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#1
09-17-2021, 07:19 PM
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2015 Magazine Review Revisit - Waterloo WL-14X
I was playing my Waterloo WL-14X and then my WL-14L, fabulous bluesy beasts.......and when I stopped to have a cuppa, I looked up reviews and read this old one from 2015. This could have been the review that tipped me over at the time! Sold!!!!
 What do you think, Waterloo-ites? It didn't sound possible to me at the time, but...... https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/a...wl-14-x-615994 BluesKing777. 
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#2
09-17-2021, 09:30 PM
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Interesting review. Plenty of caveats in it rather than being just a pure fanboy letter.
whm
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#3
09-18-2021, 08:02 AM
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I think that is a fair review. I play a WL-K which is advertised much like the WL-14 as more of a bluesy axe. I mainly use it for Piedmont style blues and old gospel played in similar style, but also find that it rings true for Celtic. Modern fingerstyle is not its forte, nor do I use it for classical pieces I play on steel string. I don’t strum much, but it works for that. I think Collings hit the bullseye with what they were after.
Now that said, I do see over and over that (intentionally) the build quality is not the same as a Collings. Mine, however, does not have visible glue for example. True that the satin finish is not the same as my Collings, but the finish, with the hue of the varnish and the fact that it has a body binding give it an understated elegance of a sort. Moreso than the 15 series Martins which are unbound (and I also own). I also like that each model has a unique headstock label. Jon
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#4
09-18-2021, 10:15 AM
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I have an early build WL-14X. I was expecting to get an instrument that had glue drips, paint splatters and maybe a coffee spill stain. The finish on the guitar I received was as clean as a whistle.
I ordered the V neck, I like it. It is definitely a V shape, but not at all clunky. I find it very comfortable. The one thing I will say, the price as certainly gone up a bit since I bought mine. When I bought mine I thought it was a pretty good deal, now it has alot more competition of quality instruments at that price point.
__________________
It never moves any faster than it's supposed to go - Taj Mahal
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#5
09-18-2021, 02:10 PM
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I bought the WL-12Mh first and liked it so much I went looking for a WL-14. I guess I was lucky and found a low serial number model used at Guitar Center that was well played but in very good shape.
I have had a couple of Kalamazoo's and really liked one, but the maintenance and adjustments were a bit too much for me. The WL-14 has good intonation and sound, a great feeling neck, and was just what I was after. The two Waterloo's quickly went to the top of my favorite guitars and have stayed there.
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#6
09-18-2021, 05:38 PM
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Bill Collings nailed it, for sure!
Technically, I wonder what he did that others have not managed in their 30s guitars recreations? Bracing? Thin finish? From a Folkways listing, I dragged this paragraph, very apt I thought: The guitar plays, feels, and sounds astonishingly "right" for lack of a better term. Blindfolded you'd be hard pressed to hear the difference between this ladder-braced Collings WL-14L and a really good original Kalamazoo original. You will certainly notice a difference though -- thanks to the Collings' perfect set-up, and perfectly located frets. Unlike the Kalamazoo, the Collings WL-14 plays in tune, and plays easily. Here is the rest of the blurb if you want to read it: https://folkwaymusic.com/new-instruments/item/id.2718 BluesKing777.
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#7
09-20-2021, 08:51 AM
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I've had a WL-12 for about 3-4 years or so, I really like the light build and responsiveness to various fingerstyle touches, really fun to play. I have a WL-14-XTR on the way, luckily found one used that was priced nice. I found this video of David Hamburger playing a WL-14X, I think it really brings out the tonal qualities that a good player can pull out a responsive guitar.
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#8
09-22-2021, 01:48 AM
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Love Dave!
Just packed up my ladder braced WL-14L after playing it for a short practice, funnily enough I was running through some of Dave’s excellent TABs from various sources, and not a better guitar could be found for bluesy grooves ala DH! (If you know his lessons, he starts with getting a groove)..... Now the sound of my ladder braced guitar while I was playing blues of various riffage made my mind wander back to many, many years ago when a friend and I went to see a local blues trio at a bar.....and when I walked in there was a guy playing honky tonk blues on the bar piano, so out of tune he hated it but it just sounded so...Authentic!  Years later I was asked to join a 7 piece blues band and one of the main reasons I said yes was the same guy sitting there playing his Rhodes! We became good friends after we saw each other at a Champion Jack Dupree gig! So, authentic is very important in blues playing, but a nice neck and a guitar in tune is pretty nice too! More kudos to Waterloo! BluesKing777.
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