Collings started experimenting with mandolin family designs in 1999, and Collings quickly became some of the most highly-regarded mandolins made in the US. Constructed of the finest materials available and built with 21st-Century precision, Collings mandolins are serious instruments for serious players. Nowadays, Collings offers a limited lumber of mandolin build slots, so brand new Collings mandolin are hard to find and used ones don't come around often!
The Collings MT O is a variation on the classic A-Style mandolin template. It features an oval soundhole, a shorter 12-fret neck, and a slightly wider 1-3/16" nut. This design draws influence from early-1900s mandolins with oval soundholes that give them a sweet, more-rounded tone. Of course—like every Collings—the MT O is built with a level of precision that you won't find from any one else.
This Collings MT O (serial #A4680) sports a gorgeous satin sunburst with tortoise-pattern binding around the top and edge of the oval soundhole. It produces a warm, open sound that accompanies voice better than an f-hole mandolin. A perfect fit for old-time and traditional styles, the oval soundhole shines for folk accompaniment or anything where a richer, warmer sound is desired. Way more range a simple bluegrass instrument, this is an impressive mandolin from an impressive builder at the top of their game.
- Construction: A-style
- Top: Engelmann spruce
- Back/Sides/Neck: Eastern flamed maple
- Soundhole: Oval hole
- Body Binding: Tortoise (top)
- Bracing: X-brace
- Bridge: Ebony w/ adjustable saddle
- Fingerboard: Ebony w/ Mother-of-Pearl dots
- Nut: 1-3/16"
- String Spacing: 1-9/16"
- Neck Profile: Rounded V
- Neck Joint: Dovetail
- Frets: Medium 18% nickel-silver
- Truss Rod: Fully Adjustable
- Peghead Veneer: Ebony w/ Mother-of-Pearl Collings logo
- Tuners: Nickel Gotoh w/ black buttons
- Scale Length: 13-7/8"
- Fingerboard Radius: 7" - 11 5/8" compound
- Body Finish: Satin nitrocellulose lacquer
- Tailpiece: Collings original tailpiece
This Collings MTO includes a deluxe hardshell case from TKL.