Fingerpicking Blues

McSwaggerty

Howdy Everyone.

 I have just recently joined this Forum, and would like to pick some brains.
 I have been playing guitar....mainly acoustic....for a number of years and l am mainly
 a finger picker.                                                                                                                                                    A few years back l bought a kinda cheap Gretsch Jim Dandy short scale
 12 Fretter and really enjoyed the experience and comfort of the short scale and small body.
  A year later l bought a Eastman E10P Parlour.....now that was a big improvement on the cheapo
  Gretsch and it's a Superb Guitar. 
  The thing is, although it's a great guitar, l find it just a bit too "Polite " for fingerpicking Blues.
  I want to upgrade again to a guitar more suitable for blues and kinda narrowed it down to these 3.
  All short scale 12 Fretters - Collings Waterloo, Gibson L1, Martin 0017s.
  So, l would very much appreciate any thoughts / advice any you guys could give.....if you
  own one of these 3, and can pass on any knowledge, even better.
  I'm just trying to do some homework, l can't afford to make an expensive mistake.....
  I'm not a rich guy, and would probably have to sell my Martin D18 to help me along the road a bit...
  
  Many thanks
  McS
  

earwighoney

McSwaggerty said:

  I want to upgrade again to a guitar more suitable for blues and kinda narrowed it down to these 3.
  All short scale 12 Fretters - Collings Waterloo, Gibson L1, Martin 0017s.
  
  Many thanks
  McS

I have a Eastman E10-00 and I can see what you mean about it being 'polite' in some ways. 

IMO, the Ladder Braced Collings Waterloo can't be beaten for playing ragtime style blues, but that is the 14 fret model.  The Waterloo Kel Kroydon looks superb as well and there's a new Stella repro which I know nothing about; which is ladder braced and in 00 size.  

FWIW, I'd stick clear of the Martin 00-17S, nice looking guitar but the string spacing at the saddle IMO is too cramped for fingerpicking. 

mgaw

gibson keb mo perhaps, i tried one a few years back and thought it was excellent....one thing about a real bluesy tone is a lack of refinement in the guitar, some of the classics were played on "shit" guitars, as long as that dryness is there i dont think you can go to wrong

wrinkleygit

Look out for a late '50s to mid '60s Epiphone, I searched for an Lg1 for ages & eventually picked up a 66 Epi Caballero at about half the money a Gibson would have cost, haven't thought about anything else since, good luck in your quest, Mike B

Lewy

With the kind of budget you're talking about I'd definitely have a look at the Atkin L-1...

http://atkinguitars.com/guitar/l-1/

dtr

I'd recommend checking out something from the Furch 'Vintage' series, which is their traditional blues and bluegrass voiced range.  Lat year I got an OOM, same model as in the video below but without the slotted headstock and I think it's just perfect, and so beautifully made.

pjf

Glenn's Guitars has a Kalamazoo KG11 at the moment that looks to be in great condition... might be worth trying out if you want to go vintage and do it properly!

BigLicks67

Are you sure you want to go the expensive route as the sound you are after seems less 'refined' 

How about a  Recording King ROS 616 



or an Epiphone EL 00



Or get an expensive OM and play aggressively 

thermionic

I'd agree with that - such guitars are quite unique in sound and I wouldn't sell a nicer-sounding dread or something to fund one in this day and age.

Recording King goes for the Martin look, but The Loar (part of the same company)go for more of a pre-war Gibson aesthetic. I've been really pleased with my Loar LH-200 - it's stunningly well-made for the £200 I paid for it. Nice woods, thin finish, bone nut and saddle...You won't find a bad review of them, unlike the Epiphone equivalent (I don't think that's an Epi in the Robert Johnson cover). They also make a solid back and side version (the LH-200 has laminated back and sides). The only drawback is although they're small-bodied "blues boxes" they are actually full scale 14-frets to the body.

olafgarten

The Recording King Harmonella O looks like what you want 12 fret short scale small body and its even an Archtop for extra coolness. 

McSwaggerty

earwighoney said:

McSwaggerty said:

  I want to upgrade again to a guitar more suitable for blues and kinda narrowed it down to these 3.
  All short scale 12 Fretters - Collings Waterloo, Gibson L1, Martin 0017s.
  
