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Wal Bass Club.

#7,561
LowEndHum said:
How so is the Wal different, would you say? I'm a Jazz neck guy as well, I tried out big necks that would have given me an injury if I had continued on them regardless of technique. With no access to a Wal I have no idea what I've gotten myself into haha. :facepalm: For the price I'm paying, I assume it will be good!

I'd like to get ahold of those who are nearby to me. Of course, it's a long shot if they let me near their Wal. Like I said, I'm willing to go a long distance. May as well take a vacation while I'm at it.
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It’s by no means a big neck. I also don’t like big ones. In reverse order my least fave are standard P bass, MM Stingray (if I had a MM it would need to be a Stirling, theyfeel OK to me) and worst of all Warwick. Never played a Warwick neck I didn’t hate. There may be nicer profiled ‘Wick models out there but I’ve stopped trying them so I’d never know! LOL!

I have small hands and find the V very comfortable. Nestles in the hand nicely for thumb over and gives a really nice anchor point for thumb behind for me.
 
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#7,562
Caca de Kick said:
Ive had two new 4 strings, the necks were not thick front-to-back at all. Both 4 strings had Paul's standard neck shape.

My two 5 strings I had Paul do different neck thickness as I wanted em thinner front-to -back than his standard profile.

Did you ask him if thats extra?
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That’s cool you can change the neck around to your liking. I’d rather not fuss with the original Wal soft V design. I don’t need more options at the moment!
 
#7,563
Ok...so measured a few necks. Keep in mind I measured with the D string compressed down to the fret for the front to back measurement with my micrometer.
1970 P bass, nut 1.60", .94" Front to back (squeezed D to fret)..... Wal MK3, 1.68", .96".......Spector NS2, 1.65", and 1.02". This Spector has a chunkier neck than most (front to back).....
So...the measurements show the MK3 has a wider nut than my P bass...feels slightly thinner..likely due to the V shape instead of the C shape on the P bass.
The biggest "feel" difference to ME, is the reach. It's similar to my Spectors but the P feels like an easier reach.
All three...sound quite difference....all amazing in their own right. :)
 
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#7,564
I did struggle quite a bit with the original Wal neck dimensions, particularly the nut width - this is all before I got it trimmed down a bit. They are EXTREMELY chunky, fat necks compared to most other basses and it looks like they are still being made like that judging from playing one of the latest just out of the workshop recently. It was made even more awkward because of the neck dive on the standard Mark I - the balance point of the instrument is somewhere on the tip of the bottom horn (if you're playing seated). That combined with a chunky neck meant it was an uncomfortable instrument to play for me. The later model Mark III model addresses some of these issues.
 
#7,565
I guess it's what you are used to. I like a chunky P bass neck, and find my new MK1's neck to be flatter but with that pronounced V shape, maybe it makes it feel a little deeper but not chunkier (if that makes sense) With regards to neck dive on the new MK1's, mine seems fine with a fairly wide strap, I can jump up and down no hands and it stays put :) (don't ask!) Unlike the old Warwick Streamer I used to own, now that had neck-dive!
I think I will learn to love it.
 
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#7,572
Going back to the neck/balance discussion...

My mk3 6 string is the best balanced bass Ive played yet. I was amazed at how naturally i can position the instrument while standing. Zero neck dive. Weighs maybe 9 lbs.

As far as the neck goes, after exclusively playing a bongo 6 for maybe 5 years, the only thing on the mk3 that gave me fits for a little while was the nutwidth. A tad wider than a bongo 6. But its such a thin neck that once I got ised to it it became one of the easiest playing necks Ive laid my hands on. Suddenly the bongo isnt as comfortable. Just a killer design all around.
 
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#7,574
Epitaph04 said:
Going back to the neck/balance discussion...

My mk3 6 string is the best balanced bass Ive played yet. I was amazed at how naturally i can position the instrument while standing. Zero neck dive. Weighs maybe 9 lbs.

As far as the neck goes, after exclusively playing a bongo 6 for maybe 5 years, the only thing on the mk3 that gave me fits for a little while was the nutwidth. A tad wider than a bongo 6. But its such a thin neck that once I got ised to it it became one of the easiest playing necks Ive laid my hands on. Suddenly the bongo isnt as comfortable. Just a killer design all around.
Click to expand...
I think it weighs a little over 11 pounds. 11.4 pounds to be exact.
 
