Submitted by Muscle Tone (see all reviews from this person) on 7/16/2014

Where Purchased: Hill Country Guitars

Year Purchased: 2014
Price Paid: Don't Remember historic exchange rates / currency converter

Sound

This mandolin has a real deep throaty tone that I really love. I don't have to play it too hard to get the tone I want. Overall great sound!

Sound Rating: 10

Setup

This mandolin was setup very well. The only change that my dad and I have made is that we loosened the tuners a little bit due to the fact they were very hard to turn. Other than that, we haven't had to do anything else to it.

Setup Rating: 9

Appearance

It is an A-style mando with a beautiful Sheraton Brown finish. It's a no-frills appearance which I really love.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

I have used this mandolin for every gig I have ever played since I got it, so I would definitely rely on it. I will be doing some recording later on in the year, so I plan to use it for that purpose as well.

Reliability Rating: 10

Customer Service

Can't really comment on this due to the fact a really good friend of mine purchased this mandolin for me. From what he told me, he had a very nice transaction with Hill Country Guitars.

Customer Service: 9

Components

My only genuine complaint with this mandolin is the tuners are very tight, which makes them hard to turn when tuning. As I stated earlier, my dad and I have loosened them to a slight degree, but some of them are still difficult to turn.

Components Rating: 8

Overall Comments

This is the best mandolin I have ever owned. If you're looking for a deep aggressive sounding mandolin for a little under $2,000 look no further. Bill Collings and his team are building absolutely great instruments and this one is in my humble opinion, one of the finest mandolins to ever come out of their factory. I highly recommend Collings mandolins!

Overall Rating: 10