I've decided to buy a Wal

[casualmadness]

So that's it...I have a milestone birthday coming up in about 3.5 years and according to the website, their lead time is currently about 30 months. I want to try to time it to arrive near my birthday so it's a legit birthday present. I've never actually played a Wal but I've always held Wal as my ideal bass. Just something about the tone, the appearance, all of it just speaks to me. May be crazy to spend that much on a bass that I've never played but hey, life is short and at the risk of sounding arrogant, I can afford it, and I want it.

So Wal owners...how was your experience? Did any of you buy your Wal without having played one? Were you disappointed or was it everything you imagined it to be? Can any owners speak to the payment process? The website says you make an initial payment then when the neck is assembled you make a second payment, then when it's complete you make a final payment. I assume each payment is a third of the total?
Did you get a MKI, II, III? I'm leaning toward an MKI but I honestly am unsure of the difference. I was initially drawn to the MKII but I honestly don't know why. So at this point I'm researching to figure out exactly what I want. I'm leaning toward a four string as that's what I typically play the most.

Anyone outside of the UK (preferable the USA) have any issues with import? The website mentions the import fees and other import requirements being the responsibility of the buyer. Can anyone educate me about that? I've ordered things from other countries and it's never been something I had to think about.
Anyhow, that's my big news. I assume the wait will be the hard part though I have no desire whatsoever to grow any older. But it's inevitable so I will make a lifeliong fantasy a reality to distract from my aging meat bag.

 

[arbiterusa]

I've never actually played a Wal but I've always held Wal as my ideal bass.

Given what they cost, you better play one first. I hunted down a couple here in SoCal in the late 1980s. I ended up not buying one. Nice basses but not my feel.

I'll say this, they are pretty unique. I can't say "go play Brand X because it's a lot like a Wal".

 

[casualmadness]

Given what they cost, you better play one first. I hunted down a couple here in SoCal in the late 1980s. I ended up not buying one. Nice basses but not my feel.

I'll say this, they are pretty unique. I can't say "go play Brand X because it's a lot like a Wal".

I would love to play one but I've never even seen one

 

[Shlabotnik]

Given what they cost, you better play one first. I hunted down a couple here in SoCal in the late 1980s. I ended up not buying one. Nice basses but not my feel.

I'll say this, they are pretty unique. I can't say "go play Brand X because it's a lot like a Wal".

I know it's been an awful long time but do you recall what it was that turned you off? I got to try a MKII about a year ago and didn't care for how it balanced and it wasn't the dream to play that I thought it would be but I keep telling myself "I bet you'd loooooove the MKI!" Who knows!?!?

 

[arbiterusa]

I know it's been an awful long time but do you recall what it was that turned you off?

Neck profile was the big issue. Also was not a fan of the electronics, but that neck...there was no way. You either like it or you don't. OP really needs to play one first.

 

[SteveC]

I get the "romance" of buying a bass you've always wanted. I've purchased many basses without trying back in the day, but they weren't $7K and I flipped them pretty easily. I'd want to be darn sure I LOVED the bass before I did this.

 

[casualmadness]

I get the "play it first" mentality. Believe me I would love to try them out to make sure. But as I said, I've never seen one in the wild. Never known anyone who owned one. It isn't like I can go to guitar center and check one out. They just aren't out in the wild. If anyone knows a secret Wal stash somewhere, I'm all ears.

 

[MMiller28]

I’ll play devil's advocate. Get some neck measurements from the Wal Club here and compare to your current basses.

You could try to find someone in said club within a few hours drive and maybe they’ll be nice enough to meet in a local music shop for you to try theirs. Offer a couple sets of strings or something from that shop in exchange for their time.

I didn’t even do that much before my first MTD. Dropped almost $5k (used) having never even seen one in person. Now I’m waiting on my 3rd.

Some may find this questionable, and I’m not saying I’d do it, but you could buy one from a shop with a return policy and try it for a couple days to be sure. You’d be out shipping and you damn well better not bump it against the wall.

 

[Shlabotnik]

Some may find this questionable, and I’m not saying I’d do it, but you could buy one from a shop with a return policy and try it for a couple days to be sure. You’d be out shipping and you damn well better not bump it against the wall.

Or buy used then flip it if you don't like it. You more than likely get what you pay for it.

 

[El Thumpo]

Given what they cost, you better play one first. I hunted down a couple here in SoCal in the late 1980s. I ended up not buying one. Nice basses but not my feel.

I'll say this, they are pretty unique. I can't say "go play Brand X because it's a lot like a Wal".

It sounds like your heart is set on having a premium bass ready for your milestone birthday. I can certainly understand that. But seriously, you would do well to heed arbiterusa's advice.

Here's the thing: when you get into the upper ranges of pretty much anything, quality also means idiosyncrasy. Because they're freed from having to be all things to all people, a high-end product drills down into perfecting specifics. They're not always the same specifics.

A Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes, and a Lamborghini are all expensive cars of indisputable quality, but what you're paying for is something quite different. The Rolls drills down on luxury, the Lambo on performance, the Mercedes more of a balance of the two. You might be convinced from the brochure that one is ideal for you, but you won't get the full gestalt until you get behind the wheel.

I'm a big fan of Alembics, but Ken Smiths leave me cold. To someone else, a Smith might be a holy grail and Alembics too esoteric. At the brochure level they occupy the same market niche, but what matters is how they speak to you under your fingers.

I really, really understand the desire to have a new boutique bass to unwrap at your birthday, but custom build lists aren't rocket launch schedules in the first place. And there's nothing more disappointing than acquiring an amazing bass that just doesn't come to life in your hands.

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

I found the neck not to my tastes too. I'm a little bit obsessive about things like proprietary pickups, bridges and string trees etc. because I like having the possibility to swap things out if they need / I want to change them.

