*This is a used guitar in excellent condition
*This is a consignment item
*Includes original hard shell case
*Observations: Excellent condition on this stunning-sounding guitar. There is scratching on the pickguard and some light scuffing and scratching on the top from moderate play wear, but overall the finish looks great. Also note that Collings uses a unique nitro satin finish on the JL OM that is slightly rougher in texture than most satin guitar finishes you'll see, which is a key contributor to this guitar's lively, dynamic tone. Fret wear is minimal.
Here's a rare chance to get a lovely used example of this hard-to-find instrument, upgraded with an Adirondack spruce top!
$7499 plus $30 for shipping (consignment item)
OM1 JL - Adirondack Spruce Top
When Bill Collings first met the brilliant young jazz musician Julian Lage, in 2014, the two began a series of in-depth conversations about their respective crafts. Lage's profound insights as a guitarist would play a key role in the creation of Collings’ T (Traditional) Series guitars. This rare collaboration, which continued right up until Bill’s passing, in July, 2017, has yielded another exceptional new guitar with an old soul. We are proud to present a highly personal extension of the T Series: the Julian Lage Signature OM1.
Though Lage’s guitar shares the same foundational specs as the OM1 T, it is unique in some key ways. Its neck feels like no other Collings guitar. That’s because it’s modeled after Lage’s cherished 1939 Martin 000-18. This pre-war gem is heard on the guitarist’s 2015 solo album, “World’s Fair,” and was his main touring acoustic for years.
The 000-18’s neck—which was of course originally hand-shaped and sanded—has a distinctive taper altered by decades of wear. For Lage, this particular neck had come to feel like home. Through careful analysis and digitization of its unique dimensions, Collings were able to precisely recreate its worn-in, asymmetric feel on his signature model. While they maintained the relatively narrow 1 11/16" nut of the 000-18's neck, they extended the fretboard from the original short scale to their standard 25 ½" length for slightly greater presence and note definition.
Lage has an affinity both tonally and aesthetically for vintage guitars whose finishes have mellowed after years of playing. To recreate this effect Collings initially considered a varnish, but to achieve the ideal combination of a thin finish application and a vintage aesthetic, they landed on a custom satin lacquer. 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 sees 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.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AT (512) 243.6036 OR sales@austinguitarhouse.com
