Inside Collings Guitars: "Instrumental" by Tim Edwards
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- Visit us online at www.collingsgui...
Filmmaker Tim Edwards takes an inside look at Collings Guitars with his new documentary "Instrumental" (2010). The 12 minute film takes us into the heart of Collings' culture, touching on everything from Bill's inspiration to build his first guitars to his success as an internationally recognized luthier. Exclusive interviews with shop employees and Collings loyalists give insight into Bill's determination to build the world's finest guitars and mandolins.
I first met Bill Collings in Houston around 1979 or 1980 when I had a small guitar shop in the Montrose area. I also repaired instruments and got to know Bill when he came into my shop one day. I was also good friends with Rick Gordon, a Houston-based guitar player, and Bill had made an extraordinary acoustic for him. Shortly after seeing Rick's guitar, I ordered three guitars from Bill: two rosewood dreadnoughts and a mahogany 000. There was no Collings label or inlay on these guitars. I asked Bill to sign them so the signature could be seen in the soundhole, which he did. I sold the two dreadnoughts and kept the mahogany 000, which I play to this very day.
Concidentally, in 1989, I bought a house between Dripping Springs and Oak Hill on a street call Rim Rock Trail. One day, I was driving around the other side of the street to go to the store and noticed an office warehouse with 'Collings' on the mailbox. Not believing it could be Collings' workshop, I stopped and went in and there was Bill. He gave me a quick tour of his (then) new digs. Bill would ride his motorcycle around Rim Rock Trail and, if I was outside working in the yard, he would stop and chat for a while. His newer factory is located across the street from Rim Rock Trail.
Rest in peace, Bill. I feel honored to own an instrument that you made, personally, and I will always treasure your memory with every note I play.
I would also like to say thanks to all the positive comments on here and for all of you, Collings Lovers. It's because of you that I have a great job!!!!!!
Billy in the acoustic guitar set-up department!!!!!!
Billy Parks Hey, do you still work there? What is your favorite Collings model?
@@shawnadams1693 I do still work there, picking a favorite is hard to do but I own a C10 Deluxe Cutaway. I love all the guitars we make though.
Billy Parks Awesome! Thank you for replying. I am very interested in your guitars, they are amazing.
instablaster...
Ok, I feel the need to respond to this post. I work at Collings in the acoustic set-up room and have for over 6 years. If you really think that very little is being done by hand, then you are surely mistaken. There are around 50 to 60 man hours into every guitar that comes out of Collings. Yes, we use CNC machine to make a lot of the parts, but they don't come off the machine ready to be assembled. There's a lot of work to be done to all the different pieces during the process.
10 magical years working for Bill. Recognize every fellow employee. 🎶
Thanks Bill and all the team for your passion and skill towards excellence.
Rest in peace, Bill. Thanks for showing me a little of your world.
Just simply the finest guitars and craftsmanship money can buy! Beautiful instruments made with love and skill.
So so glad that there are people like this, still making the good stuff.
Bill is such a humble, devote person.... that alone and the philosophy behind this kind of guitar building makes it so worthfully to play one of the instruments coming out of his company... so many tks for giving the world such beautiful instruments made by heart, love and passion.
this is awesome
this is awesome
this is awesome
this is awesome U
Great video. . . I feel guilty i have never visited the factory. . . Collings guitars are incredible. I have a modest collection of guitars, but more Collings than any others and every single one of this is awesome. Bill and team. . . . Congrats on making the most beautiful looking, sounding and playing instruments out there.
Jim D'Addario
I just bought one of these guitars, and it is wonderful. It's the best acoustic I've ever owned.
rest in peace Bill, see you on the other side..
Damn, he died.... who is running the shop now? Are the guitars still up to the same quality?
I owned Martins for 20 years and loved them all, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my Collings D2H. Collings are the best guitars on the planet!
So honored to have the D2H. RIP
May You R.I.P. Love All of Your Instruments! ALWAYS!
Thank you for creating such beautiful pieces of art. We greatly appreciate it!
I own 3 Collings. I started in with them when I discovered an acoustic in Nashville. Their electrics blew me away. The feel of the neck, the playability, the sound. Collings have taken the time to make the instrument work as a unit producing the best sound I've ever heard. I don't have to fight with the instrument, I don't have to think about what to avoid that would make the music sound off. Just play. Craftsmanship, no hype there.
Just bought a D3. What an instrument! Can't stop playing.
