Waterloo Guitars help me out

BreedloveRDMH · #1 06-24-2020, 04:00 PM

I'm looking to get another guitar to go along with my Collings and Breedlove. I'm really interested in Waterloo guitars specifically the Waterloo L14.
Can anyone tell me about their first hand experiences with them?

Thanks in advance for the wisdom and experience of the forum

Silly Moustache · #2 06-24-2020, 04:33 PM

Hi, I have a WL12.

Here's the story :

rstaight · #3 06-24-2020, 05:08 PM

Can't get a much better response then Silly's.

Al Acuff · #4 06-24-2020, 06:16 PM

There are a lot of satisfied Waterloo owners here at AGF. And there are some folks that weren't satisfied. My advice is to deal with a store that will let you try one and return it if you're not thrilled.

There's no Waterloo dealer here in Santa Fe so I purchased my WL-14XTR from Elderly Instruments. I returned the first guitar they sent which was a WL-JK Deluxe that I wanted to try. It was a nice guitar but not what I was looking for so I looked at at couple of their WL-14s via photos. The one I picked turned out to be a keeper

Elderly Instuments was great throughout the whole process. Highly recommended.

BreedloveRDMH · #5 06-24-2020, 07:43 PM

So now I'm trying to decide on X or L bracing. I'm not too concerned about the truss rod options but I'm leaning to the L braced one.

I'm looking at one with their aged finish also.

I'll keep everyone posted

stephenT · #6 06-24-2020, 08:13 PM

The current WL-14 is truss rod only and you can bet Collings/Waterloo has a reason for that.

Ben M. · #7 06-25-2020, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreedloveRDMH

So now I'm trying to decide on X or L bracing. I'm not too concerned about the truss rod options but I'm leaning to the L braced one.

I'm looking at one with their aged finish also.

I'll keep everyone posted

I’ve had the the x braced and the ladder braced. There isn’t a huge difference. I’m sure you’ll be happy with either one.

To my ear the wl-14 sounds like a flat top and an arch top had a baby. The ladder braced is a little closer to an arch top sound. It’s what I’d call a simple or fundamental sound. Very punchy.

Collings is an amazing guitar company that stands behind their instruments.

Howard Emerson · #8 06-26-2020, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreedloveRDMH

I'm looking to get another guitar to go along with my Collings and Breedlove. I'm really interested in Waterloo guitars specifically the Waterloo L14.
Can anyone tell me about their first hand experiences with them?

Thanks in advance for the wisdom and experience of the forum

Since July of 2015 I've owned #088, which I assume is from their first generation of L-14L TR (adjustable truss rod).

Prior to buying it, the dealer (Tejon Music) tried to 'warn' me that they'd had some returns because people didn't realize how large the neck was. While it is large it's not quite as large as my Flammang L-40 or 1930 Gibson L-5, which was the template I gave to David Flammang when he made my L-40.

So basically, for me, it's a very comfortable neck. I did take the precaution of removing the original small frets as they're worthless, and they only make the instrument harder to play. It was quickly refretted with Dunlop 6100 wire.

I'm going to be listing the guitar in the classified section pretty soon. The body is just too deep for me to be comfortable with.

For people who are comfortable with the body depth, it's a very loud instrument with the typical ladder braced pop.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

MikeMcKee · #9 06-26-2020, 08:13 AM

I've owned several. I liked them all, but the models are very different. Really depends on the type of music you want to play on it. And yes, you have to be careful on the earlier models that had the chunky neck profile...didn't work at all for me.

jgottsman11 · #10 06-26-2020, 09:29 AM

I wasn't a fan of the neck profile. Way too big for me.

Yendoggy · #11 06-26-2020, 10:05 AM

Great guitars but every one is very different from the others. Good thing!

But hopefully u can try first.

I prefer X

BreedloveRDMH · #12 06-26-2020, 12:52 PM

Well a 2016 WL 14L Sunburst TR is on it's way and should arrive tomorrow.
I'll let everyone know what I think and send some pictures. I got a very good deal on this used one.
While it's clear that most any style of guitar music can be played on most any guitar I'm getting this one to help me focus on getting my finger style country playing locked in. Sort of a motivational kick start.

I'm sure I'll be happy with the Waterloo, wish me luck staying focused on sticking with practicing everyday as opposed to just sitting down playing what I already know.

Be Safe, Be Kind

Mr. Jelly · #13 06-26-2020, 03:23 PM

I think you will be very happy with the guitar you've chosen. I like the ladder brace best. I've had about five different styles of Waterloo guitars. I ended up keeping the WL-S Deluxe though I also liked the WL-S.

JIMBO53 · #14 07-05-2020, 05:35 AM

I picked up a 2015 WL14-XTR off Craigslist that had my favorite pickup, a LR Baggs M1a already installed. When I test played it in a fast food parking lot, the high E string broke and the rest were pretty worn out. Even with only 5 clapped out strings, I know I was taking this home.
I previously had a 1967 all mahogany Epiphone FT130 Caballero with ladder bracing. The small LG-0 size body was what I liked but the thin neck and narrow nut convinced me to sell it.
The WL14-XTR has the same small body, but a 1 3/4" nut made out of ebony and substantial neck really pulled me in. The impeccable Colling build quality and design based on an old Stella Depression era guitar really appealed to my style of flat picking rag-time, early jazz and string band music.
I've been playing since I was 16 and I'm 67 now. This is my favorite all-time guitar and I've owned a lot.
Hope you find what you're looking for!