Wal Bass Club.

[mikeswals]

yeah, you have to email or call and ask if he has any unsold units in the pipeline, so yeah it's a "chance" there is something you want.

I got lucky. The Mk3 that became the violet 5 string was nearing completion and was exactly what I was looking for (maple body & ebony board), so all I did was have him throw on a color I wanted.

 

[mikeswals]

If anyone is looking for a 5 string cheapie rehab project or bar beater, this might be it.
The Preamp is either gone and replaced with something else, or very modified.

Wal MK2 1988 Natural Finish

 

[tim gueguen]

I'm surprised this video hasn't turned up in this thread. John G. Perry, who the very first Wal bass was built for, as a member of Quantum Jump in their promo video for their single "The Lone Ranger."



I'm not sure if this is the first Wal bass, W1111, or if Perry actually used it on this tune, which was recorded sometime in '73 or '74. But this has to be one of the earliest examples of a Wal in a video. You can hear whatever bass was used a bit better in the original album mix of the tune.

 

[djaxup]

what really intrigues me about that dark purple Mk2: I can test it before buying. That's really comforting, and I could do the travel and back in a day and most likely for less than a hundred Euros. Have I mentioned no customs? Not yet... after that Brexit idiocy who knows what will happen in the future.

 

[mikeswals]

Sounds like you talked yourself into it!

 

[TrevorR]

I'm surprised this video hasn't turned up in this thread. John G. Perry, who the very first Wal bass was built for, as a member of Quantum Jump in their promo video for their single "The Lone Ranger."



I'm not sure if this is the first Wal bass, W1111, or if Perry actually used it on this tune, which was recorded sometime in '73 or '74. But this has to be one of the earliest examples of a Wal in a video. You can hear whatever bass was used a bit better in the original album mix of the tune.

Bit of background info... the bass on the record is indeed W1111, the first Wal branded bass. The video was shot a couple of yoears later after the song gained popularity through Radio 1 DJ Kenny Everett using the vocal intro as a sting in his radio show. For info it is neither Native American nor nonsense. It's actually the Maori name for a particular lake in New Zealand!!

The bass in the video is actually John G Perry's short scale JG bass (the only one ever made as short scale) and it had a personalised serial number... JP1111. Short scale was Perry's strong preference as he previously played Gibson basses.

Wal factoid... all the band knew Pete and Ian but the singer/keyboardist has other Wal connections. He was one of the people who fed into the design of the Pro Series basses (and were credited on the brochure). Many moons later he (Rupert Hine) produced Rush's Wal driven Presto and Roll The Bones albums!

 

[tim gueguen]

Yeah, I'm quite familiar with Hine's career, which includes producing the Fixx, Tina Turner, and Saga amongst others. He also had a "virtual band" project in the mid '80s called Thinkman, where the only actual musician to appear in their videos and promo appearances was Hine, with actors as the rest of the band.

 

[Toolmybass]

So here is my delima
Talked to Paul yesterday on the phone at Wal Hq. Unfortunately my one of a kind pickups with the solid pole pieces are tapered and "pushed" into place and will not accept the adjustable poles

They were flat and he has now adjusted them to the radius of my fretboard

So keep the originals and have something unique?, and pay the $85 for the service so far....OR Paul offered to rebuild the original pups to have new adjustable pole pieces put in for $444

What would you Wal-nuts do?

Dean

 

[kulit17]

So here is my delima
Talked to Paul yesterday on the phone at Wal Hq. Unfortunately my one of a kind pickups with the solid pole pieces are tapered and "pushed" into place and will not accept the adjustable poles

They were flat and he has now adjusted them to the radius of my fretboard

So keep the originals and have something unique?, and pay the $85 for the service so far....OR Paul offered to rebuild the original pups to have new adjustable pole pieces put in for $444

What would you Wal-nuts do?

Dean

If your Wal was part of my family, i would just do the $85 for the service, since i already have a couple of Wals with adjustable pole pieces - so keeping it unique would be my deciding factor.

If it was the only Wal 4-stringer i had in my stable and having the ability to adjust the pole pieces was key for me......i'd go for the rebuild.

 

[graphics1988]

So here is my delima
Talked to Paul yesterday on the phone at Wal Hq. Unfortunately my one of a kind pickups with the solid pole pieces are tapered and "pushed" into place and will not accept the adjustable poles

They were flat and he has now adjusted them to the radius of my fretboard

So keep the originals and have something unique?, and pay the $85 for the service so far....OR Paul offered to rebuild the original pups to have new adjustable pole pieces put in for $444

What would you Wal-nuts do?

Dean

How much are new pickups? ...i always like to keep unique things original. Id tell him to stop and pay the 85 bucks and then get the cost of a complete set of pickups ...maybe its worth doing that then you can change them up if you feel it needs to be done(?)....wait...i need a Wal FIRST before i can answer this. Disregard.

