Martin D-18 versus Collings D1
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- Опубліковано 11 січ 2019
- Guitar Gallery compares the Martin D-18 and the Collings D1. Which one do you prefer? The recording gear includes a pair of AKG C451B's and Focusrite Clarett. No effects and EQ were applied. Visit us at www.guitargallery.co.za to see the amazing range of guitars that we have in stock.
Martin has an immediately recognizable tone. The Collings is remarkable as well. I follow artists that play both. For the style I like, the Martin takes it. If I had a Collings, I would treasure it as well. But when I actually put the money down, I'm buying the Martin. And I'm saving over two thousand dollars
Well done guys. I have a D-18 and am looking at the Collings 001-mh T for everyday personal playing, and your video definitely lends evidence that the Collings is very well suited for fingerstyle playing.
Another great video. Thanks
I like the eveness of the strings/sound with the Martin, especially on the strum , while the Collings's brightness and sustain is pretty ,they seem to be telling you what tune ,each of them wants to be used for. everyone needs more then 1 guitar,or instrument for that matter.
1.) Your channel is the most Underrated guitar channels on UA-cam. You guys deserve more recognition!
2.) Thanks to your channel I picked out my dream guitar, A custom shop D18ge.
3.)I would love to come to your store someday.
4. Lastly, I think the Martin won this one to my ear, but they both sounded fantastic
well stated - thanks
That Martin sounded really good. The Collings won but the Martin was nice.
You can try...but you will always come back to a Martin. They record perfectly in my experience especially the 000's.
I agree. I use my 00018 for recording
I have a D-18 coming tomorrow!
I agree completely with your assessment. I have owned both a 1955 D 18 and a new Collings D 1.
I love both guitars but think the Collings is the one for me. It completely depends on the individual of course.
I have a D-18 and a D1. I like them both. One day I might favor one or the other, but I'm glad I have them both. I have a Bourgeios Country Boy as well. Same thing. I can't decide any one over the other on any given day. The Martin is a great value considering how close all of the factors are. In fact, if you look at used D-18 prices they are a steal. I am talking about the current D-18 Standard 2012 - up. Good video.
I hope you enjoy them both as long as it takes because many of us can't afford either one
Let us never forget - the Martin is the original. Collings, Bourgeois, Bedell, Thompson, etc. are all doing their best to make guitars that sound like Martins. And they’re doing that for a reason, nothing sounds like a Martin dreadnought whether you’re looking at mahogany or rosewood. And imho, mahogany completely blows rosewood out of the water. Great review guys thanks.
Original is sentimental, but for instance a Collings Les Paul or 335 will beat most any Gibson. They source their tops from the same supplier, but rejects over half of it whereas Martin keeps them. If your ear hear overtones well, which I understand not all do, it offers ‘more.’
They both sound great. It would be nice to compare them in regard to: nut width, scale length, fretboard radius, neck profile, etc. etc. If I could pick one it would be the one that is most comfortable to play for me. Yes, the Collings is brighter - but in a lovely way. The Martin sounds - well, just like a Martin should.
Came in expecting to favor the Collings but I’m kinda preferring the d18
Love both and just found that the Collings resonates a bit longer
Your opinion is important! That is what a review is about. It is impossible to listen to a youtube video and hear the diffrence.
I’ve owned both. I’ve actually compared lots of D-18’s with the D-1A and the D-2H that I owned. The D-18GE (only available as a custom now, unfortunately) and the D-18 Authentic would be a better comparison. I played a Collings D-1A onstage for two years in a bluegrass band. I sold the Collings as soon as I found my D-18GE. For me the GE sounded like what I liked to hear more than the Collings. The trebles were fatter, it was louder and when I played old Norman Blake tunes on it it sounded like it should. The Collings was a great guitar, but the sound just didn’t sound traditional at all. There were lovely tones in it, and it had a bell-like quality on leads up the neck which made me think it worked better for rock and pop. I’m not putting it down. I have owned other Collings and they are well-made. You may find your favorite among the Collings as many do. I own a Collings mandolin now, and owned one previously. I’m in the market now for an OM and I’m likely to buy a Martin or a Huss and Dalton. Maybe Santa Cruz. I love the Collings OM-2H but it has a lot of competition at that price.
