12 fret shootout: Waterloo WL-S vs.

[@Bobred1965]

I love the waterloo but that Collings sounds amazing !

[@MoGiMaL]

cool comparison. They would've been more similar if they both had x bracing. Ladder and x are quite different. Another factor is the finish. The finish on the WL-S could be .002", while the finish on the 001 could be 4 or 5 or more thousandths. The thicker finish comparably compresses the tone, stiffens the top, brightens the sound.

[@rosslynemrys5829]

I have a second hand baby Collings, rosewood, Sitka, which I love I tried out a Waterloo 00 size and a Gibson 00L. The Waterloo was so much better but I couldn't afford it at the time. Great and informative video, thanks!

[@saifuladli644]

I'm sold to the Collings for it's clarity. That's what you get for the price.

[@douglasrorrer7697]

The sound of the Waterloo is preferable to my ears. It has a fuller sound.

[@dietersdawgs]

yep

[@KaukTim]

To my ear the Waterloo has a woodier/drier tone and the Collings sounds more full. The Collings comes across as almost more of an OM with the size of the tone. While you can play anything you want on the Waterloo, it seems more suited to the rootsy, bluesy stuff. I enjoy my WL-S and your's sounds fantastic!

[@kevinlucken8558]

Strumming=Collings Tone=Collings Projection=Waterloo Finger picking= Waterloo Aesthetic= Waterloo Value= WATERLOO

[@sbolfing]

A piece of trivia - if anyone is wondering why the name "Waterloo," it's because the city of Waterloo, TX was re-named "Austin" in recognition of Stephen F. Austin!

[@charlesbolton8471]

That’s good to know. I’ve been a fan of Waterloo since Collings introduced them.

[@JeremySheppard]

Wow! Didn't know that.

[@tcjensen1]

The Waterloo does it better. Bold sound, jumps out at you. I have a Martin M-36, was going to get a 000-18 for bluesy stuff… but then I heard the Waterloo. It does things that other guitars don’t. It’s a great justification for another one because of its uniqueness :)

[@ronnyskaar3737]

I would love to have both. But the Collings has a richer sound, like a piano. I prefer the Collings. That's why I own one.

[@stephenkennedy7347]

I have the Waterloo WL-12 sunburst with walnut stained highly figured maple back and sides. Like your Waterloo the sunburst is stunning, the bridge and saddle is what you get on a Collings and it is easy and fun to play. After 18 months or so it has opened up beautifully. I prefer the Waterloo on your demo but I think the Collings would shine in refined fingerpicking and lighter strumming.

[@sandymcconnel5283]

They both sound great, but I prefer the Collings. Have a OO Collings with koa back and sides and a English Spruce top that I adore!

[@randalldickson6633]

I'll take them both. Each one sounds amazing, and they're both easy on the eyes.

[@John-wr6yo]

Stew mac sells some very nice faux tortise shell pick guard and tigerstripe pickguard material's. One in paticular is the resin poured sheets of tortalux. Tortalux is very,very thin and sort of complicated to work with. My exsperience with makeing tortalux pick guards was hit and miss. Useing old pick guards as a stencil sometimes worked. Of course the small teardrop,and larger teardrop sizes are readily available in just about any tone of tiger striping and look of shell. I love the yellow or darker shades of tortise and tiger stripes.

[@mojo6778]

The Collings seemed to have a richer tone, however with that said for the money, if both were hanging on the wall at a music shop I think I would have to go with the Waterloo, I would be hard pressed to give 3x as much for the Collings. I do think you have a very special Waterloo with the red spruce top and slotted head stock, I cant say that I have seen another and yours seems to project more that a standard ladder braced Waterloo, I think you just landed on one of those special ones!

[@chuckywaggs7770]

For finger picking ragtime/blues/country blues I'd choose the Waterloo all day long just for the percussive clarity of the individual notes/strings. For me, that's what you're looking for in a smaller body "fingerpicker" guitar. If it's too complex the notes blend together and it gets to a point where you may as well be strumming. This is where a lot of manufacturers miss the mark...by trying to make a small body acoustic do it all instead of one thing well.. The Collings seems like a more versatile choice that could handle a bit of both strumming and picking but if you're going for specific qualities like punchiness, clarity of notes, the waterloo is the tool for the job IMHO

[@guitarzana688]

Sound and playability are subjective. That is why it’s great to have so many options from so many great builders. Both look wonderful very similar. To my ears very close but Waterloo seemed a bit compressed especially when strumming chords (I listened 3 times). I love that Waterloo is using wood that is from the US and more available? Honestly I have issues spending $6000 for a guitar no matter how great. Buying would depend on playing one myself and what other options might be available.