The neck edges and profile were like, 'too sharp' in my hand. I like a rounder D shape profile and this was sharper, like a V but not so sharply pointed. It's very hard to describe neck profiles in words!

 

[SteveC]

You could try to find someone in said club within a few hours drive and maybe they’ll be nice enough to meet in a local music shop for you to try theirs. Offer a couple sets of strings or something from that shop in exchange for their time.

My first Roscoe was an SKB. I LOVED the bass but it felt like a reach to the first fret. I was about to give up, when I found a guy an hour away who had a Roscoe Century. The "hang' is a little different. I tried his. Perfect. Felt great. I know own 2 Roscoes I had made for me. It's really sweet to have a top end bass made for you. And yes, one was within a couple weeks of my birthday.

 

[casualmadness]

It sounds like your heart is set on having a premium bass ready for your milestone birthday. I can certainly understand that. But seriously, you would do well to heed arbiterusa's advice.

Here's the thing: when you get into the upper ranges of pretty much anything, quality also means idiosyncrasy. Because they're freed from having to be all things to all people, a high-end product drills down into perfecting specifics. They're not always the same specifics.

A Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes, and a Lamborghini are all expensive cars of indisputable quality, but what you're paying for is something quite different. The Rolls drills down on luxury, the Lambo on performance, the Mercedes more of a balance of the two. You might be convinced from the brochure that one is ideal for you, but you won't get the full gestalt until you get behind the wheel.

I'm a big fan of Alembics, but Ken Smiths leave me cold. To someone else, a Smith might be a holy grail and Alembics too esoteric. At the brochure level they occupy the same market niche, but what matters is how they speak to you under your fingers.

I really, really understand the desire to have a new boutique bass to unwrap at your birthday, but custom build lists aren't rocket launch schedules in the first place. And there's nothing more disappointing than acquiring an amazing bass that just doesn't come to life in your hands.

Good post. I completely understand where you're coming from. I know most people love Stingrays; I've had three and didn't care for them. Most people love Warwick. I've owned six Warwicks; (I bought several different models and string numbers trying to make myself love Warwick) I really wanted to love them. But they just didn't speak to me. A Lamborghini is an amazing machine. It's a work of art. I've never driven one but I've been in them, sat behind the wheel, etc. Amazing cars but not for me. I'm just not into the exotic sports cars. If I had to choose between Lambo, Rolls, and Benz...I guess I would take a Benz. But realistically I'm head over heels in love with my 15 years Toyota Tundra. That's far more my style. It's like me; it's old and ugly but it's dependable. But I digress...

Long shot here; anyone near the DC area have a Wal who would let me put my mitts on it? I could buy you a set of strings, maybe a nice bottle of bourbon if that's your thing. I've built Wal up in my head as the ultimate bass. But hell I s'pose I might be wrong.

 

[GHOST AT]

Good post. I completely understand where you're coming from. I know most people love Stingrays; I've had three and didn't care for them. Most people love Warwick. I've owned six Warwicks; (I bought several different models and string numbers trying to make myself love Warwick) I really wanted to love them. But they just didn't speak to me. A Lamborghini is an amazing machine. It's a work of art. I've never driven one but I've been in them, sat behind the wheel, etc. Amazing cars but not for me. I'm just not into the exotic sports cars. If I had to choose between Lambo, Rolls, and Benz...I guess I would take a Benz. But realistically I'm head over heels in love with my 15 years Toyota Tundra. That's far more my style. It's like me; it's old and ugly but it's dependable. But I digress...

Long shot here; anyone near the DC area have a Wal who would let me put my mitts on it? I could buy you a set of strings, maybe a nice bottle of bourbon if that's your thing. I've built Wal up in my head as the ultimate bass. But hell I s'pose I might be wrong.

If you are ever in the Memphis Tennessee area you can check out my MK3.

 

[kesslari]

Neck profile was the issue for me when I tried one.

 

[casualmadness]

View attachment 3837895
If you are ever in the Memphis Tennessee area you can check out my MK3.

God that's gorgeous. Thank you for the offer. I wish I were closer.

 

[lomo]

If you're sufficiently fortunate that the cash is nary a rounding error to your net worth, then have at it and report back with tales....but....remember the movie "10"?

 

[chris_b]

I always wanted a Wal and I finally bought a mk 2 5 string at a great price from eBay.

It was OK, but it just didn't gel. Then, 2 weeks later I noticed a mk3 5 string Wal in the music shop just around the corner from my house. I traded the mk2 for the mk3 and never looked back. What a fantastic bass.

My point, it doesn't matter what bass you're fixated on or how great their reputation and fan base is, you'd better try one before you buy or you could end up making a big mistake, very unhappy and loosing a lot of cash when you sell it on.

 

[mikezimmerman]

People either love or hate the neck profile, and love or hate the EQ. I personally love both, but they are definitely not for everyone.

I've owned many Wals, all purchased used from the US without playing them first, but I did have a chance to play one in person before I got my first one (back in '93 or so?)

 

[casualmadness]

If you're sufficiently fortunate that the cash is nary a rounding error to your net worth, then have at it and report back with tales....but....remember the movie "10"?

Well I'm certainly not a rich man but I'm frugal with a lot of things. I drive a 15 year old truck that I paid cash for and have a 9 year old daily driver that wasn't super expensive to begin with (it's a Kia.) I never eat lunch out at work. I'm 100% a brown bagger. I buy most of my clothes from thrift stores save shoes, undergarments, and a few suits I bought for work. I don't have a lot of hobbies. Aside from Scuba diving, music is really the only thing that I do regularly.
The replies here make me want to do a little more soul searching on this. I would really hate to spend $10-$12K for something that doesn't really work for me. That would be hard to recover from.