SOLD
ON CONSIGNMENT, NO TRADE OFFERS PLEASE!
(USED) We have something very, very special here, folks. From 2012, a highly customized D3 with so many incredible, wonderful details that we almost don't know where to start! Bear with us, it's going to be a fun ride!
We'll start with the heart and soul of any great guitar, the sound board. This Adirondack spruce top is tight-grained, almost completely free of streaking, without argument the best wood available at the time. Its pristine appearance has been impeccably maintained, without a ding or scratch to be found anywhere. Importantly, this guitar is made with the now-discontinued varnish finish, a $2,000 upgrade at the time which was guaranteed to give the instrument a warmer, more open sound and a quicker response.
The Madagascar rosewood back and sides, long off of the menu for large guitars at Collings, have a bit of spider-web figuring, not over the top at all. The tan coloration of the sides melds wonderfully into the western shade burst that was chosen for the top, it's objectively gorgeous to behold! As a style 3 guitar, full body/neck/peghead binding are standard, as is the marquetry back strip and abalone rosette... but there are other custom visual appointments as well, including a Dalmatian pick guard, "Mom" style inlays on the fingerboard and the "Flowerpot" peghead inlay. The peghead itself has a Madrose overlay that matches the back/sides perfectly.
In addition to the varnish, other plans were put in place to soup up the responsiveness of this guitar. It has Adirondack spruce braces and no tongue brace. This combo has been used often over the years at Collings with the goal of matching the structure of a pre-war instrument, with resulting tonal gains.
The neck is also vintage-inspired, and is in fact the Collings VINTAGE profile, their largest and most hand-filling carve. A deep modified V, the Vintage neck adds mass and sustain to the guitar, and will satisfy players and lovers of golden era instruments. 1 3/4" at the nut, custom 2 1/4" spacing at the saddle, this neck is for the guitarist who cherishes space between strings for clean chording and picking.
The cherry on top of the cake is the early issue Collings vintage-style case, serial #112. This case was likely in the first year of production, before Collings settled on their purple lining (this one is more of a regal blue, bordering on purple). The Collings case has been discontinued for a few years now, and the used market for them can be feverish!
The condition of this instrument is superb, with no issues whatsoever. It has a K&K pickup installed with a handsome gold output jack, to match the gold Waverly tuners (snakewood buttons on those, which in turn match the snakewood strap pin on the heel). This guitar is one of the most unique, highly customized and we think desirable dreadnoughts in the whole store. From the days when Bill and Bruce were absolutely firing on all cylinders.. it's a knockout!
Serial #10538
AMW Price: $10,295 (SOLD)
For more information, email info@acousticmusicworks.com or call (412) 422-0710