Collings MT Carved Top Mandolin (2013), ser. #A2919, original black hard shell case.

Collings MT Model Carved Top Mandolin (2013), made in Austin, TX, serial # A2919, sunburst finish, flame maple back, sides and neck, spruce top, ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.

The MT model is Collings' plainer F-hole, A-bodied mandolin. It is less ornamented than the more deluxe MT-2 but retains a classic look harking back to the Gibson aesthetic of the 1920s built with a spruce top and flame maple back, sides and neck. This example was made around 10 years ago in 2015-6, and appears little used. Modeled on Gibson's semi-mythical A-5 (Lloyd Loar had one built as a test for himself) this is an A style model with F holes sporting a lovely Cremona Brown sunburst, with a matte finish.

The figured maple neck has a soft V profile with an unbound ebony fretboard; the body has single binding on the top only. The instrument is equipped with a Loar-era style adjustable ebony bridge, vintage style strip tuners and Collings' own proprietary tailpiece. This is one of the company's more original 8-string offerings, an excellent playing and sounding instrument with a lot of style at a much lower price than their comparable sounding F-body models.

Overall length is 27 in. (68.6 cm.), 10 in. (25.4 cm.) across at the widest point, and 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 13 7/8 in. (352 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.).

This about 10-year-old mandolin appears to have been played very little and remains clean, all original and well cared for. Overall the original satin finish shows almost no wear, just some tiny handling marks and scuffs with a spot on the top below the strings polished a bit shinier from pick wear. The frets show hardly any wear and playability is excellent, with a bright rich sound that is just starting to mature. It resides in the original HSC still with the unfilled-in Collings warranty card. Overall Excellent Condition.