Lage has an affinity both tonally and aesthetically for vintage guitars whose finishes have mellowed after years of playing. To recreate this effect, a varnish was originally considered. But to achieve the ideal combination of a thin finish application and a vintage aesthetic, a custom satin lacquer was decided to be used. This new finish offering not only feels and looks right to Lage, he finds it has the same inherent openness of tone that is present in the best pre-war instruments.

With his typical descriptive eloquence, Lage characterizes his signature model as a “lovingly neutral” guitar. It has a remarkably even response between registers. It’s not an empty flatterer, but an instrument that rewards you when you’re playing your best. In this way, Lage, whose own education is unending, sees the guitar as a teacher. Lage’s signature model incorporates a script peghead logo not seen on a new Collings instrument in decades. This is the inlay that Bill hand-cut some 30 years ago when he started out in a tiny shop in Austin, Texas. Collings staff see this as a loving tribute to their late leader, who in his final project was able to realize the perfect new steel-string for one of today’s most exacting guitarists.

We inspect each an every instrument we ship out for maximum playability. We adjust the action and adjust intonation when needed. If you would like a specific adjustment, just add it to your order notes and we would be happy to adjust to your liking.

Serial Number: 28535

SPECS:

Top: Adirondack Spruce

Back & Sides: Honduran Mahogany

Construction: Animal Protein Glue

Neck: Honduran Mahogany

Body Binding: Tortoise with Custom Wood Purflings

Bridge: Ebony Belly-Style with 2-3/16″ Spacing

Fingerboard: Ebony with Gold MOP Short Dots

Pins: Ebony with MOP Dot

Nut: 1-11/16″ Bone

Saddle: Bone Drop-in

Neck Profile: Custom JL Carve

Peghead Profile: Tapered Square

Neck Joint: Mortise & Tenon Hybrid

Truss Rod: Fully Adjustable

Frets: Medium 18% Nickel-Silver

Peghead Veneer: Ebony with Gold MOP Collings Script Logo

Tuners: Relic Nickel Waverly with Vintage Oval Buttons (16:1 Ratio)

Backstrip: Walnut

Rosette: Custom Wood Rosette

Scale Length: 25-1/2″

Bracing: Sitka Spruce Custom Traditional Series Pre-War Scalloped X-Brace (No Tongue Brace)

Finish: Custom Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Strings: D’addario Nickel Bronze NB1253

Collings Traditional Handcrafted Hardshell Case Included

Important information if shipping outside of the USA:

Please note: To help insure the future availability of certain materials used in the construction of this instrument, additional fees and/or documentation may be required when shipping this item outside of the USA. This is due to the CITES treaty, which regulates international trade of certain materials like rosewood, abalone, and pearl. If you purchase this item to be shipped outside of the USA, we’ll determine whether the regulations apply to your order, and will contact you with more information if necessary