Thank you Mr. Collings! RIP
Really nice little film. Much admiration for Bill and his team.
Loved this. Truly sorry that I never got to meet Bill. I would have liked to shake his hand and just say thank you.
Fascinating and heart-warming, thank you. Just today I played a Collings for the first time, and there was something about the way it sounded that really had an effect on me. After seeing this short documentary, I can better understand how the sound gets that way.
And the video itself is an excellent piece of work. If only all journalism was this good!
love the video. I've done the Collings factory tour once a year for the past 3 years and it keeps getting better and better! Your commitment to excellence is second to none. Thanks for the inspiration.
Great video. I have had my Collings OM2HG for about three years now and it still blows me away with it's sound and playability. Took me over 6 months of trying a bunch of different guitars before I came back to the Collings which was one of the first I tried. It's nice knowing the care and craftsmanship that went into this beautiful guitar.
Thanks
tks for making this docu... its so touching to learn about this man.... great work.
Rest in peace Bill, respect your work to this day, 2018 and I'm still watching.
Nice video! Like Bill says, these guys love to build them and we love to play them -- that's a good combination . . . I've had a CJ for more than 10 years, whoever built it did an unbelievably great job -- always seems to get better and you'll never get tired of the way it sings . . .
My first Collings 12 Fret is arriving tomorrow and I happen to come across this on RUclips on hold with TurboTax.....how fitting is this...looking forward to tomorrow!!!!!
Thank you we appreciate these fine instruments.
I have never held a collings guitar i hope i do one day these guitars are beautiful.
i would love a d1 in sunburst😮
Well that's just great. Now, after watching this, I'm jonesing for a Collings. Darn!
Bill,
I just want you to know that I am playing at that "G" chord while others are whizzing by me. Nevertheless, I am taking good care of OM2HMHG # 16388. My brother OM2HG has an adjacent # which I believe is 16387. When I play his guitar I keep telling him that next to mine his OM is the best sounding guitar I've ever heard there -:). Thanks for making them!
Nice documentary, nice portrait of Bill Collings. His ethos is really strong: the artisan's instinct for seeing and bringing out the beauty and sound in the wood. I have a C10 and a DS2H (and a desk job), and it makes me feel good to see the guys who made them. How lucky I am to be able to play them every day. Thanks!
"That they [customers] love them [guitars] like we love them." 🌞
Truly amazing spirit!!!...no wonder he can create such great instruments!!!!!
I appreciate the attention to details of build and sound quality,the fact that they use modern machinery does not detract from the end product,it allows more time to be spent on the crucial human processes to optimize performance of each instrument. I know I can buy a Collings guitar sight unseen/unheard and won't be disappointed. peace out
This is a GREAT video. You guys are the best! Big Aloha to all my buds at Collings.
Larry Broido
Interesting no mention or footage of Bill's electric guitars or fab shop which are incredible as well. I have a D2H dreadnaught acoustic and an I-35 electric. Both amazing instruments with craftsmanship that is second to none.
I own 3 Collings ukuleles. Two of them are worn. They are so fun.
Thanks for making ukes!!
I really like this man's thoughts on building instruments. I wish there were more people like him out there
Hey bill you keep making guitars...It.not only it makes you happy but you make other people dreams come true by playing them !!!!!!!
Beautiful!!! Wish I could have one. Greetings from Portugal, Francisco Abreu.
Great video...I love it...made with love and pride..
Great respect for you, People rarely think about how the things they use are made and making instruments of all kinds is a beautiful art-form, keep it up!
This is so cool... really great documentary here!
Bill and the Collings crew strikes a nice balance between the (hand)craft of guitar building, and adding in just enough machinery to help make it not so ridiculously time consuming and inefficient.
Would love more of this amazing instruments amazing shop
Great video! I am blessed with a OM1A and it is the best guitar. Along with my Huss & Dalton and the Mcilroy I have so inspiring instruments that make me happy. It is really true - when you play a Collings you get more out of it than you put in. Amazing!
That was awesome. Now I just need to save up for my first Collings!
Great video and great guitars. I've heard others play them but haven't had the pleasure to myself. Yet. Definitely on my must have list!!!
I like what you guys do! This is what I have always had the passion for even when I was working hard as an apprentice building molds for industry. I've always wanted to start a guitar repair shop. Even if I don't succeed on the business side of it, I'll always work on guitars as long as humanly possible.
