I've decided to buy a Wal

[Groove Doctor]

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.

Ask this in Wal threads. You may have to travel interstate to find an obliging person. Be patient....

- It took me 14 years to find my perfect 5-string (Tobias Classic 5).

- It took me 8 years to find my perfect P bass (‘69 P in Seafoam nitro, see profile pic).

 

[casualmadness]

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.

Very kind of you, thank you.

 

[casualmadness]

Ask this in Wal threads. You may have to travel interstate to find an obliging person. Be patient....

- It took me 14 years to find my perfect 5-string (Tobias Classic 5).

- It took me 8 years to find my perfect P bass (‘69 P in Seafoam nitro, see profile pic).

Man that P bass is gorgeous.

 

[TrevorR]

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

Presto AND Roll The Bones we’re still the Wals - and he was still playing them exclusively on tour. Counterparts is the album where he got the Jazz back out.

 

[TrevorR]

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?

Fill yer boots wit these playlists... you’ll find Nick Beggs, Paul McCartney, Greg Lake, Chris Squire, Jonas Hellborg, Percy Jones, Mick Karyn, Greg Edwards, Flea and a host of others...

Wal bass playlist - YouTube

Wal bass playlist, a playlist by Trevor Raggatt on Spotify

 

[Loring]

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

That would be awesome!

 

[arbiterusa]

Well played, Sir!

Thank you, I'll be here all week. Do try the veal.

Seriously, I was wondering if anyone would catch that.

 

[8guy]

I Played One along Time ago, It was Phenomenal. If I had The Funds I would be on the Waiting List Yesterday. I say Live The Dream!!!

 

[thetaxmiser]

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.

Didn't read the entire thread, but why not take up the offer from the guy in Tennessee? Once things are open again, air travel is super cheap. Seems worth $300 or $400 for a flight and a cheap hotel to check out the bass to potentially avoid a $10k mistake.

 

[Claymore]

This is like me with a Gibson Ripper. I've never played a Ripper. Never even seen one in person... and yet that's the bass I've decided is the holy grail. For all I know, I might lay hands on one and decide it sucks. I guess I'll never know because I'm not willing to pony up the $1,500 to find out!

 

[CryingBass]

Tap into @BWorm. Hey might be able to help in your quest... ( he did good by me )

 

[SirMjac28]

I want a Wal but I don't currently have any desirable body parts I can sell.

 

[lordradish]

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.

Had one for close to 20 years, now, I will be buried with this bass, nothing comes close.

 

[Zentner]

Full disclosure: I haven't read this entire thread.

But I HAVE ordered a $10k bass without ever touching one, and I have zero regrets. Like some have said, at this level of bass (Wal, Fodera, CT, Alembic, Andre, etc.) they're all fantastic and all different—I would argue more different than many basses in the $2k-$4k range. These are niche instruments, not 'do everything under the sun' instruments.

If you've thought a lot about this and you've always wanted a Wal, then get a Wal. Don't let people take your dreams from you because you haven't played every bass there is out there. Yes, you will end up getting an instrument that doesn't do everything you want it to, but it will do everything it's built to do.

Wals are heavy, they don't balance well, they're expensive, and you'll spend more time playing with the preamp than playing the bass. But a Wal has it's own proprietary shape, hardware, pickups, preamp, case....everything is built for the Wal and the Wal only. This is not a $3k bass with the same bartolinis and aguilar preamp as everyone else, it's a Wal. If you want a Wal, nothing else will do what it does, so playing a million other basses or thinking it through will do you no good.

You want Wal? Order Wal.

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

Any (sane) person who’s buying a Wal really isn’t in the “Wonder what a set of Barts and an East preamp would sound like in there...?” category...

I'm not sure if my sanity is being called into question , but letting that fly under my sometimes overly sensitive radar , I was only expressing my personal opinion of basses for which replacement parts are impossible.

