Waterloo by Collings Guitars - Comparing Ladder-Braced to X-Braced

[SOR]

Questions:
What are the prices going to be?
What kind of case will they come with?
Are they going to be sold through existing Collings dealers?

[frankmcr]

Whaddyamean "Waterloo by Collings"?

"Waterloo" is by Abba!!!

[bayoubengal]

Originally Posted by SOR

Questions:
What are the prices going to be?
What kind of case will they come with?
Are they going to be sold through existing Collings dealers?

$1890 for the WL-14.

On the Collings forum someone said they had heard the case will not be as nice as the ones you get with a Collings, but will be more than adequate. I don't know how they would know that.

Yes, but it's going to take a while to get them out there. I have one on order (deposit put down on a ladder braced with a truss rod) and it "may" get to me before Christmas, but there is no guarantee. Some other folks are hoping to get delivery in November. The waiting makes it fun (at least that's what I tell myself).

[bayoubengal]

Originally Posted by devellis

I'm very stoked about this guitar and I don't get that stoked that often these days.

A while back, I was looking around for a depression-era, L-style, Gibson-made guitar. I found a few that sounded good but they had all sorts of issues, which isn't surprising, given their age and modest positioning in Gibson's lineup of the era. There are a bunch of nice guitars around that have attempted to emulate those classic depression-era guitars. Most of them are actually "too good" to nail the tone. I love my Huss & Dalton Crossroads copy of an L-00. It's a great guitar. But it's just a smidgeon too "pretty sounding" to capture the vintage sound. Collings makes the C-10 in the same body style and again, really nice guitar but it lacks some of the grit of the originals.

I think it takes some courage for a top-drawer manufacturer to strip some tone off of one of its guitars intentionally. The oldies aren't that well balanced. Their bass isn't particularly pronounced. They have a charming boxiness that in most guitars would be a negative. But if you are playing country blues and rags, that tone is the sweet spot.

Collings deserves a heck of a lot of credit for taking this on and keeping the guitar priced under $2000. They have avoided the temptation to dress it up too much or put in more modern features than it really needs to do the job. The initial buzz suggests that the gamble is paying off.

I haven't gotten my hands on one and I'd really love to take one for a spin. I hope that it lives up to my expectations and, if it does, I'll be sorely tempted to get one. I suspect there will be a lot of other folks who feel the same way.

To the folks at Acoustic Music Works, thanks for the very helpful video. Although the differences are small, I think I lean toward the ladder braced T-bar model, which seems to be the least "refined" and closest to the original tone.

I think the video featured a ladder braced with a truss rod, and a X braced with a T Bar, but I do agree with you that the tone of the ladder braced was a little earthier so I liked it better as well.

[joe paul]

I can't see myself finding the cash to buy one any time soon, but they both sound great, particularly the ladder-braced guitar.
Over on the Collings forum thread, I think there was a mention of them expanding the line, doing a Stella-inspired model, that could be really something. I've often wondered why ladder braced guitars are so few and far between these days, with only a handful of luthiers making them. Ok, I'm biased because I love playing the old ones and hearing the sound of the old blues records, sure... but it's good news that Collings are doing this.

[random works]

seems a really reasonable price for a new Collings. Ladder braced making a comeback perhaps? Break out the slide and the ragtime songs.

[arie]

Originally Posted by bayoubengal

$1890 for the WL-14.

$1890 for a new one? that's pretty good. I paid $1800 for a 1936 Kalamazoo KG14 that is far more fragile then a new instrument. will have to check them out.

[devellis]

Originally Posted by bayoubengal

I think the video featured a ladder braced with a truss rod, and a X braced with a T Bar, but I do agree with you that the tone of the ladder braced was a little earthier so I liked it better as well.

You're right. Thanks for the correction.

[SOR]

Originally Posted by bayoubengal

$1890 for the WL-14.

On the Collings forum someone said they had heard the case will not be as nice as the ones you get with a Collings, but will be more than adequate. I don't know how they would know that.

Yes, but it's going to take a while to get them out there. I have one on order (deposit put down on a ladder braced with a truss rod) and it "may" get to me before Christmas, but there is no guarantee. Some other folks are hoping to get delivery in November. The waiting makes it fun (at least that's what I tell myself).

Thank you. I'll try them out at Gryphon when they become available, it is an interesting concept.

Excellent demo!! Really love the sound of the ladder braced version. Hopefully these guitars will make their way across the pond one of these days...

[Glennwillow]

Thank you for the very well done video. Nice to see Collings coming out with these new guitars. I think they will do well with them.

- Glenn

[fishstick_kitty]

That was a great demo...what was that last song he played? Loved it!! .

[JJO]

The playing is so enjoyable and on-target for the style of guitar that it's hard not to love these! I think I liked the x-braced version a bit better, but both were lovely. I will definitely be keeping an eye out of these--great idea by Collings, and I hope it's a huge success.

[Purfle Haze]

Originally Posted by frankmcr

Whaddyamean "Waterloo by Collings"?

"Waterloo" is by Abba!!!

I prefer Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks.

In about a year I will look to pick one of these guitars for $1000, "pre-owned, in like-new condition" on AFG Classifieds.

[AMW]

A couple great new Waterloo demos just posted by the great Tom Feldmann! Here he's playing the ladder-braced model.