Collings CL Deluxe

Sometimes things go your way. We received an unexpected boost to our year-end numbers in our household which allowed me to add another guitar to the stable.

I had posted about my experience at Lauzon Music Store here. And even though there are a number of shops within the same driving distance (Twelfth Fret in Toronto, Boutique Tone in Montreal), I have had nothing but good experiences at Lauzon. That was where I decided to take my business. I love that store.

My son and I went up yesterday and I auditioned a number of guitars: a Fender Custom Shop 1962 John Cruz Strat, a Fender Custom Shop Custom Classic Telecaster, a Fender Custom Shop Custom Deluxe Stratocaster, a Gibson 1959 Reissue VOS Les Paul, a Collings 290 and a Collings CL Deluxe.

I had a private room full of high-end tube amps to try out all of these various guitars. And after about 90 minutes of playing, three contenders were left standing: the 1962 John Cruz Strat and the two Collings.

As I have a Tom Anderson guitar, the Strat was a relatively easy one to discount. The Tom Anderson is an amazing “strat”. I do not need another one to replace the Tom. I was looking for something to complement the Tom.

The last two candidates were both equally compelling. The Collings 290 was a surprisingly incredible instrument. The Lollar P90s on that machine are just so expressive. The CL Deluxe is a remarkably refined guitar, clearly inspired by the Les Paul in its design, with a far more conservative voice than the 290. But it has a sound and a feel that is just so unique.

Back and forth I went. Numerous times. Although the unexpected boost in our household at the end of year was good, it was only good enough for one of these machines.

After two hours, I decided on the CL Deluxe. You can learn more about it here. I may well round out my small collection of guitars with a P90 machine one day. If I do, I will be back to look for a Collings 290. For now, I get to enjoy the CL Deluxe. I hope to play it live this coming week-end. Thanks to Lauzon Music for making it a great experience. It was wonderful to get a chance to play so many amazing instruments and I am fortunate that I was able to bring one home.

Here are a couple of shots of the new machine: