Acoustic Blues

[zombywoof]

Another guitar I would look at, if I wanted to get away on the cheap, would be an Epihone Bluesmaster. Don't wrinkle up your nose. I actually prefer those I have played to the new fangled Gibson LG-2 American Eagle. They do not make them any longer but they are worth hunting down. While I am on an Epi kick, another guitar I would consider is one of the round soundhole Epi Masterbilt archtops. It takes some thinking outside the box but a good round soundhole 16" archtop will combine the punch and chunky mids of an archtop with the fatness of a flattop. I own a mid-1930s round soundhole Kay Kraft archtop and that thing just has a peanut butter smooth response with none of the brittleness on the high end you can hear with an f-hole archtop

[devellis]

Yeah, the Waterloos are great. I've got a WL-14L, which is their original model copying the Kalamazoo 14-fret ladder braced with no truss rod. Sort of the classic configuration of the old blues guitars. I also have a WL-S Deluxe that's a Stella copy. The latter has a surprisingly warm, sweet tone for a ladder braced guitar but still works well for blues. The Waterloo's higher-priced brother, the Collings C-10, is another great blues guitar but pricey and perhaps a bit too smooth for some blues, depending on your tastes. The all mahogany ones are especially nice. They're probably outside of your price range unless you find a nice used one.

But maybe my favorite blues (and a lot more) guitar is the Huss & Dalton Crossroads. It's the size of the L-00 (and Collings C-10) but with a lot more refinement than what I've seen in any Gibson. Yes, the old Gibson blues guitars can be great. But they're pricey and they've typically been through a lot. Some have been fixed up but it's pretty much impossible to find one that hasn't undergone the ravages of age at some point. They were inexpensive guitars when new and tended not to be treated with kid gloves. Ones that have been brought back to excellent condition often are more expensive than many of the new equivalents. You can skip all of the associated hassles by getting something like a Waterloo or Huss & Dalton, new or gently used. They're more carefully made than the originals but do a great job of capturing that signature blues tone. They're also very comfortable guitars to play. And they're made by some of the best builders around outside of the individual-luthier world.

[merlin666]

A Waterloo was also my first thought, but as the OP mentioned 000 and slothead and wants a big bass response, I would also like to mention the Guild Orpheum 000 slothead. Yes, they have been out of production for a few years and were priced in a higher range BUT there are still some NOS around in stores and the odd used one at reasonable price pops up as well occasionally. They were also made in a spectacular sunburst that adds to the appeal as a blues guitar, though quite rare in that.

http://guildguitars.com/g/slotted-he...k-6-string-rs/

[silvereagle48]

Have both a 00 (CEO-7) and a 000. 00 is slightly more comfortable but, 000 blows it out of the water with sound.

[jakyru]

Originally Posted by bajawatt

I am 5'10 and play fingerstyle without picks like you. I am however about 70 lbs heavier and play slack key. I'll play a little blues, thanks to the awesome lessons from the poster above ( hi Toby).

All this to say that I play on a 522 12 fret and love it. 12 frets not ideal for slack key since I need to reach 12-14 on occasion. Still, I love it. Not sure if it is an ideal blues box, but it suites me. Worth trying out! And you should be able to land it south of 2k.

Welcome to AGF.

You play a 522 Taylor?
I have played a used (near mint) one recently, a 522e and it was nice.

[bajawatt]

Originally Posted by jakyru

You play a 522 Taylor?
I have played a used (near mint) one recently, a 522e and it was nice.

I do indeed. It plays so easily. Really dig it. For your budget some other killer guitars mentioned in this thread, especially the Santa Cruz 00 1929, though it's neck profile is very different from Taylor if I recall. Try before you buy and enjoy the ride.

[momando]

Having recently went through a period of shopping for an L-00, I'll throw out my experiences here.

Gibson L-00 - There is a standard and a vintage model (on new ones) that both fall in that price range. The vintage models had a torrefied top and a few other bells and whistles, and I found that they sounded better than standard, but nothing really made me fall in love.

Waterloo 00 - I tried a lot of these in 14 fret and 12 fret configurations. I liked the ones that were X braced better than ladder, and came really close to picking up a 14 fret with X brace and truss rod. They're great guitars and hold their value well if you decide you want something different in the future.

Huss & Dalton Crossroads - I'll admit that I am a big H&D fan, so I really wanted to try one but none of the local shops had this model in stock. Fortunately, I travel a bit for work and was able to try one in Seattle at A Sharp. I liked it... a lot! It was the standard sitka/mahogany model and I spent an hour playing it before I had to jet to get to the airport.

A few weeks later I was in Chicago at Chicago Music Exchange and they had all three where I could play all the brands side by side, along with some vintage Gibson L-00's. I loved the sound of the vintage gibsons, but not the necks. After months of deliberation, I found a Crossroads with torrefied sitka and sinker mahogany that really speaks to me.

Long story short - if you are near Chicago, CMX has a huge variety to try and figure out what you like. I'd personally shy away from the modern Gibsons as they haven't been overly consistent, but any of the others seem to be fine guitars.

[momando]

Oh... one more to try... Collings C10. Slightly more modern twist than the Waterloo.

[jakyru]

You just summarized all of the previous replies and my list in one reply! Excellent. I havent been able to play any of these yet but I am heading to Chicago for Thanksgiving and will be stopping at CMX. Thanks for the great reply.

Just based on my spreadsheet I am leaning to the H and D crossroad, either 12 or 14 but I do some lead/fill stuff between 12 and 14 so might get the 14. I like the C-10 also and the Waterloos seems nice. I don't know why, but I can see myself playing a Gibson. Ill be opening minded though and try an L-00.

Why X-braced over ladder braced?
WHat makes the C10 more modern than the waterloo?

[gfirob]

I think it's hard to beat the original Kalamazoo KG 14's from the 30's if you are interested in the blues. These ladder braced guitars are feather light, have a quick decay and really have a great voice. There are usually several of them on Reverb for a little less than $2000. They also look great IMHO, that old 30's Gibson sunburst, and nice necks. There is a reason the Waterloos copy them.

[MHC]

I'd check out the Martin 00-28 re-imagined. The rosewood B&S gives you plenty of bass omph. The CEO-7 is also a good option - but if you're worried about bass, I'd stick with roswood back and sides.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by stephenT

A Waterloo WL-12. That was easy!

Yup, if you can cope with a smallish 1 & 3/4" nutwidth, this should be the one.

[BluesKing777]

Yes, Waterloo WL14X. Gibson L-00. All those, but perhaps try a Martin OM18 or 000-18 if you want a 'bigger' sound....or better still - a used 2002 OM18V!
There's blues, blues and blues and as many ways to play it as guitars...

BluesKing777.

[ricfreak]

This is the closest I could get ..... acoustic and blue

[donlyn]

jakyru,

I know this came up earlier in the thread, and also you mentioned playing and liking some smaller body Taylors.

Try some more Taylor Grand Concerts (xx2 designations). They come in both 12 and 14 frets and 25.5 and 24.xx scales, depending on the year and model. And lots of different woods. If you are set on a 12 fret, at least try out one with a cut-away and see if that matters.

I have 2 Grand Concerts, one mahogany and the other a spruce/rosewood shorter scale. While different, both sound great and are easy to play.

Don