FAQ

We use D’Addario phosphor bronze strings on nearly all acoustic models and have for many years.  The one exception is the OM1 JL, which uses D’Addario nickel bronze strings (NB1253).

For small- and medium-bodied guitars (Baby, OM, 0, 00, 000, C10), we use:
EJ16s – light gauge (.012, .016, .024, .032, .042, .053)

For large-bodied guitars (D, CJ, DS, SJ, Archtop), we use
EJ17s – medium gauge (.013, .017, .026, .035, .045, .056)

Our factory-installed and recommended string gauges can be found in the spec list on the model page for each instrument, but generally, our large-bodied acoustics come with 13s, while our medium-sized and small-bodied acoustics come with 12s.

While 13s will significantly change the tone, these medium gauge strings should be fine on a standard Collings OM with belly bridge, but we do not recommend them on OM Traditional models, those with torrefied (baked) tops, or those with a straight/pyramid bridge.

We also do not recommend 13s on any other small- or medium-bodied Collings models, as they are not designed for the extra tension this places on the instrument.

All of our acoustic guitar necks can be adjusted with a 5/32″ ball-end allen wrench. The “ball-end” part is important, as this is needed to access the truss rod nut at an angle. Be sure to use the correct wrench to avoid stripping the truss rod nut.

Please view this diagram for a visual of how to access the truss rod nut.

You can purchase a Collings truss rod wrench here:  Parts & Accessories

Important:  adjusting the truss rod is not how you properly adjust action (string height), and doing so could eventually lead to permanent damage of the neck.  The truss rod is intended to adjust neck relief, meaning the “bow” or curve of the neck.  If your acoustic’s action has moved, this is likely humidity related, as high or low humidity causes the top to swell up (raise string height) or sink down (lower string height).  This should be corrected by properly humidifying your instrument in 40-50% relative humidity.  Properly adjusting your guitar’s action is done at the saddle.  See the factory specifications question below for more info on our recommended starting setup specs.

String Height (measures top of fret to bottom of string):
Bass-side string height at 12th fret: 3/32″
Treble-side string height at 12th fret: 2/32″

Relief (measures distance from top of fret to bottom of string while fretting the 1st and 15th fret):
Relief at 5th Fret: .005″ (a post-it note folded in half is about .005″)

We consider these measurements to be a “medium” action height. You should have some room to lower the action from these measurements, but keep in mind that an ultra-low action usually requires lighter playing or adjusted technique to prevent buzzing. Feel free to give us a call if we can be of any help.

Any high grade, commercially available polish should be fine. We use Novus 1 for cleaning and Novus 2 as a polish for fine scratches.  Keep in mind that polish technically removes finish, so use sparingly and only when necessary.  Novus 1 or a similar cleaner should be sufficient for simply removing dirt/grime/sweat.

Note:  there is some question about silicone and the effect it has on guitar finishes. We do not believe that silicone will cause any direct damage to our finish. However, if you ever need finish work done later, there may be trouble with adhesion over any area that has been treated with a silicone product.

Our guitars are built in a controlled environment with constant 49% relative humidity. In order to keep your instrument in proper playing condition and prevent cracking or other structural problems, it is very important that you maintain a similar level of humidity where you store your instrument; 40% to 55% is ideal, while extended periods of time outside of this range will likely begin to show signs of dryness of over humidification, and may eventually lead to more serious issues, such as cracks.

In many climates, it can be difficult to achieve an adequate humidity level without help from a soundhole humidifier. We strongly recommend investing in an inexpensive hygrometer to monitor the environment where you store your instrument. A hygrometer can help you gauge whether your instrument is in danger of becoming dried out or over-hydrated. We also recommend familiarizing yourself with the symptoms of a dry guitar, so you can identify potential problems before they cause any real damage. This is an extremely important topic, so please visit our Care and Maintenance page for additional information.

There are a wide variety of products out there that can help you keep your instrument properly humidified (see Care and Maintenance). Most of these products work in a similar fashion, but we’ve had good experiences with the D’Addario Humidipaks and Oasis line of humidification products, as long as they are regularly monitored and replaced.

It’s also a good idea to invest in an inexpensive hygrometer to help you monitor the environment where you store the guitar. A hygrometer will help take the guess-work out of knowing when and when not to humidify.  It may also indicate that it’s a good idea to humidify or dehumidify the room where you store your instrument, rather than only using an in-case humidifier.

