Guitar Comparison - Acoustic Flatpick (open position) - by Tonedr

[borrowmeadolla]

That Koa Collings is un-effing-real.

[tonedr]

sure appreciate you listening and great to hear your impression!

all the best,

dale

[onlyforbrian2]

..or maybe it's the A you're bending at the 3rd fret

[tonedr]

you are right sir!

[onlyforbrian2]

Hi Dale, this is the type of playing I really like and attempt. You should really teach some of these chord progressions. I really like the low E bend you stick in..

[tonedr]

appreciate the kind words my friend....this is a fave for me and it's in an altered tuning - FGDGBE so the chord grips are not being done in standard tuning. Hope all is good,

dale

[onlyforbrian2]

@tonedr Thanks Dale, interesting tuning, I see it makes for great patterns, I'll have to give it a try...

[awarnett1969]

Hi Dale... Just would like to ask if you have taught the song "the flame" by cheap trick.. If not do you think you could? Thanks so much..

[tonedr]

i'm on it!

[traveldog1]

If I had to choose I would go with the C-10, but how great to play any one of the three! Your playing does these great guitars justice....nice.

[tonedr]

the C-10 is a GREAT choice - i appreciate your kind post and thanks for giving your to check out the video!

best,

dale

[ski11469]

Is this just a run you are doing or is it a song? Really amazing. I have been playing for just about 1 year and my guitar fell a few months ago and the neck broke. I am looking for something to replace it with but I dont want to spend the $2000+ Any recommendations? Thank you for sharing!

[tonedr]

The song is Slow Creek - thanks for watching! I like the Seagull guitars I've seen & some Fender acoustics that were priced good I thought. Good luck in your search,

dale

[strangeman509]

I think the C-10 has the best sound, followed by the Martin. I loveed your playing...very sweet and soulful. Thanks!!!

[tonedr]

Really appreciate your feedback - great to hear other players impressions! Thanks for your kind words - all the best with your music!

dale

[notsuretwo]

@tonedr Wow. All good. C10 is loud and chiming almost piano like. Martin has some haunting overtones in there. OM hard to describe, full and chiming.

[tonedr]

appreciate you giving this a listen and great to hear your feedback! Hope this finds you very well, dale.

[kbj76]

My favorite in order.

1. Martin 000-18E

2. Collings C-10

3. Collings OM

[tonedr]

sure appreciate you watching and great to see your order!!! All the best,

dale

[MondayMeadows]

Hi there. C-10 wins , definitely. I checked the other comments after making my mind up, and I can see there is unanimity. But ... we always have to be aware that the sound is transferred through a bunch of electronic devices before it enters our ears. We should be there with you to really judge.

[tonedr]

Thanks for taking your time to listen - great to hear your impressions!

best,

dale

[edwardtang1977]

I bought a few nice guitars but still remember playing a Collings when I was younger...the best guitars ever! One day I'll have to find one

[tonedr]

i hope you do find one perfect for you and i'd love to hear about it - hope all is good!

dale

[56panhead]

Hey Dale,..love the sound of those Austin made Collings,..and having 9 Martins in the "herd" of 32 guitars I have to say those Collings ring like a bell, though that 000-18GE is no slouch,..just didn't seem to sustain the notes as the Collings, I love my little skinny Martin OMC Aura, perfect for gigging plugged into my Schertler Unico amp, huge sound from a small thin box guitar,..very versatile! Love your vids,.great to see REAL players on YT,..keep em' comin'! Tim, Hurricane Alley(FL)

[tonedr]

hello Tim and thanks for your kind post....greatly appreciated as well as your time to watch! Sounds like you have a KILLER colleciton my friend! stay safe, your friend,

dale

[56panhead]

Something tells me that you have quite the Killer Collection too,..how many Collings guitars do you have?,...you must be a stockholder in that great Company. One of your fellow Collings diciples signed my old Martin HD-28 awhile back, I saw Lyle Lovett and his LARGE band in Mobile a couple years ago,..Lyle and his bass player, the one and only Lee Sklar were kind enough to sign it, it's loaded with sigs, Vince Gill, Lindsey Buckingham, Eric Johnson, Dan Tyminski, Rudy Gatlin, it's all good!

