A custom, one-off laminate spruce and rosewood I-35 LC puts a new spin on a classic.

Why We Love This

On first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking this Aged Sunburst I-35 LC was like others you've seen on our site over the years - but - a deeper dive into the specs reveal some really interesting differences. Forgoing the tried & true maple laminate (or carved maple top paired with a mahogany body), this Custom I-35 LC features a laminate spruce top paired with a laminate rosewood body.

Spruce and rosewood will be immediately familiar to any acoustic player - this is the basic wood recipe for a D-28 style acoustic. Being that Collings are renowned for their acoustic guitars, it makes perfect sense that they would explore this pairing on a semi-hollow I-35 LC.

As you'd imagine, the use of these atypical woods (on an I-35 LC) paired with a set of Lollar Low Wind Imperial humbuckers deliver a unique flavor of the classic mid-forward, punchy, and versatile semi-hollow sound. To our ears, with the aid of a Carr Sportsman amp, this Custom I-35 LC has a warmer top-end response (not muddy, mind you, it's plenty clear) and a dialed back midrange. It's a broader sound, not so focused on the midrange - an expanded EQ, if you will that sounds wonderful clean or overdriven. There is something addictive about the note attack on this guitar - it's crisp and articulate which is really fun and rewarding for unamplified playing (ie, late night or couch practice sessions).

It should be noted that this Custom I-35 LC is a one-off build and won't be duplicated so if the idea of a unique semi-hollow from one of today's most revered company is appealing to you? Don't sleep on this one, you won't be disappointed.