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Forgive me as I am admittedly not up to date with this entire thread - Are y'all familiar with Form Factor basses? Their Wombat basses look extraordinary like a Wal MK II. Example currently on Reverb from the Amp Shop:
Form Factor Audio Wombat 5 5-String Bass | Amp Shop Bass Exchange | Reverb
Form Factor Audio Wombat 5 5-String Bass | Amp Shop Bass Exchange | Reverb
I had an Enfield bass with those pickups, they didn't sound like Wal pickups in any way!!
I think they look ugly. You can clearly see they stole the design from Wal but made it less nice.
The first thing I noticed was the bridge. Kinda like when you see a Stingray copy then say, "Hey, wait a minute."
I asked Paul in person what he thought of Wal bass clones. "It is a form of flattery isn't it?" He doesn't seem too bothered.
I honestly don't see what the big deal is about Wal clones. After all... it seems like 90% of the basses out there are clones of other basses and nobody gets real twisted up about it unless something comes along that's too close to the original (and rightly so).
It looks like someone pissed in the gene pool of a Mk1 and MK2 then added some Meth and this was the result.
I honestly don't buy any clones, Fenders included. Of all the possible creativity, I don't understand why any company needs to clone something that already exists, or even clone something thats been cloned fourty times.
I look at many of the Fender "clones" out there as vast improvements. Leo did not get it right the first time. Or the second time. Fenders are cool and they are the standard for a reason but if you play a Sadowsky J and a Fender J there is no comparison. The former has an attention to detail that puts it head and shoulders above it's inspiration.
With Wal however, it would be near impossible to beat so any clone would feel like a cheap knockoff to me, no matter how good it is.
With Wal however, it would be near impossible to beat so any clone would feel like a cheap knockoff to me, no matter how good it is.
Absolutely, if I was going to buy a P, J or PJ it almost certainly wouldn’t be a Fender. It would probably be a Sandberg, Maruszczyk, Overwater or Sadowsky... for exactly that reason.
I love the rawness of an original J or single coil P. I'll stick with a Fender for that.
Proud to finally call myself a Wal-nut after quite literally a decade and a half of wishing, as I took ownership of Wal PB 1405 yesterday thanks to a fellow TB'er from Canada. Playing it for the first time last night had me smiling from ear to ear. I was pleasantly surprised at how much low end it puts out.
Some TLC, new strings and a setup and she'll be ready for another 40 years of awesomeness. Color me a true believer now.
Some TLC, new strings and a setup and she'll be ready for another 40 years of awesomeness. Color me a true believer now.
Then Khrist92 finally gets his Wal-nut number!
#182
Congrats!
#182
Congrats!
NBD! I'm also proud to finally be a Wal-nut (with a walnut Wal) after considerable time and effort. I will say that this is the dirtiest instrument I've ever received - it had a nice patina of smoke and dead skin. It was so bad that the headstock was no longer gloss and the tuning keys were totally matte! Check out the microfiber towel picture... yuck. Much better now!
I can't say my first impression of the tone was favorable, but the strings are trash and will be swapped ASAP. Also my first time playing a fretless, so less than perfect intonation isn't helping. I foresee that fret conversion in the near future.
I can't say my first impression of the tone was favorable, but the strings are trash and will be swapped ASAP. Also my first time playing a fretless, so less than perfect intonation isn't helping. I foresee that fret conversion in the near future.
Nice walnut you got there!
#183 RedbirdGT
#183 RedbirdGT