[@1olddoggie]

Liked them both, but for me, the Collings had more depth and complexity to my ears. But like others, i would likely not pay that much. I'd be in constant terror given that I such a Klutz.

[@texhaines9957]

Waterloo has more bass and possibly more volume. The 0001ASB is more balanced, but it is relatively new. However, its neck might be more playable for me. Maybe try this in another 5 years when they are both broken in.

[@JeremySheppard]

Thanks, Howard! I think both are great. The Collings is way more versatile and balanced. Waterloo is very much itself.

[@texhaines9957]

@@JeremySheppard and for my hand, the Collings is easier to play.

[@thunderbugcreative7778]

One thing I noticed is the Collings square slot headstock is unbeatable in aesthetic scrumptiousness. Save maybe santacruz.. Honestly though they both are dandies and both made at the same place by the same guys so yeah good stuff. The 001 is one of the greatest instruments any human being could ever design or play. I have not played a WL but I'm sure they are great within the limitations of a ladder braced guitar.

[@jmiller3792]

Both are great guitars, but I'm partial to the Collings in this test. It seems to have a fuller and more complex tone. Can't go wrong either way though.

[@inlovewithguitars]

Which one sounds better? Both!

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

I think the collings feels a bit brighter. That isn’t a bad thing but for some reason when I hear that extra chime, my mind thinks ‘tin’, not ‘cuts through the mix’. I think in a live band setting, that chime might be a benefit, but around a campfire, I’m going to the Waterloo every time.

[@SillyMoustache]

Hi, I have a Waterloo WL12 (sitka/maple-x braced) bought new in 2016 and a Collings 0002h (Sitka-EIR) '03 - bought used in '05. I love 'em both. Of course you can pay anything on any guitar,but the Collings oozes tonal quality(If I could find a 002h I'd buy it!) and the Waterloo didn't work for me initially but it opened up remarkable over the first few months (just hanging on the wall listening to the radio with me). Obviously there was no intention to make these two brands resemble each other. The Collings is designed to be a better Martin style, and the Waterloo to emulate the tonality and feel of '30s/'40s Kalamazoos (Gibson budget line). Both do exactly that, although I have to say that both excel in their roles. I reach for my Waterloo for bluesy stuff - prompted by a blues playing friend who brought a rebuilt Kalamazoo to my club one night - love at first chord!) and my Collings for more subtle stuff (although I bought it to play Jimmie Rodgers material). Love 'em both!

[@andyt5559]

i liked the waterloo when i first heard it, but the Colling's just sounded richer! more treble, mids! is it the finish that allows the guitar to be more open vibrate? i love oil finishes and finishing a guitar with 1 as we speak! i actually like how the cherry looks!

[@michaelwebster8389]

I did really like both. I'm actually looking for a 12-fret OO or OOO size guitar which is a bit better for fingerpicking than my dreadnaughts. I was looking at the waterloo 12 fret wl mh, which has a really nice demo on the collings site. The demo with Tom Feldman of the WL-S highlights very different characteristics of your guitar - with Feldman doing very old blues style fingerpicking on it - and the speal references it being made as a sort of modern day Stella guitar. The cost of the Collings wouldn't be justified for my current needs - though I do want to pick up a rosewood and a mahogany dreadnought from Collings or one of the other boutique guitar makers at some point. No way I'll be buying new though...

[@jacobdetten]

Love this... Where you put the Larivee SD-50 in this conversation?

[@JesseDylanMusic]

I wish Martin would do something in their standard series with cherry, whether a special D-18 or what I dno. Something with a dicetail neck. Cherry is so good! I didn’t realize the whole reason Waterloo used cherry was for cost cutting. Cherry is a tone wood of the future. Glad Gibson does so much with walnut but they gotta try cherry too.

[@lebe220]

I have a cherry, apple, pear and plum tree in the garden.

