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Finally a normal price for a Wal that Pro2E.
Those cracks on that MK1 body worry me.
I briefly owned that Pro2e and lets just say it has some issues... thankfully I got a full refund
Hard to imagine a 44 year old bass that doesn't have something going on.
Whats wrong with it?
Whats wrong with it?
Well maybe I was niave but when someone is selling something on a platform like Reverb I expect the description to be accurate. The bass had plenty of dings and scratches, cracks in the varnish, none of which were mentioned or photographed. The volume pot was broken and poorly repaired. Most of the pots were scratchy and the switches too. The middle switch was almost impossible to use because it was so difficult to switch positions. Many of the plastic posts that connect the PCB to the underside of the pickguard were broken.
The action was so high it was almost unplayable in the upper registers. I made a 2mm shim which helped with this but then only exposed that the frets needed a dressing to get the action anywhere near acceptable.
Not what I was expecting after spending 7000€ for a bass described as being in excellent condition!
Geez, that's terrible. Did the seller fake the pics, or just avoid the problem areas? I think you've convinced me (for anything expensive) before final sale to ask sellers for a fresh set of pics at angles I describe, with either a time stamp or a printout from a news site in the pics so I know they are current. If Wals were more common I guess they'd often be local sales where you can check things out.
I had assumed he just didn't have such good eye sight as I do as he was quick to refund me. but given that he has relisted the bass without any mention of the issues I have listed(and I provided him with a detailed description of the issues and photos) I think he might not be totally honest...
I'd like some perspective from folks who either swap necks or own two necks. Being seemingly hopelessly torn between fretted and fretless ahead of finalizing my Mk1 order specs when my turn in the queue comes, I'm considering just getting two necks. If I go this route, what sort of setup issues should I expect when I do a swap? If I stick with one neck most of the time and do occasional swaps with the other, how should I store the unused neck? Anything else I should consider?
I see some discussion of similar topics in the Wal thread, such as what it would take (or if it's possible) to swap one Wal model neck with another (i.e. Mk2 and Mk1) but didn't come across much about same-model swaps and best practices there. Thanks all for any advice or experiences you'd like to share!
I see some discussion of similar topics in the Wal thread, such as what it would take (or if it's possible) to swap one Wal model neck with another (i.e. Mk2 and Mk1) but didn't come across much about same-model swaps and best practices there. Thanks all for any advice or experiences you'd like to share!
If you are that torn on it, definitely go with the freless neck add-on. The neck angles should be comparable.. Worst case scenario, a shim might be needed if one neck is a bit different, but I highly doubt that will be the case. As far as storing the neck that isn't being used, Wal's are very resilient, but like any other bass, if it's sitting without string tension for any long period of time, it's always a good practice to back off the truss rod to allow the neck to relax while it's not being used.
If Paul is building them both at the same time, then he fits them to as similar as possible.
I once had a spare fretless neck. The only setup issue I had, was reusing old strings that had wear (flat) spots from the frets. Can cause weird buzzes as that now flat spot of the string never truly contacts the fingerboard, unless you put new strings with the swap.
Ultimately I got a loaded body to bolt that neck to.
But if you do go thru with two necks, also buy a spare set of neck bolts. After many times of taking the necks off, the hex pattern of the neck bolts starts to round out a little. I've bought used Wals where the bolts were barely able to get an allen tool to grip anymore.
I once had a spare fretless neck. The only setup issue I had, was reusing old strings that had wear (flat) spots from the frets. Can cause weird buzzes as that now flat spot of the string never truly contacts the fingerboard, unless you put new strings with the swap.
Ultimately I got a loaded body to bolt that neck to.
But if you do go thru with two necks, also buy a spare set of neck bolts. After many times of taking the necks off, the hex pattern of the neck bolts starts to round out a little. I've bought used Wals where the bolts were barely able to get an allen tool to grip anymore.
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I asked this during construction of my own Mk2, and Paul simply advised me not to order separate fretted and fretless necks as he mentioned most people never switch their necks, and the extra ends up being completely forgotten. However, in the event I was willing, the idea was basically the same as Mike's response - in that he'd try to fit them as best as possible.
Yes, that's what I think too. How often are you going to switch necks? Better to buy a seperate fretless bass. For the price of a Wal neck you can probably buy a very good fretless bass from another brand. Not sure what a separate Wal neck costs, but that would be more than 1000$ I guess?
I have switched necks on my fretted Mk1 with a friends' fretless Mk1, just to try, and the switch was effortless. No adjustments necessary. But not sure if it is always like that.
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My '89 Mk1 has two necks: a fretless that has "replacement neck '94" pencilled on it with Pete's signature, and a (possible '80-81) paddle-stock fretted.
When I went to buy the bass, the fretted neck was on it. I played it for a bit and then we quickly swapped the fretless neck on so I could try that. Super easy, although the action needed tweaked.
After buying the bass, I got the setup with the fretless neck perfect and haven't ever used the fretted neck. It hangs on the wall with the truss Rod loosened.
When I went to buy the bass, the fretted neck was on it. I played it for a bit and then we quickly swapped the fretless neck on so I could try that. Super easy, although the action needed tweaked.
After buying the bass, I got the setup with the fretless neck perfect and haven't ever used the fretted neck. It hangs on the wall with the truss Rod loosened.
I've had this Mk1 for over a year now. It's been my main gigging bass.
