I've decided to buy a Wal

[j.kernodle]

Hello Mr Casual.

I made the same decision you're considering about 7 years ago. I ordered a new Wal build without ever having played one. The order process was fairly straightfoward. I emailed Paul, got the payment process info and made the deposit payment to get things rolling. I settled on a Mk I with a flame maple top. At the time, the lead up was 24 months and it ended up getting finished right about on schedule.
500 pounds to start, another 1000 at about 1 year in, and the balance on completion.

I will say that the neck profile for the new builds is a lot more "conventional" than the v shaped profile on the 80's and 90's builds. The neck profile feels like a modern P bass to me. Not overly chunky or weird. Shortly after putting the deposit on a build I found a used MkI on the classifieds and bought it. The one I picked up had the older style v shaped neck but it was a comfortable neck for me. Had I not put the deposit down I probably would've just kept that one, but I ended up selling it for what I paid around the time my build wrapped up. I'm happy to say that I got exactly what I expected tonally and quality wise. Paul Herman builds a flawless bass. Tolerances, fretwork, and playability were as good as anything I'd played including USA spectors, Ken Smiths, etc...

I don't regret the decision and it's probably worth more than I paid for it now. The build price has gone up since my build but the exchange rate is about 20% more favorable today, so it nets out to not be that much more expensive.

Check over in the Wal club if you haven't already, maybe there's someone local to you that wouldn't mind letting you try theirs out. If you're near South Carolina PM me.

 

[Sixgunn]

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.

Hey! You left out BMW, lol. My choice, all around.

 

[Element Zero]

I had a similar infatuation with a Pedulla Pentabuzz. Had Mike make me one despite playing only 1 a decade prior. $5600 later, I spent the better part of a year convincing myself that I was in love with it before I sold it for CONSIDERABLY less considering it’s near perfect condition. Just be cautious.

 

[nonohmic]

Is there not somewhere you can fly to in the CONUS, to try one out?

Flights are what, $40 these days?

 

[lomo]

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.

Based on what you've told us...yes...I believe you'd be well-served by pausing. If I were in your shoes (based on the little I know of them), I would not spend that much and wait that long based on what sounds like appearance and recorded tone. Heck....my approach would be to shop for and buy a dreamy bass now, even if it was a very early birthday gift to myself........because this crazy flying, collective rock that we savage primates inhabit is unpredictable....and $hite happens

 

[pbassnut]

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.

I have no doubt that they are fine, fine, superfine basses. However, I would be VERY hard pressed to sink 7K into a brand/model of bass I've never tried. In addition, what do you do with a bass that's worth 7K? What I mean is how do you approach security for a 7K bass in a real world gigging/touring situation? Being a Grateful Dead-Head back in the day, I had an Alembic fantasy itch that I simply had to scratch and bought myself a brand new Alembic Series I "Point" model bass back in 1979 for $1600 ($5681.32 in today's dollars), which was a whole lotta money for me back then as I was eeking out a living for myself playing music full time without a "day gig" in those glorious days of my youth. Anyway, at the time, I was in a busy Country Rock band that was touring a 15 state area in the upper midwest to the tune of 250 gigs a year (about 80% one-nighters) and I was always worried about that bass getting damaged or stolen.

 

[mikezimmerman]

I don't think I would order a new one from Wal without having tried one first, especially with the cost and build time. However, it might be worth looking for a used one to see if you dig it. If you don't, you can always resell and not lose anything (as long as you don't overpay to begin with!), and if you like it, you can think about ordering a new one.

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.

 

[casualmadness]

Lot's of great responses here. I really appreciate everyone weighing in. Maybe I need to really push to find a Wal I can get my hands on...or maybe start scanning the boards, ebay, etc and try to score a used one. Thanks all!

 

[bassballs27]

Hey, I'm a Wal owner.....and definitely love them!
They're not the only brand I own and for good reason. Wal's offer a very specific and versatile tone.
The biting mid-range they have is glorious! But, they definitely don't sound like a P-Bass or a J-Bass, they sound like a Wal.


