Luthier
Collings Acoustic Guitars & Mandolins
- Founder
- Bill Collings
- Location
- Austin, Texas
- Founded
- 1973
Bill Collings came from a family of engineers, who inspired his meticulous attention to detail and boundless curiosity.
In Austin, TX in the mid '70s, Bill started out crafting acoustic guitars for local musicians and studying older instruments through repair work. By the late 80s, his guitars found a national audience thanks to George Gruhn. Over the 90s and early 2000s, he expanded his workshop and team, added CNC machines, and developed new lines of instruments like mandolins, electric guitars, ukuleles, and eventually the vintage-inspired acoustic Traditional Series line, and the off-shoot brand Waterloo Guitars. Bill passed away in 2017, but the inspiring team at Collings carry on his legacy, producing some of the most responsive, robust, and playable guitars around by combining traditional build techniques with modern technology. They're as well-loved for the clear, powerful tone and consistency of their guitars as they are for their reliability and commitment to players.

“When the guitar is new, it's not the sound it's going to have as it ages. So you have to build the guitar for its life, not for its first day.”
Collings' standard builds most commonly feature a Sitka spruce top, pre-war scalloped X-bracing also in Sitka spruce, a modified V neck shape (with notable exceptions in the CJ, C100 and C10 series), and a high gloss nitrocellulose finish. The 1, 2, and 3 models are distinguished not just by back and side wood, but by appointments as well:
- 1-style: Mahogany back and sides, tortoise binding, b/w/b/w purfling, b/w purfling rosette, walnut backstrip, nickel Waverly tuners
- 2-style: Indian rosewood back and sides, ivoroid binding, herringbone purfling, ivory/tortoise/ivory rosette, zipper backstrip, nickel Waverly tuners
- 3-style: Indian rosewood back and sides, ivoroid binding, b/w/b/w purfling, abalone rosette, chevron backstrip, gold Waverly tuners
Their more recent Traditional Series guitars, which "represent an exciting vintage-inspired tonal variation on the distinctive Collings sound", are set apart by a more rounded Traditional neck profile, woods that have been voiced to replicate the sound of vintage guitars, a lack of tongue brace, and an even thinner nitro finish. All these choices are aimed at further capturing the character and quality of beloved pre-war guitars. Collings' dreadnoughts, OMs, 12- and 14-fret 00s and 0s, and parlor guitars are all available with Traditional Series specs.
Bespoke orders can be customized with a wide variety of tonewoods, aesthetic appointments, and specifications like nut width, scale length, cutaways, finish, and more.
Our guitars are very traditional in most aspects, but there are still elements that he [Bill] adds to it that make them far more interesting than just a traditional old guitar. There's always something added.
The Guitars
From 3/4-size travel guitars to dreadnoughts, Collings offers the full spectrum of guitar builds with both their standard and Traditional Series models.
Models
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V or Traditional
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16"
Collings' Notes
"The square-shouldered 14-fret dreadnought is the most popular steel-string acoustic guitar body shape in the world. While Collings is certainly not the only company to build them, we bring a new tonal clarity to the depth and warmth usually associated with such a large, deep-bodied guitar."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- Nut width
- 1-13/16"
- String spacing
- 2-3/8"
Collings' Notes
"The longer body, with the bridge closer to the center of the lower bout, delivers an open, airy tone with smoothness and warmth not typically found in modern, 14-fret dreadnoughts."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Adirondack spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace (no tongue brace)
- Bracing material
- Adirondack spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- Nut width
- 1-23/32"
- String spacing
- 2-1/4"
- Pickguard
- Dalmatian
Collings' Notes
"Everything about this model is designed to provide plenty of headroom and projection for aggressive playing, but not at the expense of good tone."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Indian rosewood or mahogany
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Brace material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- C-shape
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4"
- Scale length
- 25-1/2" or 24-7/8"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16" or 2-5/16"
Collings' Notes
"While the CJ is similar in width and depth to the traditional dreadnought, it has a distinctly different tone. Despite its large size this model works well with the optional shorter string scale, resulting in a somewhat percussive bottom end ideal for acoustic blues or other styles that benefit from a more controlled bass response."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- European maple, mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Brace material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- European maple or mahogany
- Neck profile
- C-shape
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony modern-style
- Nut width
- 1-11/16"
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16"
- Backstrip
- Maple mosaic
Collings' Notes
"Players looking for the bass and overall volume of a large guitar, but with lots of treble clarity and midrange crunch, often find just what they need in the curvaceous SJ."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Honduran mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war non-scalloped X-brace
