Castellanos Wal MKII “Tribute” - Refinished

Brian Crosby · Jun 21, 2020

Hey everyone. Got this off Reverb a couple months ago, and ran into some major setup issues right off the bat: The nut was cut all wonky, high action, buzzing on the 6th and 7th frets...it was a nightmare. I was able to shim the neck pocket which helped a LOT with the action. The 2 problematic frets were replaced, which eliminated the buzz. The nut was thrown out and completely remade out of bone. The entire body, which was covered in a black poly, was stripped and finished with Danish oil. This bass plays SO well now. The Wal-like filter preamp (ACG EQ-01) and custom pickups sound very, very close to a real Wal. If anyone would like sound clips, I’ll be happy to post them. I might sell this bass eventually, once I get enough saved up for a real Wal. Otherwise, this is as close as it gets!

Lackey · Jun 21, 2020

Weird - a Wal copy? Interesting. Nice recovery on it!

blowinblue · Jun 21, 2020

As a bonus your Wal copy has a tilted headstock with no need for string retainers. I'm impressed. Here are pics I saved from a Wal copy that was available at Bass Northwest back in the day. Built by a fellow named Helms. I almost pulled the trigger. As I recall it was over my weight limit. And I was conflicted over the issue of buying a copy of a well-known boutique bass. Pics by Bass Northwest.

Edit: Forgive me for not mentioning that the OP's bass is a great looking instrument.

M. M.