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Nacho Banos recently acquired a warehouse full of old swampash from a timber merchant in Valencia who imported it some 60 years back for a guitar building project that never took off. This would seem to suggest he makes his own bodies, and, I believe also, his own necks. Ron Ellis informed me by email, that he hasn't supplied Nacho with pickups for some time, so he probably winds these now too. He has a team of 3 or 4 people building the Nacho guitars, and suggests interested parties register their interest. Those who do get to hear first what is available when a 'new' batch is produced, and these are usually sold within 2/3 days. He also now builds to order. I've always found him helpful and very agreeable.
By the way Project Music in Devon have three JL470s in stock at about £750 less than Coda Music, if you have to buy one and you're UK based.
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08-07-2022 05:41 AM
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Collings Electric Guitars
^^ Link to Project Music UK
I don't listen to Julian Lage and I do not want the guitar.
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holy wow, that neck is gorgeous!!!
Originally Posted by stefan eff
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My past experiences say otherwise. Guitars, even solid bodies, have an inherent tone and no amount of pickups can change that. I've had a few over the years that no mater the pickup swap they always sounded pretty much the same. If the inherent tone was thin, then it was still thin after a pickup swap. It was different, but still thin. Originally Posted by sully75
Same works other way, if a guitar had a solid thick tone, it would retain that tone with a pu swap. I have a tele that no matter the pickup it always sounds kind of the same and that sound is amazing. I have another tele that sounds thin no matter what I do. Had similar experience with a Epi 335 pu swap from cheap Epi HB's to early Gib 57's.Last edited by street; 08-07-2022 at 12:08 PM. Reason: spell check....
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Totes. There’s a YouTube clip from a guy who built 5 interchangeable bodies, ash, mahogany, particleboard from a door, maple, something like that. All pluggable to the same extended neck with pups. And while he was showing “there’s no difference in sound” and stuck to it, I could clearly hear significant differences even on my phone speaker! Originally Posted by street
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I agree. I’m a big fan and I do enjoy his crunchy guitar trio records, but I think Worlds Fair is maybe the most inspiring guitar record of all time and the trio stuff doesn’t hit me like that. Of course who am I to tell him what to record seems like he loves playing folk and Americana inspired tunes with the trio Originally Posted by whiskey02
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I just read through this topic and found many interesting and some illogical comments. But a thread chock full of details and opinions which is what the forum is all about.
I recently purchased a beautiful 470JL and really love it, but I had the same question: it's so expensive and is there not something else that would be similar and a lot cheaper?
First, the 'tone issue'. Most of us buy guitars to play them and they come in different shapes and styles. I have over a dozen electric guitars (and have bought/sold many more) and another 8 or so acoustics. Amongst these are 3 archtops. So, a range of styles and tones. What creates the tone? Everything! Jack Pearson often plays Squire guitars ("I like them because they are light and play well") and makes them sound like anything you want. The electronics, pickups and amp are huge. But the body does resonate and the scale affects how your fingers or pick will hit those strings.
Personally, I fingerpick a lot and play a variety of styles including jazz, rock, folk, instrumental arrangements and more. I like pickups that offer clarity and nuance so my Suhr Modern is a favourite, but I don't play it a lot. Why? It has amazing Suhr pickups, great pots for a variety of sounds, 5 way switch for options, steel frets and plays great. But it is big (so am I!) and I like smaller guitars I guess. Still, it's pretty awesome. My Les Paul Tribute is a lot of fun to play. Its pickups are the standard ones so they lack in clarity, but the scale is very nice and it gives a great 'chunky' sound. I think a real bargain is the Fender FMT. I love it for jazz and it's light and just fun to play as well.
So different guitars are different to play! Is that not profound? My American Deluxe Telecaster will never sound like any other guitar I own. Why? The pickups, the electronics, the body and my attitude when I play it!
For Jazz I have an Gibson ES 125 (totally cool vibe guitar!) and a Campellone archtop (gorgeous). And others.
After many years of playing I got a great deal on a Collings 360 at a Guitar Show in Ontario. It has the three Lollar Strat Pickup configuration. I love playing this because the pickups are amazing and offer a very "wide open" sound so you can play jazz, rock, folk etc. I liked the smaller body and with the scale and everything else, it was just very *easy* to play. I also love the Gotoh bridge because I can get those cool 'wow' tones just with the heel of my hand.
I had an opportunity to play a 470 (quickly, before it was sent to the buyer) and it was very cool. But was not immediately something I'd sink $12K (CAD) into! I thought about it, and watched videos and the best was Rhett Schull's demo which really got me thinking of all its flexibility. At some point I thought "This would be a great guitar to own because it is so flexible and can do both jazz and rock very convincingly". I knew Collings are amazingly well built (I own a couple of Waterloo acoustics which are beautiful) and the 360 was so much fun to play.
I did think of "what else is close but way cheaper?" and of course Gretsch comes to mind. I owned a Gretsch Electromatic years ago and really liked it, but the top E string kept breaking and I didn't like that, so traded it at a music store. I looked into various Gretsch options but when you get into their 'top of the line' guitars and better pickups they are around $5K (CAD) and above! So certainly not cheap.
