Highlighting a twenty year career span in luthiery is Bill Comins' international reputation for building some of the most exquisite archtop jazz guitars ever produced. Comins' archtops are coveted for their rich, warm, highly articulate voice, and are often described as having a "broken in" or "old wood" sound. They are also famous for fantastic feeling necks as well as precisely executed detail and setup work.
DAG REPRESENTS CUSTOM COMMISSIONS FOR THIS BUILDER!
DAG represents custom commissions for Bill Comins. We can only handle a limited amount per year and they are on a first come-first served basis with typical wait times ranging from 6 to 10 months. If interested please call for a preliminary discussion in regard to the guitar you'd like to have Bill build for you. If scheduling permits and it's an instrument that Bill is interested in building, we will proceed to the next step and have you consulting directly with Bill to work out all the fine details, as well as pricing and deposits, before the build commences.
Originally coming to the craft from the viewpoint of a working musician, Bill has developed an approach that keeps one eye on tradition and the other on technology. Evident in Comins' work is a healthy respect for the old masters. "Age alone does not account for the greatness of older instruments. Great instruments were usually conceived out of tried and true traditions." With this in mind, Comins employs both old school and modern manufacturing procedures in his endeavor to bring guitar building to it's highest form.
Comins Chester Avenue
Considered by many to be the Comins flagship model, the Chester Avenue is adorned with master grade tone woods and meticulous detail throughout. While the design has been refined and redefined over the years, it continues to be the model that most represents the tradition of ornate arch top artistry.
Traditional styling with a contemporary flare, the Classic Model is offered as a straight-ahead jazz box. While the standard model is furnished with a floating pickup, a built-in pickup is also a popular approach.
Initially conceived as a modern electric jazz guitar, this model possesses qualities that suit it to many styles. It can facilitate much of the subtlety and richness one would appreciate in intimate and expressive playing situations while still being amenable to higher volume settings. The electric sound is evenly responsive, controllable, and versatile. Even when used in combination with overdrive effects, the issue of feedback is quite manageable.
The Concert Model, with is modesty in appointments and violin style shading, has an aura of timeless simplicity. Hand carved from solid woods, it possesses the same high standards of tone, playability and workmanship as the Chester Avenue and the Classic, though it presents an understated alternative.
These instruments are uniquely personalized one off pieces, borrowing or inspiring design elements that signify special events, personal interests, or important achievements. Toward this endeavor, additional time is allocated to accommodate the necessary collaborative exchange of ideas, as well as the anticipated custom design work and tooling required to bring the concept into being. Clients will be asked to participate in a process that considers how components and materials can be utilized to express the initial inspiration.
The Renaissance model is born out of a full pallet of decorative woods whereas infinite choices of color schemes can emerge. Although it comes standard with chamfered f-holes, it is a good choice for unique sound hole designs as well as other aesthetic interpretations. An optional floating pickup is available at additional cost.
The Arboretum model is offered as a modern nylon string guitar. It features traditional tone woods, a mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, and Torres influenced fan bracing, as well as a 15" lower bout width, cutaway, two way adjustable truss rod, and B-Band Undersaddle transducer pickup system. The Arboretum projects a powerful and complex voice, balancing brilliance and warmth.
The Woodland 's solid Spruce top, scalloped bracing, and hand-carved and tuned flame maple back give this instrument a clear, powerful voice. It's large defined bottom end, growling mids, and ringing highs make it well suited for fingerstyle, acoustic jazz, and chord melody style playing.
Comins
