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#1
01-13-2022, 07:19 PM
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Waterloo Owners Club!
Whether you’re a current or former owner, post your photos of your Waterloo along with any details or stories you’d like to share.
*** WATERLOO CLUB COUNT ***
Total: 64
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2011 Eastman E10P Last edited by A.Wilder1; 08-14-2023 at 09:31 PM. Reason: Updated count... ongoing... 
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#3
01-14-2022, 11:59 AM
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2011 Eastman E10P Last edited by A.Wilder1; 06-27-2022 at 07:50 AM.
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#4
01-14-2022, 12:00 PM
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Everyone who works at our shop owns a ladder-braced WL-14... but only 1 of the 3 are actual Waterloos!!! I'll explain!
The WL-14 was well into development when we visited Collings to pick out some tone wood and say hello to all of our friends in Austin. Bill Collings (RIP) ran to the back and emerged with prototypes of the WL-14X and the WL-14L. Both had big t-bar necks and cut-through saddles, totally old school, and the way Bill originally envisioned them. I got to spend about 20 minutes on the Collings couch playing ragtime and country blues for Bill, while he continually rotated the ladder-braced and x-braced versions into my hands. He really wanted to know if I had a preference, but I didn't! I was over the moon about both!!! A few months later, the models were announced and we opened up pre-orders... and with the exception of the new 470 JL electrics, which are running a close second, we had never had so many people call us to reserve a new model. We ended up taking deposits on something like 20-25 WL-14s! When our first production instruments started rolling in, I knew that as bad as I wanted one, it would be a long time before I actually had a shot at buying one. The customer comes first, you understand, we're spoiled enough around here as it is! But there was a solution: measure it, trace it, build it! That's just what I did. I took one of our first WL-14Ls and took note of every possible detail, from the height, width and placement of the braces, to the depth of the body, to the shape of the neck, in the most painstaking detail that I could. I then spent the next few weeks trying to recreate the guitar, and I'm proud (and still a little surprised) that I was able to approximate it pretty well, even down to the weight!  Thus, my "Looky-Loo" (bottom in the photo) was born! Other than the natural finish and the fact that I filled the pores on the back and sides, it's as close as it can be... except it doesn't have *exactly* as cheap and authentic a sound. Mine has a little more bass and a little more sustain, but all in all, that's not really a bad thing. With the success of my personal counterfeit Waterloo, I began secretly building another, as a surprise gift for Acoustic Music Works store owner Steve. This one, now known as the "Cookie-Loo" (top in the photo) is identical to mine other than the pattern on the pick guard, the binding being ivoroid, and the fact that it has a torrefied Sitka top. That guitar is a killer, lots of mojo! It was fun over the next few years to build variations on my Waterloo copies for Steve Gunn, Nathan Salsburg and a few local customers. I experimented with the construction a bit, but I still like them best the way Bill and co build them. The 3rd guitar in our story is the *actual* Waterloo! Early tuxedo finish WL-14L belongs to our Saturday guy Adam. He has played the heck out of that guitar over the last five+ years, and it sounds absolutely awesome.
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________________________ Acoustic Music Works Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins & Good Company A top dealer for Collings, Huss & Dalton, Kevin Kopp, Baleno Instruments, Eastman, Pisgah Banjos, OME and ODE Banjos, Northfield Mandolins, and more! (412) 422-0710 www.acousticmusicworks.com Friend us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Check out our YouTube channel!
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#5
01-14-2022, 01:06 PM
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AMW, that’s a really great story, thank you for sharing!
Those replicas also look like 99% real Waterloo’s - it’s pretty amazing you were able to get it that close to the real thing!
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2011 Eastman E10P
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#6
01-14-2022, 01:45 PM
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That's an awesome story Raymond! I have no doubt that your take is also a great instrument!
Fellow Waterloo fan here. My first was a very early serial number WL-14L, followed up in early 2017 by one of the early WL-S models, and then last a WL-14X in black. I've since moved the WL-14L on to a new home. It was a cool guitar, but I found the WL-S better fit my needs for a ladder braced guitar. In some ways, I regret the move, but I was trying to be good and I'm sure I used the sale of a couple of guitars to justify the purchase of one or more instruments to my wife. The WL-S is a really special guitar, always surprises me. I hope Collings keeps pushing the Waterloo line ahead!
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#7
01-14-2022, 05:26 PM
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Waterloo Owners Club!
