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Double Bass I Thought I'd Seen Everything

#3
Well, you know, you could be right about that, but then there's the deposit issue. Walter always used to get half of the money up front for a "firm order" so it would be pretty expensive to place an order more than once, but who knows?

"This is nucking futs". Dinkie Roberts :)
 
#4
Yeah, I've been trying to buy a Woods for a while now and the prices on some of the Ultra models are just insane.

Another one went for around 3000 and actually sold a couple weeks ago, and then one right before that had bidders going up to 2800ish before it ended.

All I want is an M-100 or possibly M-300, but the latter of the two is sadly out of my price range because people see a need to sell a used item for more than it cost new.
 
#5
Tbeers said:
All I want is an M-100 or possibly M-300, but the latter of the two is sadly out of my price range because people see a need to sell a used item for more than it cost new.
Click to expand...

It's called fair market value. It's a quality product that didn't lose it's value. I don't think it's based on "need".

In 20 yrs, will your S&D bass be worth more or less than you paid for it?

Better yet, I'll give you $1k for it now.
 
#7
I agree with Tom on this. Also, since many players are not 'gear head's' like some of us :D , there's a lack of awareness of the current state of amplification and speakers.... gone are the days when the Walter was the only small, good sounding game in town (see AI, Markbass, Thunderfunk, Eden550, Epifani502, EAiAmp500, etc. ... and gone are the days when you had to settle for a low efficiency cab like the old EA's and Acme's to get decent low end out of a small cab (see Accugroove Tri112, Epifani112UL, EA NL210, GKNeo, LDS2x8, etc, etc., etc.)... not that there's anything wrong with those older cabs... but there's so much other great stuff out there now... much of it at reasonable prices.
 
#8
I dunno, I think people are just more and more aware of the inevitable March of Time. When did Leo Fender die? They're still making Fenders. When did Orville Gibson die? They're still making Gibsons.

When that sad day comes for Walter (and God I hope it's not for another hundred years), there ain't gonna be any more. Testores and Panormos don't command the prices they do because of some artificial "bubble". It's cause you can't go out a get a "new" 250 year old bass.

SFREUD - alla those amps you mention do sound good. But they are all production models built with off the shelf components. Walter hand wires, hand builds. He doesn't oversee a staff from his office, he's in the garage building amps. As he says, if he's spending too much time answering the phone, he's not building amps. That doesn't happen with your Eden World Traveler. BUt the other thing, these amps are TANKS. My Baby Blue had to have work, I know guys with Edens, they've had to have work. I know guys who have had Woods for 30 years, touring the world, doing 200, 250 dates a year with NO PROBLEMS EVER. Maybe replaced a frayed power cord.

Yeah, it's a lot of bread. If Walter's selling them cheaper and you can hang the waiting list, get it from him. Cause that's what you're paying for, with the ebay guy. To jump the waiting list.
 
#10
Ed Fuqua said:
I dunno, I think people are just more and more aware of the inevitable March of Time. When did Leo Fender die? They're still making Fenders. When did Orville Gibson die? They're still making Gibsons.

When that sad day comes for Walter (and God I hope it's not for another hundred years), there ain't gonna be any more. Testores and Panormos don't command the prices they do because of some artificial "bubble". It's cause you can't go out a get a "new" 250 year old bass.

SFREUD - alla those amps you mention do sound good. But they are all production models built with off the shelf components. Walter hand wires, hand builds. He doesn't oversee a staff from his office, he's in the garage building amps. As he says, if he's spending too much time answering the phone, he's not building amps. That doesn't happen with your Eden World Traveler. BUt the other thing, these amps are TANKS. My Baby Blue had to have work, I know guys with Edens, they've had to have work. I know guys who have had Woods for 30 years, touring the world, doing 200, 250 dates a year with NO PROBLEMS EVER. Maybe replaced a frayed power cord.