Wow. I had to listen to it a few times. For the 1st segment (Strumming) I liked the definition of the Collings. The sustain was also remarkable listing to the last chord ring out. In the second segment (flat picking) I preferred the fullness/bassier sound of the Martin. For the 3rd segment (fingerstyle) I once again liked the definition of the Collings. I also liked the overtones and sustain.
Man I love the D-18! It may not be as expensive, bright or articulate as the Collings. However, the D-18’s tamber, responsiveness, suitability to human voice and recognizable alluring tone continue to make it the king of all guitars!
I agree with what some others said, the Collins is brighter than the more even sounding Martin. I like the brighter sound of the Collins more than Taylor which can be overly bright. But for me, Martin's character will always be my favorite.
It is subjective, but I thought the Collings was much richer sounding.
Both gorgeous. And the guitars too. For me, the Martin takes it by a whisker.
All the whiskers
I would have to own both
The Martin had more harmonic complexity in the lower register and smoother in the higher I take the Martin
Both tones are very beautiful. The D18 has a little more mid range, as said, the D1 has more sustain, over tones and complexity. Can’t go wrong either way.
Collings sounds punchier with more sustain. Prefer it just a tad.
Martin's will typically sound warmer and "woody" with a great bottom end (boomy) vs. Collings which are built to be very "bright" and project as loud as any acoustic guitar made today. Both are great guitars. Collings will be heard for sure. The quality of a Collings is so very consistent v. Martin which can vary. Collings are either very good or great guitars whereas a good Martin is legendary. Collings builds around 20,000 instruments a year (guitars, mandolins, electric guitars) and Martin over 120,000 acoustic guitars. Martin builds a range of guitars from starters to high-end. All Collings instruments are considered high-end and are quite expensive.
Both excellent - prefer Martin
First, very nice recording and presentation. While they're both nice-sounding guitars, the D-18 sounded more complete to me, tonally pleasing and an all-rounder.
More sweet and warm the Collings. I´m a proud owner of a Martin D28
I wonder if the Collings Traditional would be the better comparison as it’s aimed at that pre war warm tone and has different construction and bracing. I found the Collings o have much more presence and resonance compared to the Martin.
I own several Collings and Martins. I thought I would prefer the Collings, but to my ear the Martin won. Close, though.
As already mentioned, there’s quite a price difference between these two products. So odd that it’s the COPY that is more expensive. Might be interesting to compare all the D18 copies - quite a list, almost every guitar company makes one. I prefer the VOICE of the Martin, and the dovetailed neck. But the sustain and balance of the Collings. Of course, one could buy a D18 Authentic and get that for the price of a well-used car. I just purchased a HD28 (used), then visited a high end guitar store and played a new D18 Authentic. Felt pretty good about my 28 since it sounded better and cost less than half what the D18A cost. Also played a plain vanilla D18. Fine instrument but I wasn’t impressed with the “genuine hardwood” neck.
Man, I love a D-18, but this is no contest. The Martin is so brash sounding in comparison to the Collings. That D1 had way more depth, more dynamics. It had more bass to me on headphones as well. Sound is so subjective.
Cheers.
Collings for me this time.
Collings sounds awesome! Martin is very good, but I will take the Collings
I like the bass notes better on the Collins. They are more clear, more defined. The Martin has a muddier bass. But I like the treble notes much more on the Martin. The Collins is too bright on the treble side. That Martin D chord sounds amazing. Is there a guitar that has the warm treble side of the Martin with the more defined bass of the Collings?
Collings all the way
Martin is a mature rich sound and bellows through the mid, while rolling evenly from both end of the tonal range. The Collins seems shifted higher in the tonal range and doesn’t roll the same as the Martin. To my ear, the Martin was well good. The Collins is good, but not for me.
Both sounded awsome, MAYBE the Collings in the slightest edge
Does Collins guitars have carbon fiber in the necks ?
Probably....like a Big Baby Taylor I had... similar bright tone...not as warm as I prefer Could be bolt in carbon fiber fret board
My Martin is 36 years old and it sounds in between the two. Do you guys think age has anything to do with that?
