Collings DS2H

[lt20dbl]

Who has one? I have owned mine for 22 years and have been watching this forum for quite a few years now. So far, I can only think of one other person who owns one (or more). Just curious.

[JoePa and Son]

"Son" and I have owned a DS2HA for 5 yrs.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

I have owned one, but no longer do.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by lt20dbl

Who has one? I have owned mine for 22 years and have been watching this forum for quite a few years now. So far, I can only think of one other person who owns one (or more). Just curious.

Might I be the other one?

I bought my first DS2h new in 1999, (made in '98). It was the second one to come into the country. I had a considerable experience of Martins but had never seen a guitar which was so perfect in presentation, and with no set up required.

I had been searching for a Martin D18/28/35-S with a 1 & 7/8" nut width as shown to me by Isaac Guillory. A now sadly defunct dealer in London assembled a number of guitars - Martin, Santa Cruz, Bourgeois and the Collings, and whilst all were good, the Collings shone above them all. The necks were shallower in those days and have become progressively thicker over the years.

In a review of the first one, the writer/reviewer Neville Marten wrote in the British magazine "Guitarist" in May '98: "This is, quite simply, the overall best sounding acoustic I have ever laid my hands on. There, I've said it!"

Later that year, in September, the sales guy (Seamus Brady) who sold mine to me wrote an article about the origins and the benefits of the 12 fret dreadnought.
I later discovered that he bought the sister guitar that was sent out for reviews.

I bought my second DS2h in 2011,from a guy who bought it from Seamus' own shop some time later.

Sadly, upon hearing that I had Dupuytrens Contracture, whilst having a small op on my right hand, I was rather depressed and allowed it to be put up for consignment sale, kind of thinking that I could get it back if I changed my mind - it sold in a week.

I still have my 2007 DS2h, which has a warmer sound and a much thicker neck. (one might dictate the other).

I also have two Ds1s (one a Ds1aSB). - They are as near the perfect guitars for me that I've found.

Here is a short video I made about five years ago (when I was young!)

See :

Watching this, I'm sad that I let the old one go.

[lowrider]

SM, what did you do about the Dupuytrens Contracture. I had surgery for three years ago and I got a Yamaha guitar for physical therapy. Who knew that I'd now be getting my 5th Martin this week, practicing twice a day and playing with three jam groups.

Right now, I have it growing in my palms. I think I need to get it taken care of on the right soon. It wakes me up at night.

How's yours?

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by lowrider

SM, what did you do about the Dupuytrens Contracture. I had surgery for three years ago and I got a Yamaha guitar for physical therapy. Who knew that I'd now be getting my 5th Martin this week, practicing twice a day and playing with three jam groups.

Right now, I have it growing in my palms. I think I need to get it taken care of on the right soon. It wakes me up at night.

How's yours?

Hi lowrider, I saw the surgeon recently as a belated follow up to my trigger finger op. She had another look at my DC - she told me that there is no standard way that it progresses - could happen really fast, could do little for ten years. It is present and increasing but she told me that they don't consider operating unless/until you can no longer flatten your hand - but - she warned me that the operation sometimes causes more issues than the condition.

I'm 71 recovering from throat cancer, and its taken me two years to get my singing voice back, but I still have lots of problems. I know my time is limited - I just hope that my hands will last out for as long as I want to play.

I think one has to be pragmatic about such things at my age.

[lt20dbl]

Silly Moustache, yes I was referring to you and love reading your posts and watching your videos. I had a D-28-S before I got the Collings. It was a good guitar. Loud but not particularly well balanced. I kept it and played it out for seven years until I was told by my repair person that it was in need of a neck reset. I had been wanting a new, scalloped braced 12 fret anyway so I called Elderly and inquired about the then new, D-28VS. Unfortunately, the neck was 1 3/4" . Having bought the D-28S at my repair guy's suggestion due to my trouble with getting clean notes from a standard neck, despite many years of playing, I was sold on the wider neck.
Elderly suggested a special order Martin but there was a wait and a $300 charge for the wider neck. That put me within $200 of a Collings, which I really wanted anyway. The rest is history.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by lt20dbl

Silly Moustache, yes I was referring to you and love reading your posts and watching your videos. I had a D-28-S before I got the Collings. It was a good guitar. Loud but not particularly well balanced. I kept it and played it out for seven years until I was told by my repair person that it was in need of a neck reset. I had been wanting a new, scalloped braced 12 fret anyway so I called Elderly and inquired about the then new, D-28VS. Unfortunately, the neck was 1 3/4" . Having bought the D-28S at my repair guy's suggestion due to my trouble with getting clean notes from a standard neck, despite many years of playing, I was sold on the wider neck.
Elderly suggested a special order Martin but there was a wait and a $300 charge for the wider neck. That put me within $200 of a Collings, which I really wanted anyway. The rest is history.

Very similar experience - the HD28VS, The SCGC D12 and the Bourgeois D260 had 1 & 3/4" nuts.

The Collings had the ideal compromise of 1 & 13/16" to 2 & 3/8" string spacing.
Later I acquired a Larrivee SD50 which had a 1 &7/8" nut and a rather flat profile - and proved very easy to play, and sounded good too:

(this was the only guitar I could play this number on).