I thought this would be pretty hard to do, but in the end, it's a no brainer. The wife and I have made some decisions over the last year that will hopefully result in what some people call "quality of life improvements" for my family. As is always the case, such changes are a tad pricey. But I would gladly move more than my nicest guitar for my wife and kids, so here it is.

And I kid you not, it's the nicest guitar I own. The tone is stellar. The playability is equally great. And the looks meet even the best standards.

The guitar is a Colling DS-41, slope-shoulder Dreadnaught. I have improved the original specs with new, upgraded Waverly tuners, a new high-end case direct from the Collings factory, a K&K pickup, and a fossilized ivory strap pin button on the heel. (See details below.)

When I received the guitar, I asked Collings for its history, and they sent me the following build specifications:

Collings DS-41, Slope shoulder Dreadnaught, (serial # 1488-build started in October, 1994)

* Select Sitka spruce (The silking is incredible!)
* 41-style abalone top border
* East Indian rosewood back and sides (Spectacular straight grain!)
* Grained ivoroid binding
* Black/white wood strip purfling
* Multi-color mosaic back strip
* Select abalone rosette
* Pre-war scalloped bracing
* Tortoise-style pickguard
* High gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish
* Mahogany Neck
* Bound fingerboard and double bound peghead
* Slotted peghead with Rosewood overlay
* Torch peghead inlay
* Ebony fingerboard and belly bridge
* 42-style snowflake fingerboard inlays
* Fully adjustable truss rod
* Bone nut and drop-in saddle
* Ebony bridge pins and end pin
* Nickel Waverly slot-head tuners

Upgrades include:
Gold Waverlies with Snake Wood buttons (They pick up the rosewood really well.)
A K&K pick-up (I had to special order the gold nut separately. It turns out you can only get them from the factory. Go figure?)
An ivory strap button with abalone dot, from Bob Colosi, installed on the heel.
And a factory ordered Collings Geib style case with micro fiber lining. (Boy was it pricey!)

The guitar is in excellent condition with only the following minor blemishes:

* A tiny ding (very small) on the top. Look at the close up picture of the lower bout. The ding is just to the left of the outside rest pad.
* There are two scratches between the pick guard and the lower edge of the top. Again, look at the close up of the pick guard. It took SO MANY pictures to get these to show, and you cannot see them from most angles.

Otherwise this guitar is PRISTINE!

Now for the painful part. I'm asking $4600 shipped/insured in the continental U.S. If you are overseas, I'll be happy to provide a quote for shipping. Please note that the instrument will be INSURED for shipping, not placed on a "liability" policy. (I've learned my lesson the hard way.) I may be amenable to creative ways to pay, but I have some time constraints and I need money more than other guitars (unless they are easy to sell). I would prefer to avoid Paypal as their fees are a bit much.

You can find lots of pictures besides the ones below HERE.