The MK1 4 string has 21 frets and the back pick-up is positioned with less distance between the neck pick-up.
For this reason, the MK1 offers a bit of a "warmer" tone. They also only come in 4 strings.
MK actually means "Mark" so....so Mark 1 means it's the first version latest series of Wals. All 3 "Marks" offer different body shapes that changed with design. MK2 and MK3 bodies offer 24 fret necks.
Very common fretboard material is Indian Rosewood for fretted and Ebony for fretless.
However, like myself, fretted Wal's with ebony fretboards are legendary and my person favourite!
The evolution of the Mark 2 and Mark 3 body shapes were all about saving weight.
The Mark 3 strives to be the most weight efficient of the series with it's special sculpting of the body on the playing side of the bass and overall body shape.

Mark 2 body shapes are available in both 4 and 5 strings only.
Mark 3 body shapes are available in 4, 5, and 6 strings.
Wal didn't introduce 5 strings until the late 80's, I believe 1987 was around when the first 5ers were built.
And 6 strings were introduced in the 1990's which is what spawned the MK3 body design.

As for the OP's decision to buy a Wal, the latest Wal's are ABSOLUTELY STELLAR in terms of craftsmanship.
Paul Herman truly builds impressive basses today that in my opinion are worth every penny!

 

[Gunga Din]

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".

Same here; couldn't get on with them. Even a beautiful unlined fretless.

 

[SteveCS]

...
...I can't say "go play Brand X because it's a lot like a Wal".

Well played, Sir!

 

[j.kernodle]

I have no doubt that they are fine, fine, superfine basses. However, I would be VERY hard pressed to sink 7K into a brand/model of bass I've never tried. In addition, what do you do with a bass that's worth 7K? What I mean is how do you approach security for a 7K bass in a real world gigging/touring situation? Being a Grateful Dead-Head back in the day, I had an Alembic fantasy itch that I simply had to scratch and bought myself a brand new Alembic Series I "Point" model bass back in 1979 for $1600 ($5681.32 in today's dollars), which was a whole lotta money for me back then as I was eeking out a living for myself playing music full time without a "day gig" in those glorious days of my youth. Anyway, at the time, I was in a busy Country Rock band that was touring a 15 state area in the upper midwest to the tune of 250 gigs a year (about 80% one-nighters) and I was always worried about that bass getting damaged or stolen.

I get the anxiety about playing an expensive bass live. But I got over it. I bought it to play it.

Wal’s aren’t inherently fragile basses. I think about upright bassists that gig with much more temperamental fragile $10K + instruments that they have to wrestle in and out of vehicles and don’t bat an eye.

As long as the venue doesn’t have people tripping over my stuff and I can keep an eye on it I don’t have a problem playing it.

 

[luciens]

Not a Wal owner, nor have I had the pleasure of being able to try one, but I have an enormous pile of experience with buying "dream basses" sight-unseen and being sorely disappointed when I actually got my hands on them.

Ironically, the one I gigged with for a lot of my career, was one of those - the rickenbacker 4001. It was my dream bass and finally when I was in college I had a chance to buy one with the ol' student loan . It was a quite used 70's 4001 hanging in a local shop. I literally didn't even try it - I picked it up and salivated over it, checked to make sure it was really a rickenbacker and bought it on the spot. I think it was $400 or something like that. Basically the same thing as sight-unseen.

The next about 6 months were the worst buyer's remorse I'd ever experienced. I hated just about everything about it, including that I couldn't get the Geddy Lee sound out of it at all. The next year when I got more student loans, , I went and bought a 70's jazz bass because the rickenbacker was giving me so much trouble. My jazz bass I could at least get through the gig without pulling or spraining something in the fretting wrist, and I could at least hear my notes sort of. But my "dream" rickenbacker just broke my arms to play and it didn't sound at all like I wanted it to.

It's a long story on how I later came to love them even though they broke every bone in my upper body to gig with them, but it definitely was a "dream bass" first-contact gone very very bad. If I'd had the choice I would have gotten rid of it within the next couple weeks after I finally got it.

Ever since then, I've been exceedingly cautious about "dream basses". Meaning, the "dreamier" of a bass it is in my mind, the greater the chance it'll be a disappointment when the "dream" finally comes true. And I have had that experience on smaller scales with other basses that I thought would be great but turned out not to be once I actually got them.

