I've decided to buy a Wal

[Blackhawks55]

When I got my Mk1 just a few weeks ago, the main thing I didn't bond with right away was the neck... I immediately said oh no what did I get myself into... It felt very different. Mind you, I'm used to pencil thin CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz basses, and the slimmest Rickenbacker 4001 necks I can find. I put it up for sale after a few days and then said wait.. I'm never going to be able to get another one like this without waiting 3 years, and I think I'll regret it instantly. So, I spent a few more days with the neck, and BAM! It's a different feel as many have said. It also took me some time to get used to anchoring my thumb on a much different style of pickup than I'm used to. By all means buy one and see how you like it! Give it a fair chance if you don't bond with it RIGHT AWAY. It was a circus when I listed mine for sale. 20+ PM'S within just a few hours. You can always resell it for what you paid for, or even profit on it! People hate waiting for a reason. Swing for the fences!

 

[luciens]

Power Windows
Hold Your Fire
Presto
Roll the Bones

I think by "Presto" GL was back to using the jazz bass, but it's hard to tell.

Plus, and so guys don't think I'm hating on the Wal or anything, I think the Wal was GL's best sound. Maybe of his whole career, with the exception of his rickenbacker grind on All The World's a Stage.
But Power Windows was the last record Rush did that I actually liked, so I'm not as familiar with what followed after that. I've never liked his current sound with the jazz bass much at all. Too bassy/buzzy/nasally/pinched for me.

But the Wal had that every-note-is-a-gunshot sound that I really like on that record and the various times he played it live. I got to play a Steinberger XL 2 for a while when I was gigging and it was like that too (can't do that with my jazz basses though unfortunately). But the Wal really goes Kapow on every note in a really lovely way.....

I would have kept on with Rush if GL had kept playing the Wal, to be honest.

L

 

[TjMetalhead]

And there's nothing more disappointing than acquiring an amazing bass that just doesn't come to life in your hands.

I learned this lesson the hard way. Back in the spring of 2014, I dropped $1500 on a USA Stingray with a SLO neck. A talkbasser convinced me to get it from bass central in Florida, first mistake. Dealing with those guys was a nightmare. I ended up hating the bass and due to their no returns on custom orders I couldn't send it back. I ended up selling it for a loss. That's when I learned just because it's expensive doesn't mean you'll like it...and not to deal with local shops outside of your state.

 

[SgtHulka]

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.

7k? More like 11 to 12k.

 

[DigitalMan]

I think by "Presto" GL was back to using the jazz bass, but it's hard to tell.

Plus, and so guys don't think I'm hating on the Wal or anything, I think the Wal was GL's best sound. Maybe of his whole career, with the exception of his rickenbacker grind on All The World's a Stage.
But Power Windows was the last record Rush did that I actually liked, so I'm not as familiar with what followed after that. I've never liked his current sound with the jazz bass much at all. Too bassy/buzzy/nasally/pinched for me.

But the Wal had that every-note-is-a-gunshot sound that I really like on that record and the various times he played it live. I got to play a Steinberger XL 2 for a while when I was gigging and it was like that too (can't do that with my jazz basses though unfortunately). But the Wal really goes Kapow on every note in a really lovely way.....

I would have kept on with Rush if GL had kept playing the Wal, to be honest.

L

Counterparts was the album where he returned to the Jazz. It may have made an appearance in a video (not “the Pass” which was the Wal) but it doesn’t appear that he used the Jazz anywhere on Presto or Roll the Bones.

 

[Loring]

I learned this lesson the hard way. Back in the spring of 2014, I dropped $1500 on a USA Stingray with a SLO neck. A talkbasser convinced me to get it from bass central in Florida, first mistake. Dealing with those guys was a nightmare. I ended up hating the bass and due to their no returns on custom orders I couldn't send it back. I ended up selling it for a loss. That's when I learned just because it's expensive doesn't mean you'll like it...and not to deal with local shops outside of your state.

There's a world of difference there...

He could flip the Wal in a day for at least what he paid for it so there's that. It will come setup properly from Wal so no music store BS also...

 

[luciens]

Counterparts was the album where he returned to the Jazz. It may have made an appearance in a video (not “the Pass” which was the Wal) but it doesn’t appear that he used the Jazz anywhere on Presto or Roll the Bones.

I'll take your word for it, as you're probably right and I'm almost certainly wrong....

Again, a little off topic but I also didn't dislike the Steinberger sound. I'm biased because I got to play a borrowed "Stein" on a few gigs and the sound of it in a live situation was just absolutely stunning. By itself it's kind of blah, but in the hard rock band I was in at the time, it absolutely blew your head off in the mix with the full band....