[@blakerussell5701]

The Waterloo is more aggressive... if that make sense? Its the same with my WL-14... which is what I'm looking for in a smaller bodied guitar. Collings sounds great, but seems a little thin. I like a guitar to slap you in the face.

[@mikehoehn1475]

I always wanted a collings guitar but never thought my playing could justify the cost. I bought an om 28 and a d 18 Martin instead. Maybe one day I'll get the collings.

[@drewan575]

I preferred the Waterloo when you played lighter, picking out individual notes and strings...but I preferred the Collings for the harder strumming, it seemed to hold up better and still had some clarity, whereas the Waterloo seemed to breakup a bit.

[@stevegroves]

Both have their place, beautiful sound. I love these sized guitars just comfy to play, my choice would be the Collings just seemed to have lovely mellow depth to the sound.

[@TheULMOnaut]

The Waterloo has a sweet complexity, plus, it responds to strumming very well. The Collings sounds more direct, but seems to give up at certain volume.

[@michaelwebster8389]

The grain on my englemann d28 is very similar to the grain on adi guitars. Very like what you showed there. It's actually very hard to tell the difference - though my adi guitars are much louder.

[@harrykottier8991]

I have a selfbuilt (with the help of my Teacher and Luther Febo Waanders) 12fret ooo sprucewallnut and have used untill now Elixer phosphor bronze .012. The sound gives a little bit too much mid. Maybe I should try the 0.011?

[@John-wr6yo]

Looking for a reasonable oooo 12 frett . Made out of mahogany,all mahogany,or red spruce top and red spruce golden era scalloped and glued braceings. Performance mahogany neck, no volute. One and three quarters. Long glue in saddle and ebony stick bridge. Square slotted peghead.

[@soulvaccination8679]

They sound just like my Seagull

[@chadgranoff5698]

Dude!!!!!!!!!!! I have the same guitar and have been wanting the tiger strip pick guard SO bad but Collings says they dont have one that would fit. Can you tell me where you ordered yours from? Stumac maybe? And which pick guard is it? TY!!! (Yes, I just responded to another one of your videos!) I love my WL-S. I was a bluegrass guy looking for the banjo killer for years. Then I got the WL-S, and now that I'm in my late 40s, and dont care about the bluegrass police, I bring the WL-S and its LIGHT, LOUD, and CUTS through the mix of banjos/fiddles. I feel like I beat the system and I got it for $1400 on Reverb a couple of years ago. Now I just need the same pick guard as you!! TY!

[@JeremySheppard]

It was on there when I got it. Story was that it came from a WLS Deluxe.

[@chadgranoff5698]

@@JeremySheppard ugh..... Ok I gotta find that exact one. It's awesome.

[@Jess_Jones]

I dig the Waterloo, sounds woodier.

[@chris3oh9]

Both awesome!

[@Junterhack]

I think where the Waterloo excels is finger picking, flat picking comes second and strumming third. It's so comfortable and easy to play, It's way easier to learn new arrangements on my Wl-S than my Southern Jumbo. That Collings is amazing too!

[@Mrbullet1952]

I only just listened to this. The Waterloo is a boom box and sounds better than the full Collings.

[@dylanthomas7443]

Jeremy what is different about the Truss Rod of Waterloo Guitars. How are they different?

[@attybong]

nice guitars.. are they both us-made?

[@JammerhakenTV]

The Collings seems to be louder and more crisp , both dont sound like small body guitars, the Waterloo more than the collings in my ear

[@steby123]

The more pronounced bottom of the Colling resonates with my ear, although are great sounding boxes .

[@dasonmusic]

No manufacturer would misplace adi like that anymore. It’s like 3x the price.

[@JeremySheppard]

Waterloo told me that they don't necessarily keep track of which guitars get which and that mine is almost certainly red spruce.

[@snorrevonflake]

And they still couldn't get Waterloo production back up by 2024 - waiting for three years for one of those and longer for another.

[@harrykottier8991]

Hello Jeremy, what kind of strings you use on you 12 fret guitars?

[@JeremySheppard]

Both of these have dadarrio nickel bronze. I usually prefer phosphor bronze.

[@bucketguitar42]

It's hard to beat a Collings but the Waterloo is a great guitar.