For example, if in the long term I found the bridge design uncomfortable, the saddles were prone to rattling, maybe the power consumption of the circuit excessive, the front pickup excessively louder than the back or the tone wasn't to taste in some way, the inability to just put just that one issue right (because I was otherwise totally in love with the instrument and also highly invested in such an expensive bass) would not be possible at all.

All this underlines the fact I was supporting that without trying something so expensive and idiosyncratic first, there is great potential for disappointment.

Nurse? Is it time for my meds yet?

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I nearly bought three, back in the 90s (when they were cheap used) and about 2002 and they didn't do it for me. I played another in 2013 and loved it but they are too expensive for me now .

 

[NeonVomit]

@casualmadness In like 90% of cases I'd say do what you gotta to get a chance to try one first - from what I've read/heard, they're what I call 'marmite' basses - you either love them or hate them. Sorta like Rics. You'll either find your dream bass, or be left with a very expensive instrument that you won't like. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

When I wanted to treat myself to a really high-end bass as a reward for playing for 20 years with no time off or hiatus, I looked at a whole bunch of makers and Wal was one of them - however looks-wise they just weren't want I really had in mind - I could have fairly easily found one to try living in London, but never sought it out (I ended up going with a Marleaux after noodling about on a friend's one and taken in by the gorgeous designs, and couldn't be happier - I've just ordered my second one).

However, the difference with Wals is that you could very easily sell it for pretty much exactly what you got it for, especially in the US, so normal rules don't apply. If you're unhappy with it, you could flip it in a matter of hours (any that are posted on BassDirect are snapped up within a couple of days, tops) and use the proceeds to... well, for anything, I guess. Wals are some of the most expensive new build basses around (only Fodera or Jens Ritter have standard models that can sometimes be pricier, and only Marleaux' top of the line basses cost more than a Wal).

You say you already own a Fodera so I imagine you've got a pretty cool collection and have discerning tastes and know what you like, in which case I say go for it.

 

[TrevorR]

I'm not sure if my sanity is being called into question ,

Only... repeat ONLY... if you’re actively planning to buy a Wal with the express thought “I’m gonna whack some EMGs right in there...”

The nub of my point was that no one really buys a Wal with tweaks or “upgrades” in mind, certainly not a brand new Wal. The nature of the Wal electrics and the price range of a Wal means it’s not really in the same category as buying a USA Fender with the mindset of upgrading with your favourite pickups. You get a Wal to get a Wal. Best analogy I can think is a BMW or Mercedes V8 engine... fabulous, faultless bits of engineering. Can’t say a word against them. But no one buys a Lamborghini or McLaren F1 with the thought of putting one of those engines in it. You just don’t. You buy one to have a kosher Lambo or F1.

Of course, if you happened to own a Wal and decided to put Nordys in it... it’s a free world... but I think I’m safe to say that would represent the mindset of a small fraction of 1% of Wal owners or prospective Wal owners.

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

Only... repeat ONLY... if you’re actively planning to buy a Wal with the express thought “I’m gonna whack some EMGs right in there...”

The nub of my point was that no one really buys a Wal with tweaks or “upgrades” in mind, certainly not a brand new Wal. The nature of the Wal electrics and the price range of a Wal means it’s not really in the same category as buying a USA Fender with the mindset of upgrading with your favourite pickups. You get a Wal to get a Wal. Best analogy I can think is a BMW or Mercedes V8 engine... fabulous, faultless bits of engineering. Can’t say a word against them. But no one buys a Lamborghini or McLaren F1 with the thought of putting one of those engines in it. You just don’t. You buy one to have a kosher Lambo or F1.

Of course, if you happened to own a Wal and decided to put Nordys in it... it’s a free world... but I think I’m safe to say that would represent the mindset of a small fraction of 1% of Wal owners or prospective Wal owners.

No worries man, I totally get your point. No offence taken or implied -from a fellow Londoner.

 

[Gyver]

I hope you get it, even if it is sight unseen. I am not overly familiar with Wal basses but after watching a few YouTube demos they seem amazing and utterly unique.