Lyle has played Collings CJs for many years. They are great guitars. The CJ (Collings Jumbo) is based on the Gibson Advanced Jumbo. The standard model is rosewood, but it can be ordered in mahogany, maple, koa, etc.
SJ (small jumbo) is based on the Gibson J185.
C10 is based on Gibson L00. They have also built some Nick Lucas clones.
The 16 and 17" archtops are based on Gibson L5. I guess Bill likes old Gibsons. He also makes many models based on Martin designs such as the D2H, etc. Collings is a medium scale builder, cranking out about 1000 acoustic guitars per year. The addition of electrics to their product offerings has probably doubled their output, as the electrics are now selling very well.
Collings is renowned for his consistant quality, and his sunburst finishes are legendary.
The Collings label has guitars and mandolins floating downstream from a sawmill. Collings guitar prices start just north of $2.5k and exceed $10K for his archtops. Considering the differance in price between a Collings and a Guild, I would say Guild definately offers great value. You can't really compare these 2 builders as they are in 2 differant classes/price ranges. A Collings guitar comparable to a Tacoma D50 would sell for about $4k.
Another similar builder is Santa Cruz Guitar Company, headed by Richard Hoover.
I am yet to see a custom boutique builder emulate the Guild designs. It's only a matter of time before they get wise to the power of a Guild 12-string!!
drive-south