The overwhelming majority of cracks and lifting bridges are caused by inadequate humidity. Exposing your instrument to a low humidity environment can cause the woods to contract and change shape, which can lead to cracking and a host of other problems. It’s extremely important to be aware of the humidity where you store your instrument, so please visit our Care and Maintenance page for more information.

While all three styles of a particular model share the same body dimensions (e.g. OM1, OM2H, OM3), key differences are outlined below.

• Our 1-style (OM1) features Honduran mahogany back and sides with tortoise body binding and butt wedge, b/w/b/w top purfling, a walnut backstrip, dot fingerboard inlays, and a simpler 1-style rosette.
• Our 2-style (OM2H) features East Indian rosewood back and sides with ivoroid body binding and butt wedge, herringbone top purfling (the “H” in the model name), a “zipper” backstrip, diamonds and squares fingerboard inlays, and a more intricate 2-style rosette.
• Our 3-style (OM3) features East Indian rosewood back and sides with ivoroid body/fingerboard/peghead binding and butt wedge, no herringbone top purfling, a “chevron” backstrip, no fingerboard inlays, and an abalone rosette.

Tonally:

• our 1-style instruments feature mahogany back and sides, which produce a more focused, mid-forward tone.  Mahogany is often described as a warmer, woodier sound compared to rosewood.
• our 2-style and 3-style instruments feature East Indian rosewood back and sides, which produce a more harmonically-rich tone with more low end response and a less mid-forward voice.  2-style and 3-style instruments are voiced the same with the primary differences being aesthetic appointments (see above).

The tongue brace is a flat, thin brace that runs across a guitar’s upper bout underneath the tongue of the fingerboard. String tension is always pulling the neck and fingerboard towards the body of an acoustic guitar and a tongue brace helps to reinforce this area to prevent the top from cracking alongside of the fingerboard extension. This cracking is only a potential problem and one that most likely wouldn’t be an issue for 40 or 50 years. The tongue brace was originally developed in the late 1940’s after cracking occurred on some popular pre-war instruments.

There are a few reasons why people order guitars without tongue braces or remove them:

1) Some players believe that the absence of the tongue brace allows the top to vibrate more freely, and therefore produce a subtly more open sound.
2) Some players like to try and duplicate pre-war bracing designs as much as possible.
3) Clarence White’s 1935 D28 didn’t have a tongue brace. Many builders offer “Clarence White-style guitars” like our CW model in which we leave out the tongue brace.

In the decades that we’ve been building the CW model, we’ve never had a problem with the top cracking along the edges of the tongue. In the long run, a tongue brace is a good safeguard against tension cracks, however if you would prefer to have it left out it should not appreciably affect the structural integrity of the guitar for many years.

Sitka spruce is the standard brace material in most of our guitars and it is both strong and responsive. Generally sitka has a less rigid structure than Adirondack which makes it more responsive to a light touch or finger-style playing techniques. Adirondack is both light and rigid which gives it a subtly quicker and clearer response, however it sometimes requires more picking effort to achieve full volume and tone. The tonal advantage of Adirondack’s extra stiffness is increased headroom, the guitar will retain more tonal clarity as it is strummed harder. In either case, the tonal difference of brace material will be subtle, but we offer the option to use Adirondack or sitka spruce for bracing as another way to tailor your instrument to your personal playing style and tastes.

Please view and adhere to the following diagram, as the internal design of the neck requires specific placement of a strap button the heel.

We use this StewMac strap button here at the shop, but there are many suitable options on their site and elsewhere:

StewMac Strap Button

Our standard acoustic fretwire dimensions are as follows:

Crown width: 2 mm
Crown height: 1.10 mm
Tang width: 0.50 mm
Total height 2.60 mm

For replacement fretwire, we recommend the StewMac 0147 Narrow/Medium version:

StewMac Fretwire

We do not offer stainless steel frets on our acoustic guitars, but EVO frets are optional for an upcharge on custom orders.

We use a hybrid mortise and tenon / bolt-on joint designed for maximum energy transfer along with ease of repair should work ever need to be performed.

Please view the following diagram.

