The new Collings 71 M is a sleek, stripped-down tone machine that pays homage to the early ‘60s, when offset guitars ruled the airwaves and studio sessions. While its aesthetic shows sincere vintage influence, the 71 M delivers a wider range than just retro vibes. Modern day precision allows for unmatched playability, usability, and lightweight comfort, and Collings' next level craftsmanship delivers a fresh take on a familiar form—designed from the ground up to be a serious player’s guitar.
This 71 M (serial #7125042) starts with a solid Ash body finished in Antiqued Butterscotch Blonde. While it shares a lot of similarities with bolt-on-neck pre-CBS archetypes, the 71 M employs a set mortise and tenon neck joint, which allows for maximum transfer of energy between body and neck. Paired with the Mastery bridge and offset vibrato, the set-neck coupling evokes an almost hollow-body-like resonance in spite of the solid-body construction. With a snappy 25-1/2" scale length, vibrations move in a circular dance, giving the 71 M its distinct sense of motion and musicality.
For pickups, this 71 M is rigged with a Lollar Blademaster in the neck position and a JM P90 in the bridge. This pickup complement lends full, powerful tone through all three positions. It has a touch-sensitive feel and response—when you dig in, it pushes the amp; when you ease up, everything mellows out and sounds sweet. With such a dynamic feel, the range is expansive, and then you add a flexible wiring harness (with a push/pull for series/parallel in the middle) and the Mastery vibrato for additional expression.
On this 71 M, the natural grain of the Ash looks gorgeous underneath the Antiqued Butterscotch Blonde finish. To complete the aesthetic, we ordered this 71 M with a hand-poured pickguard and the result is a guitar that somehow look every bit as good as it sounds. We love the new six-in-line Collings headstock, and the graceful tilt on the peghead is one of many details that come together just right. This is an impressive new model from an impressive builder at the top of their game. Hardshell case included!
- Construction: Solid body
- Body: Ash
- Neck: Hard Maple slab sawn
- Bridge: Mastery Offset
- Tailpiece: Mastery Offset Vibrato
- Fingerboard: Rosewood (5mm non-tapered pearl dots)
- Fingerboard Radius: 10"
- Pickups: Lollar JM-style (P90 bridge and Blademaster neck)
- Pots/Caps: 500K / Jupiter Vintage Yellow
- Knobs: Davies Radio
- Nut: Bone 1-11/16"
- Scale Length: 25-1/2"
- Neck Joint: Mortise & tenon
- Frets: Narrow-tall 18% nickel-silver
Peghead Veneer: Ebony w/ MOP Collings logo - Peghead Profile: Collings 6-in-line
- Tuners: Kluson Supreme
- Wiring: 3-way blade, volume/tone, series/parallel
- Guitar Finish: Antiqued Butterscotch Blonde nitrocellulose lacquer
- Pickguard: Hand-poured custom-made by Collings
- Truss Rod Cover: Matches pickguard