Wal Bass Club.

[Codsak]

I have a problem. ........ ok....a few.

Now please dont say "turn down the volume" or else i will lose my mind (moreso)...

I have numerous basses - only one Wal tho (until Jose @kulit17) sells me something.
OK - so my setup (in my 24x22ft music area - with soundproofing walls/ceiling etc) ...the basses go through a Fender Bassman 100T into a few pedals into mesa410 .... i have my 100T set to the 25W mode - so it is barely breathing..... ALL my other basses that run through this, are tweakable with a few fondles of the giggle switches - play...sounds great...no problem.
I plug in the Wal - and it nearly vibrates my door off - yes uber cool - but hard to control. It doesnt seem to matter what the giggle switches are tuned too - the volume on the Bassman is at 3 - or less......the volume on the Wal at 1. ...re-read that - volume at ONE... pathetic ....lol...It gets boomy low end and i get asked by the woman that lives upstairs (oh..wait thats my wife trying to watch TV) to change basses. She KNOWS when the Wal gets plugged in. Funny actually.
So..for REAL....what am i doing wrong...the pedals are diamond compressor...Fulltone OCD V2.... or sometimes i disengage the OCD and run thru a Sansamp...less boomy...but still there. I like the OCD better - but im open to suggestions. The Wal battery is also new within the last couple weeks....
My thoughts are the Wal's electronics are SO sensitive to pedals, that i need to rethink them? or minimize them? Or is there a common pedal that is needed - i like a grind (not fuzz) to the tones....h e l p

Ampeg SVT and a Geddy Lee Rack SansAmp RBI The green one. All the grit you can dial in and sub bass if you run it in stereo. Thats what I run and it sounds great I have a ton of basses but the Wal's I have sound awesome. All my Jazz, Ricks, Guilds, Yammaha, Spector, and so on will get different grit acording to how the preamp is dialed in. Simple is always better.

 

[WaveyDavey]

Also, I did not realize both pickups are usually adjusted this way. Same height for each? I had mine recently set up by my luthier and he raised the bridge pickup considerably higher than the neck. He said he thought it sounded better this way with the super light gauged funkmasters I had put on.

Do any of you guys mess with the height of your pickups?

Yes to adjusting the height of the pickups (Rule No. 1 of Wal Bass Club: Only use Pozidriv screwdrivers; using regular Philips head screwdrivers can easily cam out the heads of the screws).*

Both of my pickups came set very low (and evenly, bass to treble side) from the factory. I raised both, setting the bridge pickup slightly higher than the neck pickup, but not terribly high. My Mk 1 is a fretless, and I love the growl from the bridge pickup, though I tend to keep the pickup blend knob close to even (and if anyone cares, I generally set the controls with both pickups between 3 and 4, pulled, and the pick attack engaged. Elixir light gauge strings - .045 - .100. I have a tendency to dig in when playing busier stuff and find the pick attack really helps me hear my percussive/muted notes, though I suspect a soundman would probably roll off the highs a tad).

Also in agreement regarding the very hot nature of the preamp output (hence my question above about the internal trimpots - thanks again to Caca for the identifying their functions). I ended up turning down the overall gain to +/- 50%.

* Okay, I made up the rule about the Pozidriv screwdriver, but if you strip your screw heads using a Philips head screwdriver, don't say you weren't warned!

 

[LowEndHum]

Wal Mk1 for sale on Reverb. $10k

 

[bassplace]

For 10k I might consider selling.

 

[kasroc]

Yeah, right? Lol. There's no way this guy is gonna get near that. Big discussion on the FB page.

 

[japhy4529]

Wal Mk1 for sale on Reverb. $10k

That's it?

 

[Toolmybass]

He is too busy for me ...lol.... you're right tho. Maybe i will call him and go for a drive with my pedal board and my bass. I even think he even likes beer too - match made in heaven!

WHAT?...Too busy?
Silly boy, i seem to remember that very recently i invited you out. Even said to bring your bass and play a Tool tune at one of our rehearsals
Im not even working right now lol. I would be more than happy to help you out buddy. I can also come and visit the new pad and sort out the issues you are having.

 

[Janforth]

What OD/Distortion are you guys using with your Wal basses?

I've tried a few (Tone Hammer, Dark Glass VMT, CAL Grizzly) all where good. I am currently using an ISP Beta Bass Preamp Pedal and I love it, the distortion works well with all my basses. I like it with the Wal, but it works better with my other basses, so I was wondering what you guys are using?

 

[Musicman1901]

What OD/Distortion are you guys using with your Wal basses?

