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Thin, light, and exquisite, the Collings City Limits Jazz commands attention. Built with a fully hollow one-piece mahogany body, carved European spruce top, and modern stylings, this sleek thin-bodied archtop is made for jazz.
Collings achieves unmatched tone and response out of this archtop with the use of innovative bracing patterns. The carved European Spruce top is cross braced on the inside, much like a flat-top, as opposed to bar bracing, which is traditional for archtops. Each brace must be carved to match the inside of the arch. Bill wanted a more dynamic flat-top response and he has certainly met his goal with the City Limits Jazz.
The pickup is a Jason Lollar hand-wired Johnny Smith style humbucker. The pickup is mounted to the pickguard and floats beautifully at the base of the fretboard. Discreet volume and tone controls are found on the bottom edge of the pickguard so that they don't detract from the ultra-clean lines of such a beautiful guitar. A custom merlot finish completes the package, revealing just enough of the incredible European Spruce grain patterns.
As with everything that comes out of the Colling shop, lots of homework and research have gone into their line of ukuleles. The Collings UC1 is built with an all-mahogany body and produces a tone that is clearly defined and extremely resonant. On the first strum, it's clear this is a serious, professional level ukulele. Mahogany brings crispness and focus to each note.
Despite looking like traditional friction tuner, each of the four tuners are actually geared tuning pegs made by Pegheadz. Collings be praised, a ukulele that is easy to tune! The 4:1 gear reduction allows strings to be tuned more easily and accurately than traditional wood pegs (or Caspari-type mechanisms which require screw drivers or special keys). Tune confidently and securely with the left hand while playing open strings; even during performance! PEGHEDS tuners return the fine-tuning function to pegs. Strings slide more freely over the smooth, wide nut than over the comparatively sharp edge of the bridge, where stress is concentrated and equilibrium of tension on either side is more difficult to achieve.
After much anxious anticipation, we are proud to have Collings new tenor ukulele!
As with everything that comes out of the Colling shop, lots of homework and research have gone into their line of ukuleles. Collings has managed to keep up with the demands of ukulele players. This Collings UT1 is built with a fantastic piece of Mahogany. On the first strum, it's clear this is a serious ukulele. Mahogany brings killer crispness and focus. In the hands of a true ukulele player, this little one really shines.
Despite looking like traditional friction tuner, each of the four tuners are actually geared. Collings be praised, a ukulele that is easy to tune! We look forward to adding many more ukuleles to our inventory in the near future.
If there is anything the folks at Collings know, and they know quite a lot - it is dreadnoughts. While Collings is certainly not the first to build them, they bring a new tonal clarity to the depth and warmth usually associated with such a large, deep-bodied guitar. The bass response makes the dreadnought ideal for vocal accompaniment, however, Collings D1 Series Mahogany dreads are employed by some of the busiest bluegrass flatpickers in the business, such as Andy Falco of the Stringdusters and Adam Aijala of Yonder Mountain String Band.
The standard D1 is ideal for players who find Adirondack Red Spruce too punchy, bright, and stiff - but do not want to sacrifice on clarity. Sitka Spruce is a versatile topwood that accentuates the warm round aspects of the guitar's tone. The top end is sweet and crisp; with a driving, focused midrange and low-end. It strums with the best of them, but has a neck that flatpicks beautifully across the board. There is a reason Colling's are revered for their dreads!
Let's spend a moment on the amount of "Silking" on the top of this particular guitar! Long admired for it's look, the "Silking" actually shows off the quality of the quartersawn wood from Collings. What is Quarter sawn wood? There is only one true way to quarter saw a log. First, a log is cut into quarters. Each quarter is then processed by cutting a single board off of one face, then cutting the next board from the opposite face, and cutting from alternating faces until the quarter is completely cut. The most notable characteristic of quarter-sawn lumber lies in its imcomparable grain patterns. Medullary ray fleck, or "Silking" and interlocked grain are all visually enhanced when the log is quarter-sawn. The Silking will be at a 90 degree angle to the grain of the wood. In this case, the guitar is phenomenally "Silked", Collings has chosen an exceptional piece of wood for the top of this one!
Browse our fine selection of Collings Guitars.
Learn more about the history of Collings Guitars.
