# General Mandolin Topics > Looking for Information About Mandolins >  Collings mt-1 and mt-2 serial numbers

## LaVonne

I just picked up an used but like new Collings MT-2 from Grhuns. It looks and sounds like its never been played. Its an early one, s/n 202 and has the Gibson style tailpiece rather than the Collings tailpiece. According to Alex at Collings it was shipped 8/21/2002. 

What Im wondering is were the serial numbers for the MT-2s assigned in the same sequence with the original MT-1s or did they start over with number 1 for the MT-2s? 

I know this is trivia but we love this kind of stuff, right? 

Thanks.

----------


## LaVonne

Oops! I double checked the label and the s/n is actually 209 not 202.

----------


## Russ Jordan

Maybe folks can post their serial numbers and #corresponding year. #I have MT2 #252, which Alex says was shipped in June 2003. #Mine still had the old style tailpiece when I got it, but I have replaced it with the new one. #Anybody know when they started using the new tailpiece?

Lavonne, did you get the blond MT2 that had been at Gruhn's for a while? It looked great in the photos.

----------


## LaVonne

Yes its the blond MT-2 from Gruhns. This was my first purchase from them and I was very impressed with the service. The mandolin is a real beauty but I can tell it hasnt been played very much. It sounds great but it will have to open up a bit before it can rival my MF. 

Russ, Im curious to know your thoughts on replacing the tailpiece with the newer style. Did the holes and profile line up ore did you have to drill? And most importantly how did the sounds change? 

Thanks.

----------


## Russ Jordan

The holes lined up fine for the tailpiece swap out. I may have had to ream out the endpin hole a little bit.  My MT2 was well played in and sounded great when I got it. I don't think there was a significant change in sound.

----------


## Douglas McMullin

I have an MT purchased new in September of 2005. It is #647.

----------


## Michael

I have MT1 #63 dated Jan. 2001.

----------


## cgwilsonjr

My MT-2 is #155 and is from April 2002.

----------


## Fuzzyway

MT-2 #496. 2005

----------


## mandopoet

I have a MT purchased new in December of 2005. It is #999.

My apologies to the forum, I had originally typed 2006 when I meant to post 2005. Just out of habit I suppose. 

I have corrected the mistake.

----------


## architectx

Well, this is kind of interesting...

I just bought an MT (my first real mandolin). I was told it was used, though it sure doesn't look it. Anyways, I picked it up a week ago, and it is number 1085. How many are they building each month? Mine does have the gloss top, does that impact the numbering somehow?

----------


## clem

Well, just to add to the fun...or confusion, my MT2V is serial # 1019 and was finished in February '06.

Clem

----------


## mostconst

There was a discussion on this subject at the Collings mandolin forum @
Collings Mandolin Forum

I have MT #690 which I'm pretty sure was made in 2004.

----------


## Nolan

MT2 #82, 2001.


From a previous post, in Jan 2001 they were at #63 for the MT-1. In the Collings thread from above it states that they were just getting the mandolins started in 2001 and they weren't making all that many mandolins. In 2002 they produced something like 70 MT-2s once they started really getting down the production... so I would guess that they continued with the same #'s but changed the model number sometime in 2001. I bet MT1 #63 was pretty near the end of the MT1s. I'm not sure what mandolin production is like now at Collings but I know early on with the MT1 and the MT2 that Bill Collings was pretty much builing each mandolin. I probably couldn't afford to hire Bill Collings to custom build me a mandolin so these early Collings are a steal in my opinion.

----------


## LaVonne

Thanks Nolan. Thats exactly the kind of information I was looking for. The label on my MT-2 is signed by Bill. My April 2004 MF is not signed. Both mando's are just wonderful.

----------


## Michael

I also think #63 was close to the end of the MT1 line. It has a Red Spruce top and a full gloss finish. I had an earlier MT1 with an Englemann top and a # in the teens ( if I remember correctly). Both fine mandos. I really haven't lusted for another mandolin since I got #63.
MC.

