GEAR 2021: Collings has unveiled a stunning new signature electric guitar for jazz phenom and composer Julian Lage. A hollowbody electric with a trestle block, the 470 JL follows on from the success of Lage's OM1 JL acoustic, and has been years in the making.
The body comprises a maple-laminate top, complemented by solid Honduran mahogany on the back and sides, bound in non-grained ivoroid. Glued to the body with an extra long mortise and tenon, the mahogany neck is carved into a custom C/V hybrid profile that measures a comfortable 21.6mm at the 1st fret, 24.3mm at the 9th.
The 470JL has a ebony fingerboard with a 12" radius, 22 medium 18 per cent nickel-silver frets, and graduated pearl dot inlay. It has a Delrin nut – just like your guitar picks – and a tune-o-matic bridge with a pinned-ebony base, nylon saddles and a Bigsby B3 vibrato.
- NAMM 2021 is cancelled, but we'll be covering all the big January gear announcements right here on MusicRadar.
A pair of adjustable Ron Ellis pickups were developed for the guitar. In the video above, Lage speaks of his love for old DeArmond Dynasonics and the tones from the foundational era of electric guitar. The pickups were crucial, and inspired the rest of the guitar's design.
The resulting Ellisonics are wound to offer vintage single-coil clarity and detail with the power of an overwound pickups, and they are controlled by a master volume control and two tone knobs, with a three-way pickup selector switch mounted on the shoulder.
Lastly, there are aged-nickel Waverly tuners (16:1 ratio) with vintage oval buttons, and an ebony veneer on the headstock. And you can choose from three finishes: Antiqued Sunburst, Antiqued Black and Antiqued Blonde. All come finished in high-gloss nitro.
See Collings for more details.
