Mine is 3115, very early.
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I bought mine from Willcutt, back in October, it is #3116. I really like it and I also like my carved tops and especially my flat top, Sawchyn Beaver tail.
Great, now I want one.... especially based on the reports of the neck profile.
One just hit our Classifieds. About a half mile from Cafe headquarters. Guess that's the signal I'd better get down there and get my fingerprints on it.
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/148277#148277
Attachment 181934
that's a sexy beast right there... and I"m not even saying that while looking at myself in a mirror!
Scott,
From one Nugget owner/fan to another, I think you will like the Waterloo. I’ve had mine for about six weeks. It’s nothing like a Nugget, and adds another dimension to my playing. A lot of fun. My only complaint is the tailpiece (it’s a real pain in the butt to change strings). Please report your opinions after you play (or buy it).
Haven't had any updates in a few months. Anybody else playing one yet?
One is on the way. More to come....:grin::mandosmiley:
Hoping for a full report once you get it! :mandosmiley:
It arrived today. Pictures to come but you know what they look like. Took me almost 9 months to find one in a store to play but once I got my hands on one, I was sold! I would have bought that one a few weeks ago but it was black and I wanted a sunburst to match my WL-14X guitar. At $1,750 new you may be thinking that's a lot of $$$ for a flattop but it's the best sounding flattop mandolin I've had my hands on. A big part of that is it's built for J74 strings. Blows the old Flatiron pancakes out of the water in the tone and volume departments. There are also plenty of old Gibsons available in that range. The neck on the Waterloo is much nicer and more playable AND it joins the body at the 11th fret giving you better playability. The neck does have some girth to it but it's still comfortable to me and I usually prefer small necks.
Could use some minor tweaking. The nut corners are really sharp which is a pet peeve. There's a little buzzing on the D string which I think is related to the nut slots being a touch too deep. But nothing that I can't tinker with myself. While certainly not a bluegrass canon if you're looking for an oval hole for old time, Irish/Celtic, blues, etc. this is worth your consideration. As much as I love the old instruments it's nice to have something new with modern playability and perfect intonation to play. Pics and videos to come once it's settled in a bit. :mandosmiley:
A pair to draw to! :mandosmiley:
So I’ve been searching for a depression era flat top and ran into this thread.
A couple questions for owners of one..
Is the body really 2 1/8” deep?
Also how does it sound?
I’m looking for a real warm round tone and love the looks of this blonde one..
Attachment 186145
The blonde one is maple. The others are mahogany. I believe they’ve only made one maple one so far.
Collings has not reopened yet, and probably won’t be up to 100% capacity for a long while. These are available through any Waterloo dealer. A dealer can order one for you, but there’s going to be a wait. Adam at TME had another one on order earlier this year after selling the one from NAMM. You might contact TME and see if it was pre-sold.
These are great mandolins. As for the neck profile, I believe there’s just the one. I am not sure how many of these they are producing, but the volume is nothing like the guitars. I’m not sure you are going to see a lot of variation in these.
The neck is super comfortable. I like smaller necks and this one plays just fine. Dusty Strings had a maple sunburst version. The mahogany sounds great though. I’d wanted an oval for awhile and this scratches the itch, no carved top needed. A seriously fine mandolin, especially for the money.
Was chatting with one of my contacts at Collings today and inquired about a blond Waterloo Mandolin. Here's the response which was previously alluded to:
The only one built in blonde to date was the one at NAMM, which has since been sold by The Music Emporium. We have another one at the very early stages of production, but it could be a while before that one is completed. The mandolin is not spoken for, so it could be ordered through any authorized Collings dealer at this point.
Congrats! Look forward to seeing it when it's completed.
Tone....loud, full, balanced. Good oval hole sound. Not as nuanced as a carved top mandolin. But far and away the best flattop I've played. Being built for medium strings makes a huge difference. The neck has some meat on it but I've seen much bigger. On the Waterloo guitars they offer a massive modified-v neck and also a more slimmed down c-shape. The Mod-V is just completely unplayable for me on a guitar. But I think they did a great job with the mandolin neck. I'll try and post a video in the coming days.