Acoustic pickup selection is a very subjective topic, as they vary greatly in tone and application.  We recommend chatting with your dealer to discuss, but some go-to options and pickups we’ve had positive experiences with are the K&K Pure Mini, LR Baggs Anthem or Element VTC, and Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend.

Your dealer should be able to offer further advice in selecting the best pickup to suit your individual needs and can generally help with installation.

In a custom order situation (placed through an authorized Collings dealer), we can usually match the sunburst to a provided reference photo. While we do this on a regular basis with good results, it’s important to understand that a number of variables can come into play when dealing with photos of sunbursts. Monitor color settings, camera flash, light temperature, and contrast settings can all alter the way a sunburst appears in a photo. When ordering a custom sunburst, we can generally get very close to matching color and shading, but you must be willing to accept reasonable variations to the provided reference color. Reference photos can be submitted through your dealer by email or mail for physical prints.

We do not currently offer varnish finish on acoustic guitars.

Acoustic guitar serial numbers are stamped into the mahogany neck block inside the body of the guitar. The 3-5 digit serial number can be seen by looking through the soundhole toward the neck. Serial numbers can be difficult to read in poor lighting, so a small flashlight may be helpful in accurately reading the number.

Collings acoustic guitars built after 1991 have a 3-5 digit serial number stamped into the mahogany neck block. Serial numbers are assigned at the beginning of the build process, which typically takes 4-6 months, so some guitars may start the build process one year and be completed and shipped the subsequent year.  We generally use the ship date when referring to the guitar’s “year”.

To obtain the instrument’s ship date, please email the serial number to customerservice@collingsguitars.com.

Collings instruments are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship, to the original purchaser, for as long as he/she owns the instrument. This limited warranty constitutes the entire warranty of Collings with regards to its instruments. No representation or warranty by any Collings salesperson, dealer, agent, representative or employee shall be binding upon Collings Guitars, Inc. other than as expressly set forth herein.

The Collings Limited Warranty does not cover the following: wear and tear from normal use and any damage that is the result of misuse, abuse, or unauthorized modifications, damages from unauthorized or self-made repairs, improper maintenance, accidents, exposure to adverse temperature and/or humidity, and other careless action, which by its nature results in damage to the instrument or to components not manufactured by Collings.

Our limited lifetime warranty applies to the original owner regardless of whether you’ve registered the instrument.  That said, it is a good idea to submit your registration so that we have your contact info on file should any warranty work ever need to be performed.

Even if you are not the original owner, you may still register your Collings through our Owner Registration page, which gives us a record of your contact info should we ever need it.  Simply choose “Purchased used” under the “Purchase Type” question.

You may register your instrument by visiting our Owner Registration page.

As our guitars and nearly all included parts are handmade per instrument by our team, we unfortunately do not have the resources to offer replacement parts, such as pickguards, nuts, and saddles.  These types of parts are commonly offered by qualified repair techs who do setup work, though, so we recommend reaching out to your local Collings dealer for recommendations.

Your local Collings dealer is usually the best place to start, as many repair issues can be resolved by simple adjustments to the nut, saddle, or truss rod.  They can also recommend trusted local repair techs, when necessary.

Improper humidification is a common cause of many issues, as well, so please review our Care & Maintenance page for further information.

In situations where warranty coverage may apply, our dealers can assist you with contacting us for an initial evaluation, then packaging and shipping your guitar to our shop, if necessary. Please visit our Repairs page for more detailed information.

Unfortunately, we do not currently have the resources to offer replacement necks, as they are extremely labor-intensive to build, set, finish, and then setup for the specific guitar body to which they are matched.  If you would like assistance in locating a similar available model with specifications that match your preferences, please contact us at customerservice@collingsguitars.com.

