Bill Collings has been making some of the most highly regarded acoustic guitars in the world for quite some time, so when he decided to build electric guitars, musicians were chomping at the bit to see what would happen. The flawless construction, the incredible attention to detail, and the Collings quality are all here. Collings has redesigned a classic guitar with players in mind and the now famous meticulous construction, and attention to detail is nothing short of astonishing. This custom City Limits with a Flamed Maple top, is the ultimate Les Paul and with Lollar Humbuckers, this guitar was born for rock and roll!
From Collings' website: "Crafted with the finest seasoned maple and Honduran mahogany, the CL is built for tone. Lightweight, resonant mahogany combined with a carefully hand-set mortise and tenon neck joint bring tonal complexity and sustain to the table in spades. Sleekly contoured for comfort and style, we've brought new life to an American classic." We, honestly, could not agree more. The CL is clearly influenced by classic American solidbodies of the past, and to say they hit their mark is an understatement.
The body is cleverly designed with ergonomic contouring at both sides of the waist. This commonly overlooked feature is quite brilliant, making already effortless playability even more comfortable. Weighing in at a just over 8 lb., the Collings City Limits is easy to manage and perfectly balanced. Whether on the stage or in the studio, the CL feels right at home. The neck profile is a well rounded C shape that is unique to the Collings lineup. The neck joint is angled toward the cutaway; following the body lines. This slight change fills your hand in a more natural way, easing the curse that other single cutaway guitars have. Playability is what we have come to expect from a Collings - effortless and untroubled up and down the fingerboard. Combine that with Collings reputation for intonation perfection - and you have a force to be reckoned with.
This guitar features a Custom Gold Top. The contour and shape of this guitar only add to the detail of this finish. Aesthetic balance is a bit of a passion for Mr. Bill Collings, and each of his electrics exhibit their own understated style - unique from model to model. The fit and finish of the Collings City Limits may be astonishing to some - but it is what we have come to expect from the folks at Collings. No detail is left incomplete, yet nothing is overdone or exploited. The body is bound with grained ivoroid, a refreshing change from blindingly stark white plastic. The truss rod cover, tuning buttons, and covers all share this same material - and its one of the many features that set Collings apart.
This Custom Collings City Limits has two select Jason Lollar P-90 pickups. The P-90 is a single coil electric guitar pickup first produced by Gibson in 1946. They were introduced to replace the "bar pickup" (aka the Charlie Christian pickup) in models like the ES-150. Towards the end of the 40's P90's were the main pickup used on all models, including the Les Paul introduced in 1952. The P-90, in general, will be brighter and more transparent than a humbucker. They feature a boosted mid-range and some of the twang of Fender single coil pickups yet with more output and fullness. Typically P90's are clean at low volumes and have plenty of bite when pushed. One downside to the P90 is the 50 Hz / 60 Hz cycle "hum" which can be caused by external electrical and magnetic fields... not a problem with P90 makers such as Lollar, who offers a reverse wound version of the pickup, which doesn't hum when the guitar is kept the middle position.
Collings is renowned for their nitro finishes on acoustic guitars - and the story remains the same here. The finish on the CL is nothing short of perfect - incredibly thin and flat as can be. The thin nitro finish allows this guitar to breathe and resonate like the aged vintage pieces of old. The unplugged acoustic qualities the CL exhibits are simply remarkable. It's the little considerations like this that will satisfy even the most discerning of vintage fans.
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Tags: city limits deluxe, collings, cutaway, electric, gold top, humbuckers, les paul, lollar p90, maple, mp3 included
