The Collings Forum

I really think these are some of the best looking guitars around. Pictures taken by Chicago Music Exchange, the guitar has been purchased and should be shipping to me today.

That’s a beauty. I really like CJs!

Oh yea, that's a beaut. Looks like D'Ad NB strings, that's what I like on my CJmhA. best wishes, armdog aka bert

I believe they are D'Addario EJ-17 strings. That's what Collings installs at the factory, and this is a new guitar.

Congrats! I agree, it's one of the prettiest. I had the same model, same color, and it was a tremendous guitar. Enjoy!

Hmmm. That is supposed to be a new guitar, and they supply them at the factory with EJ17 PB mediums. But I see what you mean, the silver color of the wound strings sure says those are not PB strings.



It has been a bit of an odd transaction. Chicago Music Exchange listed it as USED. But when I made them an offer they came back and said it is a new guitar, just has been sitting around longer than they liked and made a slightly higher counteroffer, which I accepted based on them saying it was a new guitar.

But why would a new guitar have non-standard strings on it? I checked the serial number with Collings and they said:

Your CJ35 G SB was completed on 3/3/2017 and was sent directly to Chicago Music Exchange.

Further their SN report says it was shipped with these strings: D'Addario EJ-17 (.013"- .056")

Your guitar was shipped in early March, it would have been well past time to change the PB strings. I had read, maybe on the old forum, that Collings had shipped some models with the new D'Ad Nickel Bronze strings, I think maybe?

I had been using EJ17s on my CJmhA for a long time, the NB Balanced Tension 13.5-56 are the new go-to. I tried the Monels, dullsville to me. The NBs are very different, a friend was over playing the CJ and said what are these strings, I like them. Listening to him play sold me on the NBs.

I'm also using D'Ad NYXL11-50s on my Eastman El Rey 4 archtop, best ever. aka bert

My suspicions are confirmed. This guitar has a huge (approx 10" long) gouge in the back along with lots of other scratches. It may be new in terms of never having been sold, but it is as beat up as any $200 Yamaha hanging on the hook at Guitar Center.

It is also on at least its 3rd set of strings. Collings says it was shipped to CME with D'Addario EJ-17s (Phosphor bronze). The pics CME advertised it with and which I posted in this thread are some silvery nickel wound strings. The guitar arrived with Phosphor Bronze strings on it.

I'm sending it back for a full refund, as they lied to me to get the sale.

For updates to the story:

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