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#7,574
LowEndHum said:
What does anyone suppose is the closest neck feeling to a Wal?
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IME is not similar to any other neck I’ve played. I own 1986 MK1 (thanks once again Mike!) and it feels more similar to my Jazz or Warwick SS II in terms of width but the soft V neck profile is something I’ve never found in another bass.

As much as I love my bass I gotta admit I found it weird and took me sometime to adapt at first. I personally prefer flatter necks but this is much better than a round chunky one (Some Pbasses, older Warwicks even Stingrays)
 
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#7,575
Did Wal prices jump again or have I just not checked in awhile. I feel like their pricing is starting to get a little crazy. I’ve been toying around with ordering a new build and just checked their site to see the starting cost for a 5 string is almost $9,000 now!? Then assume I want a few tweaks or customizable options and it’s gonna blow past the 10k mark. Then customs fees etc. I just had a friend get a custom Fodera 6 string that came out to 10,500. I’m just blown away at how much the prices are climbing on new wals, yet when sold used they don’t retain this value at all. New Wals going for 9k only sell in the used section for 6,500 or so while I see a lot of other boutique brands hold their value much better and command a much higher price tag on the used market. Just curious on your guys thoughts on this. Do you think new builds are really worth a 10k price tag? And why do you think the used price tanks so much on them.
 
#7,576
Musicman1901 said:
Did Wal prices jump again or have I just not checked in awhile. I feel like their pricing is starting to get a little crazy. I’ve been toying around with ordering a new build and just checked their site to see the starting cost for a 5 string is almost $9,000 now!? Then assume I want a few tweaks or customizable options and it’s gonna blow past the 10k mark. Then customs fees etc. I just had a friend get a custom Fodera 6 string that came out to 10,500. I’m just blown away at how much the prices are climbing on new wals, yet when sold used they don’t retain this value at all. New Wals going for 9k only sell in the used section for 6,500 or so while I see a lot of other boutique brands hold their value much better and command a much higher price tag on the used market. Just curious on your guys thoughts on this. Do you think new builds are really worth a 10k price tag? And why do you think the used price tanks so much on them.
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Is it expected that a used boutique instrument will be worth the same as a new one? I am surprised...
 
#7,577
ficelles said:
Is it expected that a used boutique instrument will be worth the same as a new one? I am surprised...
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Of course not. I don’t expect them to stay the same that would be crazy talk. I guess I’m just surprised at how low I see Wals go for used considering how high the new build prices are. I see Wals pop up going for 5500 sometimes...that’s half the cost of a new one. Yet I feel if I bought a $10k Fodera I would definitely be able to get closer to what I paid. Boutique basses aside, Your average 1600 stingray will sell for 1200 or so. A 1700 dollar Ric will usually sell for 1300 or so. I’m not knocking wal at all, I’ve played my Wal as my main bass for the last 5 years. I’m moreso curious as to why they appear to tank in value so much on the used market
 
#7,578
I don’t know...have you seen anyone actually selling a new build? Most of the ones for sale seem to be vintage or older models. Even those values, considering hitting the vintage mark, are going to be up in value based on what they cost 25 yrs ago.
 
#7,579
kasroc said:
I don’t know...have you seen anyone actually selling a new build? Most of the ones for sale seem to be vintage or older models. Even those values, considering hitting the vintage mark, are going to be up in value based on what they cost 25 yrs ago.
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This is very true in that most Wals that pop up are from 1985-2000 range. The newest wal I’ve seen come up if remember was maybe a 2015? I guess the more I think about it it’s not that crazy. I just see them go used for prices ranging in the 5-7 range and when I went to get quoted for a new one and saw I’d be hitting close to 10k I was a little caught off guard. In all honesty, I’m surprised they don’t command more on the used market based off the new price in conjunction with such a lengthy wait time.
 
#7,580
98BB1FCA-936E-4DE6-B8FD-42A6D2B2A02B.png
For example, this would cost over 8,000 brand new and its used price seems so low. Maybe the used pricing isn’t that far off and I’m just being crazy. There just seems to be such a large price dip in the used market and it surprises me
 
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