Of course
Would have been nice to get some more samples, maybe lay into it a little more. I don't think any of this goes past sort of the medium range of these guitars sonically. Play a little harder for us :) This would be appropriate for a 00.
The tone of Martin noticeably sounds better
The d18 all the way.
Not sure about the string choice here. My D-18 uses Monel strings which produces a beautiful natural woody tone with a thick booming bass. The nickel strings pair well with mahogany.
I believe Collings "Pre War" style bracing is also forward shifted like
the Martin. The contour of the scalloping in the Collings is truer to Martin's 1930s bracing. The scalloping on Martin's Standard Series D-18 bracing starts abruptly about an inch and a half south of the main X where Collings scalloping starts higher up on the lower X but is more gradual. Martin's GE (Golden Era) and Authentic bracing is shaped more similar to Collings. Also Martin's Standard Series bridge plates are 2", Martin GEs are 1 11/16", and the Authentics are 1 3/8". Collings bridge plate is 1 3/8" like Martin's Authentics.
I like the Collins better, but the price difference makes it not possible for me to chose it over the Martin.
I've played a Martin HD-28 professionally for many years. I bought a Collings D1 a couple years ago because I wanted a mahogany guitar to go with my rosewood martin. I tried two different pickup systems in the Collings. First a K&K triple sensor under saddle with K&K preamp. I didn't care for the sound of that pickup in live performances since the mid-range tones were way too hot, so I disconnected it and added an under saddle Fishman. I still didn't like the sound live compared to the HD-28. The Collings was too mid-rangy and brassy and didn't compliment my singer/songwriter vocals. I found the Collings was great acoustically at jams and easily cut through with plenty of volume. But, to me the Collings is too loud, too bright and has too many overtones when I'm performing vocal music. The Martins tone compliments my voice where the Collings doesn't. I ended up selling the Collings (at a loss of $1,000) and bought a Martin 000-18 with a K&K pickup, which I'm much happier with for the type of music I do. If you're looking for a great jam guitar or bluegrass flatpicking guitar, I feel the Collings is a great choice. For accompanying vocals, I like Martin guitars. Just my opinion. Thanks for this post.
Very informative opinion . Thanks a bunch
Very useful Doug. Thanks for sharing this valuable experience.
Well said
Thanks mate for sharing such valuable experience you had
I love martin guitars but I prefer non scalloped bracing . I've owned the d18 2012 and as good as it was it was a little less punchy than the non scalloped d28 . This I preferred the collings as it sounded punchier and better mids and I'd put it mostly down to the standard placed bracing rather than the sloppier with sitka forward shifted on the martin. Great clip cheers
Leaning Martin
I bought a d-18 in 1971. I lost it due to me cooking it in my car in August heat. I've played a bunch of d-18s since but haven't played one that had that same tone plus the action that one had. I do have a hd-28 and d-35. I think the Collins is close. I did find a Gibson j-45 standard that sounds great and plays better than the d-18 plus is better to look at. I think it fits my ears better than these two.
South Africa?
The D-18 is very hard to beat imho
Martin
Wow the D-18 blows that Collings away.
Collings is brighter sound. Martin is warmer
martin for me
Collings all day and twice on Sunday 😂
Martin has the bigger sound. Collings has a brighter sound
can ido a contact from Brazil? Be a Partner ... Thanks.
3:20
Collings needs a base player. Martin for the win.
This
Collins by a little
D18 hands down there is no other tone that compares
Martin D18 for the win!
Collins is to boomy
Collings
For some reason I wanted collings to win but to me, it didn’t
L like Martin.
Martin. Not that its better, just more to my taste.
collings by a long shot.. way way better
Nah, not way better.
@THE DUKE. Do you own a Collings?
The Martin actually does sound better
That Collings blows away the D18.
More playing less talking not so concerned with your opinions or thoughts but want to hear the instruments thank you good day
That martin sounds muffled
the collings is so far superior compared to the martin. The martin is no slouch either, but I feel like they have lost their charm as of lately.
Martin sounds better.
D1 sounds a bit better
Is this English?
01 s o n g s You’re an idiot.