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  #16  
Old 10-23-2017, 03:32 PM
Skaman Skaman is offline
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Very niche guitars. They look really cool and are light as a feather.

The jumbo king I played rumbled my whole body. Has a very woody, dry simple tone, with more sustain than I thought I would have. Neck V is HUGE and fatigued my hand pretty quick.

Interesting guitars but not very versatile.
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  #17  
Old 10-23-2017, 03:36 PM
Skaman Skaman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt G View Post
Has anybody played both a Waterloo and Recording King Dirty Thirties?

I've wondered how similar they sound. For an experiment in that tonal quality, the Recording King is way less risky because it's way less expensive. But that's only if they sound similar.
If you added some decent sustain to the dirty thirties it would sound exactly like a waterloo. Those recording king dirty thirties have one of the quickest decays I’ve ever heard.

Boning it out would probably help in that dept. personally I think Waterloo’s are severely over priced.
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  #18  
Old 10-23-2017, 03:48 PM
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Al Acuff Al Acuff is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vindibona1 View Post
I don't know what to say. Is that a compliment or an insult?
Both.

The little WL14 doesn't look expensive. It's a replica of a cheap depression era guitar. If you missed that, I can see how you missed my point. The brand isn't well known. People tend to underestimate a Waterloo... until they hear it. Playability and sound are exceptional.
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  #19  
Old 10-23-2017, 04:39 PM
BluesKing777 BluesKing777 is offline
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Last year, I had the cash, went to the shop to buy a black with white Waterloo W14 but came home with the new Martin 000-17.
Thought it worth a mention as your name is MartinMan1990...

Put one on your 'to try' list.



I just did a quick blues track ala RJ on the 000-17 for you - I played a similar thing on the Waterloo 14 and my heart went to the 000-17, but I could easily go b ack for the other, except somebody bought it! Here's mine:


https://soundcloud.com/bk7-3/bluesy777z






Mine (with Bad Panda):





BluesKing777.

Last edited by BluesKing777; 10-23-2017 at 05:30 PM.
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  #20  
Old 10-23-2017, 05:23 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Yeah, with all of these depression inspired instruments it has everything to do with the strings used. The Martin copy of the Waterloo line sound too muddy in the wrong places for my ear. But hey, I've never liked the Martin sound. My string choice tends to be NBs. Don't like too much sparkle and want the guitar do it's job. Although my string of choice on the Waterloo Deluxe, for more balanced tuning up and down the neck, tends to be the Santa Cruz low tension Parabolics. Since Waterloos all ship with D'Addario EJ6s, I tend to use those on a occasion but mostly stay with NBs. PB strings really have too much high end glassiness for my ear.
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  #21  
Old 10-23-2017, 05:23 PM
sugarinthegourd sugarinthegourd is offline
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I own the WL-K prototype (the same one photographed for the WL website) and I really love it. It’s surprising loud and quite funky. I wouldn’t sell the bass short on these guitars. It’s a different kind of bass - mostly fundamental with a fast decay — but there’s plenty of thump.

John

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Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt View Post
I don't own a Waterloo (yet), but I've played most of the different models and I think many of the comments above apply to some models but not to others. If you get the chance, play as many different ones as you can. My favorite, the WL-K, is not at all boxy, has plenty of bass, plenty of sustain (for a mahogany/spruce guitar), great volume. It sounded amazing for bluegrass, ragtime, or soft jazz (I was listening to some really good guitarists play it, not just playing myself). Several other models are also excellent guitars with slightly different virtues. I have played others that didn't do much for me, I confess, especially the first model released with the ladder bracing.

The Dirty Thirties guitars I've played were not in the same class at all. They not only sound cheap but they feel that way. If you want to save money but still have a decent guitar, Recording King's solid wood guitars are decent enough, but I wouldn't get a Dirty Thirties even for camping. Just my two cents.
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  #22  
Old 10-23-2017, 05:25 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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I agree with you, John! There's a lot of bass to be had in these. You can certainly find the thump with the right strings.
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  #23  
Old 10-23-2017, 05:27 PM
sugarinthegourd sugarinthegourd is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skaman View Post
personally I think Waterloo’s are severely over priced.
If you can figure out how to make an equivalent quality guitar in the US for a lot less money, I will buy all you can produce.

Last edited by sugarinthegourd; 10-24-2017 at 08:47 AM.
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  #24  
Old 10-23-2017, 08:27 PM
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Originally Posted by MikeMcKee View Post
I am much more a 12 fret guy and currently own the WL-12 Maple and Spruce. No question at all that this is my personal favorite, and I play as you do, with only bare fingers.
Same here. The 12-fret design gives me all the bass I need, and the playability is off the charts on this model -- there's no V to the neck whatsoever; it's a beautiful round profile.

I honestly have to reserve at least an hour of free time whenever I pick it up, because it just doesn't want to leave my hands.

The new all-mahogany version of this really has me gassing!

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  #25  
Old 10-24-2017, 04:37 AM
rsmillbern rsmillbern is offline
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I would add a second mark for the WL-K. I just got one last weekend (actually I got it a few weeks ago but was traveling) and I think it would be one to check out for finger style.
The bass is better than I thought it would be, and it plays very nicely, once I lightened up a bit. I am typically a little heavy handed, playing a dread most of the time.

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  #26  
Old 10-24-2017, 07:52 AM
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I have both a WL-14 L and a WL-S Deluxe. I really like both of them but the WL-14 L is really optimized for blues and doesn't have as full a sound as many people would want on a multi-purpose guitar. It absolutely kills for blues, though. The WL-S Deluxe, which is also ladder braced, has a much fuller, richer tone. It's really a surprise for such a small instrument. Amazingly light and loud. It does blues fine but is also a lot more versatile.

I play my Waterloos a lot, despite having several other instruments to choose from. I really like them for what they are. But the two I have are worlds apart in tone (which is why I have them both). The WL-S is the instrument of the two that I think would appeal to most players but the WL-14 is amazing too, in its more restricted way.

I also agree that the H&D Crossroads is another amazing instrument of this general type. It's more versatile than the WL-14 but still a pretty convincing blues guitar and the neck may be my all-time favorite. It also sounds good when the strings have gotten pretty old, which not every guitar does. It may even sound better with old strings (for blues, anyway) than with fresh ones.

Most 00, 000, and OM guitars I've played have their own virtues but don't capture the bluesy tone of these smaller guitars. I'd include the CEO-7 in that list. Nice guitars all, but they don't have the same tone, volume, or feather-light weight as the Waterloos. There's a reason that Bill Collings chose to make guitars in these styles. They do much more than merely looking like some of the great guitars of the '30s. They have a unique tone and I think they really surpass most of the original guitars they're modeled after, at least the ones I've encountered. But they're clearly not to everyone's liking. If you love the bass-heavy sound of a Martin rosewood dread, you won't find it in any of these, although the WL-S Deluxe actually has a surprisingly strong bass. Check them out and you'll know pretty quickly whether they're your cup of tea or not. They serve a different purpose than a dread or even an OM. You may not want a guitar that does what they do. But if you do, they're great guitars and great values.
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