Unboxing Collings Eastside Deluxe

[oldane]

Hello,
I believe that it is, or should be understood that when one speaks of a desired tonal response they are referring to that tone perceived by their own auditory apparatus, i.e., it is a personal determination and not a generalization. As for the string issue, I believe that you may have missed the point. If you adhere to totalitarianism—perhaps an over the top extrapolation— then I guess you would not mind a guitar manufacturer deciding which strings you should use. As for "some other guitars as well," I would be interested to hear about which guitars those might be? I have quite a collection and have never encountered a string incompatibility.

Despite the a foregoing, the Eastside is a nice guitar. And if I really needed what it has to offer I might take the road toward the suggested modification, but I have many others that can fulfill its role and, as such, see no need to follow that approach.

No, I'm not into totalitarianism - didn't even remotely think along such lines. I don't think Collings really expects people to use only the strings, they suggest. It's just one of those small details they didn't give enough thought. I think the customer service person just gave you a flowery and high brow rationalization to avoid admitting "Yes, we should have made those holes a little wider. Thanks for making us aware of it.". As can be seen from Jabbers post after mine, Collings themselves in another similar case suggested that the customer could just have the holes enlarged.

So I don't think I missed the point, but it's just that I won't make such a problem bigger than it is. Like I said, if it's a great guitar otherwise, by all means fix that very minor problem. But I understand that there were also other things which didn't conform with your preferencies.

As for other brands with the same problem, I can't mention specific ones. But from time to time people here have mentioned such problems with tailpieces and heavy strings and/or strings with silk wrapping. For example, silk wrapped strings are not easily pulled into in the Kluson tailpiece on an old Gretsch New Yorker I own.

[Jazz_175]

It is the fabric windings around the T-Is that are too coarse for the tailpiece, not the string gauge itself.

Yes that's correct. I remember that when I put T-I strings.
That was about three years ago. The ball ends of the bigger strings refused to go in.
I actually started to wind up the string and the increasing tension drew the strings into the correct position.
The great trouble was when I had to replace them some time later. Of course one of the strings really refused to come out. I think it was the big E. Eventually I managed to thread another string (a high E string) through the hole of the little ball and strongly pulled the two ends of the string (using a cloth not to hurt my fingers). After a hard work of several minutes I succeded.
After that I went back to D'Addario and I am happy with them.

[Jabberwocky]

Paolo, caveat lector but maybe Abrasive Cord can help enlarge the holes? Mitchell Abrasive Code from R&F

You have to be really careful and the holes will not look round after that but it could help ease the threading of the T-Is.

[TLerch]

Collings sent me an Eastside Jazz LC to try.
I made some videos that might be interesting to some on this thread.


Here is a video exploring the Eastside Jazz LC

and here is a review

enjoy

Tim

[northernbreed]

Swooning

[Jazz_175]

Hi Tim
Nice playing and nice review!
Thanks much!

[Philco]

Thanks for the in depth demo and lovely playing Tim. Although the Jazz LC is a different model your demo and review are very relevant to the Eastside.
I also have a City Limits Jazz which is similar to the Eastside Jazz LC but has a spruce top.
I guess I am a Collings fan boy now as I am chasing one of their acoustic guitars as well.

I hope you don't mind but I changed the title of the thread so folks can be alerted to the new demo.

[David B]

Tried an Eastside LC, with a Lollar Charlie Christian pickup, on Tuesday. It's been on my mind ever since...

[plectrum99x]

Since my earlier post in this thread, where I was dismayed by the fact that the Eastside could not accommodate TI JS112 strings, I have since changed my attitude and have accepted the limitation. I now own a new Eastside Deluxe that is strung with D'Addario .12 gauge flats (great tone and play-ability), as well as a brand new Collings City Limits Jazz. They are both quite different, the CLJ, despite its diminutive size, being somewhat more acoustic than the Eastside. Tonally they are different as well, with the mahogany CLJ producing a warmer tone, but both are great sounding and playing instruments, and both are keepers.

[Philco]

plectrum99x........depending on your taste of course but I think you'll find that Chromes get better with age. They never go super dead like TI ....or take a really long time to. I could keep a set of TI's Swings on for at least 6 months but when they go dead it's all over. Chromes seem to always have that steely sound at their core (no pun intended) and even when old have that little bounce.
What I prefer about the TI's is the tension.

A nice in-between brand is Pyramid. Not as bright when new as Chromes.....on a par with TI's......but they age beautifully. Still maintaining that slight metal sound even as they become dull.
I've stopped buying TI's at all. I find the tension of Pyramids similar to TI's.

Not sure if they will fit through your Collings tailpiece as mine has been drilled but they aren't as fat as TI's down near the ball end.

[plectrum99x]

Hi Philco,
I appreciate your suggestion, as I do have a few sets of Pyramids and I will see if their ball ends fit through the CLJ's tailpiece. If not, I will install the Chromes. I have been using the .12 Chromes on my Eastside, as well as a brand new L5 CES, and I really do not mind their tone as compared to the TI's, despite the fact that they feel different. However, I have yet to open a package of Pyramids and do not know if they have the same silk/fabric end wraps as the TI's, if they do it might be a problem.