Collings I-30 LC

[thelu]

I really like my Eastman T486, it’s got a lovely acoustic voice and the slim neck fits my hands perfectly.
However, it’s not the most ergonomic instrument for my shoulder due to the 16” body size and 3.8kg weight.
So I have been looking into getting something lighter and smaller.

A while back a local guitar shop had a Collings i30lc and i35lc Vintage in stock and they were kind enough to let me demo them.
I really liked the acoustic voice and low weight of the fully hollow i30lc, but I found the 50s neck carve a little bulky and the P90 pickups aren’t my cup of tea.
The semi-hollow i35lc Vintage on the other hand had a great neck and very nice Throbak humbuckers, but I didn’t care much for the aged cherry finish.

Did some research and found a YouTube channel with some excellent jazz playing on a range of very nice guitars including a Collings i30lc with humbuckers, which caught my eye.

Always loved the tone of Emily Remler playing on a Gibson ES330 with humbuckers
After a lot of back and forth I finally decided to roll the dice and ordered a custom Collings i30lc with 60s neck carve and Lollar Imperial low-wind humbuckers.
Ordered back in July last year and the finished instrument arrived a couple weeks ago.
Just had it set up with Elixir Optiweb 11-49 and low (3/64”) action by my trusted guitar tech.

So far I’m very impressed with the guitar. It feels great in the hands and sounds very sweet acoustically.
Haven’t really played it plugged in yet as I don’t have an amp at the moment.

A couple minor annoyances are the thin and floppy pickguard with doesn’t provide a stable anchor point for my pinky.
And the pickup rings are slanted quite a lot, so I’m hitting the neck pickup quite often with my pick.
Will look into addressing these issues at some point in the future, but overall I’m very happy with the guitar.

Here’s some photos

[Spook410]

Very pretty guitar..

[enalnitram]

Love it! With you on the guard.... I am playing my I-35 LC without a pickguard. It will wear eventually, but I don't care. I never got around to making a new guard and it became the way I play it.

I suspect you are going to be very pleasantly surprised when you start using it with an amp. Collings went above and beyond with the 30 and 35 series. They were engineered to be balanced (both tonally and in terms of weight), to resonate, to sound good amplified. Something happens when you're in a room with an amp, playing alone or with others. There's a symbiotic kind of a thing emanating from the thing ringing in your hands, but also coming from the amp. All of it together. I think it was very intentional. The first time I ever brought my 35 to a rehearsal I thought I was never going to want to play another electric guitar.

[ruger9]

Always wanted a Collings I35-LC... I just won't ever be willing to pay that much for a guitar. If I was pro I would, but not as a hobbyist. Perhaps if it was my ONLY electric. Even used they are very spendy. If I had disposable income, I'd get the IC35-LC with the Throbaks.

(Not saying they are overpriced, just that *I* won't spend that much on ANY guitar. I've spent $5000 on one, and as much as I love the guitar, I can honestly say it's not worth $5000... but it's also not worth only getting $3500 if I sell it LOL)

[thelu]

Love it! With you on the guard.... I am playing my I-35 LC without a pickguard. It will wear eventually, but I don't care. I never got around to making a new guard and it became the way I play it.

I suspect you are going to be very pleasantly surprised when you start using it with an amp. Collings went above and beyond with the 30 and 35 series. They were engineered to be balanced (both tonally and in terms of weight), to resonate, to sound good amplified. Something happens when you're in a room with an amp, playing alone or with others. There's a symbiotic kind of a thing emanating from the thing ringing in your hands, but also coming from the amp. All of it together. I think it was very intentional. The first time I ever brought my 35 to a rehearsal I thought I was never going to want to play another electric guitar.

Thanks for sharing your experience

[enalnitram]

Always wanted a Collings I35-LC... I just won't ever be willing to pay that much for a guitar. If I was pro I would, but not as a hobbyist. Perhaps if it was my ONLY electric. Even used they are very spendy. If I had disposable income, I'd get the IC35-LC with the Throbaks.

(Not saying they are overpriced, just that *I* won't spend that much on ANY guitar. I've spent $5000 on one, and as much as I love the guitar, I can honestly say it's not worth $5000... but it's also not worth only getting $3500 if I sell it LOL)

I paid way less than $5K for my I35-LC, used, out here in the midwest, a couple of years ago.

[enalnitram]

Thanks for sharing your experience

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