, but spread out and undetermined. The Collings on the other hand has a VERY distinct tone, and every note carries a weight with it, including the bass string. I hear very strong bass notes that are clear and determined. And all other strings sound equally weighted and thick. It's near a perfect acoustic tone to my ears. The Taylor is absolutely no slouch, but that Collings is a world beater!

This thread is 6 months old, but let me add a few things. Gary’s OM1A is one of the better ones I’ve heard. A lot of newer Collings can sound very tight...I had 3 in my stable at one point, and it takes a bit of time for them to loosen up. Time, perhaps, that I was not willing to concede, though for me, there were other issues at stake. I’m one of those people who find Collings to be lacking a bit in the bass dept, but only because my ears are tuned to the “boom and echo” of the Martin voicing. Collings have enough bass, but it is quick and tight, not deep, dark, and echoey.

Collings guitars are like a coiled spring. You hear tonal nuances, especially when played gently, that are lost on other brands. If I miss one thing about owning a Collings, it’s that extra tonal coloring in between chord changes and single note runs. I suppose I will own another someday, when I finally find the right one for me.

vindibona1 · #44 01-21-2018, 06:05 PM

I'm not sure if I'd responded originally but at the time of this post I had gotten a 814ceDLX just a week or so earlier. I've had a few months to play, test, break in my DLX. While it share part of the same name as the 814ce it is a different beast.

Perhaps it is the adirondack bracing that makes it so different, but the 814ceDLX starts out very tight sounding. And while Taylor recommends Elixir strings, I've found them, in various gauges, to be very "meh" sounding. The adi bracing makes it tighter sounding than the 814ce, perhaps too tight at first. A couple weeks of a Tonerite treatment has helped it considerably. While it has a lot of similar characteristics to my 2011 maple 614ce I'm thinking that the new 614ce may even sound closer.

Strings? It doesn't have the huge bass that a 814ce does, nor is it as warm. It is drier sounding so it really did need the Tonerite to open it up and I've found that I like the Straight Up Strings (medium tension) much more than any Elixir string. Also, I've found that beveling whatever pick I use gives it that little extra articulation that was missing in the videos by the OP. This allows me to use a little thicker pick for control but get that little extra ping that thinner picks provide.

I expect this guitar to open up further as the lignin ages and the guitar matures naturally. At this point, 6 months in I can't say I've fully bonded with this guitar and find that my 614ce is beginning to mature nicely and is a different guitar than when I bought it 14 months ago.

I'm anxiou to see what Taylor's new and exciting earth shattering development is going to be announced this week.

rwhitney · #45 06-02-2018, 11:50 AM

Collings is of course more refined, nuanced, intimate. I’ve been comparing Collings and Taylors recently, especially the Collings OM1 and the Taylor 714ce with V-bracing, and I’m personally attracted to the Taylor’s bolder sound (the 814 is a little thin and bright for my taste) but my 714ce V-class has several relatively dead spots and other tonal anomalies none of the Collings seemed to suffer from. The Taylor is more unique sounding, though, so I’m hoping to find one without the problems. I like the feel of the Collings neck better than the Taylor, though not as much as the slightly narrower Gibson. In your case, I’d vote for getting a Collings with a cutaway, if possible.