I've got my eye on a mahogany D1 dread, but I really like the SJ body style and seen a few several with mahogany B&S.

With maple being a $650 upgrade, is that money lost if you swap out to mahogany? It doesn't make sense, at least $ wise to downgrade to plain mahogany from flame maple, even if you like it better.

there's a new hog/adi SJ at The Podium. I owned that model, exactly. I only sold it to a band mate to make room for a CJA that is utterly ridiculous. the SJ in that configuration is an amazing guitar, and capable of as close to everything as any model I can envision. It's the only real bridge between the OM and the D. It is what a deep body OM wants to be, but is not. My highest endorsement. tom

The SJ cutaway sitka/maple here for sale on in the classified is almost new and a steal.. that's if you want maple. I have cedar/mah but it's not for everyone, unique sounding, but not as rich as cedar/rosewood.

My advice is too quite thinking about the pricetag (because you seem worried about that in your post) and buy the one that is best for your style...

the only drawback to that advice is nobody really knows ahead of time what woods are going to fit the style you end up playing. Hence, many people here have multiple guitars... look for a thread on multiple guitars for more infor on that caveat.

Collings reduces the base model SJ cost by $650 if you go with mahogany back and sides, so no worries about the cost. You can get what you like without feeling a loss.

I have a SJMhA and I second what Tom said. It is a "do it all" guitar and a great compromise in comfort between a 000/OM body and a dread. I love my SJ and am amazed every time I pick it up. It is a wonderful, wonderful guitar and I could not give it a higher recommendation.

I have never A/B'ed my SJ with a D1A but I would expect the D1A (with its wider/deeper body) to be a louder guitar.

--Jim

Well, this is, uh, apocryphal, if I can say that here, but I did own a D1A at the same time I owned the SJ mah/adi, and the D might have been slightly- and I do mean very slightly- stronger in the bass and in overall projection. Slight. Very. The SJ was easier to play, easier to hold, was better at the confusion of styles I attempt to play. It was my main gig guitar for three years. That said, I have a deep and abiding fondness for the D1A, having owned three at various times, and a D1AV stuck around here longer than any other Collings- 6 years. It sold at Cotten in one day. A used D1A is much, much easier to find than a Mah/adi SJ. There just aren't that many. Guitar for guitar, I'd pick the SJ in that wood combination every time. tom

There is a mahogany / adi SJ at Hill Country Guitars that is really, really good. I've played it a couple of different times. There used to be a mahogany/sitka SJ there as well (a while back) and I thought the adi-topped guitar was much better ... and ordinarily I don't have much of a preference between the two.

Anyway, here it is:

http://hillcountryguitars.com/885.htm

Great playability, great tone (more balanced than a dread), and a killer 'burst.

Good luck with your hunt,

mercy. why hunt further? whew. tom

Mike,

thanks for the link and 1st hand experience. That indeed is a gorgeous SJ.

Does it have the tortise neck and headstock binding as well? Couldn't tell from the pic. I'm not a huge fan of the feel of plastic fingerboard binding and was one of the reasons I was going to special order an SJ w/o it, or go with a D1.

Is the standard SJ neck profile a rounded one? I don't like the V neck, even if it's a very mild one like the standard collings dread. If I went with a D1, I'd get the vintage now.

The neck and headstock appear unbound. the text says "tortoise body binding", which would make sense if the board were not bound. the SJ profile is rounded, not V'ed at all; this is true of all stock Collings derived from Gibson designs (CJ,SJ,C10). tom

rj1aero,

I don't think the fingerboard is bound on that SJ because Kevin doesn't mention it (and because the peghead definitely isn't bound). I suggest you give him a call today or tomorrow or shoot him an email.

His email is kevin@hillcountryguitars.com

The SJ necks are very comfortable. No trace of a V, to my recollection (just like the C10 and the CJ).

Good luck,