Brand: Collings
Instrument Categories: Archtop, Electric, Guitars, SOLD, Thinline
The Collings CL Jazz is a rare thing of beauty, functional art manifesting as a thinline hollowbody carved top jazz guitar.
The late Bill Collings’ work is some of the best. His work was very well thought out and executed in every way. Build quality, materials selection, fit, finish, sound and playability are top notch.
This is a very early Collings CL Jazz, built around 2003. It features a single-cut thinline body with hand carved arched top and back; the top is European Spruce with bound F-holes, with sides, back and neck of Honduran Mahogany. The bound head plate, fingerboard, pickguard, floating bridge, truss rod cover and tailpiece front are all Ebony. The distinctive and unique position markers and Collings logo are Mother of Pearl, the nut is Bone, and the headstock uses the Collings ‘Haircut’ profile.
For hardware, Schaller M6 Mini tuners with Ebony buttons are used, and the electronics start with a custom Lollar ‘Johnny Smith’ neck-mount pickup, leading to thumbwheel volume and tone controls mounted under the pickguard. The output jack is on the lower treble side.
This early Collings CL Jazz example is in very good, clean condition with virtually no play wear. The finish is in excellent condition, and as it is nitrocellulose lacquer is developing a light patina bringing its tone into line with a vintage Gibson archtop, and naturally sinking to follow the grain of the woods. It has definitely been played over the years, as there is light fret wear, but it has been well cared for and protected. Presently strung with flatwounds, it plays well and cleanly with its fairly low-action setup.
The original hard shell case is included.
- Model: CL Jazz
- Year: 2003
- Finish Sunburst
- Class: Used
- Serial Number: 8017, built 2003 in Austin Texas
- Country of Origin: USA
- Condition: Excellent
- Date Posted: 16/02/2023
- This instrument has been sold
- Consignment Item
- Including original Hard case
- Instrument Weight: 5.324lbs 2.42kg
- Scale Length: 25.5in 647.7mm
- Nut Width: 1.712in 43.50mm