[tonedr]

that is a GREAT story! my wife took me to see LL on my 40th, she also made arrangements for me to meet him and he signed a Collings for me - what an artist and what a band! We need to get together and pick and talk shop - your friend,

dale

[56panhead]

Would love to get together and play with you one of these days,we play all the same stuff, the great late Dan Fogelberg and the awesome James Taylor were my 1st influences in the 70's, I do lots-o-Bread, America, Eagles (of course). I play in 3 local bar/restaurants around Destin, Fl. having a blast getting paid for something that I'd do for free! I got to play with my friend's nephews a few weeks ago, one plays guitar for Sara Evans&his brother plays for Josh Turner(fiddle and mandolin).

[56panhead]

Hey Dale,..give me a shout this weekend, would love to talk "shop" with you,..I'm taking my McPherson 3.5, a Bourgeois JOMC and a couple Martins with me to play for Barry, my buddy that played for Buffett, he lived the Rock Star life and it caught up with him,..he's had 2 strokes and can't play anymore, his Dad "Lighting" Chance played bass for Patsy Cline and several more Nashville stars in the day. My cell is: 850-218-1629-call me man,...stay warm,...Tim

[56panhead]

The only vids of me on YT are the ones my buddy took of the cabin parties, the same guy with the nephews I was telling you about, plug in "1890 cabin" on YT and you'll see some vids of the 1st time we played together, you can't miss me,..I'm the one with the slick head! :~) The sound was overpowered and people are chitting as usual. I'm heading to Nashville tomorrow to see an old friend, he played guitar for Jimmy Buffett on his Live album "You Had To Be There". I'll be gone for week or so, TR

[fuciledacaccia]

For what it's worth: C-10, OM, then the OOO 18GE.  The Collings' notes are just crisper sounding; the C10 body has more voice. The OM is crisp and versatile. The Martin notes run together a little too much compared to the Collings; and the OOO18GE is one of the few Martins I like!! Great job, Dale!!

[tonedr]

it's worth a lot to hear your impressions....thanks! Hope all is good and your enjoying your music....your friend,

dale

[220volt74]

C-10 (overtones in mid-low register, great highs too). Best sounding out of all three IMO.

000-18 (woody, natural, very fundamental notes, standard Martin sound. Maybe little too muddy for my taste)

OM- very similar to C-10 but with more treble.

[tonedr]

great to hear your feedback - thanks for watching! Hope all is good,

dale

[triton576]

great flat picking

[tonedr]

Thanks for watching!

best,

dale

[asatelado]

Excellent picking, 000-18GE wins with its warmth.

[tonedr]

thanks for taking your time to listen - all the best!

dale

[douglasspeer]

I think the Martin wins. It has a more realistic and classic American - Bluegrassy sound and a more piercing

and woody attack. It seems to transport me back in time more. Thanks for playing

that befits this comparison well .

[tonedr]

thanks for taking your time to listen and i really appreciate you sharing your impressions - Martin guitars are something very special! Alll the best,

dale

[335BoB]

I liked the C10 best. Very clear articulate and pretty sound. The Martin had a nice warm sound but didn't sound as rich to me. The OM sounded thin in comparison to both the others. I didn't feel a depth. I was axious to hear the OM as that might be size I would be interested in in the future. Would have liked to hear the same wood combinations.

I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

[tonedr]

thanks for taking your time to listen and i really enjoyed hearing your feedback!  I like them all, of course, but the OM get the most use from me for various reasons. All the best,

dale

[aceman199]

That's a great comparison. I really like how the fretted notes on the collings sound very much like open strings--quite loud with a lot of ring. Do you feel that way when you play it? The Martin has just a beautiful swee, smooth sound

[tonedr]

thanks for taking your time to listen and post! The Collings have a bit different tone than the Martin which is a great thing - and i think your description is very good - the Collings have a piano like clear ring - the Martin is classic. Thanks again,

dale

[WingleDingus]

i like the tone of the c-10 the best

[tonedr]

sure appreciate you watching and thanks for the feedback! All the best,

dale

[ThePaterFamilias]

Salt Creek?  Very beautiful and unique arrangement.

