Who you think is the most well known Collings Player out there? My vote and one of my favourite as well is probably Laurence Juber! Though he is using his Martin quite a lot this days..

Anyone you can think of?

I would think that Lyle Lovett would have to be considered as one of the best known regular Collings users. I see that LJ has a new Martin model coming out - I wonder if he's still playing his Collings ?

I emailed LJ last month regarding his Martin and Collings and asked him which one he prefers.. He said they are both great and project very well. And the Martin is much lighter both in weight and sounds lighter.

He recorded with is Collings on his latest album "Different Time" except for the track "Different Time" in which he recorded with his one day old Martin.

He said he is bringing his Martin with him to every gig now.

Ed

I read where he likes Kevin Ryan's guitars and has 2 of them.

Phoenix.

LL and LJ are two performers who are among the most closely identified with using Collings guitars .

The Collings player who is the most well-known performer,however, is Joan Baez.

Pete Townshend and Andy Summers play Collings too. Townshend made a home video of himself playing some original fingerstyle stuff on his Collings -- sounded very cool. (I saw it a few months ago -- I think the clip was posted on FRETS.com)

[This message was edited by Phoenix on May 09, 2002 at 02:05 AM.]

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Originally posted by lefty:
Phoenix.

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Ha! In my dreams!

Well known players or personalities? mm.. think there's a Steve Spieberg who's a COlling owner.

Two of the better-known players in my part of the country (Texas) besides Lyle Lovett were Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood. These two gentlemen were 2/3 of Uncle Walt's Band (originally from South Carolina, but transplanted to Texas). The 3rd member was bass player, David Ball, now of Nashville.

Walter was a singer-songwriter and played one of the finest carved-top, oval-holed Collings guitars that you could imagine, a real one-of-a-kind.

Champ was a journeyman guitarist-fiddler, as well as songwriter, in the Austin area and played a blue-green CJ model, I believe. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.

Sadly, both of them are gone. Walter died in the Valu-Jet crash in 1996(?) and Champ passed away from cancer last year.

David Ball is one of my favorite country singers. Unfortunately for him he's a little too traditional to stay on top in Nashville. For some reason it's hard to tell country music stars from pop stars today.


Andy Whatley
Columbus, GA

Hey Dan (is it Dan?), speaking of Champ Hood, I believe his son is the fiddle player for a band from Austin called South Austin Jug Band. He is a fantastic fiddle player and a very good singer as well. I've also seen him playing fiddle for Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison. Guitar player in SAJB plays a Collings 000 cutaway, and their mando player plays a Collings mando.

The play in Houston occasionally.

Bill (Katy, TX)