Our electrics are typically set to the below measurements before leaving the shop:

• Neck relief measured from the first fret to the octave is .006″
• Action, or string height, measured at the 12th fret (no fretting) is 1/16″ or a hair more below the low E string and 1/16″ to the center of the high E string

D’Addario NYXL1046 strings (10-46):

290, 290® S, 360™ LT M, CL, CL Deluxe, I-35 LC Vintage

D’Addario NYXL1149 strings (11-49):

290® DC, 290® DC S, I-35, I-35 Deluxe, I-35 LC, I-35 LC Deluxe, SoCo™, SoCo™ Deluxe, SoCo™ LC, SoCo™ LC Deluxe, SoCo™ 16 LC, SoCo™ 16 LC Deluxe, 470 JL, I-30 LC

D’Addario NYXL1252W (12-52, wound 3rd):

Eastside LC, Eastside LC Deluxe, Eastside Jazz LC

Curt Mangan 14-68:

360™ Baritone

We find only subtle tonal differences between the SoCo™ Deluxe and I-35 Deluxe models. Both guitars have semi-hollow body construction and use the same low-wind Imperial humbuckers from Jason Lollar. The biggest difference is that the single-cutaway design of the SoCo™ Deluxe adds mass to the body and also increases the contact area of the neck joint. This seems to give the SoCo™ Deluxe a slightly more focused sound with greater low end definition (slightly less airiness/overtones compared to the I-35 Deluxe).

Aside from the cosmetic aspect, the biggest difference between flame and quilted maple is in the weight of the wood. Flame maple tends to be harder and heavier than quilted maple, which can translate to a slightly more focused attack with fewer overtones. Lighter weight quilted maple tends to bring out more of the acoustic qualities of the guitar, which can create more complex overtones. This is a subtle difference that may not be true 100% of the time. Like most statements about wood, there can always be an exception to the rule.

All of our electric guitar necks can be adjusted with a 5/16″ box wrench, such as the one listed in the link below. Please be sure to use the correct wrench to avoid stripping the truss rod nut.

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/wrenches/pocket-truss-rod-wrenches-3b317270/

Important:  adjusting the truss rod is not how you properly adjust action (string height), and doing so could eventually lead to permanent damage of the neck.  The truss rod is intended to adjust neck relief, meaning the “bow” or curve of the neck.  String height should be adjusted at the saddle.  See the factory specifications question above for more info on our recommended starting setup specs.

All of our electric models have a 1 11/16″ nut width and a classic medium depth C-shape neck profile.  The measurements from the back of the neck to the top of the fingerboard (not including the fret) are as follows, although there will be some variation due to hand work and finish:

1st fret: 0.860″
9th fret: 0.960″

We also offer a slimmer 60’s neck profile, which is optional and measures around .030″ thinner at the first fret and .060″ thinner at the ninth fret.

Most of our electric models are built with 18% nickel-silver fretwire that measures .104″ wide by .047″ tall.

The only exception is the 470 JL, which is also 18% nickel-silver but measures .090″ wide by .055″ tall.

We only offer stainless steel frets on electric guitars with bound fingerboards.  Inquire with an authorized dealer for current pricing info.

We use CTS Dimarzio Taper 500k potentiometers and Jupiter Vintage Yellow capacitors in a 50s-style wiring scheme on all models except for the I-35 LC Vintage, which uses Luxe Bumblebee capacitors.

Solid bodies have the serial number stamped into the body on a ledge behind the control cavity plate (remove the back plate to view it).

Semi-hollows have it handwritten in black ink on the label inside the f-hole and also stamped into the body/block behind one of the pickups (varies per model).

Fully-hollow guitars have it handwritten in black ink on the label inside the f-hole.

The 470 JL has it handwritten in black ink on the small label between the pots if you remove the back plate.

Our electric guitars have a two-digit year indicated in the serial number.  Each serial number begins with a general series designation (290, 290DC, CL, I35, I35LC, ESCL, SOCO, SOCOLC, etc.) followed by two digits that indicate the year it was started in production.  The numbers after the two indicating the year tell you how many guitars within that category were started to that point.

Examples are:

290181443 – Indicates a 290® model (“290”) that started production in 2018 (“18”) and is the 1,443rd 290® to have been started.

I35LC232197 – Indicates an I-35 LC (“I35LC” and Deluxe and Vintage models are included) that started production in 2023 (“23”) and is the 2,197th laminate construction I-35 to have been started.

If you need to know when your guitar originally shipped, please reach out to customerservice@collingsguitars.com, as a guitar started one year may have shipped in a subsequent year due to required build time.

Collings instruments are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship, to the original purchaser, for as long as he/she owns the instrument. This limited warranty constitutes the entire warranty of Collings with regards to its instruments. No representation or warranty by any Collings salesperson, dealer, agent, representative or employee shall be binding upon Collings Guitars, Inc. other than as expressly set forth herein.

