Everything Collings makes is superlative in quality and attention to detail.

How it sounds and plays is, as always, up to the player and the listener. That being said, my take is as follows:

1. I think they make the best dreadnoughts in the business. This includes the CJ, which I think of as a slope-shouldered dreadnought rather than a jumbo. I prefer a mahogany/adirondack combination. My D1-AV is the single best guitar I've ever played. It fingerpicks and flatpicks beautifully, though if I only flatpicked, I'd probably prefer their rosewood/adirondack instruments.

2. Their other body styles, the OM, the Camper, the SJ, the C, compare similarly to like instruments from other builders.

3. As John Hardly posted earlier, their Mandolins are incredible. I'm not a real mandolin player, but I actually prefer their less expensive, matte finish mandolins to their higher priced glossy brethren.