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The "new" Wal
- Thread starter Nobody
- Start date
Yeah, really. I have no idea what the bass really sounds like...but I did like what I just heard. Whatever that was.
Chef
In Memoriam
I think a Wal is a Wal is a Wal !! Folks trying to cite differences are only boost prices.
The last time I saw a Wal in the flesh was last summer,I'd took a break from the building site to buy strings and the owner of Ayr Guitars
(great name) funnily enough in Ayr,Scotland suggested Nexus by Roto.He had them on his Wal and I mentioned the JG model I once owned.
Like classic car owners we just talked ,I don't imagine Ferrari owners have a grading scale either.
The last time I saw a Wal in the flesh was last summer,I'd took a break from the building site to buy strings and the owner of Ayr Guitars
(great name) funnily enough in Ayr,Scotland suggested Nexus by Roto.He had them on his Wal and I mentioned the JG model I once owned.
Like classic car owners we just talked ,I don't imagine Ferrari owners have a grading scale either.
Who are these people you speak of? Out of the three Wal owners groups on basschat, talkbass, facebook... you who doesn't even own one is making up bs. It really is a small cult community, and nearly most owners know each other or their basses, and this nonsense you have made up hasn't happened, nor has anyone posted up sales ads with such claims of their old era basses. I have two Waller/Pate era, two Pete era, and now two Paul era, been buying/selling/locating em for quite a few years now, seen no such thing.
That would be me getting used to typing on a new phone......the key word, folks is valuable...my apologies..
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Excellent work, detective...Good for you and your basses...there's no need for me to make anything up...I'm not that vested in Wal basses..I think they're cool, but I don't care enough about them or hate them enough to start a smear campaign against them or anyone who happens to own one.....I really don't give a damn who you do or don't know with a Wal....I know what I have personally seen with my own eyes, considering I pretty much check out basses that are on sale here or otherwise for sale on a daily basis.but that neither here nor there..I know what I have seen..period... Cult community or whatever you want to call it to make yourself feel cooler, there are people that have put a special emphasis on it being an "original " Wal and spike the price just because of it..just because I don't own one doesn't mean I've never been in the market for one and it sure as hell doesn't mean i haven't done my homework on them.....I also gave examples on AC basses and I'm sure I could think of another one or two I've seen over time from other makes and models..one thing for certain is that I couldn't care less what you've happened to see or not see...P.S..I can think of at least three Current Wal owners who absolutely don't know you...not every bassist spends anytime whatsoever on Talkbass, Basschat, etc...I'm very much in Agreement with those saying a Wal is a Wal is a Wal. From what I've learned about them, they seem to be very consistent from generation to generation ...
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Whenever I hear 'Wal' I think of 'WalMart'. I honestly know almost nothing about the company besides that Geddy Lee used one in the 80's and 90's I think? Anyways I hope there isn't a correlation.
I'd seriously love to meet your three friends, I like getting to know other Wal owners...you never know, I might buy one off of them.
I'm sure there are some people out there that prefer or want the earlier Wal basses, but it's not happening enough to drive up the values of the older basses on the general marketplace. If you're a fan of the older basses, you're in luck because more often than not they can be had for a similar if not lower price than a late model used bass.
@Ace Of Bass I'd have to agree with Caca and the majority here. I have never seen particular era Wals get SOLD at a "marked up price". I have SEEN Wals on ebay AND Craigslists that emphasizes that it's an Ian Waller or a Pete the fish bass, BUT those basses just sit unsold. They typically sit at an average value depending on condition, type (mk1,mk2,mk3) options, and spec of the bass......as far as the ridiculous priced ones on evilbay, a majority of those sales get sold outside ebay...at about the average value at that time..... I actually got two of my current Wals that way. So perhaps those ones you saw were the ones that were "unsold", cause I surely haven't seem what you spoke of either. So from the sounds of it - I don't think you did your homework very well.
As far as forums and the like, I follow those same forums and groups for Wals..... (let us not forget yahoo's walbassnaturally or dudepit), alot of us on TB that are "into" Wal basses whether it's to scope out other guys Wals or to acquire another one.....shoot, past couple years I'm at double digits and still own 9 of them! My point is, for you to say you've done your homework and say people have been selling and buying Wal era basses at a premium is very much incorrect.....