 

[bassballs27]

So here is my delima
Talked to Paul yesterday on the phone at Wal Hq. Unfortunately my one of a kind pickups with the solid pole pieces are tapered and "pushed" into place and will not accept the adjustable poles

They were flat and he has now adjusted them to the radius of my fretboard

So keep the originals and have something unique?, and pay the $85 for the service so far....OR Paul offered to rebuild the original pups to have new adjustable pole pieces put in for $444

What would you Wal-nuts do?

Dean

Well, rebuilding the original pick-ups is still unique is it not? It's still the original pick-ups and not brand new.
Is Paul able to make you some new pick-ups? You'd get the best of both worlds that way by paying the $85....and getting a new set made. Up to you though.

 

[TrevorR]

So here is my delima
Talked to Paul yesterday on the phone at Wal Hq. Unfortunately my one of a kind pickups with the solid pole pieces are tapered and "pushed" into place and will not accept the adjustable poles

They were flat and he has now adjusted them to the radius of my fretboard

So keep the originals and have something unique?, and pay the $85 for the service so far....OR Paul offered to rebuild the original pups to have new adjustable pole pieces put in for $444

What would you Wal-nuts do?

Dean

If your Wal was part of my family, i would just do the $85 for the service, since i already have a couple of Wals with adjustable pole pieces - so keeping it unique would be my deciding factor.

If it was the only Wal 4-stringer i had in my stable and having the ability to adjust the pole pieces was key for me......i'd go for the rebuild.

Trying to think about the number of times I've felt a burning need to change the alignment of the pole pieces (as opposed to a quick tweak to the pick up height adjustment screw... In 26 years owning my Mk 1 Wal Custom I think it's precisely... never. I think you've got to consider what are you gaining for an additional $400... And what you're losing! Did it sound "off" or "bad" before? Will having the adjustable pole pieces actually give you any actual, perceivable benefit - beyond the level of adjustment you'd get from raising or lowering one side of the pickup??

Personally, for me I'd just have the realigned solid pole pieces, a great sounding Wal, an unusual variant and a talking point for those geeky enough to care about such details.

 

[Whitenoise17]

I'm not a member of the club, as I have no experience with or knowledge of wal basses, but I'm here because of my curiosity in relation to them.
What are your opinions on them?
What kinds of features do they have?
How much do they start at?

 

[mikeswals]

How much are new pickups? ...i always like to keep unique things original. Id tell him to stop and pay the 85 bucks and then get the cost of a complete set of pickups ...maybe its worth doing that then you can change them up if you feel it needs to be done(?)....wait...i need a Wal FIRST before i can answer this. Disregard.

Wal doesn't sell pickups. if he wants the new ones, they're going to keep his old ones.

 

[spitskin]

Hm! Just a question!
I Love My MK1 big time But sometimes i just like the simple controls like a p bass or a stingray! Just a tone to roll back or just a treble to turn down for that punchy soft tone.
How do you handle it with the Wal bass! It's more of a filter than a tone knob! It's so much more confusing to me. It just change the frequency ! Is it just me but I don't think it's the same as a (for example) classic tone nob.
I know, I just use the basspreamp and other things so it's not a problem just a thought around the Wal bass and it's preamp.

 

[TrevorR]

Hm! Just a question!
I Love My MK1 big time But sometimes i just like the simple controls like a p bass or a stingray! Just a tone to roll back or just a treble to turn down for that punchy soft tone.
How do you handle it with the Wal bass! It's more of a filter than a tone knob! It's so much more confusing to me. It just change the frequency ! Is it just me but I don't think it's the same as a (for example) classic tone nob.
I know, I just use the basspreamp and other things so it's not a problem just a thought around the Wal bass and it's preamp.

I know what you mean. I think it partly depends on how you approach the Wal preamp. Two things you shouldn't do is approach it like a passive tone control or a BMT boost/cut active circuit. I tend to think of it more like being able to set a series of different core tones which I can vary from. I'm always amazed how many people say, "Oh, I've only ever left the tones at 10 and then just panned between them." That's a perfectly valid approach but it's missing out on so much great tone. IT does take a while to get your head around. For me, when I've set my amp EQ (usually almost completely flat) everything else is done from the bass.

My advice is to start with some solo pickup sounds and find ones that you like. Then when you have a couple try blending between them. Then when you've got a few you like use them as base tones and experiment with how using the boosts changes the tone or how small movements of the tone controls varies the sound. You'll soon find that you have a few different ones that you like. Also, if you want to simulate that rolling down the P-bass/Jazz-bass tone control thing, use the pickup that you have as more dominant on the setting, take off any boost on it and then roll that down a little. It won't be exactly the same effect but it will be in that region.

Also try out some other Wal users' fave tone settings and see how they work for you. Let us know how you get on...

 

[TrevorR]

Hm! Just a question!

How do you handle it with the Wal bass! It's more of a filter than a tone knob! It's so much more confusing to me.

Here are a few of my favourite tone settings to try out. I'm sure that others will chime in with theirs...

• Bridge tone on 8, neck tone on 6-7 and pulled up, mix half way between neck and centre (75%N, 25%B). That's my bread and butter tone. I'll then flip the mix to half way between centre and bridge (25%N, 75%B) for punchier rockier sounds. Pull up the Bridge tone boost for a bit more active zing to either setting.