So I'll join the chorus of the guys saying to be cautious and to try before you buy if you possibly can. Especially for that kind of cash and a 2.5 year wait, you really want to be sure about it....

L

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

Agreed! I would never pay 100s of dollars let alone thousands for an instrument I didn’t play first. My rule is, I don’t care how many of them o the market there are, how well liked they are, before I part with cash it’s got to pass my ear test, and then the feel test. There is too much variance from bass to bass, not to mention, the risks incurred with online purchases that appear here on TB almost weekly.

 

[UpperBout]

I don't know much about Wals, but I'm a long-time Alembic player, and I've jumped in to other a couple of other boutique builders over the years. My recommendation is to acquire a used Wal ASAP. I think playing a builder's instruments is essential to learning about the character of the maker. So even if you wind up selling the used Wal, it can serve as a basis for your custom build, both what you like and what you don't. It also grounds your dreams of Wals in real-world application.

I think Alembics and Wals are similar in the sense that they are atypical, not everyone's cup of tea, but awesome if they happen to be what you're looking for, either sonically and/or ergonomically.

That being said, I've pulled the trigger twice on Wal-level instruments without playing them first, and regret neither experience. One maker's bass I still have and use, the other's I wound up selling. In those cases, both makers were obsessively researched.

 

[Kukulkan61]

30 months build time, do they grow the tree for the wood first????

 

[kulit17]

congrats on deciding to move forward with a Wal build. My first advice to you is to remember that Wal is a small shop - before COVID, getting a reply from them would take anywhere from a week or longer (some people get lucky and get an immediate response). don't get discouraged if you don't get a reply. I have a buddy that was looking into getting a build but after two weeks of not getting a reply, he decided to go another route. so it'll be a journey, but well worth it.... here is what i posted when i received my first build from Paul/Wal

NWBD: Journey with me...Custom Wal Build content (warning picture heavy)


if you want to get further feedback from Wal owners, check out the TB Wal club and if you're on Facebook the owner's group there:

Wal Bass Club.

Wal Bass Lovers Of The World Unite!

perhaps you'll find an owner around the VA area that will let you check there's out.

 

[El Thumpo]

Not a Wal owner, nor have I had the pleasure of being able to try one, but I have an enormous pile of experience with buying "dream basses" sight-unseen and being sorely disappointed when I actually got my hands on them...So I'll join the chorus of the guys saying to be cautious and to try before you buy if you possibly can. Especially for that kind of cash and a 2.5 year wait, you really want to be sure about it....

casualmadness, you say your birthday's in two and a half years? Here's what I'd do to make absolutely sure it's as special an occasion as you want it to be.

I'd spend those two and a half years getting my chops up, becoming the player I WANT to be as much as I can during that timeframe. Because the more you advance as a player, the more you get a sense of a.) your personal style, i.e. the sound in your head, and b.) what does and doesn't work for you in terms of a physical instrument.

Two and a half years from now quarantine should be in the past, and you'll likely be able to roam about the country at will. I would treat myself to a road trip, visiting as many bass meccas as I could. I'd play so, so many basses. And the one that truly clicked with me--that felt right, independent of the price tag? I'd bring that one home with me.

THAT's what would make it a special birthday.

 

[SteveCS]

The neck profile, at least on the one I had for a few years, is for sure a make or break factor. Personally I loved it and I really miss it. If I pick up a Wal now it really feels like home. Mine was one of the late 70's models with the big paddle headstock and deep V-section neck, and before the filter-based Mk.2 preamp. Even without the famous Mk.2 electronics the sound was unique - probably the best recording bass I ever owned. But that original paddle headstock weighed a ton, and that combined with the original body shape that puts the strap button over the 14th fret meant neck-dive was a real problem. In the end, that was the thing that persuaded the compulsive, youthful and (with hindsight) stupid me to let it go...

 

[kulit17]

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

for new builds, standard neck profile on a Wal is a soft V and gently tapers out. if you have a preference of neck profile on basses that you are accustomed to, you can always spec'd it in.....one thing about buying used, you won't really know what type of profile you'll get coz some will differ sometimes.