I have many guitars I love to play, so it's unlikely I would have spent $12K on a 470. But I was able to put a couple of my best acoustics on consignment and they wound up paying for about 70% of the cost. I still had to wait 6 months for the 470 to arrive. These guitars are very sought after and it is almost impossible to just find one sitting in a store for you to try out. And of course, if I get tired of it down the road (unlikely!!) I know I can sell it for a very good price. This was also part of "thinning the herd" because I traded two guitars and their cases for one guitar. Hmmm.
Is it worth it? Yes!!! Why? Well I've grown to love hollow body guitars because they just have more resonance. I'm recording my second album these days and I found my $700 (CAD) Casino was just the best rhythm option for a couple of songs because it had that 'bounce'. The 470's hollow interior really provides that and many people hearing it are very impressed by the sound. For my finger picking I love the clarity the pickups offer, and also the amazing *dynamic* range you can get. For instrumental work, or jazz, you can pull out individual notes to make them louder and it works. This guitar is more responsive than any other electric I've played. I love playing it through my hand-built Tweed amp, or my Hughes and Kettner 360. So I'm very happy to have it and play it almost every day. The pickups are really amazing and you need a very good amp to show off their range. They go deep into tone!
Having said all of this, of course there are other fine hollow body guitars you can buy that sound very nice and are fun to play. There is no reason anyone needs to own this guitar. But it is a beautiful instrument that plays so very well, and I found a way to buy it!
Here is a video of me playing it.
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A local store here received one recently and it was available for 1 minute or so. Boom, sold.
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If jazz was my primary style, I'd probably get one. But I'm a tele guy. If I was a hollowbody guy (I have a Gretsch 6120), if that was my main instrument, I'd likely go ahead and spend on the Collings. I've never played one, but knowing how it's built, and watching many demos and talking to several owners, I don't think there's a cheaper "alternate" out there that would "get you close". I think Collings built something truly unique. A Jet won't get you there, even tho a Jet IS what this guitar was based on (Julian Lage's 53 Jet).
Maybe a Gibson ES-Les Paul (the fully hollow one) if it had Dynasonics in it, or maybe a Gretsch 6120 Junior, again if it had Dynasonics in it.
Congrats, and enjoy it!
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While I haven't played one, I'm sure that the 470 is an awesome guitar and beautifully crafted in the Collings tradition.
However, I have seen Julian play several times and am going to see him twice in February. And I have never seen him play it live. It is often there on stage, but he seems more focused still on his Nacho with Ellisonic pickups, with which he gets a great, and dare I say, "Lage" tone in spades.
If I was going after that sound, and I have been toying with it, I would order the best telecaster I could find, with a P90 in the neck position. I would play that for a while, and if it wasn't quite there, I would order the P90 size "Ellisonic" neck pu and regular bridge pu. I would expect that after that it is up to me. And BTW, I have a beautiful vintage telecaster, and I still don't sound like him! So there's that. Lage has a unique very light touch that's hard to duplicate, or even imitate! I think that's how he gets a jazz sound out of what for most of us are not very "jazzy" pickups.
Also, in terms of what I've seen online, the sound of his that I like the best is with the P90 Les Paul that is on extended loan to him. Just perfect sound for him IMHO. However it's quite valuable and LP's are more fragile, so I'll bet he won't take it on the road.
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Thanks! I agree and think it is Collings most unique electric offering. I love my 360 but I've played a few of their hollow body instruments (I 35 ec.) and while they are very well built, I don't get that 'amazing' vibe from them. Originally Posted by ruger9
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The 470 gives me the 'hollow' sound, transformative pickups, perfect size and scale plus a Bigsby! Originally Posted by bluejaybill
If you are a tele guy (I am as well) and want to experiment, I'd buy a used FMT and change out the pickups! I love playing mine and put flat wounds on it for a jazzier sound.
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Yes, that's about it! My local store gets to order two per year and they are pre-sold months ahead. Originally Posted by Oscar67
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Sounds good, but what is an FMT? Originally Posted by edtheted
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Fender FMT (Flamed Maple Top) is a 'tele style' guitar with two Seymour Duncan humbuckers. Light weight, strings through the body. I love it! Originally Posted by bluejaybill
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TFOA just got another JL470 in. Just shy of 10k€. If anyone’s interested then better move fast. I don’t expect it to be there 8 hours from now.
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original Dynasonics are my favorite pickups. I would suggest finding a pair of those and putting them in a Duo Jet made in Japan, for a versatile instrument with clear highs and great touch sensitivity. There is nothing like having an alnico slug magnet under each string.
I use custom shop Duo Jets and vintage Guild and Gretsch (Country Club) for my dyna sounds, but those are often around the same price as the Collings.
I would like to play the Collings, more air inside sounds like a good idea, like my Guild M65. Actually the modded M65 Keith Richards used on Satisfaction is a close match to the Collings other than the Bigsby and f holes.
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Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
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