Wal Bass Club.

[kulit17]

If it hasn't been done already, we should have a permanent home for that setup information. I'm sure it would be very useful for all Wal owners out there!

I pasted a snippet of it in Musicman1901 thread to what it pertained too, but here is the whole transcription that I received.

Just wanted to put this info here:
(I hope Paul H doesn't mind)

Bass-ic Setup of a Wal

The setting up of basses can be very different from player to player but we
do have some starting points/guidelines that may help you:

Neck relief - measured by fretting at both the 1st and 21st frets to create
a straight edge with the string - you may want to use a capo to hold the 1st
fret down to help you with this. Relief can now be checked by looking at
the gap between the top of the 8th fret and the bottom of the string on both
the E and G strings - anywhere from 0.3mm(business card thickness) to
0.8mm(credit card thickness) approx is acceptable depending on your
preference.

Nut height - this will be affected by the neck relief but should ideally be
as low as possible without buzzing when playing the open string. Compare the
string height over the 1st fret when played open with the height above the
2nd fret when fretting the 1st fret. It should be just very slightly higher.
If the nut is too high, it will not only feel harder to play but also not
play in tune. If too low it will rattle when playing open strings.

String height(action) - if both the above are set, the final action can now
be set. This is measured from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the
E and G strings. An low to medium action would measure 2mm-2.6mm on the E
string and 1.6mm-2.1mm on the G string approx. The action should taper from
E to G so as the strings get lighter to action becomes slightly lower.

Pickup heights - individual pole pieces for the E and G strings should be
set just proud of the pickup cover. The A and D string pole pieces slightly
higher to follow the camber of the strings you have set. The overall pickup
heights are measured whilst holding down(fretting) the E and G strings at
the 21fret. The distance between the top of the pickup pole piece and the
bottom of the string should be 6mm on the E string and 5.5mm on the G string
approx.

Raising the pole piece height will not only increase the volume of that
particular string but also give a more compressed darker sound - lowering
gives a brighter more open sound with less volume.

All the adjustments above affect each other plus fret condition and of
course playing style need to be taken into account so some experimentation
may be needed. Hope the info helps and let me know how you get on.

Funny thing too I actually had to look up what exactly "proud" meant other then kinda figuring it out by the context....

Found this is the Oxford-British dictionary:

3 [predic.] British slightly projecting from a surface:
balls standing proud of the fabric

 

[mikeswals]

balls standing proud of the fabric

Oy!

 

[Toolmybass]

"Proud" is a term still used here in TGWN for carpentry/woodworking

 

[Toolmybass]

"Oi" or "Oi Oi"
A loud greeting to be given to freinds in public areas, the louder the better in order to make passers by shyte their pants.

 

[4001]

What a cute little doggie!

 

[zazz]

I pasted a snippet of it in Musicman1901 thread to what it pertained too, but here is the whole transcription that I received.

Just wanted to put this info here:
(I hope Paul H doesn't mind)

Bass-ic Setup of a Wal




Funny thing too I actually had to look up what exactly "proud" meant other then kinda figuring it out by the context....

Found this is the Oxford-British dictionary:

3 [predic.] British slightly projecting from a surface:
balls standing proud of the fabric

Thanks for the post.....I'll give it a whirl.

 

[zazz]

thinking out loud here....if i get wal to make me a fretless neck for my mkii

how much of a pain is it to swap necks. Obviously ideally i would like a fretless but the cost is putting me off slightly. So as a studio bass i work on one track fretted and then maybe the following week switch necks and the next back to fretted again ...could this all happen without messing with the setup on every change?? i guess this relies on wal necks being consistent.

the other question is does wal put you at the back of the que if its just a neck or could they knock one out quite quickly ...??

ps....anyone got a fretless mkii neck they want to sell??

 

[kulit17]

If you order a neck, it'll be like ordering a bass, so Paul does put you in the back of the queue and requires a 300 GBP before putting you on the wait.

swapping necks isn't that hard, it's only the matter of loosening the strings to release the tension and unscrewing the four screws from the back neck plate. from what i've heard (correct me if i'm wrong) but typically good rule of thumb when storing a neck away is to loosen the trussrod, no? so in this case you would need to do a setup after every change.

IMO, my preference between setups on a fretless and fretted are a bit different. Fretted i like my action to be med/low and fretless i'd like it to be low, so if I were to go that route, I would change setups after swapping it out.

 

[djaxup]

I followed the instructions you have received for doing a setup. While string action was superb before and i decided not to tinker with it the changes for pickup height were baffling. Mine were set up much too high, as in the pole pieces were too close to the strings. Now the Wal sounds a lot more musical and rich without losing bite. Perfect, really. It is not as loud as before (that's a good thing!), otherwise it has just made the sound better all around. I experimented with ~8mm, that began to delute the bite and definition, so i went back to the 6mm / 5.5mm. Especially the bridge pickup now sounds a lot better, not so honky as before and the pickup blend seems to work more seamless.

