Wal Bass Club.

[Les Fret]

I'd be curious to know what you think are non-insane prices for Wals would be.

Fair enough but personally I would say around 4000 pounds for a used Wal.

I think the Wal price hype is gone a bit over the top. It's getting to the point of 60s Fenders. But if people pay it so be it.

I was thinking lately: what do you think will happen with the prices if Wal stopped altogether? Will they go even higher or maybe lower?

 

[kulit17]

I was thinking lately: what do you think will happen with the prices if Wal stopped altogether? Will they go even higher or maybe lower?

3 words....Supply and demand.....do u think if supply stopped, the demand will stop with it? If demand is still strong, as it is here in the US, prices will sky rocket if that ever happens. You think prices would ever going to go lower?

Tell you what....for a social experiment let someone buy either one of your Wals for £4000 and see if you got any regrets selling it for that price.

To give you a bit of perspective on bass prices.....I was actually shared this invoice by a bass buddy of mine for his series 2:

 

[Les Fret]

Haha...yes, totally agree. I am happy that I already got some Wals.

Meanwhile having fun with it today trying out a new bass line on my walnut fretless. Sorry for the crappy phone recording.

 

[djaxup]

strong Japan vibes there - superb tone and playing

 

[mikeswals]

The list price for new drives it up. As Paul jacks his prices up every 9-12 months, used ones start to look like bargains at nearly any price, especially when someone doesn't have to wait two & half years for it.
I remember the very first price list started at £2950 for a Mk1 with no options, but quickly jumped to around £3200 after the first 6/7 months.
I cant imagine the craze it would cause if they stopped making them.

 

[Janforth]

Haha...yes, totally agree. I am happy that I already got some Wals.

Meanwhile having fun with it today trying out a new bass line on my walnut fretless. Sorry for the crappy phone recording.

Very nice, would you please tell me what your signal chain is.

 

[Les Fret]

Very nice, would you please tell me what your signal chain is.

Wal to guitar amp and then to crappy phone mic!

 

[Janforth]

Wal to guitar amp and then to crappy phone mic!

Cool, what amp?

 

[Les Fret]

Cool, what amp?

Old Hughes&Kettner 2x12" guitar combo amp. I always play with my bass on it, even with my six string. Sounds great for at home...

 

[TolerancEJ]

The list price for new drives it up. As Paul jacks his prices up every 9-12 months, used ones start to look like bargains at nearly any price, especially when someone doesn't have to wait two & half years for it.
I remember the very first price list started at £2950 for a Mk1 with no options, but quickly jumped to around £3200 after the first 6/7 months.
I cant imagine the craze it would cause if they stopped making them.

Crazy stuff. Ya know, it is less expensive to order a new Semi-Frills directly from Carl Thompson than search for a used one? Everyone who seems to sell one on the aftermarket increases the price by $1000 or greater.

 

[mikeswals]

Crazy stuff. Ya know, it is less expensive to order a new Semi-Frills directly from Carl Thompson than search for a used one? Everyone who seems to sell one on the aftermarket increases the price by $1000 or greater.

Hard to believe, isn't it? I recall two new era 4 string Mk2's that sold for more used than they were new. Heck I'm pretty sure the 2010 maple & black Mk2 4 string I bought last year locally face to face, I forked over exactly what that guy paid on delivery in 2010.

 

[rogerbmiller]

You either want this bass or not, but do NOT message the seller unless you want to deal with someone not very pleasant. You've been warned.

No affiliation whatsoever!

Wal Mk3 Custom 5 string Bass MK 3

This seller is AWFUL!

He had a Bubinga Modulus Q5 for sale a few months back. Listed as very clean and all original.

I bought it and when it arrived it was clearly a fretless that was converted to fretted. It was so obvious based on the multiple dot markers (both at the fret and between) as well as the thicker FB.

He gave me a hard time about returning it and insisted it was all original and never a fretless until I schooled him. Cost me $95 to ship the bass back. For 30 seconds of play time it was the most expensive rental ever.

I don't know how he gets such great basses to sell, but he is clearly a wheeler dealer and one that I will never deal with again.

RBM

 

[rogerbmiller]

The list price for new drives it up. As Paul jacks his prices up every 9-12 months, used ones start to look like bargains at nearly any price, especially when someone doesn't have to wait two & half years for it.
I remember the very first price list started at £2950 for a Mk1 with no options, but quickly jumped to around £3200 after the first 6/7 months.
I cant imagine the craze it would cause if they stopped making them.

Agreed. I also think the wait time drives up the prices for used Wals. Time is money and why wait, amirite?

