Thank you for all these comments. They are two quite different instruments in terms of construction. I wish I could live 100 years to play the Collings in 2115. To hear if it's as open as the Gibson! During my journey as a musician, I have purchased 2 vintage Gibson (a White-faced A3 and a 1922 A4) and also several new Collings (MT f-holes and honey MT2O). I can't live without one or the other ! They have different but complementary minds. I need both !

@philliptaylor5386

2 ай бұрын

I wonder which is more comfortable to play? I have heard the small frets and the flat fretboard make the old gibsons sometimes harder to play. I played an old Gibson and didn’t like the flat fretboard, to be honest.

@Tergal14Mandolin

2 ай бұрын

@@philliptaylor5386 the Gibson is setup with same frets as the Collings, but she's harder to play than the Collings. The neck profile and the fretboard are different.

The Collings in an excellent essay. The Gibson is poetry.

Well, I like them both. Proves the point that it really comes down to who's driving!

The Gibson for me, more character.

Wish you would have had this as a blind test as we tend to listen with our eyes. To me the old one sounds better... but it might just be a matter of taste or bias :P. The Collings sounds tight with each note being very well defined on its own but somehow the Gibson feels like the entire mandolin sings whenever you play any note on it. My initial reaction when the video first switched to the Collings was "Why did he remove the reverb?". Also a lot more highs on the Gib compared to the Col.

@Tergal14Mandolin

5 ай бұрын

Agree, it would have been a better way to taste the sound.

I give the nod to the Gibson. It's the slightly deeper echo and resonance that I like

I like them both. To my ear, the Gibson has that classic (brighter, raw) sound; the Collings a modern (mellow-er, polished) tone. Having said that, I prefer the modern tone for myself (I play a Northfield) ...BUT... one of my jam friends has a vintage Gibson & I enjoy playing it EVERY time we jam over there! They're both outstanding instruments! Enjoyed this comparison, thanks!

@Tergal14Mandolin

5 ай бұрын

I think you need two mandos ;)

The Gibson. Hands down!!

The Collings has a very pretty tone but sounded a little choked compared to the Gibson. The Gibson just resonated and projected better. I imagine the construction is basically identical, I know Collings based their construction off of the famous Loars of old. I wonder if the Collings would open up and project better as the wood cures over the years?

@stratocactus

5 ай бұрын

Construction is a bit different. - Old Gibsons used to have a single transverse bar under the soundhole. Then they switched to X brace. Don't know for Tergal's 1914 model but pretty sure it's a transverse brace, or even no brace on some models! Collings has an X brace. - Gibson has a 12th fret neck to body jonction. 13th fret for Collings. That places the bridge a tad bit further up toward the neck. - His Gibson is from 1914. Lloyd Loar joined Gibson in 1919. Top plate thickness and graduation is probably very different between those two. - Soundhole size and placement is different between both models. - Gisbons A4 back is birch. Collings back is Flamed maple. So, even if they're both A style mandolins, they're pretty different in nature. Even considering the age difference.

@Tergal14Mandolin

3 ай бұрын

all is said, thanks @stratocactus !

The Gibson seems to have more tonal range i.e. there is more 'top end', where the new mando is more compressed, with the top frequencies sliced off.

I like both…but the Gibson edges it for me. It isn’t possible to detect from the video the volume produced by both…you will obviously know that from playing both live in your presence! Consequently, I’m not sure if it is possible to say which may stand out more in a session. For me the Gibson has a fuller, richer, warmer and more sustained all round sound. Greta comparative exercise 👍

Old Gibson sounds much better, surprisingly good taking account on that it's more than century old.

I like the mellowness of the Collings. They’re both arch top right?

@Tergal14Mandolin

3 ай бұрын

yes, they are :)

L'ancienne est plus aïgue et à mon sens s'entendra mieux en session mais la moderne est plus chaleureuse en timbre

Selon mon humble avis la Gibson est nettement plus vivante et chantante avec de la présence. La Collings semble éteinte et nasillarde à côté. Les comparaisons sont souvent cruelles ;-)

@Tergal14Mandolin

5 ай бұрын

Ca mérite un deuxième test alors. Car en vrai les deux sonnent d'enfer !

What tune is this please?

@Tergal14Mandolin

5 ай бұрын

Out on the ocean.

@yeayeayea9353

5 ай бұрын

@@Tergal14Mandolin thank you.

The Gibson. Not even close for me.