“It was just unbelievable. I’ve literally never heard anything like it my whole life”: Jacob Collier on what happened when he gave his 5-string acoustic to Julian Lage and Chris Martin

Jacob Collier’s five-string revolution is still in its infancy, but it seems the Grammy-winning multi-instrument’s unique approach to playing guitar is attracting some big-name admirers.

Over the past few years, Collier has partnered with both Strandberg and Taylor for a growing collection of signature guitars, which have one thing in common: they only have five strings, joined together by a unique symmetrical open tuning that Jacob fashioned himself.

The five-string experiment has appeal. Its immediate accessibility to open chords and unique voicings is widely noted. Taylor is already on its third Collier signature acoustic guitar. The five-string Strandberg sold out faster than the six-string version.

Not only that, some A-list guitar players are also starting to dabble in the Collier school of thought. Speaking to Guitar World, Collier revealed he’s given his guitar to a handful of players – including jazz virtuoso Julian Lage – who have all been able to bring something new to the table.

“I really believe in this as an access point for people who love guitar music but don't necessarily relate to or identify with being a usual six-string guitar player,” Collier says of his signatures.

“The thing I love so much about this is handing it to people who maybe aren't guitarists, but who are musicians, and watching them light up and being like, ‘Oh, it's as simple as that.’

“I think I'm most excited about that. I want to see other people's solutions to musical opportunities with this tuning,” he continues. “Because I've got mine, but I'll never forget how I handed this guitar to Julian Lage. He was like, ‘What's going on with that? That's five strings?’ And I said, ‘Julian, I'd love to hear what you could do with it.’ And it was just unbelievable.

“I was so confounded. His musical brain is insane. He didn't even ask or investigate what the tuning was. He just started playing, heard it, and I just watched his eyes widen. He was solving the problems in his brain and figuring out how to find his way around. I've literally never heard anything like it my whole life.”

Lage is one of the many players who have all given the five-string setup a go. As Collier reveals to Guitar World, he also once gave his guitar to Irish folk hero Wallace Bird and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Jacob Collier Gave Me a 5-String Guitar Lesson - YouTube

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“I remember handing it to Chris Martin,” he adds. “And actually, Chris got it immediately, because he tunes his guitar essentially to this tuning. So, all that kind of stuff, he's so comfortable with. He picked up on it immediately.”

It is the five-string’s ability to force players to explore new ways of approaching the instrument that makes it so appealing and successful. And that’s exactly what Collier was hoping to achieve. It’s a new access point begging to be personalized.

“I'm excited to put it in the hands of kids who are learning,” he notes. “And I also think there are people who've been playing guitars for many, many, many years, but who want a different access point – a different tuning system – to wrap their head around. It’s exciting.”

Last year, Collier gave Guitar World an in-depth lesson on his five-string guitar, during which he discussed his biggest influences, his go-to chord shapes, and his arrangement of the Beatles’ Norwegian Wood.