The Collings Forum

Old-timers may remember this guitar. I was a member here in the early day. I had expected to just sign back in but now I understand that there were tech difficulties that erased all those early records. In my case, that may be for the best...

More details & pics to follow.

It's a long story, so grab a cuppa and pull up a chair.

I was walking down the street in Portland, Oregon in 2007 and looked into the window of Pioneer Music. There on the wall was a TV Yellow Les Paul. Since I had owned an original back when I was a youth, I went in thinking it was a Gibson. "Collings? Never heard of them..." But I couldn't resist it.

Unfortunately, in my zeal I didn't think about the fact that I was starting to develop forearm cramps in my picking arm. They did have a forearm relief option but the one I bought didn't have it. I played it very briefly and put it away in it's case and into the closet. I pulled it out every few months to inspect it for dryness but didn't try to play it.

On one inspection I noticed 'case burn' in the nitro. I freaked out and they were so cool about it. I shipped it back and Bill Collings personally sprayed it in what they called 'Candy Apple Tangerine". He was even kind enough to sign it inside the pickup cavity. They were bending over backward to make me happy & being a punky NW grunge musician, I went for all I could get.
A really cool acid-free case.

Blonde pickguard, tip switch, truss plate and pup-covers.

They drew the line at the back plates which are still black. The guys there thought the black plastic looked sharper and they may have been right.

In any event, I have all of the original black parts in the case, with their orginal protective plastic wrap intact.

My iPhone is having a hard time picking up the 'metallic' aspect of the finish - this is not Transparent Orange. It's not 'metal flake' - the metal grains are small and fine-grain.

You really have to see it in person to appreciate the finish.

As it turned out, Mr. Collings decided that this finish was way too much trouble to continue using it.

AFAIK, this is the only 290 with this finish. Factory Special Custom, painted and signed by Bill Collings. Pristine, unscratched - perfect '10'.

Cool guitar. Don't think I have I see that exact one before. Definitely a bold look.

Frank Sanns wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:17 pm Cool guitar. Don't think I have I see that exact one before. Definitely a bold look.

Thank you, Frank

I don't think that there is another 290 in this color, although I seem to recall that they did paint at least one 360 with the Candy finish.

Everyone thought I was nuts to ask for the blonde appointments - even my wife. After looking at the black panels on the back, I'm starting to agree with them. I may put the original black plastic back on.

Thanks for the feedback - sorry if I hijacked your 'workstation' thread...

ripsaw wrote: ↑Sun Apr 25, 2021 2:15 pm
I don't think that there is another 290 in this color, although I seem to recall that they did paint at least one 360 with the Candy finish.

I did some due diligence and found a candy-apple metallic option on the Collings website. I was told back in the day that they were giving up on that process, but I guess they changed their mind. The new color does look quite a bit darker, although their photo shows off the metallic sheen very well.

Guess I'd better write them and find out what the deal is. That's why I'm posting here - to figure out exactly what I've got.

On Tue, Nov 6, 2012 at 7:34 AM, Mark Althans <repairs@collingsguitars.com> wrote:
Hi XXXX,

Your candy apple tangerine 290 is almost complete! All of the finish work is done, and it is now in our setup room waiting to have all of it's hardware and electronics reinstalled. This is an extremely busy week for Bill Collings, but the guys have promised me that they will not move forward until he signs it (most likely in one of the pickup cavities...basically beneath one of the pickups). The signature may happen while I'm out of the office, so I have asked them to take a picture of the autograph before installing everything...

We would also like to confirm the color of the pickup covers, pickguard and knobs. I seem to recall you specifying cream, but I can't remember if we committed fully to this. Black would unquestionably look best in our opinion, but we are happy to use whatever you prefer.

Let me know what you think!

Best,

Mark Althans
Collings Guitars
11210 Hwy 290 West
Austin, Texas 78737-1913