Comins Classic

**kid335** · 11-02-2016, 03:25 AM

Hey Guys,
As a charter member of the Junior Nut Bag division of JGF, I humbly submit my new to me 17" Comins Classic. I don't know what year it is, but it must be essentially new. I have actually had it for a few weeks now and am just getting around to posting it. I love everything about it. It has a thick back, which lends itself to be my L5 killer. I'm not saying that it plays like an L5, but it has that big fatty tone that could be passed off as L5ish. The Set-in Fralin HB is a perfect match and can handle bar room volumes without needless feedback.

Its got Big Leaf Maple back and sides and a highly grained Sitka Spruce top. It measures a 17" lower bout with a carved Sitca Spruce Top. Its a total PEACH!

Here are some pics. For some reason they show more reds than brown. I'll try to get more daylight pics because the se don't quite do it justice.

Thanks,
David

**Jabberwocky** · 11-02-2016, 03:33 AM

Phwoar! Oh, yeah! A Bill Comins guitar day is a good day!

I think I will join you soon in a little Comins jig.

It looks so perfect. Not a line to hurt the eye.

**Flat** · 11-02-2016, 03:59 AM

That is just sublime! Congrats, man!!

**Stringswinger** · 11-02-2016, 04:33 AM

Congrats ! She is a beauty.

**QAman** · 11-02-2016, 04:36 AM

Kid335,
What a gorgeous instrument.
Fit and finish on Comins are impeccable - I particularly like his fret work, it's comparable to the best I've seen - at any price.

Do enjoy - it's a beauty !

**Rob MacKillop** · 11-02-2016, 04:54 AM

That does look very nice indeed. Congratulations.

**iim7V7IM7** · 11-02-2016, 05:57 AM

Congrats! Enjoy it....

**Woody Sound** · 11-02-2016, 10:04 AM

Awesome.

**vinnyv1k** · 11-02-2016, 10:28 AM

Lovely music maker kid ! Stunning axe my friend. A great big Congrats !

**mitch_33** · 11-02-2016, 10:53 AM

Congrats!

On another note, not to derail the thread. But how do you like that port city?

**skykomishone** · 11-02-2016, 11:07 AM

A seriously beautiful guitar with such simple elegance. Congrats, and enjoy playing it.

**plectrum99x** · 11-02-2016, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by kid335

Hey Guys,
As a charter member of the Junior Nut Bag division of JGF, I humbly submit my new to me 17" Comins Classic. I don't know what year it is, but it must be essentially new. I have actually had it for a few weeks now and am just getting around to posting it. I love everything about it. It has a thick back, which lends itself to be my L5 killer. I'm not saying that it plays like an L5, but it has that big fatty tone that could be passed off as L5ish. The Set-in Fralin HB is a perfect match and can handle bar room volumes without needless feedback.

Its got Big Leaf Maple back and sides and a highly grained Sitka Spruce top. It measures a 17" lower bout with a carved Sitca Spruce Top. Its a total PEACH!

Here are some pics. For some reason they show more reds than brown. I'll try to get more daylight pics because the se don't quite do it justice.

Thanks,
David

That Classic with heavy back looks very familiar ... did you purchase it from SoundPure and is it #0267? If so, I am the original owner and I believe it to be a 2015. It was a great instrument that came with round wounds (I replaced them with Ti JS112's for a slightly warmer tone) but I was looking for a different tonal response and sold it back to them.
Enjoy.
It is a beautifully made instrument with impeccable fit and finish.
A photo taken in my studio is below.

**vinnyv1k** · 11-02-2016, 11:45 AM

Hey kid those new H312's are great too. I love mine. Just one more axe and you will be on the board of directors :-)

**jads57** · 11-02-2016, 01:28 PM

Comins guitars are definitely at the top 1% of archtops available. Beautiful Guitar!

**Giovanni Goria** · 11-02-2016, 01:41 PM

Wow! What a gorgeous guitar!

Congratulations!

**citizenk74** · 11-02-2016, 03:17 PM

What a beautiful instrument! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

**HeyNow** · 11-02-2016, 03:31 PM

Oh myyyyy. I can feel the heat from the flame burst on the back

**kid335** · 11-02-2016, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by Flat

That is just sublime! Congrats, man!!

Thanks Flat!

Originally Posted by Stringswinger

Congrats ! She is a beauty.

Thanks Stringswinger!

Originally Posted by QAman

Kid335,
What a gorgeous instrument.
Fit and finish on Comins are impeccable - I particularly like his fret work, it's comparable to the best I've seen - at any price.

Do enjoy - it's a beauty !

Thanks QAman! I've now owned two of Bill's guitars and his fretwork has been flawless on both of them.

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

That does look very nice indeed. Congratulations.

Thank you Sir!

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Congrats! Enjoy it....

Thanks iim7V7IM7;708109. Being a Comins guy yourself, I know that you know that I know.

Originally Posted by vinnyv1k

Lovely music maker kid ! Stunning axe my friend. A great big Congrats !

Thanks Vinny. One of these days I need to load up my car with a couple of archtops and head down the 101 to meet you. Now that I know that you look like Robert De Niro from the other thread, I know who to lookout for.

