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Old 04-23-2017, 07:34 PM
BernebeM50 BernebeM50 is offline
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Location: Manitoba, Canada
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Default Collings SJ vs Bertncini OOO vs Breedlove Northwest C25 Masterclass

I have found a minty Collings SJ for a decent used price (asking $3500 cad/$2600 usd) on Kijiji (like Craig's list). I already have two steel string acoustics, a Breedlove Masterclass C25 om and a Bertoncini 000. The Bertoncini sounds a little more balanced than the Breedlove with a little more bass. It has a more mellow tone that I like but trebles still sparkle and the sustain is great. Both guitars are nice but the Bertoncini has a little better tone imho. I play fingerstyle as I am mostly a classical guitar guy.

The Collings is 100 miles away so I can't get to hear it until next weekend but I was wondering how it might compare to the Bertoncini. I know that there aren't a lot of the Bertoncini guitars around so it might be hard to get someone elses opinion on a comparison.

How does the Breedlove masterclass guitars with Myrtle wood back and sides compare to the Collings? I hear the fit and finish may be better on the Collings but both of my current guitars look great to me so that isn't that big a point. But the Collings in Maple with the Cedar top sure looks pretty in the pictures. Darn GAS.

So are Collings a lot clearer and balanced than a Breedlove Masterclass Northwest classic C25? Do they project a lot more? Better action (which can be adjusted anyways)?
It probably plays a little louder as it is larger than my other two guitars. If the difference is slightly better I guess it would probably be a sideways move compared to the Bertoncini.

It's a tough decision. $3500 buys a lot of guitar strings.
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2004 Luis Sevillano Flamenco
1979 Ramirez 1a 10 String
2008 OOO Bertoncini
1992 Paulino Bernabe M-50
2005 Breedlove C-25 Northwest Classic
1968 Taurus model 56
2005 Dan Lankford 8 Course Renaissance Lute
old German Lute Guitar
1982 Yamaha G231 II
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  #2  
Old 04-23-2017, 07:51 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Here are some Collings SJ YouTube videos that may be of help. https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...ry=Collings+SJ I sometimes learn something from YouTube demonstrations, depending on how good the player is.

I know what the Breedlove Masterclass C25 sounds like, and I personally like the Collings SJ better. I don't have any experience whatsoever with a Bertncini OOO.

I heard Mary Chapin Carpenter play a Collings SJ live at a concert once in Ithaca, NY and I thought it sounded great. But I am a fan of SJ guitars, especially to sing with. I own an Olson SJ that I like a lot.

I realize that you are an instrumental player. The Collings SJ is a little clearer sounding compared to my Olson SJ, but compared to a typical 000 size guitar, which a lot of instrumental players use because of clarity of sound, the SJ body size is going to have a lot more bass and a bigger sound. This may not be what you want...

I hope my feedback might be helpful... Best of luck!

- Glenn
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Old 04-23-2017, 08:08 PM
BernebeM50 BernebeM50 is offline
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Thank you for the information, it is very helpful. I had checked out the youtube videos with the Collings SJ guitars and they sound wonderful. There are a couple of Bertoncini guitar videos, one with my actual guitar. The player is not bad but the others are a little better. At least I can roughly compare the sound of each guitar this way.

My guitar (not me playing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2uswyar3ts

Guthrie Thomas playing "Hands of Time" with his custom Bertoncini guitar
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io8df2ZK8i8

A Walnut back/sides Bertoncini instead of my Koa back and sides (very similar to mine)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUYqJ--mAc

Acoustic Music Works with Collings SJ
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJtr1rjUCj8
__________________
2004 Luis Sevillano Flamenco
1979 Ramirez 1a 10 String
2008 OOO Bertoncini
1992 Paulino Bernabe M-50
2005 Breedlove C-25 Northwest Classic
1968 Taurus model 56
2005 Dan Lankford 8 Course Renaissance Lute
old German Lute Guitar
1982 Yamaha G231 II

Last edited by BernebeM50; 04-23-2017 at 08:16 PM.
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