Incredible video! My new 360 w/tremolo took 8 months to get, and it was SO worth the wait. So many subtle details that put it heads and tails over all the other guitars I own (and I own quite a few). Next stop: I-35 LC!!!
I play guitar and I would also like to build them someday...
Beautiful video, beautiful guitars.
Thank you for uploading.
best wishes
Staffan
Great video of a great guitar company. Love my Collings.
Lovely to watch... reminded me of the time I spent pottering round the Breedlove factory. There's really nothing to touch guitars made in this personal way where every last strut is carefully considered for optimal response.
A wonderful film! I am blessed to own two Collings guitars and have a Collings uke on the way.
Bill had a good life, and people remember him fondly. What else can you hope for that matters?
Bill, you and your team build the best guitars on this planet. I hope to one day own one of your immaculate instruments! Maybe one day ill stumble upon the cash to own a beautiful OM1.
Having the honor of owning and playing Collings guitars since very early 1992, this is fascinating, but not surprising. Bill's standards are unsurpassed, and I hope to play one Collings or another until I die. I'd rather not die, but I hear that's not negotiable. I've played since late '64. I've owned about everything out there. IMHO, there has never been a builder as excellent and consistent as Bill Collings.
I'm glad my school still had shop classes.
I have a Collings OM and a Taylor 912 cutaway.
The Collings is much more stable in my area (Colorado) with dry air for much of the year. The Collings does not take anywhere near the amount of babysitting that the Taylor needs with humidification.
The Collings has a wonderful rich and bright quality, tones blend nicely. The Taylor is more "muddy" and just doesn't jump out.
Love my Collings.
Cool video! Thanks so much!
Really good, worth sharing
Such A Great VIDEO!....Good job !,... Producers, ..Craftsmen at Collings ...and Bill!..Loved this video, and your instruments..so good!..they sing , and your name will go on and on, like Lloyd Loar, Les Paul , Stardivarius
..etc...LOVE My "Gruhn" model from 88', soft shoulder sweetheart!..the source of my inspiration.
I'm hoping to own a Collings within the next year. We truely live in a golden age of acoustic guitar makers.
I'm a Taylor fan, but I really enjoy trying out other guitart makers. I really like Bill. He seems like a chill guy!
Hi Bill thank you so much!! But,eh,not much??? Well I think it's a lot!!!! And I'am so Happy and lucky with my Collings guitar: I enjoy it everytime I play,hear,see,smell and feel it: thank you again!! GOED DAT JIJ ER BENT MAN!!!!
I'm diggin' the '34 Ford project in the background. I'm also diggin' my D2H.
fantastic video!
Rest In Peace bill, thanks for the guitar!
beautiful
I had a chance to buy a Collings Clarence White model 20 something years ago and bought the other brand. I wake up every morning and kick myself. Finally bought a Collings MT and love it. Collings are smokin killer cool.
Nice video. It amazes me that Bill doesn't really play....and yet has such enthusiasm for making guitars and Mandolins. I love my D2H, I used to be slightly envious of my friends guitars, but now my friends are envious of me....not the object of the exercise, but I do feel slightly humbled and unworthy of such a great instrument.
I own a 1987 Collings made by the master himself .... what a wonder! Bill is the best!
Bill once invited me to travel the 189 miles from Ft Worth to Austin Tx to visit his shop. Never did that. I play Martin. A guy in our Bg
club owns a Collings. It really miffs me that he wont bear down on his Collings. Sometimes I fight the urge to ask him to play his
Collings to it's full potential.
"That they end up in other peoples hands and they love them as much as we do." Have to say that about my D1A varnish. We are out there playing songs by John Sebastian, The Who, and the Kinks on your guitars. I would imagine if you put the same 10,000 hours into playing that you did in making them you would be doing some amazing things beyond the G chord. Anyone who tells you the first 1000 hours was easy is lying.
At some point, which guitar is better is the wrong question to ask. I have a Martin D-41FW with flamed walnut; it plays and sounds amazing. But it is bass heavy which is perfect for certain tunes. I've heard and play Collings guitars and they're amazing. I love the Martin and it was the perfect purchase; I saved up for years, shopped for 6 months, played the D-41 for 45 seconds, and bought it on the spot. My next guitar will be a Collings. Awesome and amazing? Yes. Better? What a silly question.
i envy each and everyone of you working in that creative, natural environment. let me tell you boys your "brand name" is already known by everyone i know who's serious about a quality Acoustic ... thanks for the peek ...