As far as forums and the like, I follow those same forums and groups for Wals..... (let us not forget yahoo's walbassnaturally or dudepit), alot of us on TB that are "into" Wal basses whether it's to scope out other guys Wals or to acquire another one.....shoot, past couple years I'm at double digits and still own 9 of them! My point is, for you to say you've done your homework and say people have been selling and buying Wal era basses at a premium is very much incorrect.....
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Have to weigh in here since I've spent the last several years saving up and scouring the market for Wal(s)...I have yet to see any for sale for a higher price or a premium exclusively because they were made by Ian or Pete. Wals are so rare and picked up by such a niche group that the Pete/Ian vs Paul price difference doesn't exist, we're all just happy to get our hands on them so the market for all of them is very much the same.
For me the beauty of having a Wal from any era/builder is knowing that it's always going to be a perfectly made, absolutely incredible instrument as long as it's been cared for properly.
Get one and find out.
For me the beauty of having a Wal from any era/builder is knowing that it's always going to be a perfectly made, absolutely incredible instrument as long as it's been cared for properly.
Get one and find out.
Save your money for the neck surgery you'll need when you fall off your high horse, bro...I'd buy that before I put you into it..
Look fellas...I'm not at all trying to be disrespectful to the brand and say that they're not worth the premium that it cost to own one...I completely respect the bass and am pretty familiar with the pricing and market for Wal basses (I was considering an MK2 at one point)...I'm just telling you what I'm noticed in a specific instance and it reminded me of other instances I have seen where it seems like some people subdivide bass brands merely to create what I perceive to be hype...why..?..not really sure..could be to try to drive the market up...could be to try to further themselves as elitist owners...could be pure nostalgia...
Again, I gave the example of a Coppolo bass because I know for certain that I've seen that in classified ads here on TB....even if some wants one in a trade, they'll say something like "only trades I'm looking for is a NYC Will Lee 5 or an AC made in NYC...as far as Sadowskys go, you understand the NYC vs Metro thing, but with an AC NYC vs Cali..?..or The "Old" Wal vs the "New" Wal ...?...that kinda stuff makes me wonder why they put more value on minute specifications like where the bass was made or who in that shop made it...some cases, like that one in particular, didn't necessarily have anything to do with money, but there was an added value perceived ...It might be something if it was an isolated incident, but, again, it's something I've seen numerous times...the high priced Wal could very well have been on eBay as far as I can remember, but I do remember emphasis added to the whole "limited edition super rare, ORIGINAL " bit....I specifically remembered the bit about the price being higher specifically because Ian Waller made it"..not because of wood choice or electronics ...not because Wal basses are now made in China or something like tha and the originals blow away the overseas made basses...another one of those things that made me wonder why that kind of thing is done..I mean, has no here seen someone specifically asking for a "Dan Lakin made 55-94" in a trader something of the sort..? Maybe I'm just spending way too much damn time in the classifieds...you could say that to me and I'd be totally fine with that..
My original commentary was really more so about wondering why people subdivided basses that are pretty much equal in every way for no apparent reason...just so happened to be posted in a thread about Wal basses....
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I hear ya....I do have a schoolmate/friend who is crazy about his...saved for a long time to get it after he found it...wants another...another friend from school barely plays his..got it from his teacher before he passed away...isn't into social media at all and and prefers to play a $400 Epiphone Thunderbird...he holds onto it because he's heard they're valuable and hard to find...he definitely doesn't know what he has...
Hate to rip out the TB rule book...but when someone rips out 'bro'......
Rule #1: Respect your fellow members. All registered users must address fellow members with the utmost respect at all times. If you do not agree with a fellow member, be courteous in your response. Thomas Jefferson said it best: "When I hear another express an opinion which is not mine, I say to myself, he has a right to his opinion, as I to mine".
Me too.... they wouldn't by chance have a five string Wal I can fit into this mix?
That greenburst one is drool. Give me that with a matching headstock and I'll be in heaven.
(Didn't Justin Chancellor own a greenburst by chance? I remember reading he did but I've never seen pictures of it).
Interesting! Haven't seen that first pic so thanks much.
Makes me wonder how many of those exist. There's yours, JC's, and I think Major Metal owns a 5 string Mk III. That, and there's a blue-green burst 5 Mk III but I don't know if it counts.
