Collings CL Jazz / long-term review

[Oscar67]

I thought I'd do a long-term review of one of my guitars. Perhaps this is of some use to someone.

In late 2021 I came across a Collings CL Jazz in a store and at that point in time I was able to buy it. I'd never seen one 'in the real' before (nor since). I contacted Collings and they kindly informed me that my guitar was the 5th one ever built, completed in 2007, shown at that year's NAMM and then shipped to a dealer in Pittsburgh. In the intervening 14 years the guitar somehow made its way to Holland. By late 2021, Collings had made 180 CL Jazz guitars. While that doesn't make them super-rare, they're far from common.

In this long-term review I will show details of the instrument and discuss its strengths and weaknesses as experienced during my time of ownership.

Materials and construction






The CL Jazz is an all-solid wood, fully hollow, thinline archtop. Detailed specs can be found on the Collings website so I won't repeat them here. The spruce top and Honduran mahogany back are connected via a solid mahogany outer rim. The headstock is quite large, making the guitar slightly prone to neck-dive. This is something to aware of when sitting down. In terms of weight, well, the CL Jazz weighs nothing. It's the lightest guitar I've ever held.



Somewhat unusual for a jazzbox is its 25.5" scale length. This definitely affects the sound and feel of the guitar. The considerable string length (not much spare length is left on the D and G strings) and the scale length both add tension to the strings. To my hands, my 25" Eastman AR580CE with 12s feels about the same as the CL Jazz with 11s. The fretwork on the Collings is stellar, allowing an almost ruler-straight neck with very low action. Even so, comping barre or partial-barre chords with 12s for longer periods of time is hard work for me on this guitar, which is why I use 11s on it (which also sound better but we'll get to that). Collings uses an extra long mortise and tenon to secure the neck to the body.

The floating Kent Armstrong humbucker with 12 adjustable pole pieces is mounted to the pickguard (not the neck), which also houses the small volume and tone knobs which are tucked underneath it. The output jack is securely side-mounted. Note that at some point Collings switched to the Lollar Johnny Smith; as good as the Kent Armstrong is, I wish my guitar had the Lollar.



Collings kept both the ebony tailpiece and the bridge saddle quite narrow, using a minimum of wood on both (the bridge base is comparable to other archtops). Thomastik-Infeld strings will not fit due to their added thickness at the ball ends, a conscious yet questionable design decision by Collings and something to be aware of if you swear by TI's. Note that Collings ships the CL Jazz with roundwound D'Addario 12s with a wound G.



Body depth is a humble 1 5/8".



Fit, finish and issues (after 14 years)

Fit, finish, fretwork etc are absolutely flawless and of the highest standard. As they should be in this price range. Some issues revealed themselves during my time with the instrument:
-The ebony tuning pegs slipped on their shafts because the grooves were too shallow and wore out over time. They're Schallers and it's unlikely that Collings could've seen this coming. It was an easy fix.
-One of the six Schaller tuners became stuck; my dealer requested a new one which was promptly sent by Collings with no questions asked.
-The nut slots needed just a little bit of tender loving care, which is normal on a used instrument.
-The binding on the pickguard spontaneously broke at one point, possibly due to age-related shrinkage.
-After 14 years of use as a finger-rest, the pickguard became ever so slightly angled downwards, causing the bass-side of the pickup to rise very close to the low E string.
These last two points are somewhat disappointing.

Sound and feel

String tension aside, the immaculate fretwork and wonderful neck profile offer an extremely enjoyable, "satin" playing feel with very low action, no buzz and no choking. The 25.5" scale length can initially be uncomfortable to those used to 24.75" but that's just the nature of the beast. The acoustic tone coming out of this thinline is a marvel. It's loud and can easily compete with my vintage L7 and modern Eastman. Especially with 11s, there's a rich, detailed bass that's never boomy. The top end is clear, detailed, toneful and never thin, plinky or shrill. I hear wood in every note on the neck. The sound is extremely dynamic and musical and impresses me every time I pick up the guitar. Its amplified tone mirrors its acoustic qualities. There's hardly any need to touch the volume knob because of how well the guitar responds to picking attack. The tone control's range and shades are useful from 10 to almost 0 and I find myself subtly varying it when playing almost without thinking. Long story short, it's one of those rare occasions when more is actually more. It costs an arm and a leg, but wow...

Would I buy it again?

It's at the back of my mind that I can buy several other great guitars for the price of this one Collings. However its combination of qualities make this guitar unique. I've never played anything like it and probably never will. And the acid test is this: whenever switch from another guitar to the Collings, without exception it feels like an upgrade. So yes, money permitting I'd buy it again.

[nyc chaz]

Really nice informative review. That being said Collings to me are just way overpriced compared to other builders out there.

[SOLR]

Thanks for the info on this very desirable instrument.....

Nice playing and tone right here with the Lollar

S

[QAman]

Oscar67,
Perhaps the best candid review I've read on this guitar. You pointed out some pros and cons, but ultimately its the overall quality, feel and sound which is undeniable. Thanks for your input - much appreciated.

Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk

[Oscar67]

Thanks for the info on this very desirable instrument.....

Nice playing and tone right here with the Lollar

That’s a fair representation of the guitar’s amplified voice.

[Oscar67]

…Collings to me are just way overpriced compared to other builders out there.

The dealer where I bought my CL Jazz currently has a Benedetto Fratello in stock priced at 20k€. By comparison, for that money I could have bought two CL Jazz’s with enough change left for a US made Les Paul. Although by now the value of my CL Jazz might already have gone up (or down).

[Jim Soloway]

I was at that NAMM show and I spent a lot of time at the Collings booth, so I guess it was your guitar that I saw on display. They were very generous about letting people play their guitars, but not that one

It's a gorgeous guitar. The one thing that disappoints me in your review is that it's head heavy. I'm not a great fan of that peg head and worse, it wasn't necessary given the penalty in utility that it causes. But other than that, I think the guitar is really just stunning in every way.

[Woody Sound]

The one thing that disappoints me in your review is that it's head heavy. I'm not a great fan of that peg head and worse, it wasn't necessary given the penalty in utility that it causes.

It's the p**** symbol factor.

[skiboyny]

Really nice informative review. That being said Collings to me are just way overpriced compared to other builders out there.

Best build quality out there period. Very solid sound, totally alive. In this case, you do get what you pay for!

[Jim Soloway]

It's the p**** symbol factor.

The sad thing is that they have a lovely headstock for their electrics and electric archtops. They could have just dressed this up with some really nice inlay and had a whole lot less weight at the end of the neck.

[Oscar67]

The sad thing is that they have a lovely headstock for their electrics and electric archtops. They could have just dressed this up with some really nice inlay and had a whole lot less weight at the end of the neck.

Personally I think both headstock designs are beautiful, but I agree that function beats form.

[vinnyv1k]

That was a fantastic honest review. We need more of those.

[Oscar67]

That was a fantastic honest review. We need more of those.

Thank you! I might do a few more in due time.

[jazzgtrl4]

I owned a CL jazz for a little bit, it was an amazing guitar with some issues. Believe it or not the way they crowned the fret ends it was like the frets were sprouting or sticking out, but they were not. so that bugged me, i remember playing a few of them at namm and didn't have that feeeling. In the end i sold and it and it must just be me cause the new owner loved the instrument and said nothing about the fret work.

[Paulie2]

Great in-depth review. Thanks for sharing. I'd lover to play one of these in person, but as you mention they are not that common

[Oscar67]

There seem to be two on Ebay priced at $14.7k and $15.5k respectively. Which is significantly more than what I paid for mine in late 2021.

[bluejaybill]

That’s a fair representation of the guitar’s amplified voice.

The tone that he gets is very nice, but I wonder how he is getting it? The Lollar GS is generally brighter and clearer than that, and you hear more string, for want of a better term.

That tone is more what I would associate with a HB or the Armstrong. He guess he must have the highs dialed off either at the pickup or the amp.

[SOLR]

The tone that he gets is very nice, but I wonder how he is getting it? The Lollar GS is generally brighter and clearer than that, and you hear more string, for want of a better term.

That tone is more what I would associate with a HB or the Armstrong. He guess he must have the highs dialed off either at the pickup or the amp.

From Jostein Gulbrandsen's youtube http://www.jostein-g.com)



S

[nyc chaz]

The dealer where I bought my CL Jazz currently has a Benedetto Fratello in stock priced at 20k€. By comparison, for that money I could have bought two CL Jazz’s with enough change left for a US made Les Paul. Although by now the value of my CL Jazz might already have gone up (or down).

I have no idea what you payed for your guitar but the last 2 years they have been selling for over .10K.I can buy 2 Campellones.or Holst or Elferink for that price.I haven't played the model you reviewd but i have played their Les Paul and 335 versions.They were beautifully made guitars but i could just buy the originals from Gibsom for much less.There is a Monteleone for 170K online for a year now,I could buy a house for that money.If you love the guitar then that's all that matters.I just happen to think that Collings prices have always been on the high side compared to other builders.

[Woody Sound]

BTW, that's a beautiful shade of burst.

[Oscar67]

BTW, that's a beautiful shade of burst.

The quality of the finish exceeds anything I’ve ever seen on any other guitar. Including PRS, and I’m a diehard PRS guy.

[Jim Soloway]

Personally I think both headstock designs are beautiful, but I agree that function beats form.

I fall pretty strongly into the function over form camp but you're right, they're both beautiful.

[Andrew Z]

I have a Collings CL with some custom specs for the neck. Is such an amazing instrument, I couldn't be happier with it

[Oscar67]

Congrats! That’s a beauty! Some time ago I sold mine without losing any money. It’s an incredible guitar but it didn’t really suit me in the end. That’s all on me, not the guitar, and mostly had to do with the Kent Armstrong pickup that I couldn’t really come to terms with. BTW, TFOA in Holland has a used one for sale right now with a floating Lollar Johnny Smith mini humbucker.

[jads57]

Just curious to why they chose mahogany for the back as opposed to more traditional maple on Gibson longer scale guitars?