The Collings Limited Warranty does not cover the following: wear and tear from normal use and any damage that is the result of misuse, abuse, or unauthorized modifications, damages from unauthorized or self-made repairs, improper maintenance, accidents, exposure to adverse temperature and/or humidity, and other careless action, which by its nature results in damage to the instrument or to components not manufactured by Collings.

Your local Collings dealer is usually the best place to start. Many repair issues can be resolved by simple adjustments to the nut, bridge, or truss rod. Your dealer can most often help in this area and can also rule out common causes of problems. Alternatively, we offer warranty repair services at our shop. Your dealer can usually assist you in packaging and shipping your instrument to our shop if needed. Please visit our repairs page for more detailed information.

We setup our mandolins with .005″ neck relief at the 5th fret and action (string height) of 4/64″ on the G and 3/64″ on the E measured at the 12th fret.

We setup our mandolas (tuned C G D A) with .005″ neck relief at the 5th fret and action (string height) of 6/64″ on the C and 5/64″ on the A measured at the 12th fret.

All of our mandolin models are strung with D’Addario EJ74 (.011″ – .040″) phosphor bronze strings. It’s also perfectly fine to use heavier gauge strings such as the D’Addario EJ75 set without harming the instrument.

For our mandolas, we use D’Addario EJ76 (.015″ – .052″) phosphor bronze strings.

Our mandolins are built in a controlled environment with constant 49% relative humidity. In order to keep your instrument in proper playing condition and prevent cracking or other structural problems, it is very important that you maintain a similar level of humidity where you store your instrument. In many climates, it can be difficult to achieve an adequate humidity level without help from a sound hole humidifier.

We strongly recommend investing in an inexpensive hygrometer to monitor the environment where you store your instrument. A hygrometer can help you gauge whether your instrument is in danger of becoming dried out or over-hydrated.

We also recommend familiarizing yourself with the symptoms of a dry instrument, so you can identify potential problems before they cause any real damage. This is an extremely important topic, so please visit our Care and Maintenance page for additional information.

There are a wide variety of products out there that can help you keep your instrument properly humidified (see Care and Maintenance). The most common humidifier used for mandolins is a DAMPIT. It’s also a good idea to invest in an inexpensive hygrometer to help you monitor the environment where you store the instrument. A hygrometer will help take the guess-work out of knowing when and when not to humidify. Keep in mind that it is possible to over-humidify your instrument, which can also lead to problems.

The overwhelming majority of cracks are caused by inadequate humidity. Exposing your instrument to a low humidity environment can cause the woods to contract and change shape, which can lead to cracking and a host of other structural and finish problems. It’s important to be aware of the humidity where you store your mandolin. If you find that your instrument is being exposed to conditions with less than 40% relative humidity for any length of time, you should consider humidifying. In very dry conditions, a mandolin can reach the point of cracking in a matter of days. This is an extremely important topic, so please visit our Care and Maintenance page for more information.

All of our f-hole instruments have a 1 1/8″ nut width as a standard. We also offer a 1 3/16″ nut option, which allows for a more rounded neck shape. The standard nut width is the most popular choice, although the wider nut width may be a better fit for players with larger hands or those who prefer necks with less “V” shape. All oval hole models come standard with the wider 1 3/16″ nut width.

Our mandolin fret wire dimensions are as follows:

crown width: 2 mm
crown height: 1.10 mm
Total height 2.60 mm
Tang width: 0.51 mm

The recommended location for installing a strap button is on the underside of the neck 3/4” below the bottom of the fingerboard and 1/2” over from the body. We recommend clipping 1/8” off the end of the screw to avoid running into the truss rod. The screw hole should be drilled at an angle, perpendicular to the surface of the wood, and a felt bushing may be used between the strap button and the wood’s surface to avoid unnecessary imprinting.

We generally recommend either the K&K Mandolin Twin or the McIntyre MF-200 Feather System as good options for most applications. These systems consist of a transducer strip(s) that mounts to the inside of the top, which can be wired to either a standard end pin jack or an external carpenter-style jack. With either pickup system, a high quality pre-amp such as the L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic D.I. is essential for optimum tone.

