Collings SoCo Deluxe Amber Sunburst

Named after Austin's funky and eclectic South Congress Avenue, the SoCo Deluxe is all about attitude. This model brings in elements from both the I-35 and CL models to create a unique hybrid that is all its own. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?

This is a stunning guitar that I've been waiting for for a long time. I told Collings I wanted a really special figure in the top, and they found exactly what I had hoped for - a beautiful bubble quilted maple. The back is wonderfully book matched mahogany with a swirly grain pattern, and the amber burst looks incredible with the tortoise binding and thin black/white purfling encased between two thin layers of tortoise. This guitar is a work of great beauty....but it is also an incredible playing and sounding guitar.

The neck feels wonderful, along its entire length, and it is especially easy to play chords in the upper registers, like your left hand has found its perfect mate. I also requested a figured Madagascar rosewood fretboard, and wow! what a beauty. The aesthetics of this guitar are just stunning.

This guitar is also a wonderfully balanced instrument, comfortable sitting or standing, and as your right arm drapes over the side and top, your hand effortlessly falls into the absolute perfect playing position. I would feel comfortable playing this guitar in any setting, because it is incredibly responsive, and the tone controls offer a wide range of tones. But whoa! what a blues instrument! It's just so expressive and deep. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Bill Collings is making one of the finest semi hollow  guitars out there. By anyone. Anywhere.

The choice of ThroBak SLE101 Plus pickups makes this guitar just sing, whether with bell-like clean tones or with full-on overdrive. This guitar is ready for anything you want to play.

Bill Collings, in a review in Guitar Buyer, gave a terrific description of this model that I'd like to share with you:

"All the things that we've put together for the SoCo have been done for tonal reasons. We've tried to learn from the best of the older instruments and then add what we've experienced over the last 35 years of guitar building. Semi-hollow plywood guitars have defined the voice of lots of players and we love those guitars, but we wanted to come at the design from a different angle by using acoustically 'live' woods. We learned early on that good wood alone does not guarantee a great guitar. However, if we carve the maple cap that best suits its mahogany body, select and properly slot an alder centre block, select and match the right neck weight and fingerboard mass for each individual instrument, then we can get what we want out of a guitar. We're still aiming for that classic semi-hollow sound, but with more dynamics. Basically, we're trying to build a better mousetrap."

Check out the stellar reviews of this model on the web. It's Bill Collings at the top of his game.

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.