   My pandemic purchase was this Waterloo WL-K TR. It is the lightest guitar I have every played. Old time vibe which I mainly use for fingerstyle blues and gospel, but also works for Celtic and such limited strumming as I might do. I like that the Waterloos have individually designed headstocks for each model. Jon
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#8
01-14-2022, 05:34 PM
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Count me in!
My town use to be pure Dreadnaughtville -if you wanted a dread, you could probably buy one at any shop and a packet of cigarettes. But if you wanted a 000 or OM, you were out of luck! Then various small bodies began to land at a famous shop here, and I bought a few but they had the promise of a 30s acoustic but not the dry sound until...... ......the Waterloo WL-14 was announced!  The shop in town here got 4 and they went like hotcakes - the word was out - blues pickers unite! So, I did something I don't like - I ordered one online from the next state over. Luckily it arrived set up and playing beautifully. My Waterloo WL-14X:  Then I had a dreadful itch for the ladder braced one and none were around and I sort of gave up on it....until I was on a string buying mission and...there it was - a ladder WL-14L. And I played it. And I had no money at the time. The early hype was over, I suppose, and the ladder sat in the shop for a long while....it was there a couple of times I went in the shop...... I consigned a couple of other guitars there, one sold immediately and the other hung around unloved and I ran out of patience and asked the shop owner if he would consider a trade. So I got the new Waterloo and a Hiscox case to suit and got rid of a guitar that wouldn't sell!  Waterloo WL-14L:  Photos from when they were both brand new - they have aged nicely since and sound better every day. I better go play them! P.S. I played the ladder for some country blues fingerpicking.......perfect! Bill somehow knew exactly what I wanted, even though I never met him......and not just what he thought he could sell! BluesKing777. Last edited by BluesKing777; 01-14-2022 at 06:22 PM.
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#9
01-14-2022, 07:23 PM
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2011 Eastman E10P
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#10
01-14-2022, 07:51 PM
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I just posted this photo in another recent Waterloo thread. I was looking for a vintage or vintage-inspired blues guitar, along the lines of a Waterloo. The next thing you know, I came across two used, left-handed Waterloos. Definitely not an everyday occurrence.
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#11
01-14-2022, 07:59 PM
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Waterloo Owners Club!
 Super sweet WL-S Deluxe that I bought last summer 2020. Plays and sounds great, kind of like actual ladder braced 12-fret guitars from the 1920s and 30s, but also with some added complexity to the sound. Great little instrument. The design, woods, finish are stunning. The Cherry back is breathtaking. Those two little dark streaks in the top give it a little extra visual character. Varnish finish is perfect. They just absolutely nailed the vintage vibe without copying any specific vintage guitar. My only complaint is the Golden Age tuners, which fit the vintage catalog guitar aesthetic but are, in my experience, subpar in performance and not worthy of a beautiful $3K instrument. I’d like to replace them but haven’t done it yet. I might also get a custom vintage shape pickguard like the old Stellas. Last edited by oldtimestrings; 01-14-2022 at 09:08 PM.
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#12
01-14-2022, 08:22 PM
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The first "nice" acoustic I've ever owned is my WL-14X Scissortail. I'm a big fan of the way these guitars sound. I love the way it plays with its big, chunky neck. The flamed maple back and sides are stunning, too.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1VwppwTkoD3EdsmUA Quote:
They're really wonderful - very simple and elegant. The builder's own touches make them unique. Light as a feather and very resonant.
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Waterloo WL-14X Scissortail Collings OM2H Gibson 50's J45 Fender EJ Strat
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#13
01-14-2022, 08:38 PM
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#14
01-14-2022, 08:59 PM
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Yes! The tuners just aren’t great on the Waterloo WL-S Deluxe (and presumably the standard WL-S). I’ve thought about upgrading to the Waverly plated tuners (link below), but I’m not certain they’d drop in and I’m reluctant to mess around since the originals are functional. Has anyone done this upgrade?
Here’s the link: https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-ha...tted-pegheads/ Quote:
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#15
01-14-2022, 09:09 PM
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My contribution to the club. My WL-12 and WL-S Deluxe. Sadly, I let the Deluxe go on a mini purge of three nice instruments to help fund an expensive kitchen remodel. I've regretted selling instruments in the past and I'm sure this will haunt me for a long, long time. Still, I have my WL-12 and now a fresh kitchen and a happy wife
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