Well, it's on it's way and should have it tomorow. A brand new Collings MT2V with Englemann spruce top I ordered back in August. Hope this mando works for me.Flipping a coin here and I know try before buy is always the best, but I have to travel to far to try before buy. Moving up from a Collings MF and not sure if the MF is sticking around until I play the MT2V for a bit.If I don't like, off to the auction block it goes. Any one here have experiance playing them side by side. I will post some picks as soon as I can.Any one looking for a excellent shape MF?,PM me. All the best.

i assume your MF has an adirondack top. you will be comparing apples and grapefruits here. i have several mt2v's.....each is different and widely different to my MF's and MF5's......assess them individually.

Thanks marymary. You say "widely different" then your MF, is your MF adrirondack top as I am pretty sure mine is. What top's are on your MT2V's, wow several. Do you collect mando?, if you don't mind me asking, great stuff. Are you a full time musician???. Would be nice to hear more about you, if you have time. Again thanks for your reply.

I too have lots of collings mandolins. I wouldn't call switching from an MF to a MT2V "moving up" necesarily. Just swtiching really. They are very different sounding. Both sound very nice. I would just caution you to asume that you will like the MT2V better than a MF. Basically, I am agreeing and seconding, what mary said. apples and grapefruits

I hear you mandolinshane. Well, it will be here tomorow, but I wont be able to open the box it ships in until the MT2V has a chance to warm to room temperture which according to Collings takes a good 24 hours.I live in the northern part of Ontario Canada and this is being shipped from the Podium MN. So I'm sure it's good and cold inside that mando case by know. Boy, this is going to be torture to say the least. From what I read here and there the MT2V was a step up from MF owner's, according to there discription of how it sounded. That's the thing with instruments, eveyone has there taste. Good stuff. Keep it all coming.

Congrats, Mando, a varnished engleman is apt to be very complementary to your adi-topped MF. Hopefully, nothing has to go to the block.

Bruce

when i was a musician, i had no money for instruments. that said, everyone has to have a vice.

the sound you get from instruments has to do with your playing style and the voicing and pairing of the woods on these. a hard maple back (like birdseye) married to a hard adi top takes years to break in. whereas a quilted or sugar maple back is softer wood and with adi will result in a different sound.

most mf's are adi topped. unless you special order.

So Mando, you got your Digital camera all warmed up and frest batteries in?

Yep, camera ready and fresh battery's. Came in today and have to wait 24 hours before I open the box so that it comes up to room temperture. Talk about torture to say the least, it's taking great will power on my part. These instruction are from Collings themselves so I best take it seriously. I figure by 3pm on Thurday I will get to see it, let alone play it. Like I said, I flipped the coin on this one, hope I'm feeling lucky. Purchased a Collings D1 this way and love this guitar. When I got my MF from Greg Boyd I got him to pick it out for me and that worked also. Well, I think I'll go stare at the cardboard box now. Be back soon.

Congrats Mando. I have an MT-2 with a ton of playing time on it and it's a great mandolin. I would expect your varnished model to have a bit more depth right off the bat. Of course, even a varnished instrument will need some serious play time to begin to reach it's true potenital so get busy right away (after 3:00 pm, of course). Cheers, Chuck

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cgwilsonjr

Yep, still staring at the box and 3:00pm is slowly approaching. Yes, I am ready to give this mando it's first work out, on New Years eve to boot. I don't do anything special on New Years eve, other then now, play this MT2V and to find it's secrets deep inside. I will post some pic's later this evening. Maybe some pic's of all three instruments, the MT2V, the MF and the D1. Also would like to wish all of you here the very best for the new year. Times are strange out there right know, don't know what other world conflicts await us in the new year. Here's hoping for continued efforts to world peace. Thank god for our music creating abilitys, this way we can shut the door on the world every now and then.

Well, the box is now open, the case is open, and there sit's a fabulous MT2V in dark sunburst. It's exactly as many of you mentioned. It does compliment my MF in lot's of way's. It has that rounded tone and sweet overtones. I find I have more control over the chops in a very good way. Just a small amount of pick pressure and it starts to growl, realy nice. The MF on the other hand wants to be heard at any cost and it does command attention. Adirondack top and Englemann spruce tops realy do sound totaly different, it's amazing to hear the difference between the two. One realy does compliments the other in a usefull way. The MF is three years old so it's not fair to compare at this point. I will have more to say in a couple month, I'm sure. Very happy with this puchase at this point and the MF is welcome to stay meanwhile until the MT2V has a chance to show her stuff, and I'm sure it will. What can I say, Collings. I still want a Dudenbostel and might just put off buying a new car and buy Dud instead. Man these are nice sounding, can't get that tone out of my head. Big bucks, but, big sound to say the least. I decided to take pictures in daylight rather than using flash at night. Flash taken picture never realy work that great unless one sets up with the proper gear. So I will post pic's tomorow instead. Happy New years all.