My new Wal!

[kulit17]

I was just about to write this on the Wal club but I guess I'll write a short version. I had some static noises coming from my 79 Pro IIe whenever I'm plugged in and moving so I spent a good amount of time just doing a full blown setup along with troubleshooting. To make a long story short, I gutted her and all was good!!!

I did find a shim in the neck pocket which was funny....it was never disclosed but no biggie (does anyone recognize the number?)



I come to find out the reason why it was shimmed was one of the bridge saddles screws threads were completely pinched so it was no longer adjustable. I sent a quote over to Paul to see if I can get one of these.

Anyways to adjust the height of the pickup use the one screw on the side near the E to adjust the bass side and the other two near the G will adjust height of treble side. Also hope your aware the poles on the pickup are adjustable.

Here are some of the info I got from Paul.
***************
Raising the pole piece height will not only increase the volume of that
particular string but also give a more compressed darker sound - lowering
gives a brighter more open sound with less volume.

Pickup heights - individual pole pieces for the E and G strings should be
set just proud of the pickup cover. The A and D string pole pieces slightly
higher to follow the camber of the strings you have set. The overall pickup
heights are measured whilst holding down(fretting) the E and G strings at
the 21fret. The distance between the top of the pickup pole piece and the
bottom of the string should be 6mm on the E string and 5.5mm on the G string
approx.
******************
If your not comfortable to do any of this yourself find a tech your comfortable with.... If you don't know one... Get recommendations first before going to one IMHO.

[Caca de Kick]

Originally Posted by kulit17

I did find a shim in the neck pocket which was funny....it was never disclosed but no biggie (does anyone recognize the number?)

Shims are common. Often they used a thin wood wedge-shaped shim at the factory.
That is Mike Lull's ph number right there. My white MkI was at Mike's shop getting frets the same time the TC Chopper was there, and he was telling me everything he did to it.

[kulit17]

Originally Posted by Caca de Kick

Shims are common. Often they used a thin wood wedge-shaped shim at the factory.
That is Mike Lull's ph number right there. My white MkI was at Mike's shop getting frets the same time the TC Chopper was there, and he was telling me everything he did to it.

It's all good, like I said it was no biggie and I know it's common.... Roger Sadowsky actually mentioned something about shim recently in the Sadowsky club.

I just thought it was funny since it just reminds me of the back story of this bass:

omg look what mike lull did to my wal


Btw sorry for derailing OP

[Musicman1901]

I have always been weary about doing adjustments myself on my basses. I'm not sure why I guess i'm always just afraid i'll mess something up and on a Wal of course i'm 10x more nervous haha. Maybe just adjusting the pole would do the trick. E,D, and G strings are all about the same level and volume wise there is no issue, but the the A string does seem a little quiet and its noticeably higher than the other 3. Maybe i'll look for a reputable tech in my area or just bite the bullet and try to get in there myself. Thanks for all the info about the pickups etc.

[kulit17]

no prob! i'm hoping to do the whole setup thing per all the info Paul sent me to all my Wal basses. Over the weekend I managed to finish up my Pro and it sounds great!!! I still have my Mk II though neck less.... I just replaced the nut but I need to go out and get the right filing tools for adjustments.



Kids don't try this at home!!!

Adjusting the poles are easy though.... All you need is an Allen set.... Forget which size exactly but it raises and lowers like a screw would if we're using a screwdriver. Good luck!!!!

[Toolmybass]

Originally Posted by kulit17

no prob! i'm hoping to do the whole setup thing per all the info Paul sent me to all my Wal basses. Over the weekend I managed to finish up my Pro and it sounds great!!! I still have my Mk II though neck less.... I just replaced the nut but I need to go out and get the right filing tools for adjustments.

Attachment 312955

Kids don't try this at home!!!

Adjusting the poles are easy though.... All you need is an Allen set.... Forget which size exactly but it raises and lowers like a screw would if we're using a screwdriver. Good luck!!!!

Yikes!....what happened that prompted you to take this apart?

[Funkifized]

Great lookin' axe!

[kulit17]

Originally Posted by Toolmybass

Yikes!....what happened that prompted you to take this apart?

I needed to replace the nut with one I got from Paul. The G part of the nut was broken off from one of the previous owners. So since I was doing that already I wanted to do some maintenance work like cleaning contacts, frets, fingerboard, and that all hardware and screws were all in order. Going to do a fresh setup on it too with the guidelines Paul sent to me (with my personal tweaking)Did it already with the Pro and it sounds awesome!! After I finish this one, I'll have 3 more to go

[Mojo-Man]

Originally Posted by mjac28

Man that is pretty I would be scared to play it

Don't laugh.
I bought a 1985 fretless MK1 a few months ago.
Wonderful Bass, Best playing and sounding bass I ever had.
But, it has never left my home. Scared I will mess it up at a gig.
Never had this problem with any other bass I've owned.
Wal's are amazing basses.

