I'm going to pop the back open in the morning ... is the pick attack set at 100% from the factory then? because yes, it's extremely harsh..
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I'm going to pop the back open in the morning ... is the pick attack set at 100% from the factory then? because yes, it's extremely harsh..
Not sure. It might be set to 50% from factory. But can also be 100%. You will see when you open the back. Let us know.
Not sure on the factory setting for th ePick Attack trim - I must confess that I set mine at about 50%.
With the filters the way in which they work is that they are a shelving low pass filter so they act completely differently from most bass EQ (which tend to be a cut/boost on a preset non-adjustable parametric curve - bell curve). Quoting from the website:
As you pull back the tone control to below about 4-5 you'll hear quite a pronounced knee to the sound. Using the tone boost will add back some sparkle to that tone but it is a fundamentally darker tone in that area. It takes a while to find your own preferred tones and to internalise what adjustments to the tone controls do and how they interact with each other as you change the pickup blend settings.
As you're getting to know them there's a google doc that someone on the Facebook group put together which compiles different players favourite tone settings, how they would describe them and how they might apply them in a playing context. It might be helpful as some starting points to experiment from...
Wal basses - control settings
I absolutely don't find the sound without pick attack muffled or subdued. Maybe it's an amp setting thing? That regular Wal tone, tone knobs on 10, is so perfect for pick playing or using distortion, just a powerhouse sound that has muscle and sits well in the mix. Well most of the time it penetrates the mix a lot.. love it.
My favorite tone setting: both tone knobs on 10, both pulled. Most of the time I have to dial back the treble tone to somewhere about 8, that's where the harshness usually stops. But some stages/songs/settings, both on 10 is best. Pickup balance slightly shifted toward the neck PU. My Mk1 then scoops the mids a bit, it just sounds fuller and less nasal/inyourface. Picked, it sounds just brutal, like it has a built-in crunch or overdriven tone. With fingers, lots of punch and accent, clanking also penetrates in a good way. Very nice for Karnivool style tones.
I don't slap, but I'd most likely dial in the balance to get the scooped sound - most of the time you have to favor the neck PU a bit to get it. Both of my Wals behave(d) like this. Then use pick attack (properly dimed in with the trim pot) and dial the tones down if you need less mids.
Yes with everything on 10 it doesn't sound muffled but we were talking about settings from below 5.
I noticed that a Wal (without pick attack) by default has much less treble than say a Fender jazz bass or Musicman. Even with all filter knobs on 10 (not pulled). I AB'ed it a few times and the difference was really obvious. Not in a bad way cause I don't like overly trebly basses,
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lots of great info here gents... definitely dialed in the sound now.. turned pick attack to around 40%... the two trim pots apparently apply to low B 5-string basses, so I left them alone.. but the main difference is I took the advice Trevor and others above to go with something less than 10 on the filter knobs... I settled on a 2 / 8 combo, and a 6/4 combo to get two tones that work very well for me, with pick attack open of course, as when it's closed it's simply too vintage P-bass sounding to work for anything I'm doing..
Secondarily is my strings are breaking in now after some 8 hours of play time.. and they're not quite as high pitch sensitive .. lastly I raised my action a tiny bit (I play a very low action) which helped with the excessive metallic clanging..
Incredibly dynamic bass .. reminds me very much of my past Alembic experience, only I feel this one is a MUCH better value..
Secondarily is my strings are breaking in now after some 8 hours of play time.. and they're not quite as high pitch sensitive .. lastly I raised my action a tiny bit (I play a very low action) which helped with the excessive metallic clanging..
Incredibly dynamic bass .. reminds me very much of my past Alembic experience, only I feel this one is a MUCH better value..
The pick attack is factory set 50%, the rest are factory set 100%.
Old Wals had pickup heights set higher, therefore got more gritty than the way Paul sets them now. So I raise mine about 1-2mm higher when I get them from Paul to match my old ones.
To me there are two shelfs: first one hits around 7 ish, the other around 4 ish.
I set my front to 7, and the rear at 8, mix knob centered, and throughout my sets I never touch them. I'm a finger player and use the pick attack as my 'slap contour' when needed, gives it that Musicman zing.
Every once in a blue moon if the singer calls an old motown/stax tune, then the only knob I move is the mix knob about one to one-&-half notch toward the neck pickup.
Its a very touch sensitive instrument, so moving my hand positioning has been by far my dynamics and tone style change.
Old Wals had pickup heights set higher, therefore got more gritty than the way Paul sets them now. So I raise mine about 1-2mm higher when I get them from Paul to match my old ones.
To me there are two shelfs: first one hits around 7 ish, the other around 4 ish.
I set my front to 7, and the rear at 8, mix knob centered, and throughout my sets I never touch them. I'm a finger player and use the pick attack as my 'slap contour' when needed, gives it that Musicman zing.
Every once in a blue moon if the singer calls an old motown/stax tune, then the only knob I move is the mix knob about one to one-&-half notch toward the neck pickup.
Its a very touch sensitive instrument, so moving my hand positioning has been by far my dynamics and tone style change.
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This is very true.. It really reacts to even a 1 or 2 notch move on the filters... I'm finding for that "Slap" tone for me, If I bias the front pickup by one or two notches, I also get a bit more punch.. Full open 10 / 10 works with this bias.. The ultimate issue I was having seems to have been the combination of strong pick attack and brand new strings.. as they're breaking in a bit, the tone is rounding off... It's a great addition to my family as it's truly unique in tone... somewhere between my Spector and my Warwick in tone..
Need some help from you fellow Walnuts! My input jack seems to be loose on my 2017 Mk1. My 1/4th cable will fall out sometimes at the right angle still when getting a nice "Click" when inserting the instrument cable. I did email Paul and he responded but still struggling on it. I was able to successfully do this on my 85 Mk1 but not having luck this time.
Running through some of Tool's Right In Two with my Mk1. Similar with Yes material, I can pull most of it off without needing to use a pick 
From what I understand .. Mark King played a Wal Bass on this track... I never knew he owned and played a Wal.. interesting... sounds like a fretless..
There’s a Princes Trust video on YT with MK playing his Wal Midi bass. He calls it a “Well bass” lol.
can you link that? I've looked and just found Jaydee and Alembic basses..
I seem to do recall one where the "house" bassist was Mick Karn and MK guested for a song, borrowing Mick's bass for the song. That said, I understand that he had a Wal midi bass at one point.
I like that bassline! Could be a Wal but I am not sure. Where did you read that? Sounds Wal-ish.
I did have a search and found nothing either. Maybe I’m mis-remembering, apologies!
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