 

[zazz]

If you order a neck, it'll be like ordering a bass, so Paul does put you in the back of the queue and requires a 300 GBP before putting you on the wait.

swapping necks isn't that hard, it's only the matter of loosening the strings to release the tension and unscrewing the four screws from the back neck plate. from what i've heard (correct me if i'm wrong) but typically good rule of thumb when storing a neck away is to loosen the trussrod, no? so in this case you would need to do a setup after every change.

IMO, my preference between setups on a fretless and fretted are a bit different. Fretted i like my action to be med/low and fretless i'd like it to be low, so if I were to go that route, I would change setups after swapping it out.

I'm sure they are but...... Is it generally accepted that new wals are of the same quality as the originals in the 80s.... It would be good to hear opinions.

 

[MC1970]

zazz,
new Wals are not the same quality the older are...... They are far better for what fit and finish are concerned; while sonically you can't spot any difference!

M.

 

[zazz]

zazz,
new Wals are not the same quality the older are...... They are far better for what fit and finish are concerned; while sonically you can't spot any difference!

M.

So your saying the new wals are of a higher build quality ?

 

[Toolmybass]

So your saying the new wals are of a higher build quality ?

That seems to be the consensus so far with current new Wal owners who own or have owned the older ones

 

[Tjluke]

new Wals are not the same quality the older are...... They are far better for what fit and finish are concerned...

Are you sure?

When you want, give me a call and let's compare mine (1983) and yours.

 

[kulit17]

how much of a pain is it to swap necks. Obviously ideally i would like a fretless but the cost is putting me off slightly. So as a studio bass i work on one track fretted and then maybe the following week switch necks and the next back to fretted again ...could this all happen without messing with the setup on every change?? i guess this relies on wal necks being consistent.

swapping necks isn't that hard, it's only the matter of loosening the strings to release the tension and unscrewing the four screws from the back neck plate. from what i've heard (correct me if i'm wrong) but typically good rule of thumb when storing a neck away is to loosen the trussrod, no? so in this case you would need to do a setup after every change.

I'm sure they are but...... Is it generally accepted that new wals are of the same quality as the originals in the 80s.... It would be good to hear opinions.

Are you still referring to storing a neck away for swap?? Or overall quality difference? If overall quality difference, the consensus I've heard as well is Paul basses do not disappoint! I'm hoping some day to get a new build but it's not in the cards right now.

If its the neck, my previous comment is purely just generalized, so I'm not sure how the tension of the truss rod would fair on a Wal if you swap necks time to time. I know other Wal owners do the same thing, but not sure what they do when they store the other neck away.

 

[MC1970]

tjluke,

I'de be glad, but I live in Italy so I don't think it would be easy to do ;-)

I've owned only a Wal in the past ( a 1987 shedua, fretted rosewood mkI), but a close friend of mine own 3 Wals to whom I have compared mine......

Tonewise, they all almost sound the same ( though his 80's wenge fretted ebony mkI seems to have more lows than mine), but craftmanship on mine is far superior, especially when looping at fret dressing / crowning and fingerboard edges......

;-)

 

[Tjluke]

MC1970,
did you read my location?

I'm Lucio, Claudio of YM is a friend of mine.

We spoke of Wal some months ago by phone

Ciao

 

[MC1970]

Azz, I send you a PM......

 

[Papersen]

Bought this last May and I guess it`s time to join the club.
My first Wal I wanted one since I heard Power Windows 25 years ago.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[zazz]

Are you still referring to storing a neck away for swap?? Or overall quality difference? If overall quality difference, the consensus I've heard as well is Paul basses do not disappoint! I'm hoping some day to get a new build but it's not in the cards right now.

If its the neck, my previous comment is purely just generalized, so I'm not sure how the tension of the truss rod would fair on a Wal if you swap necks time to time. I know other Wal owners do the same thing, but not sure what they do when they store the other neck away.

Well right now I'm undecided.... I could get a new neck or even a new fretless mk1 or maybe go for secondhand ...just weighing the pros and cons ...

Seen a couple go for 2400 pounds in the uk so I can just about see a logic to not getting new at that price.

From the sound of it maybe paul is the right way to go with a whole bass ....at least the electronics will be be brand new.....and if I have to wait just as long for a neck...might just as well pony up for a mki shedua with ebony fingerboard and chrome hardware ...pay it in full as im scared I will spend it before its finished.

How long is the waiting time these days?....