Collings I35 LC Custom Tobacco Sunburst

Another one of these amazing custom I35 guitars has just arrived! This custom model is ordered especially for CR Guitars. I've been tinkering with my semi hollow recipe and I think this particular guitar is everything I hoped it could to be.

If you’re a fan of classic era 335s, I don't think you will find a better guitar out there. Take it and play it alongside anything. You’ll be as jazzed as I am.

First, you should know that like a 335, it’s 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. It’s specifically for this instrument - and it's all about the recipe.

I asked Collings for a slab grain laminate maple to match a vintage ’59 ES style. They provided it. I asked if they could do their wonderful neck carve but with rolled shoulders so the guitar had more of a vintage feel. They did. Custom black pickguard? A vintage-correct strap button on the heel? And how about a strip of ABS binding on the fingerboard BUT not around the headstock? Done, done and done.

Collings nailed this guitar, right down to the tiny details; the ones that really make a difference. And as icing on the cake I had the pickups switched to Throbaks with lightly aged nickel covers - just superb humbuckers with power, soul, character and individuality.

That great transcendent ES 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, remarkable playing and sounding guitar with plenty of vibe to bond with any vintage enthusiast. (They even sanded and buffed this baby’s amber knobs and switch tip for me... — details, details!)

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.