[tonedr]

it is actually a tune by Beppe Gambetta entitled Slow Creek - i'm sure making a slight variation from the obvious connection you noted. Really appreciate you watching.....all the best,

dale

[scmah174]

C-10 is my fav.....maybe because i have a similar L-00...a sunburst makes everything sound better, no?

[tonedr]

the burst sure is pretty i agree......i'd love to hear your guitar. Sure appreciate you watching and i hope all is good,

dale

[happytobehim]

well i fell in love with the 18 and was surw that would be my pick untill i listen to om they all sounded great but very hard choice you should send them all over and i will try them for a few years then make my choice lol great to listen to as always thanks and keep playing almost time for some more mandolin

[tonedr]

i'd love to hear you play them all......really appreciate you watching the video and taking time to respond! Hope all is great,

dale

[Closeoutracer]

So many guitar reviewers DON"T hit

the highs and lows.. so you're left with

questions... Thanks for your thorough

effort... I came while listening to 000's

and the Collings was a nice surprise..

[tonedr]

that is very kind of you to notice and i really appreciate you sharing that feedback. I do try to put the guitars through the mill so folks get as realistic view as they can even with my limitations.

Sure appreciate you watching and i hope this finds you very well!

dale

[revsolution]

They're all sweet. To my ear the C-10 was the sweetest and most responsive of all. Thanks for sharing all your tunes with us.

[tonedr]

hello......i really appreciate you sharing your time to watch!

peace,

dale

[rican69g]

the Sitka sounds beautiful, to me it has the best tone. All three are great instruments tho, cheers

[tonedr]

thanks for taking time to listen........all the best,

dale

[chorald]

sounds magic

[tonedr]

thanks so much for giving this a listen! All the best,

dale

[z454]

The Collings are wonderful!

[tonedr]

i agree....i feel very very fortunate to get to play these guitars! Do you play them? Thanks again,

dale

[z454]

Not jet, just Martin,Rozawood, Taylor and Maton....

Thats life ;-))

[z454]

Beautiful Guitar and great playing!!!!

Michael

[tonedr]

hello Michael.....really appreciate you watching and thanks for your kind words!

best,

dale

[HD28MG]

sorry, not 00-18GE, but the 000-18GE would be my second choice

[HD28MG]

#1 - Collings OMKOA

#2 - Martin 00-18GE

#3 - Collings C10

[tonedr]

i sure appreciate your feedback......thanks for watching!

dale

[rrholmes76]

The Collings sound awsome. They do have more highs than the Martin. I prefer the rich bass of a Martin. The Collings would make great lead guitars while the Martin would make a better strummer. You play awsome by the way!

[tonedr]

hello, i really appreciate you watching and i enjoyed hearing your feedback! There are so many great guitars to choose from these days.....we pickers are lucky! All the best,

dale

[Steve22322]

I cant decide wether i like the Collings OM better or the Martin.All 3 of them sound pretty darn good.

I bought a Breedlove Retro Sitka Mahogany OM for myself for christmas and my poor old dreads dont get much playing time anymore.

Thanks for all the great Videos!

Takecare

Steve

[tonedr]

hello Steve, thanks for giving this a listent! Breedlove makes killer guitar and your sounds like a great one...congrats!

thanks again sir,

dale

[crosschords]

What kind of guitar strings are you using mate?

[tonedr]

i using Martin strings, thanks for watching!

dale

[esoebo]

Great playing!

The Collings really project!

I like 1-C10, 2-OM, 3-Martin

[tonedr]

thanks so much for watching......i appreciate you sharing your preferences..........hope all is well!

dale

[Kugerand727]

Dale - great playing as usual. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I prefer the Martin #1, C10 #2 and OMKOA # 3.

As others have stated the Martin had a nice warmth, woodier sound. Just the right amount of sustain and overtone.

All that I am a diehard Collings owner.

Thanks again for taking time to do the comparison. If you have any other guitars such as your Collings German top CJ and maybe some others, it would be great if you could do similar comparisons - time permitting.

