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Bill Collings moved from Ohio to Texas in the mid 1970's. Spurred by a lack of interest in medical school, this move enabled him to combine lifelong interests in both guitars and tools into the challenge of stringed instrument building and repair. After a couple of years in Houston, several guitars and a few banjos later, he headed west to southern California. Making it only as far as Austin, he shared shops with fellow luthiers Tom Ellis and Mike Stevens. From there, he set up his own small shop in a wooden "one car" garage. His reputation for outstanding quality and meticulous attention to detail quickly spread. In 1989, he rented a 1000 square foot space and hired two helpers.That same year, an order for 24 custom "Gruhn" guitars helped to establish Bill in the national market. In late 1991, a 3200 square foot "feed store" was purchased, on the outskirts of Austin, and was occupied in the spring of 1992. By 2005, the size of the shop had tripled with 50 full-time employees and ground was being broken for a new 22,00 square foot shop. The addition of CNC technology helped to add a level of consistency, accuracy and safety to parts production that was previously unavailable. As the business grew and processes were refined, there is one thing that did not change...Bill Collings' commitment to building the finest acoustic steel string instruments possible.In 1999, Bill Collings started production of the first Collings mandolins which, like his guitars, quickly set new standards for the industry. Years later, Collings mandolins have expanded to include seven models in both lacquer and varnish finishes.

Bill Collings moved from Ohio to Houston, Texas in the mid-1970s. More interested in guitars and engineering than in his pre-med program, he took a job at a machine shop and began building guitars on his kitchen table with just a few hand tools. Coming from a family of engineers, Bill’s experience as a craftsman and his natural curiosity equipped him to experiment and quickly improve his craft. Before long his instruments were in the hands of local talents Rick Gordon and Lyle Lovett, which led more Texas players to seek out Bill for custom guitars. Fueled by his fascination with the construction and design of a variety of instruments, Bill soon began crafting more than just acoustic guitars. In 1999, he introduced the first Collings mandolins, which like his guitars, quickly set new standards for the industry. In 2006 his interest in carved top instruments led him to introduce a line of electric guitars that players quickly embraced because of the instruments’ exceptional craftsmanship and tone. In 2009, with a nod to the tradition of some other high-end acoustic guitar makers, Bill created a line of concert and tenor ukuleles that were hugely popular with professional and hobbyist players alike. Due to a sheer lack of “small shop bandwidth”, these were later discontinued after Collings started production of Waterloo Guitars, a stand-alone line of vintage-inspired guitars designed to capture the tone and character of some of the best depression era instruments. In that same “vintage” vein, in 2016, and after years of development, Collings began to sell their own acoustic guitar and mandolin cases, designed and fabricated in their Austin shop, built to match the quality of their instruments. Today, the mission is to continue Bill Collings’ legacy following his death from cancer in July 2017.

Austin, TX

Keith Richards, Lyle Lovett, Pete Townshend, Emmylou Harris, Andy Summers, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Joni Mitchell, Don Felder, John Sebastian, Lou Reed, John Fogerty, Tim O'Brien, Pete Huttlinger, Kenny Smith, Brian May, Joan Baez, John Prine

Dreadnought, OM, Baby, Mandolin, 12-Fret, O Series, C Series, SJ, Cowboy, Archtops, Electrics