I've tried a few (Tone Hammer, Dark Glass VMT, CAL Grizzly) all where good. I am currently using an ISP Beta Bass Preamp Pedal and I love it, the distortion works well with all my basses. I like it with the Wal, but it works better with my other basses, so I was wondering what you guys are using?

I would recommend trying the damnation audio MBD-1. I'm a huge pedal nerd and have gone through probably 70 dirt pedals and the MBD is a keeper for sure. The broughton terraformer is great too but it can't get as dirty as you may need, definitely suited for a more mild grind sound. Those are my two favorites but I also really liked the EQD Monarch, Zvex Basstortion, and Xotic effects B.B. bass preamp. Check out the videos on my YouTube page as all my demos are done with a Wal. I've done demos of all of those as well as dozens of other effects. Good chance to hear how pedals sound with the bass you'd be using and no post recording effects. I also don't use an amp for my videos so you're just hearing the Wal and the pedal DI'd into the board.
YouTube.com/Szymanskibass

 

[ColonelZulu]

I would recommend trying the damnation audio MBD-1. I'm a huge pedal nerd and have gone through probably 70 dirt pedals and the MBD is a keeper for sure. The broughton terraformer is great too but it can't get as dirty as you may need, definitely suited for a more mild grind sound. Those are my two favorites but I also really liked the EQD Monarch, Zvex Basstortion, and Xotic effects B.B. bass preamp. Check out the videos on my YouTube page as all my demos are done with a Wal. I've done demos of all of those as well as dozens of other effects. Good chance to hear how pedals sound with the bass you'd be using and no post recording effects. I also don't use an amp for my videos so you're just hearing the Wal and the pedal DI'd into the board.
YouTube.com/Szymanskibass

Thanks for sharing the videos. Wow. You have more boxes than Juan Alderete!!!

Who made that 3-channel bypass/looper pedal (o)(o) ?

I have been working my way through distortion/fuzz/OD pedals recently. They all respond differently to the bass you're using and the amp rig.

Having distortion just for the sake of having distortion doesn't always work. If you're playing in a band, it's crucial that you test them out in the context of the band. Some of the harmonics generated by these pedals can cause the wrong kind of noise. I try to make sure my band mates know that I'm testing a pedal out and to let me know what they think.

That said, I would usually recommend pedals with a clean signal control so you don't lose the bass.

I really like the SmallSound/BigSound Team Awesome Fuzz Machine for the "Always On" dirt.
Recently I had a Fuzzrocious Heliotropic pedal with a momentary oscillation button built. I really dig it.

If you're trying to get a specific dirt sound to sound like specific artists, try to get what they use.

If you are just trying out sounds, think about the Eventide H9. It's a multi-effect and pretty costly compared to a single pedal. However, they added "Crush Station", "Sculpt", "Pitch Fuzz" algorithms and they are amazing. Endless tweaking and great control. So if you're trying out OD/Distortion/Fuzz and looking to make"your sound" you'll actually save money vs trying out lots of pedals and the H9 would be the direction I'd send you.

 

[Janforth]

Thanks for sharing the videos. Wow. You have more boxes than Juan Alderete!!!

Who made that 3-channel bypass/looper pedal (o)(o) ?

I have been working my way through distortion/fuzz/OD pedals recently. They all respond differently to the bass you're using and the amp rig.

Having distortion just for the sake of having distortion doesn't always work. If you're playing in a band, it's crucial that you test them out in the context of the band. Some of the harmonics generated by these pedals can cause the wrong kind of noise. I try to make sure my band mates know that I'm testing a pedal out and to let me know what they think.

That said, I would usually recommend pedals with a clean signal control so you don't lose the bass.

I really like the SmallSound/BigSound Team Awesome Fuzz Machine for the "Always On" dirt.
Recently I had a Fuzzrocious Heliotropic pedal with a momentary oscillation button built. I really dig it.

If you're trying to get a specific dirt sound to sound like specific artists, try to get what they use.

If you are just trying out sounds, think about the Eventide H9. It's a multi-effect and pretty costly compared to a single pedal. However, they added "Crush Station", "Sculpt", "Pitch Fuzz" algorithms and they are amazing. Endless tweaking and great control. So if you're trying out OD/Distortion/Fuzz and looking to make"your sound" you'll actually save money vs trying out lots of pedals and the H9 would be the direction I'd send you.

The Wal w/beta bass preamp pedal sounds great in the band context, but when I play it alone (practicing) it sounds a little harsh, but still good, even though I have it at very mild settings.

 

[pickles]

Darkglass B3k sounds great to me. The wal tone is so dirt-friendly, anything with a blend should work well.

 

[Musicman1901]

Thanks for sharing the videos. Wow. You have more boxes than Juan Alderete!!!

