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Joined: May 2008 Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Photos from the Collings factory tour
HERE |
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Joined: August 2002 Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Nice. WIHBT. How many guitars do they build a year/month/day in their shop? And how long will a supply of almost 1600 mando fretboards last them? :eek: |
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Joined: May 2008 Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Mandos = 12 / wk
Acoustic guitars = 20 / wk
Electric guitars = 5 / wk
Good catch on the mando fboards. That's about a 20 year supply. Hope they got a good deal on them.
It was an interesting mix of old style workmanship and modern technology. Yes, there are targets for quantity, but you got the distinct feeling that the only thing that mattered was perfection. Nothing less than a perfect instrument would leave the building.
A good example of their obcessive perfection is actually the cases. While a lot of guitar builders just throw their finished product into the cheapest molded piece of shit case they can buy, Collings starts out with buying the finest wooden TKL Gieb style case and then takes 2 days to dehumidify the interior of excess moisture and then realigns and adjusts all latches.
Not bashing other builders, just pointing out that for 5-10 grand this is the kind of perfection that you get.
Toby |
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Joined: May 2008 Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | This sums up a lot ...
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Joined: June 2003 Posts: 1792
Location: Rego Park, NY, | Very nice photos Dave. I can almost smell the wood and hear the machines churning out those guitars. I see Al is in charge of quality/quantity control again.
Phil |
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Joined: December 2006 Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Great pics! One day I need to take a 'tour'. |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| What's the beer? |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Yellow... The New mauve. |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| Did anyone get to play any of the archtops - particularly the City Limits small-bodied model? |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | I noticed that Al is too shy to wear his Mr. Big shirt. |
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Joined: April 2004 Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Al is a walking billboard for Mr. Big so no need to wear a T-shirt.
We had A LOT OF FUN with the MB T-Shirts. All week long people would come up to one of us (but NEVER to Mr. Big) and ask who he was. I guess they were afraid to approach the man.
I had one kid (a mando player) that BEGGED me to introduce him to Al. I refused and told him that Mr. Big was usually a friendly guy and that he should just go up and introduce himself (which he never did).
Too much fun!!!! |
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Joined: April 2004 Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
This sums up a lot ...
and you should have seen the stack in front of DeBanjo! |
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Joined: May 2008 Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | People will think we moved all these empty bottles into position just for the photo. Well we did rearrange them a little, but none came from more than 6 inches away. Toby |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | That pic is even more impressive when you realize that one of the OFC contingent doesn't drink..... |
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Joined: April 2004 Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | but he sure knows how to eat!
man we had some great meals!!!!!!!!!! |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | ... Toby? |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I think Witko's dreaming of becoming Toby Tyler & running away t'join th'Circus . . . |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I don't even wanna know... |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| Toby or not Toby, that is the question... |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Thank you, Sir Francis. |
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Joined: August 2003 Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | Toby Tyler |
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Joined: April 2004 Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Little Toby (aka Russell) does look a bit like a little Witko! |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Koonta! |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by stephent28:
Little Toby (aka Russell) does look a bit like a little Witko! I never noticed that before. But now that you mention it...
Yah, I can see that...
..but which one is the real Dave? |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Sorry Guys, . . but that was probably the only Disney flick that Kurt Russell WASn't in . . .
. . it was Kevin Corcoran.
. . or did you mean the chimp?? |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 4028
Location: Utah | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Originally posted by stephent28:
Little Toby (aka Russell) does look a bit like a little Witko! I never noticed that before. But now that you mention it...
Yah, I can see that...
..but which one is the real Dave? Donny Osmond plays the Uke? Who'd have guessed? |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I hate those rare occasions when Clifford gets in with my comment, ahead of me...... |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by cliff:
Sorry Guys, . . but that was probably the only Disney flick that Kurt Russell WASn't in . . .
. . it was Kevin Corcoran.
. . or did you mean the chimp?? ;) |
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Joined: April 2004 Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Well, Witko and Russell are about the same height.........
and the kid in the movie LOOKS like Russell (who was probably off doing an Elvis movie at the time). |
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Joined: June 2003 Posts: 1792
Location: Rego Park, NY, | Originally posted by cliff:
Sorry Guys, . . but that was probably the only Disney flick that Kurt Russell WASn't in . . .
. . it was Kevin Corcoran.
. . or did you mean the chimp?? |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | In all fairness, Kurt Russell did play a kid named Toby in an episode of the Virginian...
...then again, he also played "Jungle Boy" on Gilligan's Island... |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I was wondering about the Toby thing too. But I was afraid ... very afraid, to ask. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by an4340:
I was wondering about the Toby thing too. But I was afraid ... very afraid, to ask. Always, always, always be very afraid of Witko. Cross him and it's trouble. He's arranged, thru the careful use of hula skirts and coconut bras to scar people on this board for life..... |
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