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Wal Bass Club.

I may be open to 4 string Wals in trade on this magnificent beast below.
I play fretless or fretted. A fretless 5er? Maybe I miss Leo’s old fretless 5 which was my first Wal ever.

I’m an off brand guy and could be hip to another trade.
Got a Fodera AJ Presentation sitting under your bed? :)

Don’t reply to the Wal Club thread if you have a trade to discuss, contact me via PM / DM.

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I’ve been very fortunate to have owned this bad boy for a good amount of time.
This bass, which I still call “Gmork”, was mine back in January 2019 bought from the original owner.

Unfortunately I’m not playing much at all as lots has changed in my life since purchasing and it’s the one bass I’ve held onto. This bass offers intrinsic value to my life, even though ownership is extrinsic. I owned a 1988 MK2 5 which lives in Switzerland that was my former favourite Wal which I had the pleasure of owning for 5 years. This one, won the battle in the end. It’s tough to think of parting with this one, but I’m always into trying new basses and my financial investment in instruments had dwindled dramatically. It’s a curse to have a need to try new stuff but I’ve learned a lot about instruments (repairs, construction, issues, etc). It’s been fun.

I’ve got a brand new custom Olinto 4J being built for me that is due for shipment any minute now. And I just decided to buy another instrument (not an Wal) over the past week as a bit distraction / fill the need for trying something new.

Anyway, hoping the Wal
Club is still happy and healthy.
Is Paul still holding new orders into the foreseeable future?
 
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Here are some better pictures of my Mk2 :

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I have also received the Schaller light tuners that I still need to put on.
I will report what the weight saving is.
 
I have a couple of Mark 1 questions- perhaps someone can answer
1. The upper horn aligns with the 14th fret which is not typical these days. I realize the bass is smaller than Fender's offerings- due to its smaller body size, does the bass have balance issues? Perhaps the smaller body needed the 14th fret upper horn for balance?
2. I have heard that the painted versions do not have a mahogany core- can anyone confirm that and if so, what wood was used and is it non veneered?
 
Balance is pretty similar to Fender on the Mk1s that I've owned. The 2x2 headstock helps a bit, but my recollection is that the heavier ones balanced a little better than the lighter ones. I expect that the newer lightweight tuners probably balance better then the older Schallers.

Painted versions used to use solid mahogany core with no facings by default.

I have a couple of Mark 1 questions- perhaps someone can answer
1. The upper horn aligns with the 14th fret which is not typical these days. I realize the bass is smaller than Fender's offerings- due to its smaller body size, does the bass have balance issues? Perhaps the smaller body needed the 14th fret upper horn for balance?
2. I have heard that the painted versions do not have a mahogany core- can anyone confirm that and if so, what wood was used and is it non veneered?
 
Balance is pretty similar to Fender on the Mk1s that I've owned. The 2x2 headstock helps a bit, but my recollection is that the heavier ones balanced a little better than the lighter ones. I expect that the newer lightweight tuners probably balance better then the older Schallers.

Painted versions used to use solid mahogany core with no facings by default.
Was about to say exactly this… never had any balance issues with my Mk 1 or my Pro. Stays put when I lift my hand off the neck. Wide, suede backed leather strap helps too.
 
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The only thing short is the horns. side by side; across the body width is the nearly same as my P.

Its a design from the 70's with their original bass, which was a Gibson style influence on the horns.

The Mk2 is a tiny bit wider, its exactly the same width as my StingRay.

Weight would boil down to wood selection. I've had Mk2's that were lighter than Mk1's. But the possibility is definitely there for a Mk2 to be heavier if you had two made from the same batch of timbers.

But also the neck on a Mk2 is tucked into the body further, so the headstock doesn't stick out as far away as a Mk1. They mount the bridge closer to the edge of the body to achieve that. You can see how a Mk1 bridge location has more of a 'porch' around it.
 
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beautiful

I agree, but I also own it. :)

I haven’t saw an Asian Ebony fretboard quite like this one on another Wal.
I like the figuring making it different than jet black Ebony.

It’s interesting reading up on woods.
I’m a tone wood junkie. Wals are significantly electronics based but still there are minor idiosyncrasies in every bass I’ve experienced that can only be explained by mother nature’s contribution to the instrument, which is of course wood. To each their own.

Questions for the Wal Club:
Has anyone requested or been offered some unique facings from Paul recently?

Has an official list of commonly available and discontinued facings ever been made? Probably forever ago?
 
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The only thing short is the horns. side by side; across the body width is the nearly same as my P.

Its a design from the 70's with their original bass, which was a Gibson style influence on the horns.

The Mk2 is a tiny bit wider, its exactly the same width as my StingRay.

Weight would boil down to wood selection. I've had Mk2's that were lighter than Mk1's. But the possibility is definitely there for a Mk2 to be heavier if you had two made from the same batch of timbers.

But also the neck on a Mk2 is tucked into the body further, so the headstock doesn't stick out as far away as a Mk1. They mount the bridge closer to the edge of the body to achieve that. You can see how a Mk1 bridge location has more of a 'porch' around it.
My Mk1’s bottom bout was wider than my ‘75 Precision, maybe not far off my ‘78 StingRay.