A new one showed at my dealer--anyone play one of these yet?

well it is a beauty. TV finish--which is no less that perfect and lovely Jason Lollar full sized humbuckers. very nice. try one.

A perpetual pleasure to have a plethora rather than a paucity of preposterous pieces to play,pick, and pluck.

I've just received my 290 with hmbckrs last monday. It's a marvel.Light and responsive like my old dblecut junior. No noises or buzz and rich sounds like my std LP.
The best of both worlds.
I'm really impressed by its qualities.

btw, i found another new one (sunburst) and adopted it after an extensive try out at the dealer. i really love it as it covers so much ground and the build quality is SO far beyond anything Gibson can do. plugged in to an overdrive and flipped on the bridge it just sings, then played thru a clean amp and up on the neck pup it is all jazz. for what i wanted, it is just perfect. it is just like Phillippe described. you folks should give them a try if you happen to find one at your local collings dealer, but I think they are kinda of rare. but if you insist on crappy tuners, poor finish work, wavy necks, over-priced tops, stick with a Gibson-at least you can look JUST like your favorite rock star and spend all your time wondering if you shouldn't upgrade the pups and electronics.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: localplayer,

Well, I know at least one dealer who is more than a bit irritated with Collings for offering humbuckers as an option in their 290 guitars. They are cannibalizing their own product with significantly lower priced alternative. Great for the buyer -- but not so much the seller.

yeah, that is a problem. fact is, the 290 set up this way sounds pretty close to the fancier models. but you don't get the 'bling' value of a nice top. for a player's guitar, it is a great set-up and weighs in just shy of 7.5 lbs. after a full weekend with it, i am even more impressed with the range of sounds i get from this guitar.

3 monthes and 2 weeks later... this humbucked 290 gets even better than before.
I put my Gibson LP in its case yesterday...
My 290 is superior in every way (except for the look,my snbrst LP is a 20 years long love story...). It's a perfect instrument.
Humble. A well kept secret garden.
I agree with Guitarhak about "cannibalizing..."
Who will believe my ax stays in tune since May (just "ultra-slight" adjustments from times to times),
incredible
With my Matchless amps,it's a perfect match.
who's said same philosophy?