Yeah, it's a lot of bread. If Walter's selling them cheaper and you can hang the waiting list, get it from him. Cause that's what you're paying for, with the ebay guy. To jump the waiting list.
Click to expand...

I guess I agree with you.... however, I own most of the amps I mentioned and have a WW Ultra..... all I'm saying is there are some very good, small, lighweight low cost options out there in addition to the Walter for extreme volume, clean sound, and perfect reliability... you couldn't say that IMO even 10 years ago (also, by the way, Thunderfunk is handmade by David Funk, and the AI stuff and the iAmp stuff are at least directly supervised by the original designers) . Things really have changed. If you want to buy a Walter, by all means go for it (I'm on my 3rd over the last 15 years!)... but, wanted to share my experiences with other recently introduced small heads... some of which I actually prefer over my Walter for their tone shaping ability, extended low end response, warmth, etc.... although that's personal taste. Also, to put this in context, my experience is with semi-acoustic fretless bass guitar, some EUB's and EB.... not DB... however, I've been a small amp fanatic as long as anyone... so every once in a while I feel its OK to post my experiences on the amps portion of this site.
 
#11
Tbeers said:
I don't think it is fair, Freddels. But I am about to buy an M-100 for a price I think is reasonable, so it doesn't much matter now.
Click to expand...
I think you'll like the MI-100. What does fair have to do with it? Just b/c you want to buy one and the person that has one wants more than they paid for it 20 yrs ago?

When you get the MI-100, hold onto it for 20 yrs and you'll probably be able to sell it for more than you pay for it (I know it's not fair but that's life).

So I guess my $1k offer is rejected?
 
#12
KJung said:
If you want to buy a Walter, by all means go for it (I'm on my 3rd over the last 15 years....Also, to put this in context, my experience is with semi-acoustic fretless bass guitar, some EUB's and EB.... not DB... however, I've been a small amp fanatic as long as anyone... so every once in a while I feel its OK to post my experiences on the amps portion of this site.
Click to expand...

NO thanks, I'm happy with the one I have. It's about 8 years old now? I'll have to check the receipt.

You are more than welcome to post your experiences. Just as I am.
 
#13
said:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I dunno, I think people are just more and more aware of the inevitable March of Time. When did Leo Fender die? They're still making Fenders. When did Orville Gibson die? They're still making Gibsons.

When that sad day comes for Walter (and God I hope it's not for another hundred years), there ain't gonna be any more. Testores and Panormos don't command the prices they do because of some artificial "bubble". It's cause you can't go out a get a "new" 250 year old bass.

SFREUD - alla those amps you mention do sound good. But they are all production models built with off the shelf components. Walter hand wires, hand builds. He doesn't oversee a staff from his office, he's in the garage building amps. As he says, if he's spending too much time answering the phone, he's not building amps. That doesn't happen with your Eden World Traveler. BUt the other thing, these amps are TANKS. My Baby Blue had to have work, I know guys with Edens, they've had to have work. I know guys who have had Woods for 30 years, touring the world, doing 200, 250 dates a year with NO PROBLEMS EVER. Maybe replaced a frayed power cord.

Yeah, it's a lot of bread. If Walter's selling them cheaper and you can hang the waiting list, get it from him. Cause that's what you're paying for, with the ebay guy. To jump the waiting list.
Click to expand...


What he said. You can't really put it any better than that. Much as I love my AI stuff, I'd love to get my mitts on a WW Ultra...but it's not $3K worth of GAS.
 
#15
Ed Fuqua said:
NO thanks, I'm happy with the one I have. It's about 8 years old now? I'll have to check the receipt.

You are more than welcome to post your experiences. Just as I am.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean 'literally you'... I know you own one... I was speaking about other players who are considering a Walter but are in pain over the cost and might not be aware of some other very nice, recent options :) Just trying to be helpful in the spirit of this wonderful site.
 
