MusicRadar

• Review

Guitarists often feel that an instrument's look is the all-important factor. Pickups and hardware can be upgraded, and almost anything can be set up to play just as you want. That's when highly figured maple tops on PRSs and Les Pauls enter the picture, or exotic timbers on top-end acoustics. Some cheaper guitars even use flashy cosmetics to tempt the eye and mask inferior materials and construction.

So when confronted with the plainest looking acoustic we've seen for ages, but sporting one of the scariest price tags of any flat-top we've encountered, questions arise as to just what we're getting for the money.

Hear it for yourself in the following clip:

Well, it's a Collings, so that means top-flight construction, relatively limited numbers and all that the word 'boutique' implies. But is that enough to turn a simple mahogany (albeit Honduran)-bodied, folk-sized guitar into something worth a King's ransom? No; it's two other things actually.

First is the guitar's top. It's Adirondack, or red spruce, a timber prized by early 20th century aeroplane builders and musical instrument makers alike for its strength and elasticity.

"It could represent the Holy Grail of tone."

Collings' UK distributor, Doug Chandler, elaborates: "Adirondack was the tonewood of choice for top instrument makers before the Second World War [Gibson's Lloyd Loar mandolins and L-5s used it, as did the best Martins]. Over-harvesting saw it almost disappear, but it's gradually become available again after 50 years of re-investment. It's still hard to get large enough trees for clear, full-size tops though."