I've had my 290 for about 3 weeks now and I find it pretty comfortable to play sitting down or standing up.

The cut in the back on the bottom allows the guitar to sit on my leg and lean back towards me. The cut on the top allows the guitar to lean into my belly making the front not feel so sharp since it doesn't have a arm contour like a strat.

I really like the sound of the P90's. I find them very articulate, yet with a little growl when you get with it.

The action is a little stiffer feeling than on my Grosh Setneck or my Anderson's. But it feels like a Collings. I find the action of the acoustics to be a little stiffer than on other brands.

I really like my 290 and am growing more and more fond of it. It is a tone machine.

I found that when I played the CL, it slipped around in my lap a bit until I put a strap on it, then it was fine. I found the I-35 to be more comfortable to play seated in comparison to the CL, and because of the light weight it's a simple pleasure to play standing. I haven't played a 290 yet, but I'm assuming it has a similar feel to the CL, but maybe it's a little more comfortable to hold on your lap and play because it's a little smaller.

Been playing the 290 a bunch and it's ergonomics are fine with me. Sitting or standing no complaints so far. The only thing that I disliked about it so far are the tone and volume knobs. I changed mine out to a set of black speed knobs I had laying around and it was a lot easier to adjust the settings on the fly.

The neck is a biggun and it takes some getting used to after playing my TA standard 1 5/8" guitars. The weight seems to be a lot easier on the back then my old LP. The action does seem a little stiff but that's no doubt caused by the slightly longer scale length and the girth of the neck. The tail piece could be raised up a hair to compensate but it's really no big deal. Players with smaller hands had better stick to playing those wide-thin necks offered by other guitar makers.

The sounds this guitar makes are all usable and either the neck or the bridge p/u's rock. I don't hear that Tele sound but it's definitely got bite and sustain on the bridge p/u without even the slightest bit of sounding shrill. The neck produces some very warm sounds and it could even be used to play some Jazzier guitar parts. I'm into Blues with a Jazzier sound so this shoe fits me fine. There is plenty of sustain and when you crank it up you're going to be smiling. Rock, Blues, Jazz and I guess Country can all be had with this excellent guitar. This is my first dealings with Lollar p/u's and I think they sound sweet and are plenty quiet. I hope to try his Humbuckering models in the not to distant future.

I know there are lots of guitars by other great makers who also fit the bill but since this is the Collings Forum, I'm talking about my Collings 290. The guys in Austin did good with this one. It's not for everyone but thats why there are so many great choices so everyone can have a guitar they can truly love.

The proceeding opinion is solely my take on this model and I can't speak for the other electrics that come out of Austin.

Best,
Papple

Papple, good review. I'm glad that you like the guitar.

You nailed the sound of the pickups. Personally, I hear a little honk or spank in the middle position which led me to say that they have some of that Tele spank.

I agree about the neck size but to me it almost feels like an acoustic neck with great low action. Certainly, different from my one of my TA's but more like my TA with the 62 Roundback. I like the feel of the neck, personally. It has good girth without being too monstrous like some LP I have played.

Yeah I really like the guitar but I wish it would of had a whammy bar on it. I'm having a Floyd Rose system installed on it next week. I hope it doesn't alter the tone to much.
Best,
Papple

MEP-Papple
Thank you. Your objective and thoughtful comments are appreciated. I play an Anderson hollow T and a Suhr strat classic, so your neck comparisions were meaningful.Sometimes as I read reviews on Harmony Central I wonder if people are just trying to validate decisions and money spent.

I was just kidding on the Floyd...........Yuk Yuk Yuk...........

Floyd Rose on a Collings. Blasphemy. The only things that go on my I-35 deluxe are a soft wide leather strap and my fingers.

George, you're a retired plumber, aren't you? I'd think you have the skill and the tools to tap a hole and install your own whammy!

I wasn't sure what to think about installing a Floyd Rose on your 290. My first thought was, "surely, he is just pulling our leg." Then my second thought was lots of folks do crazy things and if he really wants a whammy bar, he ought to go for a Bigsby.

Papple, I'm glad to know that you are a kidder rather than a crazy guy. Enjoy your 290.

I'll throw in my (highly subjective) two cents regarding my Collings 290.

I've been exclusively an electric player - I'd never even heard of Collings until about 3 days before I ordered my guitar.

The 290 has got to be the best-quality electric guitar that you can currently buy in the $2000 range.

I looked at Gibsons and Fenders for almost a year and never could persuade myself to spend money on any of them - they're just not worth what they're charging, IMO.

I like a big, fat neck profile and the wider the better. I don't find the 290 neck to be too fat - far from it. I've played some old Les Pauls that felt like baseball bats.

One thing that I'm not crazy about is that the fingerboard has a pretty hard edge to it. I'd like to see the edge eased just a bit more on the bass-side, as it makes for more comfortable thumb-wraps.

Electric lead-players may take a while to get used to the frets - narrow & fairly high. When I first strapped it on, I though, "acoustic-guitar neck". The narrow frets make string-bending a bit tricky in the highest registers. Having said that, chords are a breeze to play - a wonderful feel to the neck.

I thought the action was a bit stiff, until I realized that the guitar came with an .011 for the high 'E' - I had thought that it was a .010. Actually, the action is like butter - the flat radius makes note-bending easy.

The only (even slightly) negative observations:

Only one dot inlayed at the 12th fret, on the side of the fret-board (the only guitar that I have like that - I don't know if I've ever even seen another neck with just one dot there).

The bridge seems to be somewhat restricted in it's movement - I needed a pair of pliers to adjust it, even after taking all string tension off of it.

The case, while very high-quality, is not perfect - I have to pull the top out a bit to close it. Also, the lock on the case is in a clasp that's on the neck-area. Someone could pull the guitar out of the case, even when it's locked, by opening the remaining clasps and bending the top back.

Lastly, I would really prefer to have the top edge softened a bit, where my forearm crosses the body. Maybe I'll get used to it but, for now, I'm wearing the guitar a bit higher than I'd prefer, in order to lessen the arm/body angle.

Of course, I could take it to the ol' belt-sander and 'relic' it - but then you guys would kill me, right?

hakujin