- Brace material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- C-shape
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Nut width
- 1-11/16"
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16"
- Binding
- Ivoroid
- Purfling
- Rope or b/w/b/w
Collings' Notes
"With a nearly 16" lower bout, the C100 offers a solid and punchy low end response with plenty of headroom to dig in for more aggressive playing styles."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Honduran mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- C-shape or Vintage Now
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony straight-style
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4"
- Scale length
- 25-1/2" or 24-7/8"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16" or 2-5/16"
- Binding
- Ivoroid
Collings' Notes
"Of all our acoustic models, the C10 is perhaps the easiest for electric guitarists to adapt to, thanks in part to the more rounded neck profile."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V or Traditional
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16"
Collings' Notes
"The compact shape makes the Collings OM equally easy to handle onstage or when sitting on the couch, and the relatively shallow body (barely over 4 inches deep) results in balanced tone and an immediate response."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce or Adirondack spruce
- Back and sides
- Honduran mahogany
- Construction
- Traditional Series build and voicing
- Bracing pattern
- Custom Traditional Series pre-war scalloped X-brace (no tongue brace)
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Custom JL carve
- Binding
- Tortoise
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16" or 2-5/16"
- Tuners
- Relic nickel Waverly
- Finish
- Custom satin nitrocellulose lacquer
Collings' Notes
"Lage has an affinity both tonally and aesthetically for vintage guitars whose finishes have mellowed after years of playing. To recreate this effect we initially considered a varnish, but to achieve the ideal combination of a thin finish application and a vintage aesthetic, we landed on a custom satin lacquer. This new finish offering not only feels and looks right to Lage, he finds it has the same inherent openness of tone that is present in the best pre-war instruments."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony pyramid-style
- Scale length
- 25-1/2"
- Nut width
- 1-13/16"
- String spacing
- 2-5/16"
Collings' Notes
"The 12-fret 000 has the same general appearance as the Collings 00, but in a larger size with longer string scale. Although it's the same width and depth as the OM, the longer body typically produces more bass and overall volume."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Scale length
- 24-7/8"
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16"
Collings' Notes
"The shorter 24-7/8” scale length combined with a relatively broad waist allows for a more delicate top-voicing, producing an openness that’s equally suited for accentuating subtle nuances as it is for digging in on single-note runs."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Scale length
- 24-7/8"
- Nut width
- 1-13/16"
- String spacing
- 2-5/16"
Collings' Notes
"The tone is typically balanced and precise, and we've seen it adopted for a wide range of playing styles from simple vocal accompaniment to ragtime solos."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Scale length
- 24-7/8"
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4"
- String spacing
- 2-3/16"
Collings' Notes
"Although measuring only 13.5 inches in width (smaller than a typical classical guitar), the Collings 0 has tone and volume that belies its first impression as being less than full-sized."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony pyramid-style
- Scale length
- 24-7/8"
- Nut width
- 1-13/16"
- String spacing
- 2-5/16"
Collings' Notes
"With softer contours and a longer body dimension than our 0 14-Fret model, the 0 12-Fret has a balanced and full tone with slightly more bass and overall volume."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Brace pattern
- Pre-war scalloped X-brace
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Neck joint
- 14th fret
- Fingerboard radius
- 14"-26" compound
- Body binding
- Tortoise or ivoroid
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Peghead veneer
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony belly-style
- Bridge pins
- Ebony
- Saddle
- Drop-in (bone)
- Scale length
- 24-1/8"
- Nut width
- 1-11/16" or 1-3/4" (upgrade)
- String spacing
- 2-3/16"
- Truss rod
- Fully adjustable
- Tuners
- Waverly nickel or gold
- Finish
- High gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
- Rosette
- B/w purfling or ivory/tortoise/ivory
- Backstrip
- 1-style (walnut) or 2-style (zipper)
- Purfling
- B/w/b/w or herringbone
- Case
- Deluxe TKL hardshell
Collings' Notes
"The Baby model features a short 24-1/8" scale that creates a warm note attack and a lower tension string feel that lends itself well to a variety of playing styles."
Standard specifications
- Top
- Sitka spruce
- Back and sides
- Hondurdan mahogany or Indian rosewood
- Construction
- Traditional Series build and voicing
- Brace pattern
- Custom Traditional Series pre-war X-brace (no tongue brace)
- Bracing material
- Sitka spruce
- Neck
- Honduran mahogany
- Neck profile
- Modified V
- Fingerboard
- Ebony
- Bridge
- Ebony pyramid-style
- Scale length
- 24-7/16"
- Nut width
- 1-3/4"
- String spacing
- 2-5/16"
- Finish
- High gloss ultra-thin nitrocellulose lacquer
Collings' Notes
"The long and narrow body shape of the new Collings Parlor is inspired by some of the earliest steel string guitar designs that form the roots of the modern acoustic guitar family tree."