In this industry, we spend too much time splitting hairs and arguing the various species of Spruce, so we easily forget the top wood itself is sometimes much less important than the bracing that allows it to move. A well-voiced, well-braced top will sound fantastic, regardless of what it's made of. This Collings D1 Flourish (serial #30023) is a perfect example.
This Collings D1 features the standard wood complement of Sitka Spruce and Honduran Mahogany, but with Adirondack Spruce braces and No Tongue Brace, it's tone is anything but standard. The Adirondack Braces are stiffer than Sitka braces, so this guitar has almost endless headroom, and because it has less material dampening the upper bout (i.e., no tongue brace), the top moves effortlessly with a light touch. The result is warm and powerful dreadnought tone with a wide dynamic range and the sweet subtly of a played-in guitar. If it was going to sound like prewar guitar, we wanted to make sure it played like one, so we also requested a prewar-appropriate 1-3/4" nut width.
With this D1, the idea was to construct a guitar with tone that would bloom and flourish, so we added Collings' gorgeous "Flourish" inlay to the peghead—a classy but subtle nod to the refined tone it produces.
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back & Sides: Honduran Mahogany
- Bracing: Adirondack Spruce
- Brace Pattern: Pre-War Scalloped X w/ No Tongue Brace
- Neck: Honduran Mahogany
- Neck Profile: Modified V
- Scale Length: 25-1/2"
- Nut: Bone, 1-3/4"
- Bridge: Ebony Belly
- Saddle: Drop-In Bone, 2-3/16" string spacing
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- Fingerboard Radius: 14" - 26" Compound
- Peghead Inlay: Abalone/Pearl "Flourish"
- Case: Deluxe Hardshell by TKL