Collings Guitars

Collings Guitars is an Austin, Texas based stringed instrument manufacturer. The company was founded in 1973 by Bill Collings (August 9, 1948 – July 14, 2017) who in 2008 was called "one of the most recognized and respected names amongst aficionados of modern acoustic instruments". Their acoustic guitars have been highly regarded for decades. In addition to acoustic guitars they also make electric guitars, archtop guitars, mandolins, and ukuleles.
Company history.
Bill Collings dropped out of medical school in the early 1970s, and instead worked in a machine shop for five years. At the same time he built his first guitar. In 1975 he moved to Houston, Texas, where he worked as an engineer with a pipeline and oil field equipment company by day and a guitar builder by night. Three years later he met renowned musician Lyle Lovett and built him a guitar.
In the early 1980s, Collings intended to move to San Diego, California, but never made it further than Austin, Texas. He started out sharing work space with fellow luthiers Tom Ellis, a builder of mandolins, and Mike Stevens. A few years later he continued on his own and took the craft more seriously, moving into a one-stall garage shop.
George Gruhn, a vintage-guitar collector and seller in Nashville hired Collings to make 25 guitars in 1987. Collings soon received considerable attention from other guitar stores as well as magazines for his guitars. Two years later he hired his first employee and the company began to grow.
At the 2006 summer NAMM show, the company moved into the electric guitar market, releasing three models: the I-35, the CL (City Limits), and the 290.
In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, the company makes mandolins and ukuleles. Their mandolins are highly regarded; they "more or less rule in the bluegrass market" in the United States. As of May 2012 the company had about 85 employees and manufactured six to seven acoustic guitars, three electric guitars, two mandolins, and two ukuleles per day.
In 2014, it was announced that the company would be making a guitar based on a currently popular Depression-era design. These guitars are sold under the "Waterloo" brand.
Models.
Mandolins.
Collings began producing mandolins in 1999, and offers A-style and F-style mandolins as well as mandolas. In addition to making the A and F body shapes, Collings also makes f-hole and oval hole mandolins.
Collings mandolins are one of the most highly regarded brands of quality, US built, mandolins and mandolas.
Ukuleles.
Collings began producing ukuleles in 2010, and offers a variety of models in both concert and tenor sizes. Collings ukuleles are made in 3 main "trim" levels UC1, UC2, UC3, and UT1, UT2, and UT3. UC= Ukulele Concert, UT=Ukulele Tenor and the trim level is higher as the number goes higher. Collings either ceased or slowed ukulele production around 2014 when, it was rumoured, they shifted resources to produce the new line of Waterloo guitars. Collings has maintained that they will resurrect ukulele production at some point and is still doing some custom orders.
Collings ukuleles are very highly regarded for their impeccable, light build quality which produces a marvelous tone.