Bill Collings' and his shop in Austin, Texas has been building some of the finest acoustic guitars for decades and has recently turned his attention to electric guitars. The result has been nothing short of astonishing. He has reinvigorated the industry with his take on classic design. The I-35 is Collings' reinterpretation of the semi-hollow body, two-pickup guitar.
While the rest of the industry at large uses pressed plywood for their backs, and bent sides, Collings carves the back and sides from one single slab of Mahogany. This preserves the "look" of a semi-hollow bodied guitar while providing noticeable sonic differences to the player's ears. The top is carved from a mineral flamed piece of book matched maple. This not only looks more like the "original" late 50's and early 60's instruments, but more importantly, sounds like an older guitar.
Not only is this one of the coolest looking finishes in our shop, this Collings I-35 Deluxe Semi-Hollow electric with a Jet Black Maple top and Mahogany back and sides with a Doghair finish. Combine such a beautiful finish with special appointments such as a Madagascar Rosewood fretboard, grained ivoroid bindings, "Zebra" style Lollar Imperial Humbuckers, and custom ivoroid knobs and you truly have on of the finest looking guitars being made.
The mahogany neck is superior quality wood and topped off with a Madagascar Rosewood fretboard with vintage style "dot" inlays. The profile is a comfortable "C" shape with rounded edges, giving it a wonderful, broken in feel. Leaving no detail untouched, the bridge and tailpiece are Tone-pros locking style, and the Gotoh tuners have grained-ivoroid buttons. You owe it to yourself to come in and plug this guitar into any of our Carr amplifiers and finally stop searching for the "tone", it has arrived!
Collings has collaborated with Jason Lollar to provide the greatest custom pickups on the market. This I-35 Deluxe features Lollars Low Wind Imperial humbuckers. Based on lower output PAF’s often found in vintage 335's, this pickup set has a brighter overall tone than the Lollar Imperials. Bottom strings hold together without distorting noticeably longer than most humbuckers.
Collings has offered Madagascar Rosewood in the past, but short supplies have made them a rare treat as of late. It is a spectacular tonewood that is making its mark as one of the best Brazilian alternative for our generation of luthiers. We have managed to procure this rare custom guitar built with this stunning wood, every one we have seen from Collings has been equally spectacular!
Madagascar Rosewood has commanding presence with balanced tone and clarity. Madagascar is evenly responsive across the entire tonal register and has crisp, sparkling trebles commonly associated with Brazilian Rosewood. When coupled with Adirondack Red Spruce, it brings the guitar strong fundamentals, a lightning quick response, and crisp trebles.
Adirondack Spruce was the legendary topwood used on most pre-war American-made guitars and has a high stiffness to weight ratio across and along the grain, making it one of the go-to topwoods for flatpickers.
This Collings D2HA Madagascar also features standard D2H appointments such as Pre-War Scalloped Bracing, Square and Diamond Inlays, Toroise Style Pickguard, Herringbone Backstrip grained ivoroid body binding, and a 1 3/4" standard profile neck.
Browse our fine selection of Collings Guitars.
Learn more about the history of Collings Guitars.
This Collings UT1K is a Custom tenor model with simplified appointments. The Collings UT1k is considered an entry-level ukulele, but don't let the ''entry-level'' part fool you - it's built with the same quality construction as the higher end models. With solid Custom Koa (Light Flame) top, back and side wood, the UT1K is undoubtedly one of the finest professional concert ukes available in its price range.
The Collings Jumbo, or CJ, is Collings' version of the classic slope-shouldered dreadnought, a shape that has enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years. While the CJ is similar in width and depth to the traditional dreadnought, it has a distinctly different tone. The Collings CJ accommodates a variety of playing styles and genres without skipping a beat. In this unbeatable combination, it even suits fingerstyle players.
This custom CJ features the incredibly versatile German Spruce top. German Spruce offers the perfect balance between responsiveness and headroom with lush overtones. Paired with mahogany back and sides, the tone is very clear, defined, with a nice punch in the midrange. The German top Collings has chosen for this one is phenomenally wide grained at the edges! Some of the widest we have ever seen from them.
