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That's obscene!!! No man should have that many Wals! I'm totally no jealous at all :cough:
Can you please upload a close up of your green Pro so that I can see what the original knobs look like. Thanks
Really? I wonder how many passive Wals are out there?
must be quite a few...they did a sort of cutprice passive one pickup version called the pro, i used to have one myself.
Here's a pic of the knobs. I believe Paul still carries them. You'll need need to order new pots most likely, knobs and the clear dial.
This is the part number for the knobs - I bought these from Paul a few years ago.
https://www.monotaro.sg/p/40884087/
Fantastic, thank you.
I know the pots are original so I will try to fit those knobs to these pots before ordering anything else
Lots more than that.
The original Pro model came in 4 versions:
passive 1
active 1e
passive 2
active 2e
Lots of these around.
Of course the 'reissue' Pro seemed to only be passive and single pickup, but the early Wal flyer states it was available as active.
Maybe a "duh" thing for me to say but I remember reading an Alembic owners manual recently and a lot ( all? ) of their knobs have a set-screw that binds them to the pot shaft. If you pull the knob off without loosening the set screw you could pull the pot shaft right out of the pot. I think there is a plastic cover over the set screw hole that needs to be carefully pryed off to get to the set screw.
But if you are on this post, you probably already know this
Good luck!TGIF gents!
Maybe a "duh" thing for me to say but I remember reading an Alembic owners manual recently and a lot ( all? ) of their knobs have a set-screw that binds them to the pot shaft. If you pull the knob off without loosening the set screw you could pull the pot shaft right out of the pot. I think there is a plastic cover over the set screw hole that needs to be carefully pryed off to get to the set screw.
But if you are on this post, you probably already know this
TGIF gents!
Always say it! Glad you did! I once had a guy who does nothing but make custom knobs damage a BRAND NEW shaft because he thought he knew it all. D'oh!
You're gonna need new pots possibly since the shafts maybe cut short for the original knobs it appears.....
Here's what they look like
I bought a bunch of these from wal back in the day for my PRO IIe. When I got them, realized that I needed to either cut the plastic plug-in shafts to the stock pots or replace the pots. So mine have been sitting untinstalled.
If I were to have pots replaced, what types would I need?
If I were to have pots replaced, what types would I need?
Values should be listed on the pots. The original in mine were Radiohm but I could only find in qty of 50 and they are different values. Ended up getting some from Pete. Mine is also odd because it is rear loaded which caused some issue with stem length but that got sorted.
Paul instructed me to cut the shafts down to size...I'll try to find the instructions he sent me and post in a bit.
Found it quicker than i anticipated.......
WAL replacement Pots.
Before you take them, are you ready for some DIY with a hacksaw and handy with a soldering iron?
The design of the replacement pots has changed and they now bolt directly on to the main circuit board. Existing ones are mounted on a raised plastic bush on the pcb. You will need to cut off this raised bush (each protrudes about 1/8th inch high) and ream out the existing holes to about 3/8ths inch each being careful of the adjacent circuit printing. Each pot is then bolted in place with back nut and washer provided.
The neck volume position is very close to some of the printed circuit and you will need to prevent shorting out the circuit by using the additional fibre washer. You then solder a linking earth wire from pot body to body (probably all 5) to ensure a good earth back to the board.
Pro 2 pots. as follows
ACTIVE
22k linear A = master volume – qty 1
220k linear A = pickup vols – qty 2
220k log B = tone – qty 2
PASSIVE (all same value)
220k log B = master volume – qty 1
220k log B = pickup vols – qty 2
220k log B = tone – qty 2
Once soldered in place, bolted and earthed, you need only trim off the spindles to length and refit the old knobs.
WAL replacement Pots.
Before you take them, are you ready for some DIY with a hacksaw and handy with a soldering iron?
The design of the replacement pots has changed and they now bolt directly on to the main circuit board. Existing ones are mounted on a raised plastic bush on the pcb. You will need to cut off this raised bush (each protrudes about 1/8th inch high) and ream out the existing holes to about 3/8ths inch each being careful of the adjacent circuit printing. Each pot is then bolted in place with back nut and washer provided.
The neck volume position is very close to some of the printed circuit and you will need to prevent shorting out the circuit by using the additional fibre washer. You then solder a linking earth wire from pot body to body (probably all 5) to ensure a good earth back to the board.
Pro 2 pots. as follows
ACTIVE
22k linear A = master volume – qty 1
220k linear A = pickup vols – qty 2
220k log B = tone – qty 2
PASSIVE (all same value)
220k log B = master volume – qty 1
220k log B = pickup vols – qty 2
220k log B = tone – qty 2
Once soldered in place, bolted and earthed, you need only trim off the spindles to length and refit the old knobs.
in the 80s i lusted after a status but all i could afford was a secondhand wal pro which cost me 350 quid ...and i sold it in the 90s for half that thinking i could pick up a mk1 easily later on since nobody wanted wal anymore .... ended up getting a mk2 a few years later for way more than i anticipated...you live and learn. ....ps i got my status in the end....gas over.
Interestingly I also had a Status Empathy. I guess that reflects that there were relatively few UK based bass builders back then. As best I can remember it was Wal, Status and Overwater. I used the Status as my main gigging bass for a while but one night when we made a live recording I used the Wal for the last part of the set. As we were mixing down everyone in the room said how much preferred the sound of the Wal in the context of the band and I honestly had to agree. But, I loved the Status because it was beautifully balanced, light, easy to play and the graphite neck was so stable I never had to worry about adjusting the neck to adapt to heat or cold.
Rather than a hacksaw, you can go to a hobby/train shop and get an X-acto saw, its a modelers saw, of course much smaller and removes less material and cuts much cleaner.
Thanks for all the replies guys. Considering the work involved and the potential to damage the PCB, I will leave these knobs in place. They look great even if they aren't original.