[@johnhiscutt1853]

Waterloo sounds more earthy And the Collings sounds more Mellow !!

[@jesselet5073]

Love the idea of the Waterloo but ilthose ladder brace vintage styles always sound too boxey for me and the collings have that clarity and a more of a punch for me

[@DB-rr1eo]

The Waterloo is not as robust sounding as the 001. The waterloo has thinner nitro finish compared to the 001. The Waterloo is probably lighter also. The Waterloo is easier to play than the 001. You did sell the Waterloo.

[@Oklatucky_Guitarman]

How will they both age in ten or twenty years?

[@troytaylor9228]

I thought the Collings was beautiful and I liked it better for sound, however I love the look and shape of the Waterloo. Figures I'd love the more expensive one more!! Ha!

[@JeremySheppard]

Haha. Champagne taste!

[@troytaylor9228]

@@JeremySheppard My wife can testify baby!! :-)

[@dietersdawgs]

Waterloo gets my vote...............Collings sounds bright and thin and not much presence.

[@JeremySheppard]

I still loooove the Waterloo. It's a total winner.

[@dietersdawgs]

@@JeremySheppard yes it's sweet

[@gralbr]

The Collings has a tiny more velvety sound to me. I like the Collings more to me, by a nose

[@jakeweber5578]

Collings has more balls. More volume but the waterloo has its own articulate sound.

[@John-wr6yo]

A bourgeois like this would be ten,to twelve thousand dollars or more. Of course it depends on tone wood ,torrifaction,and appointments.

[@SenorCinema]

scale length makes a huge difference. idk why you're telling ppl not to look at specs

[@roosky203]

Specs do not a guitar make? I had a aneurysm hearing you say that and reading it, I'm sorry

[@JeremySheppard]

Haha, it's a joke and meant to break the gate of language. What do you think about the bigger point of specs or not an adequate measure of if you would like a guitar?

[@coletownsend8316]

Waterloo sounds like older wood.

[@soulgamblers]

I'm really surprised that Collings is building a ladder braced guitar, I love mine built by Michael Hauver in Shepherds Town. I had him build mine with Oak aback and sides with an Adirondack top. Most All of the pre-war Blues giants played Oscar Schmidt Stellas which were ladder braced gems.

[@dietersdawgs]

you don't always get what you pay for, eh?!

[@john15333]

Collings sounds more refined and versatile.

[@jeffsquires6620]

The Collins is louder, the Waterloo has more mids.

[@jaytouvelle2359]

Love them both but they both are overpriced. I will buy one anyway someday not sure which one I love more. When you compare to to a good laminated solid top $100 used guitar they are not worth 700 times more. Most importantly for me is to spend my money on great lessons and practice everyday. I heard guys who can play anything and make it sound great. Love your videos but becoming a good player is more important than the guitar you own. I bought a Taylor 510 in 97 and it really sounds great when a great player plays it. I still love it and will never sell it even when I buy a more expensive guitar.

[@daan30]

This is a pointless comparison video. They are not the same guitar. The woods alone make them sound so different never mind the bracing inside.

[@JeremySheppard]

I'm glad someone finally said it...

[@Stratboy999]

6.5K is a stupendous amount to spend on a guitar. The Collings isn't twice as good as the Waterloo. Frustrating.

[@John-wr6yo]

Just cant justify three thousand dollars for cherry wood guitar ,when seagulls sell for five to six hundred dollars and they sound real good.

[@JeremySheppard]

I can. In a heartbeat. This guitar is incredible.

[@startreker8591]

Waterloo wins over Collings imo

[@startreker8591]

I had om21 y it’s okay but initially i was eyeing on Waterloo though

[@JavaoftheLava]

Waterloo is objectively better

[@dasonmusic]

Personally, I think the waterloo sounds like shit. You can say it’s woody, but there’s a difference between woody and cheap.

[@LoveConquersAllblogs]

Unnecessarily mean comment. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean that it’s “shit” or cheap sounding.

[@dasonmusic]

@@LoveConquersAllblogs purely commenting on a tone of a guitar isn’t mean. If your identity is attached to the tone of it then fine. But also if you think that’s “mean” then I don’t know bro.. you’re gonna have a tough time.

[@real_mrmime9617]

@@LoveConquersAllblogs ok cupcake