Warming up a Collings

[Malcolm Kindnes]

I have a Collings DS1a, 20 years old, well played in, I just wish it sounded a little less bright. Any ideas? Has anyone ever sanded the braces a bit? Would this even help?
Is the only answer to sell it and buy a Martin D18s? All advice appreciated.

[mercy]

If you want the sound of a Martin you have to buy a Martin. A lot of us like a brighter sound than Martin so would be glad to buy your Collings.

[David MacNeill]

Have you tried various string brands? Medium gauge strings sound fatter than lights. In my experience, an extremely low action will tend to make any guitar sound thin.

[docwatsonfan]

picks make a huge difference too

I bought a few used Blue Chip TPR 's
one is a 45 and the other a 60

the 45 is much brighter than the 60
looks like the same material, but the thickness makes a big difference too

the TPR 60 makes all my guitars very warm and fuzzy

[JTFoote]

I had a Collings dread. I spent five years trying to get it to "warm up". Different brands and string cores/materials. I vibrated it, played music into it, tuned it down. I went through a dozen types of picks and gauges. I played it regularly. I really wanted the guitar to open up, or start sounding broken in a bit, gain a little warmth and bottom end to match those clear, laser-sharp trebles and the powerful projection.

No dice.

I didn't want to try and shave the braces - just too much chance that the guitar could be ruined, and it certainly would have made a marked difference as to the trade-in value.

I sold it to a guy in Atlanta.

I suggest that if you are not content with the tone, that you do the same. It is what it is, and that's not the guitars fault.

... JT

[Dwight]

Originally Posted by JTFoote

I sold it to a guy in Atlanta.

I suggest that if you are not content with the tone, that you do the same. It is what it is, and that's not the guitars fault.

... JT

(It doesn't have to be Atlanta or a guy) but good advice otherwise!

[zmf]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

I just wish it sounded a little less bright.

Collings dreads are like that.
Might also consider a Bourgeois, which IMO are the opposite of Collings bright.

[arwhite]

You are fighting a losing battle. If that Collings still sounds too bright to you, a Martin would be a good move. That's where I ended up after going through more Collings than I care to remember.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

I love the sound of a Goodall dred or a standard but the necks are too slim for me, I like the Collings neck. I've tried different picks and different strings but I'm still not getting what I want out of it.
Living in Ireland there is not so much choice as in the USA.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Originally Posted by arwhite

You are fighting a losing battle. If that Collings still sounds too bright to you, a Martin would be a good move. That's where I ended up after going through more Collings than I care to remember.

I think you're probably right.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by JTFoote

I had a Collings dread. I spent five years trying to get it to "warm up". Different brands and string cores/materials. I vibrated it, played music into it, tuned it down. I went through a dozen types of picks and gauges. I played it regularly. I really wanted the guitar to open up, or start sounding broken in a bit, gain a little warmth and bottom end to match those clear, laser-sharp trebles and the powerful projection.

No dice.

I didn't want to try and shave the braces - just too much chance that the guitar could be ruined, and it certainly would have made a marked difference as to the trade-in value.

I sold it to a guy in Atlanta.

I suggest that if you are not content with the tone, that you do the same. It is what it is, and that's not the guitars fault.

... JT

Ditto, except I didn't keep it that long. I tried a bunch of different strings. These are great, but naturally bright, guitars in my experience.

[Wade Hampton]

Malcolm Kindness back home in the Auld Sod wrote:

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

Warming up a Collings
I have a Collings DS1a, 20 years old, well played in, I just wish it sounded a little less bright. Any ideas? Has anyone ever sanded the braces a bit? Would this even help?
Is the only answer to sell it and buy a Martin D18s? All advice appreciated.

Malcolm, you're in Ireland: if you want to warm up a Collings guitar, can't you just toss another chunk of peat onto your turf fire?

Actual photo of Malcolm Kindness and his twin brother Caoimhín Kindness harvesting peat

Seriously, Malcolm, years ago I was discussing the tonal qualities of Martin versus Collings dreadnoughts with another serious guitar aficionado, who summed it up perfectly when he said:

Martin is "Original Recipe," Collings is "Extra Crispy."

If you haven't visited enough Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets to catch the reference, what he meant is that there's a characteristic treble response that Collings guitars are engineered to produce. It's what you'll get from a Collings.

Brace-shaving is not a great idea, not least of all because you'd be monkeying with one of the most crucial structural supports that the guitar has. Even if brace-shaving doesn't cause problems down the road for the guitar itself, you'll still have a (almost certainly) negative impact on the resale value of the instrument. Brace-shaving is something that got done a lot back in the 1970's because professional quality acoustic guitars with pre-war style scalloped bracing simply weren't available. But nowadays they're plentiful.

As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure your Collings already HAS scalloped braces:

Somebody else's Collings DS-1A 12 fret dreadnought
˙˙˙

So scalloping them further would be pointless as well as potentially destructive. A strategy that's much more likely to produce your goal is to experiment with string alloys and brands, and - especially - bridge saddle and nut materials. Most people who own guitars at this quality level tend to automatically put bone or ivory saddles on them, if neither of those were stock when the guitar was bought. With a Collings, chances are that bone is what it came with from the factory.

My strong, earnest, completely serious recommendation is that you get both a Graphtech Tusq saddle and a micarta saddle to experiment with. I've actually had several guitars where I found the treble response to be more strident than I would wish, and in those cases my first step is to try a Tusq saddle. If that doesn't do it, then I try micarta.

Usually one or the other will do the trick. Try those in combination with different strings, like those great new D'Addario Nickel-Bronze strings or those longtime favorite John Pearse phosphor bronze strings, and see whether that gives you the sort of tonal target you're aiming for.

But don't mess with the braces, please. Carving into them can do to the guitar what Cromwell did to Drogheda.

Oliver Cromwell looking dyspeptic

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[David MacNeill]

I, for one, LOVE the bright and balanced tone of my Collings D2HG. I’ve been an OM guy since Reagan was president, but I’ve come back home to rosewood dreads.

[fitness1]

Holes man, you need holes.....

[6L6]

Originally Posted by mercy

If you want the sound of a Martin you have to buy a Martin. A lot of us like a brighter sound than Martin so would be glad to buy your Collings.

I totally agree with this.