Varnish is a softer and therefore more flexible finish material. While there are subtle tonal advantages to the varnish finish, this option is not for everyone. Unlike lacquer, the process for applying varnish is not conducive to “finish touch-ups”, meaning that we cannot repair some minor imperfections such as small pinholes, bubbles, or sinks. While we’ve always taken pride in our high standard for fit and finish, we cannot produce varnish instruments to the level of cosmetic “perfection” as we can with our lacquer finish instruments. The varnish finish has a beautiful, rich luster, but may include very small imperfections when put under close examination.

Additionally, the softer varnish finish is not quite as protective as the harder lacquer finish. The alkyd resin-based varnish finish is very slow to cure and can be relatively soft on new instruments. The finish will continue to harden as the instrument ages, but new varnish instruments can be vulnerable to scratches, dings, and imprinting. By its very nature, varnish can shrink, wrinkle, and/or dull over time and is not likely to maintain a “new” apperance as well as lacquer instruments. With that said, the varnish finish allows the instrument to vibrate more freely and can produce a more responsive instrument with a greater depth of tone.

Serial numbers are handwritten in black ink on the Collings label inside the instrument, which can be seen through the bass-side f-hole or oval sound hole.

Collings mandolins have a hand-written serial number on the label inside the body. Serial numbers are assigned at the beginning of the build process, so some mandolins would have been completed and shipped in subsequent year(s), and build time can vary.

To ensure accurate dating, please contact customerservice@collingsguitars.com and include your serial number and model.

Collings instruments are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship, to the original purchaser, for as long as he/she owns the instrument. This limited warranty constitutes the entire warranty of Collings with regards to its instruments. No representation or warranty by any Collings salesperson, dealer, agent, representative or employee shall be binding upon Collings Guitars, Inc. other than as expressly set forth herein.

The Collings Limited Warranty does not cover the following: wear and tear from normal use and any damage that is the result of misuse, abuse, or unauthorized modifications, damages from unauthorized or self-made repairs, improper maintenance, accidents, exposure to adverse temperature and/or humidity, and other careless action, which by its nature results in damage to the instrument or to components not manufactured by Collings.

For more info on having a pickguard made and installed for your Collings mandolin, please contact us at customerservice@collingsguitars.com.

Your local Collings dealer is usually the best place to start. Many repair issues can be resolved by simple adjustments to the nut, bridge, or truss rod. Your dealer can most often help in this area and can also rule out the causes of common problems.  Please visit our repairs page for more detailed information.

All of our ukulele models are strung at the factory with Savarez ukulele strings:

Concert ukuleles (.62mm, .74mm, .86mm, .62mm)
Tenor ukuleles (.57mm, .69mm, .81mm, .57mm)

String Height (measured from top of fret to bottom of string):

Bass-side string height at 12th fret: 3/32″
Treble-side string height at 12th fret: 5/64″

We consider these measurements to be a medium action height. You should have some room to lower the action from these measurements, but keep in mind that an ultra-low action usually requires lighter playing or adjusted technique to prevent buzzing. Please feel free to contact our service department if you need assistance.

Please view this PDF Guide for properly re-stringing your ukulele.

Yes, using a wound bottom “G” string tuned an octave lower is a common alteration.

We the wound G from the Aquila Strings New Nylgut AQ-15 set. We use this same string on both tenor and concert ukuleles.

We do not know of or recommend any non-wound low G string, as the size wouldn’t fit our design and the tension difference would void the warranty.

The wound low G from the Aquila set matches diameter and tension of our standard high G we typically use, so we use just the wound G from the Aquila set and the other three strings from the normal Savarez set.

Our ukuleles are built in a controlled environment with constant 49% relative humidity. In order to keep your instrument in proper playing condition and prevent cracking or other structural problems, it is very important that you maintain a similar level of humidity where you store your instrument. In many climates, it can be difficult to achieve an adequate humidity level without help from a sound hole humidifier.

We strongly recommend investing in an inexpensive hygrometer to monitor the environment where you store your instrument. A hygrometer can help you gauge whether your instrument is in danger of becoming dried out or over-hydrated. We also recommend familiarizing yourself with the symptoms of a dry instrument, so you can identify potential problems before they cause any real damage. This is an extremely important topic, so please visit our Care and Maintenance page for additional information.

