quote:

Originally posted by localplayer:
ok, then folks with credit cards that are still turned on...anyway, great guitars and not sure how you would make it better.

Anyone who owns a Collings takes their music very seriously, and it's understandable that our archetype enjoys a "premium" instrument. No, they are not cheap, but when you consider the price of some amazing vintage Gibsons, I'd argue that an I-35 is actually quite a value. You do get what you pay for.

And I agree - I'm not sure that I'd be able to offer Bill any ways to make improvements.

quote:

Originally posted by elambo:
I hope you've had the chance to plug into a real amp as well. Software emulators through studio monitors wouldn't do it any justice.

I'll report back when I do... believe it or not, I haven't had a chance to put my I-35 Dlx or CL Dlx through a guitar amp, I used/use them as recording instruments.

Edited because I've sold my I-35.

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

quote:

And I agree - I'm not sure that I'd be able to offer Bill any ways to make improvements.

To add to that, which should be tempered by my being a relative novice, I'm bewildered by questions about changing the basic set up, for example, from 11s to 10s, or more fundamentally, a change in the pickups. I can appreciate how easy it is to customize a guitar to personal preferences, but it still seems hasty to me. I've gotten so many wonderful tones from the I-35, without using effects, through Tweed Champ and Tweed Deluxe reproductions, that I think I'd be worried that by making any of those changes I'd be discarding something as yet undiscovered.

I think you're right. I'm quick to alter a guitar if I feel like a minor change might help, but I get the feeling that a lot of thought and energy went into how each component of an I-35 reacts with all the others, and that changing one thing might have a trickle-down effect onto others.

changing the cl to 10's made it sure easier to play and didn't notice any diff in tone. the i-35 is staying the way it came.

Hello everyone. This is my first post. It's because of comments I've heard about the I35, threads like this and this forum's maplebaby's playing on YouTube that I went ahead and bought a Collings, that I didn't even try, from Cotten music:



That might seem like a crazy thing to do, to some, but not to me. I bought a D2HA the same way, by word of mouth, and it turned out to be the best acoustic guitar I have ever played or heard in person. I'm fully expecting the same from the I35.

For looks, this is exactly the configuration I would have ordered from Collings: tobacco burst, quilt top deluxe with parallelogram inlays. I jumped on it so quickly because every time I find one where I like the looks, it has already sold. I don't doubt that the tone and playability will be incredible as well, because I take everything I have read about these guitars seriously.

$6K for a guitar with these appointments and even a Brazilian board seems like a steal to for such a guitar, considering what people are paying for vintage Gibsons.

Anyway, it arrives tomorrow. Thanks to Kim Sherman and the folks at Cotten music in Nashville! I can't wait!

Mark: that's a dead ringer for the 35 I owned a year or so ago for a mere four months. I thought, and still do, that it was "the Alien" of electric guitars. Perfect. As far as string gauge or amps or whatever else: give the guitar a chance to show you what it is. The tonal palette is amazingly wide; the tone pots actually work, at every degree, and you can go from Wes Montgomery to Freddy King at the flip of a switch and a tweak of a knob. I would counsel strongly- very strongly, against changing pickups or hardware. Don't go there. If you don't like it the way it is, send it back. I might have gone to 10's had I kept it, just to make Nashville style double and triple string bends just a little easier. for most applications, the 11's played like 9's on mere mortal guitars. Speaking of Kim, I have a long awaited CJ varnish coming through Cotten in a month or so. If it's what I hope, I may very well sell the truly amazing CJA I bought from Kim in mid '05 and use the proceeds to buy a used I-35. It just does not get any better. If you play hyper-gain ultra processed music, who cares what you play. The guitar is a prop. If you play straight- a great guitar, a great amp, a box or two for seasoning- then what's coming tomorrow is it on a diamond encrusted platinum stick. You, sire, are a lucky man.

Mark,
Welcome to the Forum, and congratulations on your new I-35. Please post a thorough review. What other semi-hollow body electrics do you play? (By your handle, I infer you know your way around a Les Paul.)

Sonoman,
I see your memories of your former, renowned, I-35 are still strong... were I you I would get another one, too.

quote:

Originally posted by sonoman:
Mark: that's a dead ringer for the 35 I owned a year or so ago for a mere four months. I thought, and still do, that it was "the Alien" of electric guitars. Perfect. As far as string gauge or amps or whatever else: give the guitar a chance to show you what it is. The tonal palette is amazingly wide; the tone pots actually work, at every degree, and you can go from Wes Montgomery to Freddy King at the flip of a switch and a tweak of a knob. I would counsel strongly- very strongly, against changing pickups or hardware. Don't go there. If you don't like it the way it is, send it back. I might have gone to 10's had I kept it, just to make Nashville style double and triple string bends just a little easier. for most applications, the 11's played like 9's on mere mortal guitars. Speaking of Kim, I have a long awaited CJ varnish coming through Cotten in a month or so. If it's what I hope, I may very well sell the truly amazing CJA I bought from Kim in mid '05 and use the proceeds to buy a used I-35. It just does not get any better. If you play hyper-gain ultra processed music, who cares what you play. The guitar is a prop. If you play straight- a great guitar, a great amp, a box or two for seasoning- then what's coming tomorrow is it on a diamond encrusted platinum stick. You, sire, are a lucky man.