[Caca de Kick]

Originally Posted by Mojo-Man

But, it has never left my home. Scared I will mess it up at a gig.

Ironically the nice thing is, no one knows what I'm playing. In the nearly five years using them, maybe three people have come up to me recognizing it. The vast majority don't know what it is or ever heard of it, sound guys included. I'm usually met with "is that some sort of 70's bass or something?".
Totally unlike when I take my vintage Jazz out, I get hounded.

[bigsnack]

If it hasn't been done already, we should have a permanent home for that setup information. I'm sure it would be very useful for all Wal owners out there!

[miles'tone]

Originally Posted by Musicman1901

Yeah I know the feeling of hearing that one tone and just needing it haha. I heard the bass tone on suck my kiss by the peppers and just fell in love with the aggression and intensity of the tone. I also really dig the justin chancellor tone and thats a Wal

Ever since I dicovered that Flea used a Wal on Blood Sugar I've been lusting after one.
One day it will be mine, oh yes... (I'm 40 now so I'd better get on it!)

It really amazes me that Flea never recorded again with his Wal MKII. To me it was a match made in bass heaven. Such deep deep mojo. I love Flea to death but his tone seems to me to get thinner and waspier by the album.

[j.kernodle]

Originally Posted by miles'tone

Ever since I dicovered that Flea used a Wal on Blood Sugar I've been lusting after one.
One day it will be mine, oh yes... (I'm 40 now so I'd better get on it!)

It really amazes me that Flea never recorded again with his Wal MKII. To me it was a match made in bass heaven. Such deep deep mojo. I love Flea to death but his tone seems to me to get thinner and waspier by the album.

agreed. that album had the best bass tone with mothers milk being right behind (supposedly recorded with an old Hazlab preamp Spector)

[Tupac]

Originally Posted by miles'tone

Ever since I dicovered that Flea used a Wal on Blood Sugar I've been lusting after one.
One day it will be mine, oh yes... (I'm 40 now so I'd better get on it!)

It really amazes me that Flea never recorded again with his Wal MKII. To me it was a match made in bass heaven. Such deep deep mojo. I love Flea to death but his tone seems to me to get thinner and waspier by the album.

Flea has historically had amazing recorded tones and plain live tones. To me, BSSM was the peak for his tone. He said it was too ugly to play live too

And he covered it with stickers

[bigsnack]

I agree, I can't believe that he hasn't recorded with it again, it was such a face melting tone! That being said, there was definitely more to the tone of that record than just the Wal bass, although that is a significant part of it.

[kulit17]

Oh man you gotta love this comment ....

Jun 9, 2011
LougluGui
what is a wah bass ?

Which pretty much re-iterates the earlier posts in the thread lol

[Musicman1901]

Yeah I agree that Flea's studio tones are always better than his live sound. I'm not a huge fan of the modulus sound but it's not too bad. I think He got the best tone for the BSSM recordings. Mothers Milk also had a great bass tone. I have no idea how he could think a Wal was too ugly to play live!!!

[bigsnack]

I could be wrong, but a little birdie told me that the sound on BSSM was a blend of DI, an amp sound (GK head, with Flea's Mesa 2x15 mic'd in a closet), and some grit picked up from a split feed being sent to a Marshall guitar stack. \m/

[Toolmybass]

Originally Posted by bigsnack

The sound on BSSM

I would say you are right on some aspects...as in a studio setting there is lots of things in the recording process that effects the sound/tone that you hear when you get your cd home and plug it in to your stereo system...thing is they are so subtle that 99% of the people are NOT going to be able to determine what cab/head/type of recording mic is used...that's a fact and the list is huge. I just named a couple

What you CAN hear is Wal + Grit. These are 90% of the "sound on BSSM"
When you own and or play a Wal....this is when it becomes evident to your ears

[bigsnack]

I hear you man. You are right in that everything matters (the bass, the direct box, the head, the cab, the mic, the mic pre, the compressor, the input channel on the mixing desk, the recording medium, the EQ applied during mixing, the mastering, etc.) That being said, if you have spent enough time in a recording studio, either as an artist or an engineer, lots of pieces of recording gear have distinctive characters that you can pick out if you have heard it enough.

Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just relaying what I was told when I asked the question!