----------


## Nolan

I think it's cool that an average guy can buy a mandolin made by Bill Collings and not spend $20k. #
He was one of the luthiers Scott Chinery hired for the blue guitar project thingy.... there's some heavy hitters in that group liker Monteleone, Zeidler, Benedetto, Gibson Custom shop, Triggs, etc.

----------


## Mando Medic

I have a black top, blonde back and sides MT-2, #1043 that I bought used in November 2006. I believe it actually left the factory in early September. Kenc

----------


## Nolan

Heres some info Ive gathered up from the Collings site and this one.


MT1 
#33 2000 MT1 Jan #

#63 2001 MT1 Jan 

* Collings only made 21 MT-1's with Adirondack tops then they introduced the MT-2 (according to a post on the Collings site) #Ive heard the rest of the MT-1s were Engleman. #Anyone know for sure?


MT2

#82 # 2001 MT2g Sept

#125 #2002 MT2r Mar #
#155 #2002 MT2 #April
#167 #?? # #MT2h ?? #
#186 #?? # #MT2h ?? #
#209 #2002 MT2 #Oct

#252 #2003 MT2 #June 

#496 #2005 MT-2 # #
 # # # #
#1019 2006 MT2V Feb #
#1043 2006#MT2 #Sept 


MT 
#525 2004 #MT #Aug # #
#647 2005 #MT #Sept
#690 2004? MT #
#999 2005 #MT #Dec. #


Production info:
2003 244 Mandolins (97 As, 147 Fs)
2004 558 Mandolins (185 As, 373 Fs)
2005 407 Mandolins (162 As, 245 Fs)

----------


## LaVonne

Just some clarification, I received confirmation from Alex that my MT-2 # 209 was shipped 10/22/2002. The August date was for #202. Gruhns had originally told me the s/n was 2002 thus the confusion.

----------


## Nolan

> What Im wondering is were the serial numbers for the MT-2s assigned in the same sequence with the original MT-1s or did they start over with number 1 for the MT-2s? 
> 
> I know this is trivia but we love this kind of stuff, right? 
> 
> Thanks.


So, back to the original post...looking above at the numbers for 2001 and based on the amount of mandolins Collings was making in 2001 I would say again that they just changed the model to MT2 and didn't start back at #1 again.

----------


## mandopoet

> Heres some info Ive gathered up from the Collings site and this one.
> 
> 
> MT1 
> #33 2000 MT1 Jan 
> 
> #63 2001 MT1 Jan 
> 
> * Collings only made 21 MT-1's with Adirondack tops then they introduced the MT-2 (according to a post on the Collings site) Ive heard the rest of the MT-1s were Engleman. Anyone know for sure?
> ...


Hi Nolan, I made a mistake when I listed the year that I purchased my MT #999. Out of habit I typed December 2006 when I meant to say December 2005.

You may want to edit your list. Sorry for steering you wrong.

----------


## Nolan

Thanks mandopoet, I updated it. #

Looking at some of the dates and #'s of the MTs.... something isn't quite right. #I wonder if some of the other folks stated the year they bought their MT not the year of origin? #Oh well.

----------


## Michael

My MT1 #63 has 01/01 written on the label. 
I assume 01-01 is the date of origin but it had to be a few days (weeks?) before it showed up in the store.

It is also signed by Bill Collings.

I've also had a few Collings guitars that were dated and signed by Bill.

Are the new mandos and guitars not dated on the label? 
Does Bill still sign every instrument?

M.C.

----------


## LaVonne

I have a new Collings OM1AC and a new C10 (my retirement gift to myself) and neither one is signed or dated.

