Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
GZk800 with Acoustic 215 (402) was nirvana for me
That's a great set-up. I've used my Wal many years with a GK RB800. I used the GK 4x10 + 1x15 cabs. Suppose the Bergantino is great too!
Remember that 1989 fretless MKI that was for sale on that sketchy website that looked like it was from 1998? Where it was photographed sitting on plants and stones in a garden?
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had taken a chance and bought it and.... it actually arrived today! Packed in a big cardboard box, with almost no padding in it.
And... it's playable!
Does it feel good to play? No..... the strings are very far from the neck.
But the sound... it's THE sound! I figured that it would need work but, as long as the basic structure and the electronics were ok, then it'd be worth it and they are! The pots are funky and I'm going to send the electronics to Paul for a servicing. But they do work and the pickups seem all good so I'm happy with the purchase for sure.
Thing is, the neck.... it's a wreck. The truss rod is maxed out and the bridge is lowered 100% and the action is still horrendous. In fact, it doesn't seem like the truss rod is doing anything at all and there are cracks in the neck and headstock so it's going to require some serious TLC. Or a burial.
I've already started asking around but might anyone here have any recommendations for trustworthy luthiers in the Northeast where I could bring it to have it possibly fixed? Or who could reliably tell me if it is something that can NOT be fixed? Then if it can be fixed I'll need them to have it fretted... (sorry fretless fans)
Does anyone have an extra MKI neck to sell???
Any suggestions for good luthiers are highly appreciated. Even if it's not in the Northeast. I will likely want to have the body refinished as well but that's lower on the priority list. Thanks to all of you! I'm getting closer...
Here are some photos of this poor Wal. It must have some amazing stories to tell if only it could speak!
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had taken a chance and bought it and.... it actually arrived today! Packed in a big cardboard box, with almost no padding in it.
And... it's playable!
Does it feel good to play? No..... the strings are very far from the neck.
But the sound... it's THE sound! I figured that it would need work but, as long as the basic structure and the electronics were ok, then it'd be worth it and they are! The pots are funky and I'm going to send the electronics to Paul for a servicing. But they do work and the pickups seem all good so I'm happy with the purchase for sure.
Thing is, the neck.... it's a wreck. The truss rod is maxed out and the bridge is lowered 100% and the action is still horrendous. In fact, it doesn't seem like the truss rod is doing anything at all and there are cracks in the neck and headstock so it's going to require some serious TLC. Or a burial.
I've already started asking around but might anyone here have any recommendations for trustworthy luthiers in the Northeast where I could bring it to have it possibly fixed? Or who could reliably tell me if it is something that can NOT be fixed? Then if it can be fixed I'll need them to have it fretted... (sorry fretless fans)
Does anyone have an extra MKI neck to sell???
Any suggestions for good luthiers are highly appreciated. Even if it's not in the Northeast. I will likely want to have the body refinished as well but that's lower on the priority list. Thanks to all of you! I'm getting closer...
Here are some photos of this poor Wal. It must have some amazing stories to tell if only it could speak!
Last edited:
Larry Davis, he restored my fretted MK1, though it was not in that bad shape. Great luthier and great person too, he’ll let you know if it’s something he can or cannot do.Remember that 1989 fretless MKI that was for sale on that sketchy website that looked like it was from 1998? Where it was photographed sitting on plants and stones in a garden?
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had taken a chance and bought it and.... it actually arrived today! Packed in a big cardboard box, with almost no padding in it.
And... it's playable!
Does it feel good to play? No..... the strings are very far from the neck.
But the sound... it's THE sound! I figured that it would need work but, as long as the basic structure and the electronics were ok, then it'd be worth it and they are! The pots are funky and I'm going to send the electronics to Paul for a servicing. But they do work and the pickups seem all good so I'm happy with the purchase for sure.
Thing is, the neck.... it's a wreck. The truss rod is maxed out and the bridge is lowered 100% and the action is still horrendous. In fact, it doesn't seem like the truss rod is doing anything at all and there are cracks in the neck and headstock so it's going to require some serious TLC. Or a burial.
I've already started asking around but might anyone here have any recommendations for trustworthy luthiers in the Northeast where I could bring it to have it possibly fixed? Or who could reliably tell me if it is something that can NOT be fixed? Then if it can be fixed I'll need them to have it fretted... (sorry fretless fans)
Does anyone have an extra MKI neck to sell???
Any suggestions for good luthiers are highly appreciated. Even if it's not in the Northeast. I will likely want to have the body refinished as well but that's lower on the priority list. Thanks to all of you! I'm getting closer...
Here are some photos of this poor Wal. It must have some amazing stories to tell if only it could speak!
View attachment 4727164 View attachment 4727163 View attachment 4727171 View attachment 4727165 View attachment 4727166 View attachment 4727167 View attachment 4727172 View attachment 4727173 View attachment 4727174 View attachment 4727162
**EDIT** He’s in Florida **
Davis Guitar Works - Luthier for Custom Rickenbacker Guitars
Last edited:
I keep a Google doc with forum quotes for things I may need to refer to later so I can't tell exactly where this came from, but the quote mentioned a luthier in Maine:
May be somewhere to start, or at least send your pics to for an opinion. Congrats on the find!
