Collings I-35 Aged LC Custom w/Bigsby

Another one of these amazing Collings custom I-35 guitars has just arrived! This custom model is ordered, spec'd and crafted specially for CR Guitars. I've been tinkering with my semi hollow recipe and this particular guitar is the result: It's everything I hoped it could be. If you're a fan of classic era 335s, I don't think you will find a better guitar out there. New or vintage. Take it and play it alongside anything. You'll be as jazzed as I am.

Before I ordered this guitar I spoke to my buds at Collings to see if there were any way to squeeze more juice or mojo out of my successful "Clapton era" I-35 recipe the've built for me before. What I was looking for was how to get a bit more stretch out of this guitar's string tension - to grease the wheels a bit so to speak. What I was looking for can best be described by comparing it to the difference between a Strat and a Tele's feel. The Strat has more give to it while the Tele is just a bit stiffer. Bottom line...something magic happened by adding a Bigsby. So much so that this is the way I'm going to go on my personal I-35. An extra benefit to the tremolo arm is added resonance.

Collings also tried a new finish staining method that brought me closer to that Clapton color than ever before. All this plus a slab grain maple laminated custom carved neck with rolled fingerboard edges, a black pickguard, and a neck heel strap button brought me as close to perfection as I could dream of.

Yes, Collings nailed this guitar, right down to the tiny details, the ones that really make a difference. Like all 335s, it has a laminated top. But what you probably don’t know is that Collings matches laminates to particular instruments. An I-35 LC doesn’t get the same laminate as Collings' other models. The laminate is created specifically for this instrument.

As icing on the cake I had the pickups upgraded to Throbaks - just superb humbuckers with soul, character and individuality.

That great Clapton-y Cream sound is all there - all that rich, resonant midrange; but at the same time, it's explosive. And it really sings through distortion. You know that sound, right? This guitar does it.

I have to thank the folks at Collings for their dedication and enthusiasm building this amazing guitar. It's just an outstanding, remarkably great playing and sounding guitar with plenty of traditional vibe to bond with any vintage enthusiast.

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.

ABOUT COLLINGS GUITARS
Bill Collings moved from Ohio to Texas in the mid 1970’s. Spurred by a lack of interest in medical school, this move enabled him to combine lifelong interests in both guitars and tools into the challenge of stringed instrument building and repair. After a couple of years in Houston, several guitars and a few banjos later, he headed west to southern California. Making it only as far as Austin, where he shared shops with fellow luthiers Tom Ellis and Mike Stevens. From there, he set up his own small shop in a wooden "one car" garage. His reputation for outstanding quality and meticulous attention to detail quickly spread. In 1989, he rented a 1000 square foot space and hired two helpers. Fast forward to present day where Collings craftsmanship is respected by professional and amateur musicians alike…anyone on the quest for quality. Some of these include artists; Keith Richards, Lyle Lovett, Pete Townshend, Emmylou Harris, Andy Summers, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Joni Mitchell, Don Felder, John Sebastian, Lou Reed, John Fogerty, Tim O'Brien, Pete Huttlinger, Kenny Smith, Brian May, Joan Baez, John Prine, Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap, and Steven Spielberg to name a few. You owe it to yourself to try one.