• Neck only, tone on 7 for a mellower fingerstyle tone (with or without pick attack engaged) - engage the boost for a more "live", "active" variant.

• Another fave for dubby/white reggae type sounds, think Roxanne, Walking on the Moon, Dreadlock Holiday, It Must Be Love... Neck tone 2 pulled up, Bridge tone 8, Blend 60%N, 40%B

• And here is a fun one... Neck tone 6 pulled up, 100% neck (with or without pick attack) and then play over the end of the neck and swoop around in the 7th-10th fret area for a sort of pseudo electric upright bass/double bass sound.

• I've heard some say that Neck tone 7, Bridge tone 5, blend 50/50 is Wal's take on a P-bass sound - not quite to my ears solo'd but not that far off in a mix...

Another session player chum who knew Ian and Pete well suggested these to me once too...

• Both tone pots between three and four, boosts pulled up (around where the hardest part of the filter knee is) and then use the pick up pot to go between low mid to high mid. He recommended this for fretless.

• Pull up the tone pots, Neck tone at zero, Bridge tone at 10. Pull up the volume pot for pick attack, Blend in centre position (50%N, 50%B) - great for slapping, he said. I neither slap nor play fretless so I'll just have to take his word for it!

Have fun exploring the Wal tones... there's lots of fun to be had and lots of bass magic to create. Once you've got a more intuitive feel for how the Wal tones work they actually become very easy to navigate, despite how complex they seem at first sight. And don't forget to report back!

 

[spitskin]

I know what you mean. I think it partly depends on how you approach the Wal preamp. Two things you shouldn't do is approach it like a passive tone control or a BMT boost/cut active circuit. I tend to think of it more like being able to set a series of different core tones which I can vary from. I'm always amazed how many people say, "Oh, I've only ever left the tones at 10 and then just panned between them." That's a perfectly valid approach but it's missing out on so much great tone. IT does take a while to get your head around. For me, when I've set my amp EQ (usually almost completely flat) everything else is done from the bass.

My advice is to start with some solo pickup sounds and find ones that you like. Then when you have a couple try blending between them. Then when you've got a few you like use them as base tones and experiment with how using the boosts changes the tone or how small movements of the tone controls varies the sound. You'll soon find that you have a few different ones that you like. Also, if you want to simulate that rolling down the P-bass/Jazz-bass tone control thing, use the pickup that you have as more dominant on the setting, take off any boost on it and then roll that down a little. It won't be exactly the same effect but it will be in that region.

Also try out some other Wal users' fave tone settings and see how they work for you. Let us know how you get on...

Here are a few of my favourite tone settings to try out. I'm sure that others will chime in with theirs...

• Bridge tone on 8, neck tone on 6-7 and pulled up, mix half way between neck and centre (75%N, 25%B). That's my bread and butter tone. I'll then flip the mix to half way between centre and bridge (25%N, 75%B) for punchier rockier sounds. Pull up the Bridge tone boost for a bit more active zing to either setting.

• Neck only, tone on 7 for a mellower fingerstyle tone (with or without pick attack engaged) - engage the boost for a more "live", "active" variant.

• Another fave for dubby/white reggae type sounds, think Roxanne, Walking on the Moon, Dreadlock Holiday, It Must Be Love... Neck tone 2 pulled up, Bridge tone 8, Blend 60%N, 40%B

• And here is a fun one... Neck tone 6 pulled up, 100% neck (with or without pick attack) and then play over the end of the neck and swoop around in the 7th-10th fret area for a sort of pseudo electric upright bass/double bass sound.

• I've heard some say that Neck tone 7, Bridge tone 5, blend 50/50 is Wal's take on a P-bass sound - not quite to my ears solo'd but not that far off in a mix...

Another session player chum who knew Ian and Pete well suggested these to me once too...

• Both tone pots between three and four, boosts pulled up (around where the hardest part of the filter knee is) and then use the pick up pot to go between low mid to high mid. He recommended this for fretless.

• Pull up the tone pots, Neck tone at zero, Bridge tone at 10. Pull up the volume pot for pick attack, Blend in centre position (50%N, 50%B) - great for slapping, he said. I neither slap nor play fretless so I'll just have to take his word for it!

Have fun exploring the Wal tones... there's lots of fun to be had and lots of bass magic to create. Once you've got a more intuitive feel for how the Wal tones work they actually become very easy to navigate, despite how complex they seem at first sight. And don't forget to report back!

Ok thanks ! Its time to have some fun! But Its sure a wild horse. And I'm afraid to find a great tone and record with it and forget about it later when hear the song again! That's why a usually go full on with everything. But I will get back with reports

 

[TrevorR]

Ok thanks ! Its time to have some fun! But Its sure a wild horse. And I'm afraid to find a great tone and record with it and forget about it later when hear the song again! That's why a usually go full on with everything. But I will get back with reports

 

[spitskin]