Named for the scenic 290 highway that winds past the Collings shop though the Texas Hill Country, the 290 is a modern-day tribute to the original working man's rock 'n roll guitar.
Dressed up in Custom Natural finish, this Collings 290 (serial #251856) features a solid Honduran Mahogany body with a set neck, which gives it acoustic resonance that translates into deeply expressive electric tone. Instead of the standard Lollar pickups, we ordered this 290 with ThroBak 55/56 P90s, which are dynamic and touch-sensitive. When you dig in, they bite and push your amp, but you can coax sweeter, mellower single-coil tones just by rolling off the volume and tone. Relative to other pickup brands, the ThroBaks are truer to the original '50s soapbar P90s—rich, nuanced, detailed P90 growl.
Nobody does finishes quite like Collings, and for this 290 we opted for a Natural clear coat nitrocellulose lacquer. Collings considers this a "Custom Finish," and it's simple with no toner or coloring, given the Mahogany aa three-dimensional quality. To provide a little flash, we ordered this 290 with a red Tortoise-pattern pickguard. Plus, fingerboard binding adds another touch of class. There's an understated elegance to dot-inlaid fingerboards with single-ply binding—it accents the finish without distracting your eye from the color.
In your hands, this Collings 290 feels like a well-designed and well-constructed machine. This is a tool that handles the job so well. It doesn't hurt that its finish is so attractive, too. An impressive guitar form an impressive builder!
- Body - Honduran Mahogany
- Neck - Honduran Mahogany
- Fingerboard - Dark Rosewood w/ Ivoroid long dots (5mm non-tapered)
- Bridge - Kluson ABR-1 (Nickel-plated Zinc)
- Tailpiece - Kluson Stop Tailpiece (nickel-plated zinc, steel studs)
- Pickups - ThroBak 55/56 P90
- Pots / Caps - DiMarzio 500K / Jupiter Vintage Yellow
- Knobs - Black Bell
- Pickguard - 3-Ply Tortoise
- Truss Rod Cover - 3-Play Tortoise w/ Highway 290 logo
- Nut - Bone 1-11/16"
- Scale Length - 24-7/8"
- Neck Joint - Extra long mortise & tenon
- Frets - Medium 18% nickel-silver
- Peghead Veneer - Ebony w/ Mother of Pearl Collings logo
- Tuners - Nickel Gotoh w/ Ivoroid Buttons
- Wiring - '50s style
- Fingerboard Radius - 12"
- Finish - Custom Natural