Wal Bass Club.

[TrevorR]

Wal basses first came to my attention in 1977 in the credits of the album Round the Back by Scottish band Café Jacques:
John G. Perry - Wal custom bass

This is the same guy who was in the Quantum Jump video above.

Here are some tracks from that album:
Farewell My Lovely
Eberehtel
Meaningless

John G Perry was a great player (retired from music some years ago and went into sporting PR and promotions). Of course he was the person who commissioned the first real Wal basses too, and a good chum of Wal and Pete's). I love his playing on the Gordon Giltrap Band's 1970s albums.

John Gustafson is anither 70s Wal player I love. Alan Spenner too. Lots more info here...

A HISTORY OF WAL BASSES: SPECIAL FEATURE - Wal Basses, the Early Years

 

[Chickenwheels]

Quantum Jump (Wal JG with tooled leather PG comes in at 0:12). You're welcome.

This video is something else altogether!

 

[Les Fret]

John G Perry was a great player (retired from music some years ago and went into sporting PR and promotions). Of course he was the person who commissioned the first real Wal basses too, and a good chum of Wal and Pete's). I love his playing on the Gordon Giltrap Band's 1970s albums.

John Gustafson is anither 70s Wal player I love. Alan Spenner too. Lots more info here...

A HISTORY OF WAL BASSES: SPECIAL FEATURE - Wal Basses, the Early Years

Any idea of which particular songs or albums of those two Johns are played on a Wal and are interesting for Wal players?

 

[fauxtoe]

I'm considering to sell my '95 5 str WAL, original case (Custom order: White, gold hardware, Blue leds in the ebony fingerboard) Is anyone interested?

Ohhh the temptation is high with this one. Though, I just have to ask - what happened to the knobs?

 

[okabass]

Ohhh the temptation is high with this one. Though, I just have to ask - what happened to the knobs?

Hi
I made a very stupid thing. The black color of knobs had worn. And I found an instructions to chemically blacken the knobs. Unfortunately it doesn't work, and the fluid made them ugly dirty gray. I have ordered new knobs from WAL but they aren't the fastest. Its not big issue : knobs will cost about 80 €.

 

[Warren Bassett]

The first time Wal Basses came to my attention, was 1983 when I saw Steve Severin playing live in Siouxsie and the Banshees, I remember the bass having such a beautiful sound, even with the chorus. They next came to my attention when my friend Stan Stammers bass player with Spear of Destiny at the time, purchased his Mk1 Custom in black polyester in October 1985. He used it live for the first time that month on their current tour, as well as on tv on Channel 4’s The Tube, that began my obsession with Wal Basses. I had to wait until 1989 to by my first Mk2 in black polyester.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Here is John Iilsley playing a black poly Wal with Dire Straits live in 1985:

 

[TrevorR]

Here is John Iilsley playing a black poly Wal with Dire Straits live in 1985:

Fabulous! This has as much (probably more) to do with my love of Wals as Geddy Lee... wanted one a good few years before Power Windows came out!

 

[TrevorR]

Any idea of which particular songs or albums of those two Johns are played on a Wal and are interesting for Wal players?

Once they got their Wals both played them exclusively. My faves for JGP are Gordon Giltrap’s albums Perilous Journey, Visionary and Fear Of The Dark.



The band Aviator is a bit of fun too... if you can find it online.

Antony Philips solo album Sides...


And Adrian Snell’s The Passion - a rock opera based on the Gospels. Love the bass line on this one...


Back later with Gustafson...

 

[Les Fret]

Ok great. I will check them out!

 

[TrevorR]

And for John Gustafson, his solo album Goose Grease is worth seeking out. That sort of late 70s jazz fusion stuff.



Johnny Gus was Gordon Giltrap’s live bassist so the Live At Oxford is worth hunting out. The JG sounds immense! BTW the drummer on this is Ian Mosley who went on to play within Steve Hackett and Marillion. The studio drummer is a very young Simon Phillips! YouTube playlist...
Live at Oxford (9 March 1979) [2013 remaster] - YouTube

He played with The Ian Gillan Band so the album’s Scarabus (not IGB’s best album but some nice bass from JG) and Live at the Budokan are worth checking out.





Finally, he recorded a couple of albums with The Pirates - Still Shakin and Live In Japan.

This was from a “just for fun” rock and roll album he did with Billy Bremner and Ray Fenwick

 

[TrevorR]

Quantum Jump (Wal JG with tooled leather PG comes in at 0:12). You're welcome.

I’m, of course, presuming that everyone knows that the chap singing is Rupert Hine, later to be producer of Rush’s Presto and Roll The Bones albums...

 

[Groovegestapo]

I’m, of course, presuming that everyone knows that the chap singing is Rupert Hine, later to be producer of Rush’s Presto and Roll The Bones albums...

And The Fixx

 

[rogerbmiller]

I’m, of course, presuming that everyone knows that the chap singing is Rupert Hine, later to be producer of Rush’s Presto and Roll The Bones albums...

Yep

 

[rogerbmiller]

Fabulous! This has as much (probably more) to do with my love of Wals as Geddy Lee... wanted one a good few years before Power Windows came out!

Awesome. Somewhere online is the entire performance where there is much more Wal time not to mention better quality picture. If I can find it I’ll post it here.

 

[Les Fret]

And for John Gustafson, his solo album Goose Grease is worth seeking out. That sort of late 70s jazz fusion stuff.



Johnny Gus was Gordon Giltrap’s live bassist so the Live At Oxford is worth hunting out. The JG sounds immense! BTW the drummer on this is Ian Mosley who went on to play within Steve Hackett and Marillion. The studio drummer is a very young Simon Phillips! YouTube playlist...
Live at Oxford (9 March 1979) [2013 remaster] - YouTube
View attachment 3559800

He played with The Ian Gillan Band so the album’s Scarabus (not IGB’s best album but some nice bass from JG) and Live at the Budokan are worth checking out.





Finally, he recorded a couple of albums with The Pirates - Still Shakin and Live In Japan.

This was from a “just for fun” rock and roll album he did with Billy Bremner and Ray Fenwick

Thanks for taking the time to post this. The bass on the Live at Budokan example is very loud in the mix!!

Not so fond of the Ian Gillan band songs though. I like him in Deep Purple much more.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Awesome. Somewhere online is the entire performance where there is much more Wal time not to mention better quality picture. If I can find it I’ll post it here.

Here is the entire performance of the song:

 

[TrevorR]

Thanks for taking the time to post this. The bass on the Live at Budokan example is very loud in the mix!!

Not so fond of the Ian Gillan band songs though. I like him in Deep Purple much more.

Yeah, it was kinda his “I’m not in Purple any more, I’m doing jazz fusion like Colosseum II and those guys...” moment. Very much an acquired taste thing.

A quote or two from JG... “I took the JG On a Japanese tour with the Ian Gillan Band. I wasn't playing particularly loud but the sound crew told me they didn't have it through the PA and that it was the best, tightest and punchiest bass sound they'd heard at the Budokan. What a feather in your cap Wal!”

“The Giltrap sound you ask about was partly the rig, 4 custom double speaker reflex cabs. with 2 JBL horns and 2 Cerwin Vega horns, 2 Crown 300's plus eq's. and a growly flange phaser at certain points.”

 

[Toolmybass]

WHAT did you say????...I CANT hear you. Lol
For rehearsal yesterday i used the SVT rig for my clean channel. Wowzers. Now i see why Joe.B has added an Ampeg to the mix for recording the last 2 albums.

 

[ampegfuzz]

Raining used Wals on FB, FYI