Who made that 3-channel bypass/looper pedal (o)(o) ?

I have been working my way through distortion/fuzz/OD pedals recently. They all respond differently to the bass you're using and the amp rig.

Having distortion just for the sake of having distortion doesn't always work. If you're playing in a band, it's crucial that you test them out in the context of the band. Some of the harmonics generated by these pedals can cause the wrong kind of noise. I try to make sure my band mates know that I'm testing a pedal out and to let me know what they think.

That said, I would usually recommend pedals with a clean signal control so you don't lose the bass.

I really like the SmallSound/BigSound Team Awesome Fuzz Machine for the "Always On" dirt.
Recently I had a Fuzzrocious Heliotropic pedal with a momentary oscillation button built. I really dig it.

If you're trying to get a specific dirt sound to sound like specific artists, try to get what they use.

If you are just trying out sounds, think about the Eventide H9. It's a multi-effect and pretty costly compared to a single pedal. However, they added "Crush Station", "Sculpt", "Pitch Fuzz" algorithms and they are amazing. Endless tweaking and great control. So if you're trying out OD/Distortion/Fuzz and looking to make"your sound" you'll actually save money vs trying out lots of pedals and the H9 would be the direction I'd send you.

That pedal is made by a company called "nose". I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It arrived with one channel not working, I sent it back and they fixed it....six weeks later it wasn't working again. I live near a fantastic tech and he opened up and said it was pathetic. Not trying to badmouth the company but man....the quality was just poor in every regard. The only reason I still have it is because that tech re wired the entire thing for me. Anyways, I completely agree about trying things in a band context and a clean blend is always a plus. Sometimes when you're playing alone you don't realize you're losing low end but when you get in a live situation your sound is absorbed and you sound thin and/or non existent. Always good to play a pedal with your band and at full volume! Plus, value their opinions and listen to their feedback (even your guitarist) hahaha

 

[frankzelf]

I like the Darkglass B7K Ultra and the Tech21 VT Bass.
The B7K Ultra is also a very nice preamp/Di.

 

[Musicman1901]

I like the Darkglass B7K Ultra and the Tech21 VT Bass.
The B7K Ultra is also a very nice preamp/Di.

The B7K ultra is super versatile and the DI option is cool as hell. However, it has a very "baked in" sound that you can't shake. You either like it or you don't. I tried to like it for so long but I don't know...it just had this midrange sharpness that I couldn't get rid of. Maybe because the Wal is naturally prominent in the mids. Darkglass reminds me of Warwick...I hear other people using then and it sounds heavenly...I use them and it sounds like crap hahaha. I would like try the alpha Omega though

 

[Epitaph04]

The B7K ultra is super versatile and the DI option is cool as hell. However, it has a very "baked in" sound that you can't shake. You either like it or you don't. I tried to like it for so long but I don't know...it just had this midrange sharpness that I couldn't get rid of. Maybe because the Wal is naturally prominent in the mids. Darkglass reminds me of Warwick...I hear other people using then and it sounds heavenly...I use them and it sounds like crap hahaha. I would like try the alpha Omega though

I have similar experiences with the B3K/B7K/Ultra. What's your experience with the Vintage microtubes? I found I liked it a lot more despite it too having a very baked in albeit more *soothing* sound.

 

[kasroc]

I'm really into the Spaceman stuff at the moment. In particular, the new Mercury IV. Some great harmonics to be had!

 

[Musicman1901]

I have similar experiences with the B3K/B7K/Ultra. What's your experience with the Vintage microtubes? I found I liked it a lot more despite it too having a very baked in albeit more *soothing* sound.

I've never tried the VMT models and I think I should, I feel like it would be more up my ally. I found the B7K to be harsh...and not like an aggressive rough harsh..just....not pleasant to my ears. I wonder if the smoothness of the VMT would better suit me.

 

[LowEndGroover]

Two questions gents:
1) I'm having problems with my jack. Had the jack replaced and it still crackles when the cord moves. This has been a consistent issue of mine since I bought this bass. FYI.. I've had this bass for 4 years and would love the opportunity to play it live. Any recommendations to remedy this would be awesome.

2) I'm thinking about getting the Tech21 - DP-3X pedal. What are your thoughts with pairing this with a Wal or more specifically a MKII?

As always, your guys help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Eddie

 

[Toolmybass]

Two questions gents:
1) I'm having problems with my jack. Had the jack replaced and it still crackles when the cord moves. This has been a consistent issue of mine since I bought this bass. FYI.. I've had this bass for 4 years and would love the opportunity to play it live. Any recommendations to remedy this would be awesome.

Try this to see if it helps
Wal Bass Club.