Collings 290 Vintage White

You can't visit the Collings shop in the outskirts of Austin without traveling through the Texas hill country on Highway 290.  Named after this highway, the 290 boasts amazing versatility in its tonal spectrum.  Fit with hand wound pickups, the 290 is a modern day tribute to the original working man's rock 'n roll guitar.

I'm a true believer in Collings guitars.  As players we are fortunate to be living during a golden age of fine guitar luthiers.  I feel strongly that Bill Collings is making some of the finest guitars available from any maker.  Among a family of great guitars, one of my favorite solid body models from Collings is the 290. I am really drawn to guitars that take a simple design platform and perfect and individualize every detail.

This particular 290 is a standard model, with the addition of a Tone Pros wrap around bridge.  The vintage white finish might just be my new favorite Collings color. It's done so well; a milky creme look with just the right amount of grain popping through. The color and the wrap around bridge give this guitar a seductive vintage vibe.  The P90's Jason Lollar designed for the 290 are incredibly wide range sounding.  Clear and distinct, yet with the ability to growl when pushed, and most of all, they are not "flubby" sounding.

This guitar can do whatever a Special or Junior can do, and then some.  I actually like this guitar for playing jazz.  If you use the neck pickup and back off the treble on the guitar, it gets a great Jim Hall type of sound.  You get warmth from the electronics, and because the body is so resonant, the pick attack is incorporated into the amplified tone - really impressive!  But it goes way beyond warmth. This guitar is a real beast when pushed. It can tear the bark off a tree.  All in all, I found that this 290 lets you, the player, dictate who's boss.  You want screaming blues - it's there for you.  You want country, funk, fusion - it's all there for you.  In this price range, I really feel that this guitar is in a class by itself.

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.