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Trip to Collings Guitars
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Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Trip to Collings Guitars
For my birthday today, my girlfriend took me to Colling's Guitars for a tour of the factory.

I will attach pictures for those of you who are interested.

Please wait until I have finished posting all pictures and say "all done" before adding any threads.

Enjoy.
Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
And some more...
Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
And more....
Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
And more....
Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
And more...
Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
And more...
Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
All Done!!!
Thank you!
Author:  Hesh [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Wow Blain - fantastic pics!!! [:Y:] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] Many thanks for posting them

Some observations:

Notice the cantilevered benders? Very cool! I guess you don't like Cheerios either..... :D

Also did you notice all the foam on the floor around the buffers - good move.

On the top bracing it looks like the pop sickle brace is only on the bass side, hummm - interesting.

One of the bodies waiting for finishing, an OM I think, looks like BRW.

Thanks again Blain!
Author:  Wayne Clark [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Blain,

Thanks for posting all the pics! I have always wanted to take their factory tour. How long did it take?

Wayne
Author:  Blain [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Glad y'all enjoyed the pics.

Hesh, yes the foam is a good move indeed. I wonder how many guitars actually end up on the foam? :lol:

Wayne, they say the tour is around 45 minutes, but ours was an hour and a half so I guess it just depends on how many questions you ask and how many pictures you want to stop and take. :D
Author:  Sam Price [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Great pictures, thank you for posting them!

Does nothing to quench the passion of Luthiery!! :D

When hubby & I have a day to ourselves, I might drag him off for a few luthier shop visits...
Author:  Dave Fifield [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Wow, what a great birthday present Blair!! She's a keeper IMO! :D

BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! [:Y:] [clap] [:Y:]

Thanks for posting all those great pictures - it's fantastic to see how the big guys do it.

One observation - one of your pictures is titled "neck bolt on dovetail" and shows the body end of a neck with hanger bolts and a truss rod installed ready to go. I don't see how this could possibly be a dovetail though. If it were, then it would have to slide in from the top of the guitar body but the hanger bolts would get in the way, leading to much [headinwall]. Is it, as I suspect, not really a dovetail joint, but a tapered mortise and tenon joint?

To save me time looking it up, could you tell me where the factory is please?

Cheers,
Dave F.
Author:  Vincent Simokovich [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
WOW! Thanks for the fix.

Vince
Author:  Steve Kinnaird [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
I agree w/ Dave: any girl that would take you to a guitar factory needs to have your last name.

Steve
Author:  Doug-Guitar-Buckler [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Thanks for the pics! That is great stuff!
Author:  SkyHigh [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Dave F,

Collings use Bolt on neck. I don't know which kind exactly but they don't use dovetail...atleast not until couple years back.
Author:  Dave Anderson [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 9:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Very interesting tour Blain, Thanks
Author:  SteveCourtright [ Sun Jun 22, 2008 10:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Thanks for sharing! Great guitars.
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Sun Jun 22, 2008 1:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
That must have been great fun. Thanks for the pictures. Very interesting.
Author:  Blain [ Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Trip to Collings Guitars
Dave,

Thanks for the birthday wishes.

You're correct. It's more of a tapered Mortise & tenon. When I first saw their guitar with the neck off, I said to myself "oh, they use a dovetail" later in the tour it was evident that it wasn't a dovetail, but rather a bolt on. I just kept calling it a bolt on dovetail.

The factory is located in Austin Texas at 11210 W Hwy 290.

If you're familiar with the area, you basically head West on 290 from the "Y" in Oak Hill. Or if you're heading in from Dripping Springs area, you would head East on 290 and it would be before you get to the "Y" in Oak Hill.

There is no sign for the factory from the road so you have to be looking for the address and not for "Colling's Guitars". I have a friend that lives right down the road from them and wondered how I could have driven by there so many times and never known it was there.... They do have a nice brick address with big letters "11210" so you can't miss it as long as you're looking for that.
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