I like the Robert Earl Keen sticker on the guitar case in the background at the end of the video.
Great Video. I have owned my Collings for going on 15 years and I can't say enough good things about it. It takes me there and it has paid it's way many times over as a working instrument.
Bluegrassingman, here's a suggestion for you: Instead of sitting on the internet all day long, badmouthing Collings guitars at every opportunity, Why don't you save your money and buy a Collings? Your jealousy and hate will evaporate like alcohol and you will look no further for your perfect guitar.
Great video thanks for sharing:)
THANKS BILL, THY ARE THE BEST .
Awesome video! These guys have the best jobs :)
Fabulous !! : )
Consistency is the major plus for Collings......yes, there's CNC, but it's a means to an end, specifically making an exceptional guitar every time one is made. Martins are lovely, & they've upped their game by reintroducing the design characteristics of "old" D-18's & D-28's into the current product range..... & I suspect that's a response to some extent of the market share that Collings, Santa Cruz, B&H, et al have gained. In short, we're in a golden age of guitar production & that's good!!
I really wish my future is to be a luthier. Its a passion to make an instrument, even if its not going to be played by you, you still want to make instruments. Right now i'm learning from the internet and putting it to practice by building guitars. Making an instrument like guitars gives me peace of mind and soul. Right now I'm studying electronics at college but after i want to take a course and apprenticeship on guitar making (by hand, not by cnc). Any ideas so that i can achieve my dream? Tnx
R.I.P. Bill
Cool video.
Actually Bill could play the guitar, he showed me how Doc Watson played Deep River Blues!
It's nice to hear somebody explain how a quality guitar is made by using their hands. But then all I see on this video are CNC milling machines doing the work. Sure there are a few things being done by hand by for the most part it's automated. So I guess if you want to be in a dream world and believe they are hand made you can, but they aren't, which I don't really see as a negative. I would say the raw wood is the most important factor, but I may be wrong, I have been before.
Great video : )))
Exactly!!!!!! Every guitar has a voice and when you find one that is great and resonates with you, then buy it. Martin builds great guitars but you will also find that you will have to sift through a lot more (ok) guitars to find the ones that jump out at you and at Collings we just try to maintain a consistency of quality guitars, much harder to find one that doesn't sound good!!!!!!!
Bill, you are what America has lost. Personal pride, respect and honor.
I am saving for a Collings 290. This will be my ultimate Les Paul Jr.
I have to agree with Mr. Edwards. The x-brace and general configuration of the modern guitar was pioneered by Martin, but luthiers like Collings are not copyists any more than a violin builder is a copyist of Stradivari. That same standard in configuration has established what our ears think of as a "guitar" sound. We can't wander too far from it. However, Martins et al are made in factories. Watch him work and you will see the difference immediately. Listen to the results and it's more clear.
I want one pleaseeeee
thanks Bill, for not playing the guitar....your expertise in making the guitar was a great contribution to music...
I can't wait for my D1avSbVar. Feb 2012.
I just want to comment on the Martin vs Collings posts. I own a Martin 0-45 and Collings 0, if I had to give one up it would be the Martin with no hesitation. There are plenty of builders that are purposefully copying Martin guitars, Merrill, Circa and others, Bill Collings goal,I think, is to build the best sounding instrument within the capabilities of a given wood species,he's not trying to build a Martin. Thank you Bill,I think that's a good thing.
Best guitar and mandolin builders on the planet. I own 3 and looking to add more. What can I say I got GAS.
Guess I need to try a Collins guitar...
A lot of discussion on "handmade". I don't care if aliens make my guitar if it sounds good. Bill Collings makes one of the most consistent, best sounding guitars in the market. I have played many of them and have never found an "off" one. I have also owned Martins but have only kept one custom. I was in manufacturing for 33 years building airplanes and advanced machining only takes you so far....you still need to put the end product together and Bill does a great job with the end product.
Also, the demand makes it impossible to build every part by hand, we built 1348 acoustics last year.
You are right Billy. People who don't make stuff don't understand the difference between machine made and machine assisted. Every luthier uses machine assistance to some degree. There's no quality advantage in using a chisel to cut a truss rod channel when a power router will do the job more quickly and neatly. I like that you use tuning forks too. Electronic tuners are banned form my workshop! But it's ironic that the guy tuning the guitar is a dead ringer for Chris Martin III...