Used 2024 Collings Julian Lage Signature OM1 JL

Sonic Evaluation

Wildwoodians, I understand that this is a champagne problem if there ever was one, but try and empathize with me for a moment, because it SO HARD to put down guitars like this amazing Julian Lage OM1 and move on to other tasks. If I had my druthers, I'd play this guitar until my hands cramped or my coworkers forcibly removed it from my presence. It is AWESOME! It's modeled after Julian's former main touring guitar, a 1939 Martin 000-18. It has a thin satin finish Collings formulated specifically for this guitar meant to mimic the original, and it helps impart a wonderfully open, resonant tone. It also shares an asymmetrical neck profile with the original (which was worn that way over decades' worth of use) with a 1 11/16" nut width, but it has a long scale for more piano-like power.

Now, onto the sound. Julian Lage describes this guitar, as "lovingly neutral" and while that's an apt description, I think a better way of putting it would be to say that this guitar has no weaknesses. It has more balance than a skateboarder doing a one-footed nosewheelie while juggling butcher's knives! One of the ways I test a guitars balance is to play the low E string open (typically the guitar's most powerful note) with a ninth fret E on G string (typically the weakest). This guitar may have gotten the highest score of all time on that test! The higher E punched through enough that it had equal presence, which is incredible.

Frequency response wise, it has a wonderfully punchy, woody, vintage-style voice that produces a sonorous, powerful fundamental with just the right amount of overtones for seasoning. The lows pack a wide punch, the midrange is as broad and powerful as the Rancor's maw, and the trebles are glassy with a nice shimmer, like sun reflecting through stained-glass window on a summer day.

The attack is quite stout and piano-like, too. One of my other testing methods is to try and make the guitar sound bad (I don't have to try very hard!). By that I mean that I hit it harder and harder until it splats out. This guitar refused to splat despite my best efforts, a testament to its impressive headroom and volume ceiling. That being said, it also speak beautifully at lower volumes, and it's delightfully response.

If you're looking for a 000-18 with no weaknesses and impressive vintage-style tone, check this Julian Lage Signature model out! If you do, I have no doubt you'll understand my tremendous emotional distress right now as I am confronted with the prospect of putting it back in its case.

Condition Report

This Julian Lage OM1 JL looks beautiful! It shows extremely light wear from normal use, and the only real imperfections to note are some scratches on the pickguard and a tiny area of buckle rash on the back. The frets are also in fantastic condition, showing virtually zero signs of wear.