Wal Bass Club.

[KoaFodera]

Still debating on the wood choice for the fretboard, almost always played basses with fretboard made of ebony. What are your thoughts on rosewood (or ebony) for a mk2?

I have Pau Ferro spec'd for my Mk ll. PF always sounds great on Spector NS-2's. Authoritative without the ping and sharp articulation of Ebony.

Now that IR is off the CITES list, that gives you the ability to spec it without paying the $150 fee.

 

[Phoenix33]

I have Pau Ferro spec'd for my Mk ll. PF always sounds great on Spector NS-2's. Authoritative without the ping and sharp articulation of Ebony.

Now that IR is off the CITES list, that gives you the ability to spec it without paying the $150 fee.

I do have Pau Ferro on my ACG, and I really like the feeling of it. Maybe I should have gone with rosewood to save a few $ but I finally went with ebony because considering the investment, I wanted to make sure I was in known territory.

30 months minus 2 days now...

 

[mikezimmerman]

Pau Ferro is a great fretboard wood, but I didn't realize it was an option on Wal. Interesting...

I have Pau Ferro spec'd for my Mk ll. PF always sounds great on Spector NS-2's. Authoritative without the ping and sharp articulation of Ebony.

Now that IR is off the CITES list, that gives you the ability to spec it without paying the $150 fee.

 

[mikeswals]

Since I have the choice on a build, I will always spec ebony, its the feel I prefer.

I guess you could ask Paul about pau ferro, but he didn't have any when I was there. He showed me the planks of rocklite and also macassar ebony is what he had for options.
I do have a Mk2 with a macassar ebony board, which actually has the appearance more like rosewood just harder.

 

[DeltaPhoenix]

I have a question, does anyone use their Wal with an amp modeler like a Helix? If so, are you happy with the results? Do you need to adjust the gain of the signal going into the modeler via settings on the unit?

 

[gwangi]

Hey stupid question here but Rocklite fingerboards are they the same thing as Phenowood?
I know Joe Zon uses birch w/ composite risen that is impregnated so is this basically the same thing?

 

[kulit17]

Hey stupid question here but Rocklite fingerboards are they the same thing as Phenowood?
I know Joe Zon uses birch w/ composite risen that is impregnated so is this basically the same thing?

they might be different....you might be thinking of Richlite:

Rocklite is a man made product, engineered entirely from real, sustainable wood. It is NOT vulcanised paper!

Richlite is a sustainable material manufactured from recycled paper and phenolic resin

 

[mikezimmerman]

There are a lot of "composites" out there, and it definitely gets confusing!

I'm fairly sure that the "Phenowood" that Joe Zon uses is pretty much the same as Rockwood that Greg Curbow used for necks/fretboards, and Diamondwood that Roscoe uses for fretless boards. It's a resin-impregnated wood, usually birch.

"Richlite" is the older impregnated paper product that you're thinking of. I think that it was what used be used on Modulus and Steinberger instruments.

"Rocklite" is a newer synthetic fretboard material. Bruce Johnson gives some more detailed information about the differences in this thread:
Rocklite: The Latest Synthetic Ebony For Fingerboards

they might be different....you might be thinking of Richlite:

Rocklite is a man made product, engineered entirely from real, sustainable wood. It is NOT vulcanised paper!

Richlite is a sustainable material manufactured from recycled paper and phenolic resin

 

[HeavyJazz]

^^^Joe Zon uses the resin infused birch fingerboards.

 

[Phoenix33]

I think I am confident with my specs, yet I asked for a battery box for quick battery swap, but my request was declined.

 

[toothguy]

I think I am confident with my specs, yet I asked for a battery box for quick battery swap, but my request was declined.

Wouldn't that require extra routing on the back?

 

[TrevorR]

I think I am confident with my specs, yet I asked for a battery box for quick battery swap, but my request was declined.

I’m not surprised, to be fair. Never known Wal to do that before. Even with very regular gigging a Duracell 9v battery will last you a year or more (so long as you don’t leave the bass plugged in 24/7).

If you’re still worried about quick battery changes you could ask if the cavity cover could be held on with little neodymium magnets instead of bolts. Not sure if Paul would do that but it’s maybe more likely than extra routs in the body!

 

[mikeswals]

I gig a lot with my 5ers, and only change the batteries once a year. Even then they're still 8.5v when I take em out.

 

[TrevorR]

I gig a lot with my 5ers, and only change the batteries once a year. Even then they're still 8.5v when I take em out.

Same here. Change them every New Year’s Day. My little ritual. Never ever below 8v when I take them out.

 

[Racermech]

I have a question, does anyone use their Wal with an amp modeler like a Helix? If so, are you happy with the results? Do you need to adjust the gain of the signal going into the modeler via settings on the unit?

I use my Helix every time with my Wal. Turn on the input pad and you should be fine. You can always run a compressor first or turn down the gain on the amp block. So far, with the input pad on I have been ok.

My Wal is super hot but it sounds great with the GK sim.

 

[Les Fret]

Same here. Change them every New Year’s Day. My little ritual. Never ever below 8v when I take them out.

I never change them. I like living on the edge.

 

[TrevorR]

I never change them. I like living on the edge.

 

[frankzelf]

I change my batteries right after soundcheck..

 

[frankzelf]

I love my job!

 

[Les Fret]

I like that JG the most. I am into leather!