[tonedr]

hello my friend, sure appreciate you taking time to watch! I really enjoyed hearing your impressions.......isn't it a great time to be a guitar player!!

best regards,

dale

[music2light]

The Collings Koa OM is magical. It may be an aquired taste, for some, and better suited to some styles of music (this piece, for instance). Mahogany, as in the Martin GE sounds more mainstream (very good, of course) but probably a more versatile all around sound. The C-10 sounded brigher than I expected, of course it is the smallest of the three even with the deep body. thanks for the comparison!

[tonedr]

sure appreciate you watching! i enjoyed hearing your impressions of each guitar.......thanks for taking your time to do so!

all the best,

dale

[MrLucky923]

Dale, I agree with Rich, the warmth of the 000-18GE is more appealing to me. The Collings sounds awesome though!! and that paleburst is absolutely stunning!!

[tonedr]

hello my friend! Sure appreciate you checking this out and sharing your preferences - the Martin stole my heart in the music store...isn't it great how different guitar have different voices!

all the best,

dale

[Rich915]

Wow...choices? The C-10 doesn't work 100% for me, although it sounds very good. Owning both Collings & Martin OM's myself, I'm listening w/ an open ear. The Collings rings real clear just like they're known for...w/ crystalline definition in every note you play,. However, the Martin just has that underlying woody warmth that ties all the notes together. I guess it's engrained in me. As a whole, they all sounded great, but once again, the Martin has won me over. Thanx!

Did U change pkgd on 000?

[tonedr]

thanks for taking time to watch and post such a great response! Sure appreciate it........i did change the guard on the 000......never liked the big guard on the smaller guitar.......it is a Collings guard BTW......also put Waverlies on it. All the best,

dale

[rneville]

No comparison..the Collings is a cannon.

I own a D1-A that I bought new about a year ago and it is scary sometimes it sounds so good! I live in San Antonio so I toured the factory as well. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Collings fan. Nice picking, by the way.

[tonedr]

oh how i wish i could see the factory....one of these days! I bought my first Collings in 1987 - i love them even more today. Over the years the shop has been beyond kind to me and i've even met 'the man' in Nashville but not made it to Austin....yet! Enjoy your great guitar and thank sfor watching!

dale

[custom24prs]

Your playing is awesome Dale :)

[tonedr]

hello my friend! Thanks so much for giving this a listen, hope you are great!

dale

[prantare]

great as always mr tonedr! :D

[tonedr]

thanks for watching.....hope you are doing great!

dale

[gskarogiannis]

I'll take the collins om, can you rap it up for me please? :-)

[tonedr]

sure just need a shiping address! Thanks for watching,

dale

[Bluesguitarman64]

Hi Dale,

I like better the Collings OM (of course it's my personal opinion as all of them are great guitars). It is courious that you put on tag "Beppe Gambetta", a great italian guitar player....... my old guitar teacher (we 're from the same town GENOVA).

Cheers

Rob

[tonedr]

hello Rob! What a great teacher.....i appreciate you sharing your connection with me. I've never heard him play live but i'm a fan! Sure appreciate you checking in...all the best!

dale

[Lanaki9]

aloha dale,

through my 5.1 system, the collings OM is the clip i enjoyed most. no doubt, they were all very good, however, i liked the overtones, clarity and sustain of the OM. it seemed to handle the open F string best too. i am impressed by your talent. mahalo!

[tonedr]

hello....and thanks so much for listening! I sure appreciate your feedback and i'm gald you liked the OM. Hope you are doing very well.......your friend in KY,

dale

[UncleVRoy]

Love the Collins!