----------


## Dan Margolis

Although I already posted this information on the cafe and at the Collings Forum, I'll repeat it: #my MT-1 is #33, built 01-00 (happy birthday, MT-1!). #Alex said that they only built 19 MT-1's before switching to the MT-2. #Mine is Englemann, confirmed by Bill himself who looked at it last month at the Music Emporium. #Some MT-1's are Adirondack, some Englemann. #It is a great sounding instrument. #Dan

----------


## Michael

So if they are no longer signed, my signed model must be more valuable huh? 

MC.

----------


## Douglas McMullin

My 2005ish MT #647 is signed. I have not seen one that is unsigned.

----------


## Michael

Maybe the unsigned ones are the valuable ones. 
Oh well.

----------


## Nolan

> my MT-1 is #33, built 01-00 (happy birthday, MT-1!). #Alex said that they only built 19 MT-1's before switching to the MT-2. #


If they only built 19 MT1s how did they get to #33?

----------


## Michael

Or MT1 #63 (mine). What further confuses me is that there is a Collings MF5 for sale in the classifieds and the seller says it is #63. 

MC.

----------


## LaVonne

The F style mandolins clearly have a different serial number sequence. My MF is s/n 229 and it is signed. Im sure theres a date on the label but I can not read it. I received it in April of 2004. It was the first MF shipped to Cotten music and I had a hold on it. it shipped to me right after they got it so its a very early MF. I assume the MF5s are in the same sequence but cant say for sure.

----------


## Nolan

> Or MT1 #63 (mine). MC.


Yeah... somewhere in between your mt1 (#63) and my mt2 (#82) was the switch. Maybe someone will get on here and post a later MT1 or earlier MT2.  They had to have made at least 63 MT1s unless they were only using odd numbers for the MT1s.

----------


## Michael

dmargo said "Alex said that they only built 19 MT-1's before switching to the MT-2".

I read in another post that there were 21 MT1s with adirondack tops. I know there were some with Englemann tops... 
So, Does anyone know the total number of MT1's produced? 

and nolan said "somewhere in between your mt1 (#63) and my mt2 (#82) was the switch".

They were making MT2s at the same time MT1s were being made.
When I got #63 I almost bought an MT2 and I had been seeing MT2s for sale for at least some months.


MC.

----------


## Dan Margolis

Why the discrepancy between serial numbers and number of MT-1's? #Who knows? #Maybe they numbered some early prototypes that never saw the light of day. #Maybe the MT-1's and early MT-2's shared the same sequence. #Maybe (although I doubt it) Alex gave me the wrong information. #I guess someone could email the company and ask. #Dan

----------


## Nolan

> They were making MT2s at the same time MT1s were being made.
> When I got #63 I almost bought an MT2 and I had been seeing MT2s for sale for at least some months.
> 
> 
> MC.


Funny, I read here or on the Collings site that they quit making the MT-1 when they came out with the MT-2. 
Interesting....

----------


## Michael

Yeah, I've read a few things that turned out to be wrong too.

I've talked to the boys at Collings a few times and gotten different info depending on who answered the phone at that particular time. 

It's got to be tough for them to remember all this stuff without going back and researching and they probably get a lot of calls.

MC.

----------


## Dan Margolis

There is an MT2 on the classifieds right now, #53, 9/2000. #From what we know, this suggests that MT1's and MT2's shared the same serial number sequence.

----------


## Nolan

> There is an MT2 on the classifieds right now, #53, 9/2000. #From what we know, this suggests that MT1's and MT2's shared the same serial number sequence.


Wow, this whole thing has me confused.   

It seems we know more about mandolins made 80 years ago.

----------


## Corbin Smith

> Heres some info Ive gathered up from the Collings site and this one.
> 
> 
> MT1 
> #33 2000 MT1 Jan 
> 
> #63 2001 MT1 Jan 
> 
> * Collings only made 21 MT-1's with Adirondack tops then they introduced the MT-2 (according to a post on the Collings site) Ive heard the rest of the MT-1s were Engleman. Anyone know for sure?
> ...