#16
When I originally found the ad on ebay my initial (hippie, 60's, radical) reaction was boycott! But then I looked into what the
seller was doing. From looking at his other items it "looks like a fire sale to me." He could have some other items, but he isn't offering multiple Walter Woods Ultras at above list prices.
I do have to agree with Ken that there are other choices out
there that weren't there before, thanks to Acoustic Image, Euphonic Arts and perhaps Thunderfunk. That said, to this point, I've only had four amps in my professional carrer and three of them are red with a WW on them. But I'm always on the lookout for a sucessor, because I know their will be one.
"When that sad day comes for Walter (and God I hope it's not for another hundred years), there ain't gonna be any more. Testores and Panormos don't command the prices they do because of some artificial "bubble". It's cause you can't go out a get a "new" 250 year old bass".

Ed has a very good point, and I don't want to even think about
replacing my Walter Woods 'cause it gives me the willies. That said, their will be a day when all the Testores and Panormos are
gone, it will be a very sad day, but it will happen. My guess (it's only a guess mind you) is that the Walter Woods will all be gone
well before that time, because electronics change so fast. If you look at different models of Walter's amps from different periods
the design had to change to accomidate the availbiliy of certian parts.
Handbuilt amps sound great because they are built one at a time and Walter's the masterbuilder when it comes to this. They
are extremely reliable, for that reason. So reliable that I have only had one breakdown with my first MI 100, other than that
I had Walter replace a power cord one time.

What concerns me is that there are players out their that
actually deserve a Woods and probably can't get their hands on
one. Granted, Your bass, your sound, and your technique, should
be the first things you really work toward, Amplifiers are not the
most important thing, but a really good amp can be a
great assett, especially if you're a Jazz bassists. Unfortunately it looks like you're build up your assets if you aren't lucky enough to have a unlimited supply of cash.

Ric
 
#17
I recently spoke to Walter. There are certain models (older)
that he can no longer fix. The parts just aren't being made
anymore, and the newer available parts don't work right.
I have a feeling that when Walter hangs it up, fixing these
amps could be next to impossible. I don't think its quite as
good an envestment if you can't fix it. Also.... are you guys sure about the wait time? When I've asked him, the wait time
has been a few month at the most. (for ultra's)
 
#18
B String said:
I recently spoke to Walter. There are certain models (older)
that he can no longer fix. The parts just aren't being made
anymore, and the newer available parts don't work right.
I have a feeling that when Walter hangs it up, fixing these
amps could be next to impossible. I don't think its quite as
good an envestment if you can't fix it. Also.... are you guys sure about the wait time? When I've asked him, the wait time
has been a few month at the most. (for ultra's)
Click to expand...

I've had no wait time for any of the Walter's that I've purchased. I think it is incredibly variable based on the number of orders he has at the time, and what he has on his plate. I had a buddy that called up about a month ago and Walter was ready to send him a brand new Ultra that day!
 
#19
B String said:
I recently spoke to Walter. There are certain models (older)
that he can no longer fix. The parts just aren't being made
anymore, and the newer available parts don't work right.
I have a feeling that when Walter hangs it up, fixing these
amps could be next to impossible. I don't think its quite as
good an envestment if you can't fix it.
Click to expand...

That's why although I have a MI 400 I'm not sure if I would
invest in a used one at this time. I just don't know. Walter builds 'em to last as long as the can, but he can't build them to last
indefinitely. Since we are living in the age of planned obsolescence and throw away technology he's fighting an uphill
battle. I think what I'd like to see Walter eventually do is train
some apprentice to design amps like he does, because Walter's
got this mastery of knowing how to build a great preamp. I think
that's the key. IMHO


Ric

PS: I think I'll go and lie down now
:
 
#20
Boy, some of you guys are so hung up on tone that you'll jump through any hoops! Woods amps are great, no doubt, but I'll be damned if I would ever jump through his hoops. Especially if he can't fix older amps because he can't get the parts.
 

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