Collings i35 LC Custom Vintage Natural

We sold this beauty new in 2014 from our shop and now it's available again in the same condition as when we first sold it. Here is a great opporunity to have one of these incredible instruments at a gentle price. Below is the original wrte-up for this exquisite guitar.

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 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 slabby 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. The Lollar Low Wind humbuckers give you the classic ES PAF tone. Sweet, airy, and creamy but with enough power to rip through a track when pushed. It’s that classic Larry Carlton tone. I just love the vintage natural nitro finish with the lightly aged nickel pickup covers. Perfect touch!

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 buffed and fitted amber knobs on this baby for me.)

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.