Collings = Martin

[blue]

Companies like Collings, and in the electric world Hamer, came about because the biggies (gibson, martin, etc) did drop the ball a while ago. There has been some recovery, and you can find truly exceptional guitars coming from the biggies. But there was a time where if you had a great old Martin, and you were starting to worry about taking it on the road, a new Martin was a bit of a disappointment.

In the electric world it's no surprise that the Paul Reed Smiths first attempts at electric were blatantly slab bodied Les Paul Juniors. And Hamer's first production model was prettier, but pretty much the same thing.

The biggies left a void. And folks like Collings stepped up in the early 70's building pro-level instruments that didn't disappoint.

[rmyAddison]

Originally Posted by sled

Collings is the guitar every Martin strives to be...

Horsefeathers !~!

Coliings are fine guitars, as are Bourgeois/Santa Cruz/H&D, and they all have their own twist on voicings.

Martins are the most copied guitars in the world for a reason, but coming from someone with a signature full of Taylors (who nobody copies) your confusion is understandable.

A snide comment to a snide comment........

[zmf]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

Martins are the most copied guitars in the world for a reason, but coming from someone with a signature full of Taylors (who nobody copies) your confusion is understandable.

A snide comment to a snide comment........

Nobody copies Taylor --- except for Martin and their PA series.

Sorry -- but a snide comment to snide comment to a snide comment.
But I agree that the OP is more than a little off the wall.

[Jasper64]

Originally Posted by ZealotsRUs

Golly, just the fact this thread exists makes me shake my head..




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Why? Because it is crazy to think that Collings would ever copy a Martin?

[Jasper64]

Originally Posted by zmf

Nobody copies Taylor --- except for Martin and their PA series.


But I agree that the OP is more than a little off the wall.

Really? Why is that?

Originally Posted by RussMason

You don't often see famous guitar-playing artists with Collings guitars.

Tell that to Lyle Lovett. And these:

Adam Aijala (Yonder Mountain String Band)
Alejandro Escovedo
Andy Summers
Bill Frisell
Bill Hearne
Bob Schneider
Brad Whitford (Aerosmith)
Brandi Carlile
Bruce Robison
Charlie Sexton
Chris Masterson
Chris Smither
Cody Kilby (Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder)
Craig Fuller (Little Feat)
Darden Smith
Jim Lauderdale
Jimmy Dale Gilmore
John Leventhal
John Sebastian
Justin Hayward (Moody Blues)
Keith Urban
Lloyd Maines
Michael Martin Murphey
Mumford and Sons
Patti Smith
Pete Townshend
Redd Volkaert
Robbie McIntosh (John Mayer)
Robert Earl Keen
Rodney Crowell
Sam Baker
Sarah Jarosz
The Greencards
Tim Hanseroth (Brandy Carlile)
Zac Brown
ZZ Ward


Oh, and I almost forgot:

Ray Benson
Joan Baez
David Grissom
Chris Hillman
Joni Mitchell
Keith Richards
Jimmie Vaughn
Jerry Jeff Walker

[reholli]

Originally Posted by zmf

Nobody copies Taylor --- except for Martin and their PA series.

Sorry -- but a snide comment to snide comment to a snide comment.
But I agree that the OP is more than a little off the wall.

Except that a copy should at least bear some resemblance to the original. I see nothing Taylor-like in Martin's Performing Artist Series. If there are Taylor influences at all, it's in playability.

Originally Posted by reholli

I see nothing Taylor-like in Martin's Performing Artist Series.

You're kidding.

[SugarmillMan]

I would tend to agree that some of the Collings guitars do resemble the Martins or Gibsons that inspired their build. But that is where the similarities end.
The sound, tone, feel and playability of the Collings brand is so very much better in my opinion. For instance, my D-28 Marquis is a nice guitar but doesn't compare to the Collings D2HG.

[Larry Pattis]

To the OP:

You were baffled by Martin.

Apparently you are flummoxed by Collings.

What next...?

[Jasper64]

Originally Posted by Larry Pattis

To the OP:

You were baffled by Martin.

Apparently you are flummoxed by Collings.

What next...?

Perplexed by Taylor!

[reholli]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

You're kidding.

Congratulations! You found one. Apart from the pickguard, your first example isn't particularly Taylor-like. So just how many Performing Artist models look like that second example? Obviously, at least one model does, but none that I've see did. Those that I've seen all had Martin-style pickguards, and the highly-recognized slanted Taylor bridge wings on the second guitar were either not present at all or or with such a slight slant as to be un-noticeable.

But I'll have to allow that your second example looks very Taylor-like, at least as much a Taylor copy as I imagine Martin will ever make. Of course, there's the Martin headstock to eliminate confusion, unless your copy example also includes a Taylor headstock copy?

[merlin666]

This sounds almost like the chicken and egg dilemma. But here it's a bit more straightforward. Obviously Martin and Gibson have survived for many decades and can be credited with some innovations back about 80 or 90 years ago. After that followed many years of decline and focus on mass production and declining quality. It was the boutique builders in the 80s and 90s that started the "vintage" bandwagon, looked back how guitars used to be and integrated these characteristics into their own modern designs. Then Gibson and Martin jumped on the fad and are now producing clones of the clones of the clones, taking advantage of the trend with various "vintage/authentic" series.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by reholli

Congratulations! Of course, there's the Martin headstock to eliminate confusion, unless your copy example also includes a Taylor headstock copy?

There -- you see? The headstocks are different. Couldn't possibly be any Taylor influence.

Originally Posted by reholli

But I'll have to allow that your second example looks very Taylor-like, at least as much a Taylor copy as I imagine Martin will ever make. Of course, there's the Martin headstock to eliminate confusion, unless your copy example also includes a Taylor headstock copy?

(sigh) The second example is a Taylor. It was a comparison.

Martin changed their bridge and pickguard design for the GPCPA5K, and they strongly resemble Taylor's. As much as diehard Martin fanboys might protest, the two are competitors, so they make adjustments to capture the ever-changing demands of the market.

I replaced the second photo with another Taylor to make it more obvious.