RIP Bill Collings

Lewy

Died earlier today apparently. He'd had cancer.

A brilliant guitar maker and innovator who had a lot left to give. Very sad.

Wazmeister

So sorry to hear that.... wow, what a legacy he has left.

Lewy

deleted

KKJale

Such a shame. I'm honoured to have met him a few times. He's up there with Bob Taylor as one of the game-changers of modern guitar making. So creative, so insistent on quality above all, and incredibly prolific... acoustics, electrics, archtops, ukes, mandolins, tenor guitars, even cases, the list just goes on and on. Hope the company will keep going as he surely wanted. RIP

earwighoney

Yeah I saw that.  A real shame.  

I agree that he had a lot of ideas/innovations as IMO the Waterloo series was in it's infancy. 

It's very easy to forget how pivotal Bill Collings was in championing the bolt on neck.  

RIP Bill, a real legend. 

guitars4you

wow - thanks for the posting - no age - not aware of any prior illness - only chatting to Doug Chandler at Collings UK on Thursday (Guitar XS) - He has left behind a nice tasty selection of guitars

Lewy

KKJale said:

Hope the company will keep going as he surely wanted. RIP

Im sure it will. 

Jalapeno

Dave_Mc

Collings

Bill Collings lost his battle with cancer yesterday.

Very sad. My Collings guitars have been my go to guitars for the past few years.

The guy was a great designer/builder and will no doubt be sadly missed by his company.

joeyowen

Funkfingers

Collings Guitars website said:

"We lost our dear friend and mentor Bill Collings yesterday. He was the amazingly creative force behind Collings Guitars forover 40 years. Through his unique and innate understanding of how things work, and how to make things work better, he set the bar in our industry and touched many lives in the process. His skill and incredible sense of design were not just limited to working with wood, but were also obvious in his passion forbuilding hot rods. To Bill, the design and execution of elegant form and function were what mattered most. Perhaps even more exceptional than his ability to craft some of the finest instruments in the world, was his ability to teach and inspire. He created a quality-centered culture that will carry on to honor his life's work and legacy. He was loved by many and will be missed. Our hearts are with his family."

William R. Collings  
8/9/1948 – 7/14/2017 

ourmaninthenorth

The best tribute I can pay is to say that I've never played a single Colling's guitar, not a single one, that hasn't been perfection personified. 

Heartfelt best wishes to those left behind. 

Strat_a_tat_tat

Very sad loss. His guitars are amongst the finest I've ever played.

At first sight, the prices may look expensive... but I've always thought they're totally worth the money - when you consider the quality of the instrument.

Basher

Only just read about this.
Very sad as, from the interviews I've seen, he seemed utterly driven and passionate about building great instruments.