In addition to it's amazing tone, this guitar features appointments such as a Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard, Brazilian Rosewood Bridge, grained ivoroid bindings, Abalone dot inlays, Tigerstripe Pickgaurd, K & K pickup, and custom ivoroid binding. This venerable workhorse guitar has all the features you find on a pre-war Gibson, right down to the short scale length. The 24 7/8" scale makes for effortlessly fretting and string bends that are a breeze. Combining the shortened scale and the German Spruce top - makes this one of the best all around guitars, from strumming to flatpicking, to fingerpicking, this one can truly do it all. There is a reason guitars in this family are called "Workhorses", they do everything...and well!
What more could you ask for, well, why don't we add a varnish finish?! Thinner than nitrocellulose lacquer, the varnish finish is more flexible and allows the wood to resonate more, significantly smoothing out the mids and highs while extending the low end considerably. The tonal qualities produced by the varnish finish are amazing, especially when compared side by side to a guitar without it. Additionally, this highly custom CJ has a custom neck profile on it which feels slightly larger, much more akin to a "Vintage Now" neck profile on a C shape neck. Very reminiscent again of a pre-war slope Dread.
As this guitar has a Varnish finish, there are assorted playwear marks and scratches throughout the top, back, and sides. This is a small sacrifice to make for the tonal superiority that these guitars have. To top it all off, and further protect your varnish guitar, a Calton hardshell case is included.
Browse our fine selection of Collings Guitars.
Learn more about the history of Collings Guitars.
The 12-fret 000 has the same general appearance as the Collings 00, but in a larger size with longer string scale. Although it's the same width and depth as the OM, the longer body typically produces more bass and overall volume. This makes the Collings 000 ideal for string-band purists or any guitarist who wants a maximum of power from an instrument of comfortable size with an elegant, old-time appearance.
This 2007 0001MhSb features a custom Mahogany top as well as Mahogany back and sides. The beauty of Collings' mahogany tops is their open breath and incredible responsiveness. Overall, focus and clarity are the key qualities of this guitar. The top end has an incredible definition and brightness, without sacrificing or overpowering the mid-range. Really, the mid-range focus is what makes this guitar shine. It's perfect for Piedmont blues or folksy strumming. Alternate bass line fans rejoice, for the bass response on this one is gorgeously well defined!
This custom ordered Collings 000 has a beautiful Full body sunburst, with a Tortoise bound Fretboard, as well as Tortoise bound Peghead. Some other features of this Collings 0001 include Pre-war scalloped bracing, ebony fingerboard and pyramid bridge, Slotted Headstock, and a M.O.P. Collings logo inlay on the headstock.
This Collings 0001MhSb is in excellent condition. There are minor scratches to the finish on the front and back of the guitar as well as a small dent in the finish (not through the finish) on the left lower bout of the guitar as seen in detail in the pictures below. A K & K Pure Mini pickup has been installed on the guitar. Original Hardshell Case Included.
Bill Collings' and his shop in Austin, Texas has been building some of the finest acoustic guitars for decades and has recently turned his attention to electric guitars. The result has been nothing short of astonishing. He has reinvigorated the industry with his take on classic design. The I-35 LC is Collings' reinterpretion of the semi-hollow body, two-pickup guitar. This I-35 LC features Collings' gorgeous "Faded Cherry" finish.
Compared to the solid wood semi-hollow models, the laminate construction the Collings I-35 sends more controlled information to the pickups, allowing Collings to use higher output electronics. These guitars feature the standard Lollar Imperials, as opposed to the low-wind Imperials used in the other Collings models. This creates tone that is evenly balanced with the smooth response that many players look for in arched top electric guitars. We wouldn't describe the tone of the laminate guitars as being better or worse than the solid equivalent. Instead, they should be viewed as two different guitars with two different sets of tonal characteristics.
After much anxious anticipation, we are proud to have Collings new tenor ukulele!
As with everything that comes out of the Colling shop, lots of homework and research have gone into their line of ukuleles. Collings has managed to keep up with the demands of ukulele players. This particular model is built with a fantastic piece of Mahogany. On the first strum, it's clear this is a serious ukulele. Mahogany brings killer crispness and focus. In the hands of a true ukulele player, this little one really shines.
Despite looking like traditional friction tuner, each of the four tuners are actually geared. Collings be praised, a ukulele that is easy to tune! We look forward to adding many more ukuleles to our inventory in the near future.