There are a wide variety of products out there that can help you keep your instrument properly humidified (see Care and Maintenance). A great humidifer for ukuleles is the Oasis OH18. It’s also a good idea to invest in an inexpensive hygrometer to help you monitor the environment where you store the instrument. These are available from Oasis in a special slim size that allows you to measure humidity on the soundboard of the instrument while it is in the case. A hygrometer will help take the guess-work out of knowing when and when not to humidify. Keep in mind that it is possible to over-humidify your instrument, which can also lead to problems.

The overwhelming majority of cracks are caused by inadequate humidity. Exposing your instrument to a low humidity environment can cause the woods to contract and change shape, which can lead to cracking and a host of other structural and finish problems. It’s important to be aware of the humidity where you store your ukulele. If you find that your instrument is being exposed to conditions with less than 40% relative humidity for any length of time, you should consider humidifying. In very dry conditions, a ukulele can dry out to the point of cracking in a matter of days. This is an extremely important topic, so please visit our Care and Maintenance page for more information.

Collings ukuleles feature geared tuners made by Pegheds that combine the appearance of traditional friction mount type tuning pegs with the convenience and tuning stability of a geared tuning machine.

Please see this diagram for a cross section of Peghed tuner construction.

Pegheds feature a push/pull locking mechanism that is designed so that the tuner can be pulled out (it only travels about 1/16th of an inch) for large tuning adjustments and then pushed back in to lock the threads and keep slippage from occurring.

When making a tuning adjustment, first pull the knob of the tuner backwards from the headstock. Once it has been unlocked you can make large tuning adjustments until the string is tuned to pitch. When the string is properly tuned you can push the knob in towards the shaft and it will stiffen the rotation to prevent slippage. You will still be able to make small tuning adjustments when it is locked.

Pegheds tuners are designed to always operate smoothly and never slip or stick, if you have any questions about using them please feel free to contact our service department.

Please see this diagram for the strap button location we recommend on our ukuleles.

Each of our ukuleles is equipped with 18% nickel-silver fret wire that measures .051″ wide by .039″ tall.

There are a number of pickup options available for ukuleles, and the best choice really depends on the individual player’s needs and preferences. We have been impressed with the tone of the Mcintyre UF-07 ukulele feather system which features a thin film transducer. This pickup is very lightweight so it doesn’t color the response of the uke and has a very natural tone. Due to its is low output level the feather pickup is recommended for use with a preamp. The feather can also be combined with Mcintyre’s disc soundboard transducer which is higher gain for a full range pickup system.

We do not recommend the use of under-saddle pickups on our ukuleles. Due to the “cutthrough” style saddle that we use and the degree to which under-saddle pickups can alter the tonal and structural coupling of the saddle to the bridge, we recommend using internally mounted soundboard transducer pickups only.

Your dealer should be able to offer further advice in selecting the best pickup to suit your individual needs and can generally help with installation.

Our satin finish provides a natural “scuffed” finish texture that is popular among some players who find it feels smoother and creates less friction on the back of the neck while playing. It is also a finish that requires less time to produce so it is a lower cost option than a traditional high gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Gloss lacquer provides a clear “mirror-like” finish that will provide a bit more protection and have a more consistent appearance over the life of the instrument.

Serial numbers are handwritten on the Collings label inside the instrument which can be seen through the sound hole.

Collings ukuleles have a hand-written serial number on the label inside the body.  For accurate dating, please email customerservice@collingsguitars.com with your instrument’s serial number and model.

Collings instruments are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship, to the original purchaser, for as long as he/she owns the instrument. This limited warranty constitutes the entire warranty of Collings with regards to its instruments. No representation or warranty by any Collings salesperson, dealer, agent, representative or employee shall be binding upon Collings Guitars, Inc. other than as expressly set forth herein.

The Collings Limited Warranty does not cover the following: wear and tear from normal use and any damage that is the result of misuse, abuse, or unauthorized modifications, damages from unauthorized or self-made repairs, improper maintenance, accidents, exposure to adverse temperature and/or humidity, and other careless action, which by its nature results in damage to the instrument or to components not manufactured by Collings.

Your local Collings dealer is usually the best place to start.  Many repair issues can be resolved by simple adjustments to the nut, saddle, or truss rod.  Your dealer can most often help in this area and can also rule out the causes of common problems.  Please visit our repairs page for more detailed information.