The 1930-1942 "golden" age of guitars was a short but brilliant period of innovation. At that time, new instrument runs featured bracing, fret access, and body dimension changes that would define the designs and sounds of the modern acoustic guitar. The CJ-35 emerged from Bill Collings' fascination with this era of guitar making.
The Collings CJ-35 features a slope-shoulder dreadnought design and a short 24-7/8" scale length. On prewar slope-shoulder dreads, bracing varied considerably from batch to batch, and the CJ35 employs a non-scalloped bracing configuration with three tone bars, borrowing from the best-sounding '30s examples. The CJ35 produces a beautiful balance of deep piano-like bass and powerful full-bodied highs, complimented by a focused dynamic range for exceptionally even note projection.
This Collings CJ35 (#21590) was made in 2013 in natural finish with a Tiger Stripe pickguard. The Wenge fingerboard and bridge are gorgeous, and the tasteful, yet simple, single-ply binding looks sharp. This is a classy slope shoulder with tone to match.
This 2013 CJ-35 shows some expected playwear, and one corner of the headstock is chipped on the back side. Otherwise, there's not much to argue with—no pickup, no strap button, no repairs. Like all Collings, it's such a player, too! It includes its original TKL hardshell case.
- Body: Slope-Shoulder Dreadnought
- Top: Sitka Spruce
- Back & Sides: Honduran Mahogany
- Neck: Honduran Mahogany
- Body Binding: Ivoroid w/ no purfling
- Bridge: Wenge straight-style with 2-5/16" spacing
- Fingerboard: Wenge with Mother-of-Pearl long dots
- Fingerboard radius: 14" - 26" compound
- Bridge Pins Ivoroid w/ no dot
- End Pin: Ebony w/ Mother-of-Pearl dot
- Nut: Bone, 1-3/4"
- Saddle: Bone, cutthrough
- Neck Profile: Vintage Now
- Peghead Shape: Haircut
- Neck Joint: Mortise & Tenon hybrid
- Truss Rod: Fully Adjustable
- Frets: Medium 18% nickel-silver
- Peghead Veneer: Ebony w/ Ivoroid Collings Logo
- Tuners: Nickel Waverly w/ Ivoroid buttons
- Backstrip: 1-style (Walnut)
- Rosette: Simple Ivoroid with black/white purfling
- Scale Length: 24-7/8"
- Brace Material: Adirondack Spruce w/ abbreviated tongue brace
- Brace Pattern: Prewar non-scalloped X-brace (3 tone bars)
- Body Finish: High-gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
- Neck Finish: High-gloss polyester resin
- Pickguard: Tiger Stripe