But that was what I liked about the Wal too, as it has that clean, but kapow, sound to it.

And even though I play exclusively a jazz bass now, I never liked his latest sound with the jazz bass. I think it was worse than some of the rickenbacker sounds back in the early records....

L

 

[TjMetalhead]

There's a world of difference there...

He could flip the Wal in a day for at least what he paid for it so there's that. It will come setup properly from Wal so no music store BS also...

Very true, my point was more along the lines of trying something before you buy it. If I had the chance to try that stingray in person, I would have never spent that money.

 

[Danny O Danny]

I used to own two Wals, both 4 string Mk 1's. The fretted was wenge and the fretless was cherry (somewhat rare, apparently). I loved them, but I eventually got rid of them, about 15 years ago, because as I started getting older I began having trouble with my back and neck and these were fairly heavy basses.

I bought them both used, about 20 years ago. Paid $1,000.00 for the fretless and $1,200.00 for the fretted.

Here's the cherry Wal fretless from a Christmas album I played on:
Dropbox - Theo_Obrastoff_-_The_Final_Christmas_Show_(With_Kristi_Sundquist)_-_6.mp3 - Simplify your life

 

[mikeswals]

Why not get your own Baker, or "whoever made" fully custom from any wood with any pickups, electronics, and hardware for about 4500?

Because it won't sound like a Wal. None of them do...many many, many threads about this already.

 

[cataract]

Wals are cool

 

[Relayer71]

I think by "Presto" GL was back to using the jazz bass, but it's hard to tell.

Plus, and so guys don't think I'm hating on the Wal or anything, I think the Wal was GL's best sound. Maybe of his whole career, with the exception of his rickenbacker grind on All The World's a Stage.
But Power Windows was the last record Rush did that I actually liked, so I'm not as familiar with what followed after that. I've never liked his current sound with the jazz bass much at all. Too bassy/buzzy/nasally/pinched for me.

But the Wal had that every-note-is-a-gunshot sound that I really like on that record and the various times he played it live. I got to play a Steinberger XL 2 for a while when I was gigging and it was like that too (can't do that with my jazz basses though unfortunately). But the Wal really goes Kapow on every note in a really lovely way.....

I would have kept on with Rush if GL had kept playing the Wal, to be honest.

L

I loved his sound on Power Windows (and his playing, of course!). And that's probably the best album post-Moving Windows (I don't get the love for Signals, but that's another story), but Presto had a few really good tracks and Roll the Bones was pretty good overall. After that, their last album was a surprise - it had this fantastic energy and creativity that had been missing for a while, but I wasn't that happy about the sound quality.

Now I totally derailed the thread! I loved the sound he got on Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (Jazz, I think?), but those albums just sounded great overall, but his Wal sound was fantastic. I think I only know Wals from Geddy and Tool's bassist. Any other famous Wal players? Maybe for another thread?

 

[ab2112]

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.

^^^This^^^

And think about how many stops for snacks you could make!!

 

[graphics1988]

Wal has a proprietary pickup - a coil and magnet for each string and each is fully adjustable for output. Further they use a filter type preamp which very few manufacturers make - Alembic has one and ACG but very few others I can think of and even fewer in the aftermarket so - not so easy to have a custom one off equivalent...

Hey Loring, next time we have a Toronto GTG, you show come and I will sneak my Wal in

 

[casualmadness]

A fodera is hands, feet and butt hair above a Wal IMHO ... but then again maybe this bass is just not made for someone with my repertoire.

that’s interesting. I own a Fodera and absolutely adore it. The tone is amazing to my ears but when I hear a Wal, I hear something that I don’t hear anywhere else. Now having said that, one only heard Wal on recordings as I’ve never seen one in the wild. I did however see Rush when Geddy Used one but that’s been...man, like 30’ish years ago. I wish I could sit down with a Wal and my Fodera and just sit up all night playing and comparing. Any chance anyone wants to loan me their Wal for a night? Lol

 

[DigitalMan]

I loved his sound on Power Windows (and his playing, of course!). And that's probably the best album post-Moving Windows (I don't get the love for Signals, but that's another story), but Presto had a few really good tracks and Roll the Bones was pretty good overall. After that, their last album was a surprise - it had this fantastic energy and creativity that had been missing for a while, but I wasn't that happy about the sound quality.

Now I totally derailed the thread! I loved the sound he got on Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (Jazz, I think?), but those albums just sounded great overall, but his Wal sound was fantastic. I think I only know Wals from Geddy and Tool's bassist. Any other famous Wal players? Maybe for another thread?