Originally Posted by mitch_33

Congrats!

On another note, not to derail the thread. But how do you like that port city?

I LOVE my Port City Pearl! I have it loaded with a Celestial Gold, which is ideal for me. I am really surprised that you don't see more archtop players using them. It has the half a BF Twin sound, solves a weight problem and handles archtops beautifully. Day in, day out I actually like this guitar better through the Pearl than my solid state.

Originally Posted by skykomishone

A seriously beautiful guitar with such simple elegance. Congrats, and enjoy playing it.

Thank you Sky.

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

Phwoar! Oh, yeah! A Bill Comins guitar day is a good day!

I think I will join you soon in a little Comins jig.

It looks so perfect. Not a line to hurt the eye.

Thanks Jabbs. I'm looking forward to your NGD post. I damn near purchased your Comins directly from Bill after he completed it! I couldn't quite scrape all of the funds together at the time and ended up going with a used 16" that came on the market. That guitar was a big hit at the Philadelphia Guitar show. Rick Stone played it and didn't want to give it back.

**Jabberwocky** · 11-02-2016, 04:02 PM

+1, David.

**kid335** · 11-02-2016, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by plectrum99x

That Classic with heavy back looks very familiar ... did you purchase it from SoundPure and is it #0267? If so, I am the original owner and I believe it to be a 2015. It was a great instrument that came with round wounds (I replaced them with Ti JS112's for a slightly warmer tone) but I was looking for a different tonal response and sold it back to them.
Enjoy.
It is a beautifully made instrument with impeccable fit and finish.
A photo taken in my studio is below.

Holy crap, thats it! Thanks for helping me with the lineage. Was this a custom order when you purchased it?

I like the JS112s, but plan on throwing on some GB flat 12s within the next couple of days. Correct me if I am wrong, but I assume that this was made primarily to be amplified? Tonally, this guitar completes with my L-5 Wesmo more than my Buscarino Artisan due to the thicker back. I hear that traditional fat jazz tone, kind of similar to a Super 400 but with more acoustic response. Not a cannon.

**kid335** · 11-02-2016, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by vinnyv1k

Hey kid those new H312's are great too. I love mine. Just one more axe and you will be on the board of directors :-)

Its actually a H212, but will be a 312 after I send it back to him (your fault). According to the Gear Addicts thread, I am only in the 48% (6-20). I've got a ways to go to even be an honorable mention.

**kid335** · 11-02-2016, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by jads57

Comins guitars are definitely at the top 1% of archtops available. Beautiful Guitar!

From my experience this is true. The only difference between Bill's archtops and some of the other Apex luthiers is that they are still at a price point where they are obtainable. A musician might have to sell some gear to get one, but he/she doesn't need to sell a house.

Originally Posted by Giovanni Goria

Wow! What a gorgeous guitar!

Congratulations!

Thank you Giovanni

Originally Posted by citizenk74

What a beautiful instrument! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

Thank you Sir, you are a solid Citizen!

Originally Posted by HeyNow

Oh myyyyy. I can feel the heat from the flame burst on the back

Yeah man!

**hot ford coupe** · 11-02-2016, 04:29 PM

Wow, another gorgeous Comins guitar. I love the color and that wood is TDF.

**plectrum99x** · 11-02-2016, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by kid335

Holy crap, thats it! Thanks for helping me with the lineage. Was this a custom order when you purchased it?

I like the JS112s, but plan on throwing on some GB flat 12s within the next couple of days. Correct me if I am wrong, but I assume that this was made primarily to be amplified? Tonally, this guitar completes with my L-5 Wesmo more than my Buscarino Artisan due to the thicker back. I hear that traditional fat jazz tone, kind of similar to a Super 400 but with more acoustic response. Not a cannon.

Hi Kid,
No, I did not commission the git, but I did purchase it brand new from SoundPure the minute it hit their site. After receiving the guitar, I spoke with Bill and he said that he did not intend the guitar to be an acoustic but, as you have indicated, amplified. And it does have a sweet amplified tone, but it was too close in tonality to many of my other luthier made arch tops so,sadly, there was little sense in keeping it. Fortunately, I am running out of room for new guitars in my studio, and I will have to suffer with my current collection, LOL.

I used the JS112's as opposed to the GB's because they are a tad brighter, but I guess it is worth a go with the GB's.

Enjoy the guitar—it's a beauty—as I am certain you will.

**iim7V7IM7** · 11-02-2016, 06:21 PM

As some of you may (or may not) know, Bill was a very good jazz guitarist, long before he was an archtop builder. He still plays quite well to this day. This experience I feel that this gives him insight into making superlative guitars. Add to this the experience of 25 years of building ~300 guitars along with his unique sense of design and you get a unique nexus of talents. I have played archtops by many renowned archtop luthiers and in my opinion Bill's guitars hold up sonically, artistically and in terms of craftsmanship with the very best of them. My two guitars from Bill are life time keepers for me...

My 16" 2013 Comins Classic (Bigleaf Maple/Carpathian Spruce):

My 16" 2016 Comins Zelig (Honduran Mahogany/Carpathian Spruce):