Remember that 1989 fretless MKI that was for sale on that sketchy website that looked like it was from 1998? Where it was photographed sitting on plants and stones in a garden?
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had taken a chance and bought it and.... it actually arrived today! Packed in a big cardboard box, with almost no padding in it.
And... it's playable!
Does it feel good to play? No..... the strings are very far from the neck.
But the sound... it's THE sound! I figured that it would need work but, as long as the basic structure and the electronics were ok, then it'd be worth it and they are! The pots are funky and I'm going to send the electronics to Paul for a servicing. But they do work and the pickups seem all good so I'm happy with the purchase for sure.
Thing is, the neck.... it's a wreck. The truss rod is maxed out and the bridge is lowered 100% and the action is still horrendous. In fact, it doesn't seem like the truss rod is doing anything at all and there are cracks in the neck and headstock so it's going to require some serious TLC. Or a burial.
I've already started asking around but might anyone here have any recommendations for trustworthy luthiers in the Northeast where I could bring it to have it possibly fixed? Or who could reliably tell me if it is something that can NOT be fixed? Then if it can be fixed I'll need them to have it fretted... (sorry fretless fans)
Does anyone have an extra MKI neck to sell???
Any suggestions for good luthiers are highly appreciated. Even if it's not in the Northeast. I will likely want to have the body refinished as well but that's lower on the priority list. Thanks to all of you! I'm getting closer...
Here are some photos of this poor Wal. It must have some amazing stories to tell if only it could speak!
View attachment 4727164 View attachment 4727163 View attachment 4727171 View attachment 4727165 View attachment 4727166 View attachment 4727167 View attachment 4727172 View attachment 4727173 View attachment 4727174 View attachment 4727162
as far as body is concerned, any good luthier can do a proper job to restore it, while neck wise I would suggest to send the mech to Paul since the paint is far beyond recovery and it needs a complete stripping. Being the above, you would loose the Wal decal…. A complete job by Paul would then be both perfect and needed IMHO
Thanks! Good points. While I would love to have Paul do the work... I only fear that it will take a looooong time to get it back. Do you know if jobs like this also have a wait time of "years"?
Part of me is kind of happy to have "the most beat to hell Wal" as long as it is comfortable to play (can be set up nicely) and works properly.
You probably should solicit luthier shop recommendations from the repair forum here. I'm sure the folks that hang out there know far more shops. And get honest opinions from those luthiers. If they can fix totally broken-off Gibson headstocks, then this shouldn't be that big a deal.
But part of me says, wait and see if you can find a spare neck. They're out there.
But part of me says, wait and see if you can find a spare neck. They're out there.
Last edited:
Thanks! Good points. While I would love to have Paul do the work... I only fear that it will take a looooong time to get it back. Do you know if jobs like this also have a wait time of "years"?
Part of me is kind of happy to have "the most beat to hell Wal" as long as it is comfortable to play (can be set up nicely) and works properly.
My fretless MK1 was sent back to Wal HQ to get a new body, had the neck leveled, refinished, and electronics fully serviced, it took a year, but when all was said and done it basically came back as a brand new bass, this was back in 2015, the majority of the waiting time was for the new body.
Last edited:
Yeah I would really love to find a spare neck to buy from someone and have it fitted to the body rather than attempt to resuscitate this one if I could.
Mike at Mike Forrester - Luthier
does excellent work. Based north of Baltimore. He fretted my ProIIe neck and he resurrected a JG neck. Neck and body he can work miracles on. Electronics best to go to Wal. I’d consider sending the entire bass but it would be $$$
does excellent work. Based north of Baltimore. He fretted my ProIIe neck and he resurrected a JG neck. Neck and body he can work miracles on. Electronics best to go to Wal. I’d consider sending the entire bass but it would be $$$
Someone else suggested I get in touch with Mike as well! Sadly, I just got a response from him after inquiring about a restoration, that he’s so jam packed with work that it might be a long time before he has time to do a job like this.
Someone else suggested I get in touch with Mike as well! Sadly, I just got a response from him after inquiring about a restoration, that he’s so jam packed with work that it might be a long time before he has time to do a job like this.
good for him but bummer
If I get around to refurbishing mine I’m sending to mainly for the electronics. Neck is great but body needs a refinish and the board needs a full once over. Would be expensive I expect but worth it.
I actually underestimated it. As horrible as the neck LOOKS, I think it is actually ok with regards to functionality... though it's hard to believe. After messing with the truss rod a little more, I realized that the neck was mostly straight and does not appear to have any twists. Intonation is fine up and down the neck. The problem is that the bridge saddles have corrosion and could be lowered some more after all if they weren't frozen. Soaking them in WD40 (thanks Kulit for the suggestion) and also ordering new saddles from Paul.
This thing is built like a tank!!! I'm amazed...
As suggested WD40 will do the job and IMO there’s no need to purchase new saddles…. They are chrome plated and not nickel plated so what looks like corrosion is not through the plating; a little WD40 and (in the worst cases) a very gentle rub with 0000 steel wool will look all chromed part shine like new.
A couple of the Allen screws on the saddles are busted so I'm still gonna need new saddles. Luckily they're in a place that's ok for the time being and the saddle sits on it pretty stable but new parts will be needed. I can't imagine I can find replacements for those tiny saddle screws... but maybe I can! Imma gonna look...