Moving Pictures + Permanent Waves were Rickenbacker and Jazz together - mostly Rickenbacker when you add Permanent Waves to the mix as some folks suggest that one is entirely Ric (and may even predate him owning the Jazz - I can not confirm one way or another). Moving Pictures alone is about 50/50-ish.

 

[mikeswals]

7k? More like 11 to 12k.

Shouldn't be unless a bunch of options are added to it.
A no-options Mk1 is £6050 which is $7398 today. figure bank fees, shipping, customs duty will add another $1000 to that.

Of course any other model has a higher cost, so does 5 and 6 strings.

 

[sepulchre]

casualmadness wrote:

So Wal owners...how was your experience?

I have owned an MkII 5-string since 2003. I waited 2.5 years to receive it. While a very powerful bass (thunderous low end, punchy mids and bright if plied wit a pick), it has been a work in progress for me. I have learned to better leverage it's unusual electronics, from the dials of the preamp to its trimpots, as I too have better learned to achieve the sound I sought on any bass. The bass is heavy, but not much more than my Spector 6. Almost any sound can be dialed in. I would think about the players you admire who play a Wal, a Wal is often is an active ingredient their sound and that had a lot to do with my purchase.

You mentioned D.C, I live in Baltimore. Once some normalcy returns should the pandemic recede in however many months... I would be happy to host you for a visit to try out this Wal, should that help with a decision.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Wals are great basses and worth every penny for the sound. I will never let go of mine.

I love the feel but it is not for everyone. Their basses are heavy and the necks have pretty deep profiles. I think they are amazing players but not the sort of lightning fast playability you get from certain boutiques like Fodera. That said you can have Wal customize your neck if there is a certain profile that you want. Or at least they used to do that for customers.

And there’s always going to be somebody that wants to buy yours if you decide you don’t like it. The wait time is actually now 33 months, up from 30 months less than a year ago. So yours will take at least three years to get to you. And one of the things that’s been propping up the secondhand market on these is that long wait time, so the longer it gets, the more value that is preserved for you if you decide to sell it later.

good luck!

 

[bigsnack]

Hey everyone! There's probably not much that hasn't already been said, but I'll add my .02. I owned an older '86 for nearly 10 years, and I also had a new Mk3 that I had built for a milestone birthday, just as you are thinking! I sold the '86 to fund some of the cost of the new build, and I sold my Mk3 after owning it for less than a year. My general thoughts are:

As stated, the feel of them is definitely unique, although the older ones are much more extreme in that way. The '86 I had had a very sharp V neck profile, which wasn't necessarily uncomfortable but it was far different than anything else I have owned. My Mk3 had a much softer V profile by request, and was very comfortable to play. The '86 was prone to neck dive until I swapped out the original Schaller tuners with M4S lites. The Mk3 balanced absolutely perfectly, even in my lap with no strap. Honestly, the Mk3 I had built was a work of art. The build quality and attention to detail are the best that I have ever personally seen on an instrument in my life. If that is the type of instrument that you want to own, then a build from Paul / Philip will deliver that without question!

I did a lot of my own soul searching after taking delivery of my Mk3. It was an incredible instrument, but owning something that exquisite did not satisfy me personally. I realized how my true joy was in finding "diamond in the rough" type of instruments. I love finding instruments that have been through the ringer and come out as winners.

Also, I realized that I was in love with the idea of the Wal tone, but not the actual Wal tone. I had always wanted a Wal due to Flea's tone on BSSM, but after owning a couple I realized that that's not the out of the box tone for a lot of the Wals out there. At least with the two Wals that I owned, they have a very "thick" sound. Thunderous low end, very punchy low mids, and obviously the bark when you dig in. However, I would not describe them as "bright" instruments. Enabling pick attack increases the brightness, but also changes the character of the sound. In order to get the high end out of them that I preferred, I found myself needing to crank the high end on my preamp 8-10dB just to get close. That by itself isn't such a big deal, but I just found myself picking up other instruments more when it came time to write / create. If a bass isn't inspiring me to play it, it doesn't stick around since I'm not a collector. I sold it (in literally 4 minutes) and felt mentally lighter than I had in months. Lately I'm rocking the heck out of a Yamaha BB604, and for 320 bucks it's knocking my socks off tonally!

It sounds like you might have an avenue to try one if you either buy a used one for a test drive, or contact some folks in the Wal club and coordinate something. FWIW I had to pay for the build, shipping, customs, and CA use tax. It definitely adds up beyond the quoted price of the instrument!

EDIT: I will also mention that my bass got hung up in customs and was nearly sent back to the UK. I don't believe what I dealt with is normal, but there are a few forms and permits that you may have to apply for in advance, to be ready when the bass is shipped.