 

[MC1970]

Hi All, I recently added a used mkII 5 to my MKII 4, and since frets are very good for a 1998 but they might need a leveling, I am thinking of having then replaced with SS ones.
Does anyone here have experience with SS's on a Wal?
The luthier doesn't know how the final result could be since he has installed SS frets only on Fenders; he only told me that Dunlop Nickel frets (OEM on Wals?) are softer than StewMac Nickel ones, and that StewMacs could be a good "in between" alternative solution to SS.

Any help will be deeply appreciated,

Thanks ;-)

 

[fauxtoe]

This seller is AWFUL!

He had a Bubinga Modulus Q5 for sale a few months back. Listed as very clean and all original.

I bought it and when it arrived it was clearly a fretless that was converted to fretted. It was so obvious based on the multiple dot markers (both at the fret and between) as well as the thicker FB.

He gave me a hard time about returning it and insisted it was all original and never a fretless until I schooled him. Cost me $95 to ship the bass back. For 30 seconds of play time it was the most expensive rental ever.

I don't know how he gets such great basses to sell, but he is clearly a wheeler dealer and one that I will never deal with again.

RBM

That is spot on! He's a grade A jack***. I found lots of evidence elsewhere on other forums that he's caused many a headache for at least the last 5 years. He used to do business here as well, but I believe he was ran off after being outed for the fool he is. If you're part of the Modulus Facebook group then you likely have seen the many, many warnings when something pops up for sale. I hope the buyer of the Wal had a good experience, but if he doesn't you can expect the same treatment you received and then some. He has a major screw loose and he isn't afraid to let you know it.

 

[mikeswals]

Hi All, I recently added a used mkII 5 to my MKII 4, and since frets are very good for a 1998 but they might need a leveling, I am thinking of having then replaced with SS ones.
Does anyone here have experience with SS's on a Wal?
The luthier doesn't know how the final result could be since he has installed SS frets only on Fenders; he only told me that Dunlop Nickel frets (OEM on Wals?) are softer than StewMac Nickel ones, and that StewMacs could be a good "in between" alternative solution to SS.

Any help will be deeply appreciated,

Thanks ;-)

​

Yes, my first Wal was originally a fretless and converted to fretted using stainless frets and it sounded fantastic and they played super smooth. Tiny bit brighter attack, but that's what I go for.

 

[dhagopian]

This seller is AWFUL!

He had a Bubinga Modulus Q5 for sale a few months back. Listed as very clean and all original.

I bought it and when it arrived it was clearly a fretless that was converted to fretted. It was so obvious based on the multiple dot markers (both at the fret and between) as well as the thicker FB.

He gave me a hard time about returning it and insisted it was all original and never a fretless until I schooled him. Cost me $95 to ship the bass back. For 30 seconds of play time it was the most expensive rental ever.

I don't know how he gets such great basses to sell, but he is clearly a wheeler dealer and one that I will never deal with again.

RBM

Good to know. He's definitely a flipper. I was looking at an Alembic he had listed a while back. Found the previous sold listing which was only a week or two prior, and significantly less money. Still wasn't a bad price but I passed just based on that.

 

[fauxtoe]

Good to know. He's definitely a flipper. I was looking at an Alembic he had listed a while back. Found the previous sold listing which was only a week or two prior, and significantly less money. Still wasn't a bad price but I passed just based on that.

Stay far, far away. He's 100% a flipper and, even though that's a perfectly legal way to make money in this capitalistic society, he's the absolute worse one to deal with. The problem is that he has liquid cash, and for those of us who have been saving up for a bass like that to come along, he comes in and swoops it out from underneath you and then resells it at double and will mock you along the way because he has money and you don't. I'm actually shocked that the Wal was priced at only $7k.

 

[mikeswals]

I hope the buyer of the Wal had a good experience, but if he doesn't you can expect the same treatment you received and then some. He has a major screw loose and he isn't afraid to let you know it.

At least with that Mk3, 'we' know what it looked like before and it still looks the same in his pics.​

I'm actually shocked that the Wal was priced at only $7k.

$7250 + $125 shipping = $7375
I hate paying sales tax on used basses, but since the buyer is in Oregon he's lucky there's no sales tax on it. If a WA buyer had done that, it would have pushed it to $8100.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Stay far, far away. He's 100% a flipper and, even though that's a perfectly legal way to make money in this capitalistic society, he's the absolute worse one to deal with. The problem is that he has liquid cash, and for those of us who have been saving up for a bass like that to come along, he comes in and swoops it out from underneath you and then resells it at double and will mock you along the way because he has money and you don't. I'm actually shocked that the Wal was priced at only $7k.

Right on.

I am ok with flipping if done tastefully. What I am not okay with is dishonest and discourteous sellers and buyers. As a collector I have sold all kind of basses from $200 in value to over $5000. No matter who I am contacted by and no matter the instrument I answer all questions and treat people with respect.

Good to know that folks are on to this guy.