Hi sonoman. I have no plans on changing anything on this guitar. I figure Bill and the folks at Collings know what they are doing a lot more than I do. I figure that because my D2HA is not near perfect it IS perfect. I'm wagering that the I35 is the same. Based on what you are saying and what so many others are saying I can't lose.

I bought my D2HA in 2006 from Pat Skrovan at Quincy's Guitars. After playing it for a while, I was stunned at how good it was. When the electrics first came out I emailed Pat asking about his impression. His response was:

"In my opinion, the Collings Electrics are to electric guitars what Collings Acoustics are to the acoustic guitar world. In short, they are fantastic. You simply have to play them. Collings just put them on their website, so it is a good way to view them."

From there, I have read mostly stellar reviews. Then, I only needed to watch/listen this forum's maplebaby go from beautiful fingerstyle arrangements to ACDC and Free on YouTube to know I had to get one of these.

I'm staying home from work today waiting for the package, fully expecting to be overwhelmed with emotion when I first open the case.

sonoman, May you find another one soon!

Kim has been absolutely wonderful to deal with. She even answered my inquiry about this guitar at 10:00 on a Sunday night!

quote:

Originally posted by maunakea:
Mark,
Welcome to the Forum, and congratulations on your new I-35. Please post a thorough review. What other semi-hollow body electrics do you play? (By your handle, I infer you know your way around a Les Paul.)

Sonoman,
I see your memories of your former, renowned, I-35 are still strong... were I you I would get another one, too.

Hi maunakea. Thank you for the welcome.

I am not a good authority on semi-hollowbodies. My only other one is a 1969 Aria Japanese copy of a thinline tele my grandfather gave to me when I was 6 years old, 32 years ago). Other than that, I have only played my friends Epiphone ES335 copy.

I am, however, in love with everything I have heard on ES-335s, for example, Larry Carlton and early Eric Clapton. I've been looking for the ultimate versatile electric, where I can go from fingerstyle, to jazz, to rock, achieving a myriad of tones such as sonoman described in his post above. I figured, with prices on these gems so comparitively and loving my D2HA so much, I can't go wrong.

I have plenty of experience with solidbodies, currently owning 3 R9 LPs and a Norlin custom I have owned and played since 1984. LP are also my middle and last initials, kind of a double entendre there.

If you've gone down the Les Paul road, unless you own a 57-60, you know it can be frustrating knowing that you'll never own an "original" unless you can shell out 6 figures or were lucky enough to get one early on.

The I35 seems to be a great way to start out with the best!

I do take seriously your opinion about the I35 as well as those who love them and will play and listen to it with an open mind.

Whatever my impressions end up, the guitar seems like a tremendous value to me, considering the appointments and Collings craftsmanship. One thing for sure, it's beautiful looking! Can't wait til the FedEx guy gets here.

p.s. Maunakea, I trust what you are saying about the CS-336 is true. I have seen Jon Herington perform twice with one and thought his playing/tone was amazing! You can't go wrong with any guitar that can do Steely Dan well, period.

Mark,
I've got a '68 fat neck LPC that I bought new in '69. It is still my standard of comparison for solid bodies. The CLD is its equal in quality, has less sustain (there's a reason I lift weights), but a really unique tone, so it's a keeper. The -35 wasn't my cup of tea... sort of like a Martin D-45 I played recently: no doubt a great guitar, but it bored me. I ended up with a D-3 that doesn't bore me. If I didn't already have a great -336 with its woody universe, I might have kept the -35.

I, too have owned an I-35, and I was quite enamored with the guitar. In fact, I bought it from Sonoman. I raved my brains out when I first got it. Over the next several months, I came back down to earth ever so slightly. Recently I HAD TO to sell the guitar to raise some cash. I kept my '63 SG Standard and Grosh Hollow Retro T instead.

Best guitar ever. Nope.

Upon receiving it, I proclaimed it to be the best humbucking guitar I ever played -- and it knocked my previous "best" humbucker, my Grosh SetNeck, onto eBay. I recorded a couple of songs with it, and on those songs, it was the best. The first song was an uptempo country tune that required some chugging Scotty Moore type fills. Perfect for the I-35. The second tune was an out-and-out pop rocker that needed some slower melodic lead solo work (think "My Sweet Lord", without the slide) and the I-35 was perfect.

Its also great for jazz, and Freddie King type blues. However, I just couldn't make the guitar work as well as some others for basic pop and/or rock, especially rhythm work.

Well, is it me, or does the above describe the strengths and weakness of a 335?

Net/net, I think its the best semi-hollowbody ever. Unfortunately, my need for a 335 type guitar is somewhat limited. I want one, but I don't need one. Therefore, when the time came to raise some cash, the awesome I-35 was out the door. As much as I liked it, I think my Grosh Tele (hollow mahogany body with a Duncan Antiquity in the neck and a SP-43 in the bridge, 1 Meg tone pot) is a more versatile guitar that sounds just as good.

Regardless, the construction and materials of the I-35 are a work of art in themselves. The neck pup is freaking incredible. I wasn't much a fan of the bridge pup clean -- but distorted it rawks. The in-between sound was nothing special.

Best electric guitars ever:

Solid humbucker: '59 Les Paul
Single coil: blackguard Tele (sorry, I'm not a Strat guy)
Semi-hollow: I-35

Not bad company!

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