Details
This Waterloo WL-14XTR was made in Austin, Texas in 2017 and it has the popular Boot Burst shading on the top. It is in excellent condition with just a few very minor signs of having been played. The frets are in good shape and have lots of life left in them. This guitar has a spruce top, mahogany back and sides and a large-ish V-shaped neck. It has an adjustable truss rod. Collings is not taking order for Waterloos at this time, so whether they are new or used, they are in short supply.
What is a Waterloo?
Although Waterloo guitars are presented as a separate brand, they are made in Austin, Texas by Collings and the production of Waterloo models share much of the same production tooling. The Waterloo brand is leading a new movement in American acoustic guitars, which is to reissue modern interpretations of “budget brand” guitars of yesteryear instead of reissuing rare and expensive models. This less-is-more approach preserves both sound and playability but strips away decorative gee-gaws and the time-consuming efforts that go into achieving a perfect, glossy finish. And yes, if you look inside you will see some glue "squeeze out" under the back braces, something you won't find in a Collings model.
Waterloo guitars are designed to be fully functional but are much lighter in weight. The tuners, for instance, are openback gears with celluloid buttons that are simple but work just fine. The satin finish on Waterloo models will often show the pores in the wood, and the wood grain itself, because the lacquer is so thin. Instead of expensive pearl inlays you get a neat painted stencil on the headstock, etc. The Waterloo brand itself pays homage to Gibson’s Kalamazoo models of the 1930s as “Waterloo” was the original name given to Austin in 1839 when the site was chosen as the capital of the new Republic of Texas.
Specs
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Back sides
Solid Mahogany
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Binding
Ivoroid (top)
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Bracing
X-Brace, Non-Scalloped
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Bridge
Rosewood
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Fingerboard
Rosewood
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Finish
Semi-gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
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Frets to body
14
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Neck material
Mahogany
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Neck shape
V
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Nut width
1 3/4"
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Saddle spacing
2 3/8"
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Scale length
24 7/8"
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Top material
Solid Spruce
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Total frets
19
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Tuners
Golden Age Restoration
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Year
2017
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Case type
Original Hardshell
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Serial number
2349
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SKU
WATWL14VTRBB-2349
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UPC
120590
