Collings

Collings is a musical-instrument brand built around handmade guitars and mandolins made in Austin, Texas. Its website describes a team of skilled luthiers producing custom acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and mandolins, and presents the brand’s approach with the phrase “Built from the Sound Up.” The available material does not state a formal founding year, corporate ownership, or the full range of the company’s markets. The brand’s origins are closely tied to founder Bill Collings. After moving from Ohio to Texas in the mid-1970s, he began building guitars by hand while working at a machine shop. Early instruments attracted local musicians, and Collings later established his own small shop in Austin, where he built flattop and archtop acoustic guitars. The company’s history describes a reputation for quality and close attention to detail, followed by growth in workshop space and staff. Collings’ current product presentation spans acoustic guitars, electric guitars, archtops, and mandolins. The homepage features the C-00 in its flattop lineup, the Hill Country Series among its acoustic offerings, and electric models including the 71, Ladybird, and 620. It also highlights Q Spruce as an optional acoustic-guitar top, describing the offering as combining hand-craftsmanship with modern technology. The site presents options and customization as part of the range, including a customizable 620. The company’s published philosophy emphasizes craft and tradition, while its product descriptions also point to experimentation with construction, materials, and design. The supplied sources establish the brand’s Austin roots and product categories, but do not identify current executives, a parent company, listing status, or specific international markets.

Bill Collings moved from Ohio to Houston, Texas, in the mid-1970s. The company’s account says that, more interested in guitars and engineering than his pre-medical studies, he took a job at a machine shop and began building guitars on his kitchen table with a small collection of hand tools. His engineering-minded background and hands-on experience helped him experiment with and refine his work. Local musicians Rick Gordon and Lyle Lovett were among the early players to receive his instruments, and their use helped other Texas musicians find their way to his custom work. After building about fifty guitars and a few banjos in Houston, Collings headed west intending to pursue lutherie in Southern California. A stop in Austin led to friendships with local luthiers Tom Ellis and Mike Stevens. He chose to remain in Austin and share space in Ellis’s shop. By the mid-1980s, he was building flattop and archtop acoustic guitars in his own small workshop. The company’s history attributes Collings’ growing reputation to the quality of the instruments and meticulous attention to detail. In 1989, Collings rented a 1,000-square-foot space and hired two helpers. That year, vintage-instrument dealer George Gruhn commissioned 24 custom “Gruhn” guitars, which the company describes as bringing the Austin maker national exposure. In spring 1992, Collings moved the operation to a 3,200-square-foot former feed store that he had purchased on the outskirts of Austin. The company account says that musicians including Pete Townshend, Joni Mitchell, and Brian May played Collings instruments as demand grew. It also reports that the shop tripled in size and its staff reached 50 full-time employees. The company’s story notes that Collings broke ground in 2005 for a new 27,000-square-foot workshop featuring CNC technology. The supplied account ends during this description, so it does not establish further details about that facility or the subsequent corporate history. Today, the brand’s website presents a range of handmade acoustic and electric guitars, archtops, and mandolins. Its current featured offerings include the C-00, Hill Country Series, 71, Ladybird, and 620, alongside an optional Q Spruce top for acoustic guitars. The available sources do not name current executives or identify the company’s owner or parent.

• 2005

  Groundbreaking for a new workshop

• 1992

  Operation moves to a larger Austin-area workshop

• 1989

  Workshop expands and Gruhn commissions custom guitars

• Bill Collings begins building guitars in Texas

• Collings builds instruments in his own Austin shop

A maker of custom, handmade instruments that emphasizes skilled lutherie, meticulous craft, and a combination of traditional instrument-making with selected modern technology.

• Acoustic guitars

  Handmade and custom acoustic guitars, including flattop and archtop instruments.

• Electric guitars

  The brand’s electric range includes the 71, Ladybird, and 620 models.

• Mandolins

  Handmade mandolins are included in the brand’s instrument range.

• C-00

  A flattop guitar introduced as a recent addition to the acoustic lineup in the supplied homepage copy.

• Hill Country Series

  An acoustic series described as having a strong fundamental voice that is dry, warm, and woody.

• Q Spruce tops

  An optional acoustic-guitar top offering described as combining hand-craftsmanship with modern technology.

1. 1Collings Guitars | Custom Handmade Guitars & Mandolinscollingsguitars.com
2. 2Our Story | Collings Guitarscollingsguitars.com
3. 3Philosophy & Craft | Collings Guitarscollingsguitars.com