2010s Waterloo WL-14 LTR Flattop Guitar

The Waterloo-by-Collings brand gets ever more praise every day. The line also spans a large number of repro-'30s instruments, now, too. However, the WL-14 is the one that put them on the map. Most of these WL-14 guitars are the x-braced variety which mimic a '30s Gibson L-00 in the x-bracing but look like a Kalamazoo KG-14. However, this WL-14 has the "LTR" added to its model designation, making it the ladder-braced version.

This thing is basically a carbon copy of a ladder-braced Kalamazoo KG-14. I've worked on dozens of KG-14s (and have one gluing-up after a neck reset as I type this) so I know how true this is -- they must've dissected one because everything matches right down to bracing shape, style, dimensions, and lightness of build. Heck, even the neck profile is a dead-on match and the 24 7/8" scale length is spot-on for a mid-30s KG-14.

The big differences in build, however, are the nice amenities -- a truss rod in the neck, modern medium-sized fretwire, and a thin, satin finish. I found it interesting that Collings chose to use a wider burst on the lower bout than even the "wide-burst" originals and that rather than painting a rosewood bridge black as on earlier '30s K'zoos (or leaving it natural rosewood as on mid-'30s ones), they used an ebony bridge instead. Curious!

So does the copy stack-up? I mean, yes. It sounds basically identical to an old KG-14. The devil's in the details, though. Clearly you can't add 85-90 years of aging and quirkiness of a player's touch and preferred riffs to a new guitar's sound and you also can't take the "Collings" out of a Collings-made guitar. This instrument gains a bit more "creaminess" to the top-end and a drier, woodier sound to its low notes compared to the real thing. It has the same absurd punch, volume, and snap that the originals have but a little less of the open-sounding high-end and snappy, less-precise, airier bass. It's the same but different. It's a hard call. Both vibes are good.

It is nice to have that truss rod, though -- I can't tell you how many K'zoo necks I have to plane and refret before they're lacking warp and happy to get to business.

Repairs included: a very light setup and restring.

Setup notes: action is perfect with 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret. The neck is straight and the truss rod works. Frets are in almost-new condition. I have 52w, 38w, 28w, 22w, 16, 12 gauges on the guitar but generally suggest 52w-11 gauges for original KG-11s if you're playing in standard tuning. That's because the tops do belly/dome as they age and settle-in and this copy will do the same thing -- it's inherent in the design so you've gotta live with it. Sticking to slightly-lighter-than-normal-12s will keep the guitar happier overall and doesn't take away any volume and punch from the box. These things are loud.

Scale length: 24 7/8"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

String spacing at nut: 1 1/2"

String spacing at bridge: 2 3/8"

Body length: 19 1/4"

Lower bout width: 14 3/4"

Waist width: 8 1/2"

Upper bout width: 10 1/8"
Side depth at endpin: 4 3/8"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back/sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: ladder

Fretboard: rosewood

Bridge: ebony, bone saddle comp'd

Neck feel: medium-bigger V, ~10" board radius

Condition notes: it's in good order save that it has some play/usewear scattered throughout. I've taken gloss-agains-boo-boos pictures so you can see where it is -- but there's a little pickwear around the soundhole, some minor scuffing along the back edges, a little scuffing at the side-waist, and some buckle-rash on the back. There's a plugged pickup jack-hole at the endpin and I've replaced the missing endpin with a relic'd strap button and replaced a black strap button with the same at the neck heel.

It comes with: its original, hard, quality TKL case.

Thankfully, the builders chose to keep the pins in line with the saddle for this repro version of a KG-14. I pass judgement any modern builder that doesn't do this. It's just logical.