[tonedr]

thanks for watching my friend........hope you are doing great!

dale

[rkmcl]

Dale,

Once again very inspirational to hear your videos. Your playing is wonderful, I give the C10 a slight edge, fuller, more complex. Ross

[tonedr]

thanks Ross, sure do appreciate you watching!

dale

[birdyfinger]

hello Dale,

just before your great day, i'd like to know

what brand of strings do you put on your guitars ? i use now ernie ball slinky (11 52 )

and i prefer than others.

thank you my friend and " Bravo" !

fab

[tonedr]

hello Fab! Thanks for giving this a listen my friend. i've been using Martin strings lately......light guage with a 12 on top. Hope you are doing well,

dale

[hughman174]

loved all 3. you playing complements all. i like the c10 least, even tho sounded good. the martin had a really nice mellow sound, but believe the OM looked and sounded the best

[tonedr]

hello, i really appreciate your time to watch and enjoyed hearing your feedback! Hope this finds you well,

dale

[lw216316]

I agree with Paul's review.

For this particular song I would also choose the OM.

All 3 are very nice guitars - that's why you own them !

I have a Larrivee SD-50 and I think your OM sounds very similar to it.

Thanks for posting the comparison.

Do you own any classical nylon string guitars ?

- Larry in Tennessee

[tonedr]

hello Larry, hope you are doing well sir! Your Larrivee sounds nice...those are TERRIFIC gutiars!

i do not own a nylon string.....would love to!

thanks for sharing your impressions, all the best, dale.

[ptalbany]

Hey dale

I like the volume of the C-10 however for me I thought it was little harsh where as the Martin is on the mellow side and the harmonics were clearer but it didnt sound like it had enough sustain to it for that song last but least Collings OM short scale was close sounding to the Martin to me but had just a little more sustain to it and its volume was some where in the middle of the other two which I like

So I have to go with the Collins short scale

Thanks for the post

Paul

[tonedr]

hello Paul....hope you are doing well sir! I really enjoyed reading your comments! They each have a different voice for sure and they each feel different to the player. It is great to hear your thoughts, take care,

dale

[smartguy66]

I think the all sound good and different. That's why you have different guitars, after all, so you can get the sound you want depending on your mood or the song. Great playing!

[tonedr]

i agree 100%......that is one reason why i like to get players like yourself to share what they hear. It helps to determine which guitar may fit what style better. Hope you are doing well and thanks so much for taking time to comment!

dale

[filavadrit]

great play,and great guitar!5star

[tonedr]

thanks so much for watching and i really appreciate the kind rating! All the best,

dale

[gunnar1104]

C-10 wins...

And great playing by the way!

[tonedr]

i appreciate you sharing your impressions! All the best,

dale

[tjmitch]

I liked the C10

[tonedr]

thanks for giving this a listen....appreciate your feedback!

dale

[idahodad1]

They all sound great, I would have to say the Martin has the classic sound you hear on the majority of flatpicking tunes. The Collings sound great as well.

[tonedr]

thanks so much for watching and sharing your impressions....much appreciate!

dale

[jrsn2guitars]

Well Dale I think they all sounded great but to my ears that C-10 really rings! The Martin sounded dead compared to the C-10 and the OM was a good compromise between the two. It's all personal preferance really, I mean look at Willie Nelson, does he really think that old beatup thing that he plays sounds good? Go figure ;-)

[tonedr]

LOL - he must! I sure appreciate your thoughts and thanks so much for watching sir! Stay well,

dale

[ThreeChordGuitar]

The Collings OM was my personal favorite. Dale, you have a *very* impressive collection of guitars! And as always, your playing is flawless. Thanks for the video!

[tonedr]

thank you for taking time to watch and listen!  Hope you are doing well, your friend,

dale

[filavadrit]

Martin's sound it's old sound,for my opinion is better than Collins sound.The martin sound is woody sound.The martin's sound have need some years to open it,but it's original acoustic sonud!

[tonedr]

sure appreciate you taking a listen..thanks for sharing your thoughts!

dale

[chasintrout]

I was quite surprised by the Martin. I just thought it would sound best (biased), but Collings OM is my favorite of the 3. Then the Collings C-10, this too sounded better than the Martin. All 3 sounded wonderful another nice job!!!!!!!

[tonedr]

thanks for taking time to listen! It is a great thing to hear from other players like yourself.....thanks for sharing your impressions......all the best,

dale

[da2ricky]

personally I think the collings c-10 sounds the best out of the three.

[tonedr]

i appreciate you giving this a listen and i enjoy hearing your impressions...thanks!

dale