  Many thanks
  McS

IMO, the Ladder Braced Collings Waterloo can't be beaten for playing ragtime style blues, but that is the 14 fret model.  The Waterloo Kel Kroydon looks superb as well and there's a new Stella repro which I know nothing about; which is ladder braced and in 00 size

Thanks for all your suggestions and advice guys - very much appreciated al you have all given me a few things to think about.
l still kinda fancy The Waterloo, especially the Kel Krodon....l just need to track one done and check it out. 
The one thing it concerns me about the KK is that it comes with a T Bar rather than a truss rod, is this something l should be concerned about ??

Lewy

McSwaggerty said:

earwighoney said:

McSwaggerty said:

  I want to upgrade again to a guitar more suitable for blues and kinda narrowed it down to these 3.
  All short scale 12 Fretters - Collings Waterloo, Gibson L1, Martin 0017s.
  
  Many thanks
  McS

IMO, the Ladder Braced Collings Waterloo can't be beaten for playing ragtime style blues, but that is the 14 fret model.  The Waterloo Kel Kroydon looks superb as well and there's a new Stella repro which I know nothing about; which is ladder braced and in 00 size

Thanks for all your suggestions and advice guys - very much appreciated al you have all given me a few things to think about.
l still kinda fancy The Waterloo, especially the Kel Krodon....l just need to track one done and check it out. 
The one thing it concerns me about the KK is that it comes with a T Bar rather than a truss rod, is this something l should be concerned about ??

I wouldn't be concerned about it at all. Collings really stand by their products. If you have a whiff of an issue with the neck (which I can't imagine you would) they'll take care of it. 

earwighoney

McSwaggerty said:

 Thanks for all your suggestions and advice guys - very much appreciated al you have all given me a few things to think about.
l still kinda fancy The Waterloo, especially the Kel Krodon....l just need to track one done and check it out. 
The one thing it concerns me about the KK is that it comes with a T Bar rather than a truss rod, is this something l should be concerned about ??

I'd say there's not much to be concerned about.

Collings have a reputation for having great after sales care so if there was a problem they'd sort it out.  

McSwaggerty

earwighoney said:

I'd say there's not much to be concerned about.

  Collings have a reputation for having great after sales care so if there was a            problem  they'd sort it out.  

OK thanks, what I need to do now, is track down a Waterloo WL-12 and a WL-K and compare......

McSwaggerty

I can't find any info of a new Stella reproduction anywhere.......??

Lewy

McSwaggerty said:

I can't find any info of a new Stella reproduction anywhere.......??

Think it's this one isn't it?

http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s/
http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s-deluxe/

AliGorie

I'm with biglicks on this McS, it's all in the playing and tone production - dirtying it up.
John Martyn who we've recently been discussing on here played 'blues' on a D28 and a Guild
heres Ry Cooder on a Martin D45 ! -


oh Stella repros -
Fraulini Guitars are the ones.
But if ya need 'cardboard' sound - get an old European plywood guitar.

McSwaggerty

Lewy said:

McSwaggerty said:

I can't find any info of a new Stella reproduction anywhere.......??

Think it's this one isn't it?

http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s/
http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s-deluxe/

Excellent, Thank -you

These both look the business, and ladder braced too !

I might just hang around until these are available over here.

so many guitars, so little time !

McSwaggerty

McSwaggerty said:

Lewy said:

McSwaggerty said:

I can't find any info of a new Stella reproduction anywhere.......??

Think it's this one isn't it?

http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s/
http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s-deluxe/

Excellent, Thank -you

These both look the business, and ladder braced too !

I might just hang around until these are available over here.

so many guitars, so little time !

earwighoney

McSwaggerty said:

 Think it's this one isn't it?

http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s/
http://www.waterlooguitars.com/wl-s-deluxe/

Excellent, Thank -you

These both look the business, and ladder braced too !

I might just hang around until these are available over here.

so many guitars, so little time !

Guitar Guitar are Waterloo dealers and they seem to have stores located around the country. 

McSwaggerty

AliGorie said:

I'm with biglicks on this McS, it's all in the playing and tone production - dirtying it up.
John Martyn who we've recently been discussing on here played 'blues' on a D28 and a Guild
heres Ry Cooder on a Martin D45 ! -


oh Stella repros -
Fraulini Guitars are the ones.
But if ya need 'cardboard' sound - get an old European plywood guitar.

 Great video clip, but as try as I may, I'm no Ry Cooder or John Martyn - for dreadnought sounds, I have a D18 and do my best with that.

I already have a couple of 2 Bob rocket cardboard sounding guitars, and even though they cope alright with some bottleneck stuff, they are pretty awkward to play fingerstyle.

I just keen for a better made, small body, short scale 12 fretter......