Carved Maple top on a solid mahogany body with a single cutaway—sound familiar? This design is an American icon. We all know where it came from, and there's no denying a lot of brands do a great job with this '50s template. But no one achieves the same level as Collings! Crafted from the finest tonewoods available (seasoned solid Eastern Maple and lightweight Honduran mahogany), the Collings CL is built for tone.
The Collings CL (short for "City Limits") is constructed from all solid woods, and that maximizes acoustic resonance, yielding wide dynamics and a touch-sensitive feel. A carefully hand-set mortise and tenon neck joint brings tonal complexity and sustain. This brand new CL (serial #231564) features Collings' very own "Acid Wash" finish, which is sometimes referred to as "Charcoal Burst." It weighs in at 7 lbs 14.1 oz.
Instead of the catalog-spec humbuckers, we opted for the '50s "Black Beauty" pickup configuration: a Lollar P-90 Staple in the neck position to match the Lollar P-90 Soarbar in the bridge. The Staple pickup was designed after the original 1950s soapbar, and it blends the Fender-ish sound of Lollar Alnico Pole P-90s with the grit of traditional steel pole P-90s. The result is plenty of grind plus added clarity and overall punch.
As for comfort and playability, the CL body is sleekly contoured, providing a noticeably-improved level of comfort compared to other single-cut guitars. The effect may seem somewhat subtle, but the belly cut and leg contour make a tremendous difference when the guitar is sitting in your lap. When you let go of it, it stays balanced on your knee instead of tipping over. Once you pick it up and play it, you're not going to want to put it down. Collings' full-feeling C-shaped neck profile will win over any playing style—it feels smooth and full all the way down the fingerboard. Should you want to dip into the upper register, Collings' sleek, recessed neck heel makes it easy on you, too.
- Construction: Solid body
- Neck Joint: Extra long set mortoise & tenon
- Top: Two-Piece Premium Flamed Maple
- Body: Solid Honduran Mahogany
- Neck: Solid Honduran Mahogany
- Finish: Acid Wash (Charcoal Burst)
- Body Binding: Non-grained ivoroid
- Fingerboard Binding: Non-grained ivoroid
- Nut: Bone, 1-11/16"
- Fingerboard Radius: 12"
- Frets: Medium 18% Nickel-Silver
- Neck Profile: C Shape
- Scale Length: 24-7/8"
- Bridge: Kluson ABR-1(nickel-plated zinc w/ retaining wire)
- Tailpiece: Kluson Stop Tailpiece (nickel-plated zinc, steel studs)
- Fingerboard: Rosewood w/ 5mm MOP Dot Inlays
- Bridge Pickup: Lollar P90 Soapbar bridge,
- Neck Pickup: Lollar Staple
- Pots/Caps: DiMarzio 500K / Jupiter Vintage Yellow
- Wiring: '50s style
- Knobs: Black Top Hat Top hat
- Cavity Covers: Black
- Tuners: Nickel Gotoh w/ Collings logo
- Truss Rod Cover: Black/Cream/Black
- Pickguard: Black/Cream/Black
- Case: Deluxe hardshell case by Ameritage