I've got #187 MT2H. Made in 2002.
Love it. But the finish is peeling off the edge, mainly along the neck. Collings said they'd refinish it free. I've heard of them following through with this promise on others, so I'm not worried.

----------


## Michael

I just noticed on my MT1 #63 that the finish is peeling on the treble side of the neck at frets 1-3. 

Did Collings give you a time frame for having this done?
Seems like they would have to keep it for a couple months at least.

Several years ago I had a new Collings D2H guitar that had some finish problems on the back and sides and they refinished the guitar at no charge. It came back looking perfect but I had to do without it for several months.

MC.

----------


## Corbin Smith

MC

Collings did not give me a timeframe. But I assume, like you, that it would take a couple months. This is why I haven't done it yet. It is a great excuse to buy another mandolin, though!

----------


## Dan Margolis

It has been about 7 weeks since I sent my OM2h to Collings for a repair. No word yet from them. I expect it to take at least another couple of months, given what I've heard about their timeframe. No problem; I'm just happy that they're working on it.

----------


## Jim Roberts

My #932 MT2V was built in '06 and is signed by Bill Collings. #I sent it to the Collings shop last summer to have Waverly tuners installed by them and I had the mandolin back in my hands in two and a half weeks. #Needless to say, the tuners were installed perfectly.

This one is still for sale, btw, and only because Michael Heiden built me a replacement!

----------


## AeroJoe

Collings MF s.n.697, August 2006 according to who I spoke to on the phone.

----------


## Rick Schmidlin

My MF5 came direct from the factory in June 2005 #430

----------


## msh_mando

I have an MT2 # 35 with the date Feb, 2000 on the label.

----------


## Nolan

> I have an MT2 # 35 with the date Feb, 2000 on the label.


Cool, an early one. Is it a MT2H, MT2R or MT2G?

----------


## msh_mando

The label reads mt2sb as far as I can tell. "2-00" and "#35" (at the bottom) are also there of course.

----------


## T Little

I have #15. It's dated 9 99 and is an MT2.

----------


## duffey is my hero

The MT2 i just bought is #124 signed by Bill Collings. On the label it says MT2S. Does anyone know what the S stands for?

----------


## HogTime

I have MT #671. Collings said it was shipped on 11/17/04.

----------


## bobland

I have a Collings MT-1 H with a serial number of 160.  I bought it used in 2004 so don't know when it was built.

It is a beauty - gloss top with white binding.

----------


## mandodeb

My MT is #792 and Alex says their records show it left the Collings shop on March 23, 2005. I bought it used in April of 2006.  Great mandolin.

----------


## Lee

My MT-2S is #118 and is signed.  The S stands for Soft maple.  The H was for Hard maple.  I've heard they dropped these designations after realizing the personality of the mandolin itself made more difference in tone than the type of wood used for the back.

----------


## Corbin Smith

> My MT-2S is #118 and is signed.  The S stands for Soft maple.  The H was for Hard maple.  I've heard they dropped these designations after realizing the personality of the mandolin itself made more difference in tone than the type of wood used for the back.



So what do the R and G designations stand for?

----------


## 9lbShellhamer

My 2002 MT2-H (to designate Hard maple) is #175 and is signed by Bill Collings. I purchased it in December 2014 from Cotten Music in Nashville. I've found this thread pretty entertaining. It's a GREAT Mando. I just need to have the action lowered a tiny bit once I find someone qualified to do a stellar set-up near Louisville.

It's incredibly open and responsive. I'm really happy so far.

----------


## ivancook

Old thread, but I have MT2, A74 from 7/01.

----------


## Caleb

Regarding Bill Collings-signed labels, Im not sure when it stopped, but my MT was made in 2013 and has his signature on the label.  Its pretty faint (and very messy) and Id had the instrument a good while before I ever noticed it.

----------


## Ray(T)

My mandola was built in 2016. The label is signed but, with all the other printed confusion on there, it’s impossible to say who by.

----------

