Hey guys, I have been absolutely gassing for a wal mk bass. Of course, I'm broke. So is it worth it to save up for these guys? Can any of you owners of the wals tell me the specs? Thanks!
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Wal basses
- Thread starter MilkMan007
- Start date
While you’re saving you might want to consider getting this.
https://reverb.com/item/65206363-lu...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=65206363
It will introduce you into the filter based preamp world for a small investment.
https://reverb.com/item/65206363-lu...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=65206363
It will introduce you into the filter based preamp world for a small investment.
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"Worth it" is up to you. Have you been able to try one?
If you're only after the sound, the electronics have been pretty thoroughly reverse-engineered at this point, you can get reasonably-faithful replications of the pickups and preamp from third parties now. Off the top of my head, Turner Pickups for the pickups, and Lusithand, Underhill, or John East for the preamps. Underhill and JTEK also offer versions of Alembic preamps in case you'd rather try a different implementation of filters.
If you're after the bass, I don't know who does whole Wal clones but I know they're out there.
EdwardofHuncote
I Still Dream of Jeannie
- Aug 21, 2013
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There is no bass worth being broke for. If, and only IF you can afford the disposable CASH for one, then absolutely go for it. It's nice to own something you worked hard for.
I also like the filter preamp/turner pickup suggestion. So much so, I have one. Mine is not the same controls as a wall, but it sounds great. And was about 1/3 the price while still being awesome.
Feel like I should add that if you want to just experiment to see if filters are for you, you can get a resonant filter in pedal form. It won't do what a Wal does (a Wal has two filters, one for each pickup, and you can mix them onboard) but pedals usually make up for it by providing more parameters for control than the Wal's two (frequency cutoff and resonant peak).
i have a Wal MKI. What specs are you looking for? The filter preamp has been mentioned, and the pickups are a huge part of the sound IMO as well.
Now...not trying to be a downer, just dropping some real info:
The problem has been, and likely will continue to be, that they are very expensive and scarce. Multiple years just to get on the wait list for a new one which is then something like 4 years or something at this point. So, used is probably the only option and even there, for being $8K+ used, they get snapped up very quickly and alot are not in the US (if that matters...but if you are in the US you will be hit with customs). You almost need to have that kind of money ready to go when you are looking.
Ok, enough of that...they sound cool =)
GASing for a Wal on TalkBass is all well and good, but is it worth it to get one? Are you willing to invest at least 5-8 years of wait time and at least 10,000 USD (more to account for future inflation) to get one? Heck, used ones command those prices and the moment they're on the market, they're gone in a flash.
Personally, I don't think it's worth it to chase a Wal. As others said, Wal's electronics have been pretty much reverse-engineered and some luthiers can give you a Wal-inspired bass at lesser cost and wait time. Heck, you can approximate the Wal sound decently enough playing with the preamp settings on a 2-humbucker MusicMan Bongo. And none of that will cost you the equivalent of a new car.
All that being said it's like... sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Even if you get yourself a bass that's the best non-Fender P-bass in the world and likely even better than a real Fender-branded P, if your obsessive brain still thinks "it's not a real P" or "I want a real Fender P" then even the best non-Fender P (which may be the best bass ever) won't sway you.
But, no bass is worth going broke over. No bass is worth defaulting on your mortgage, bills, medical expenses, etc. No bass is worth pulling from your kids' college fund. No bass is worth pulling from your emergency funds (because if you buy a $10,000 bass but then your furnace conks out and you have to explain to the wifey why $10,000 for a new furnace is no longer in the emergency fund...)
If you are in a financially good place where buying a bass will NOT affect your daily life and still leave you enough in savings (because emergencies happen and/or you might lose your job and need enough cushion to stay afloat while you seek a new job) then consider it. Never spend beyond your means. That whole "buy now, pay later" model is why credit card debt is a a big and problematic thing.
Personally, I don't think it's worth it to chase a Wal. As others said, Wal's electronics have been pretty much reverse-engineered and some luthiers can give you a Wal-inspired bass at lesser cost and wait time. Heck, you can approximate the Wal sound decently enough playing with the preamp settings on a 2-humbucker MusicMan Bongo. And none of that will cost you the equivalent of a new car.
All that being said it's like... sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Even if you get yourself a bass that's the best non-Fender P-bass in the world and likely even better than a real Fender-branded P, if your obsessive brain still thinks "it's not a real P" or "I want a real Fender P" then even the best non-Fender P (which may be the best bass ever) won't sway you.
But, no bass is worth going broke over. No bass is worth defaulting on your mortgage, bills, medical expenses, etc. No bass is worth pulling from your kids' college fund. No bass is worth pulling from your emergency funds (because if you buy a $10,000 bass but then your furnace conks out and you have to explain to the wifey why $10,000 for a new furnace is no longer in the emergency fund...)
If you are in a financially good place where buying a bass will NOT affect your daily life and still leave you enough in savings (because emergencies happen and/or you might lose your job and need enough cushion to stay afloat while you seek a new job) then consider it. Never spend beyond your means. That whole "buy now, pay later" model is why credit card debt is a a big and problematic thing.
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Good post Dincrest, if someone needs to be told this, then they've already lost the game of life, lol
For what it’s worth, OP joined here just a few days ago.
That being said, in the 90’s, I had a Wal. A fretless. The best part…I won it in a contest. The worst part…I just couldn’t deal with the neck, that ‘V’ shape contour in the back. Oh, I tried, but after a year, all the other positive aspects could not outbalance that, and I reluctantly sold it off. But those weren’t fetching the kind of money you see now.
Wow, what a cool contest! And yes, the slightly rounded V shape of the neck takes some getting used to. Now that i have one, I would change the ergonomics (they have the MKIII's that are closer to what I would want but I asked Paul years ago if I could get the neck profile modified if i ordered a new one and it was like I was speaking a foreign language lol).
I discovered Form Factor recently at NAMM…
Available from The Amp Shop/Bass Exchange in North Hollywood, CA…
Amp Shop Bass Exchange – BUY REPAIR TRADE MUSIC GEAR
www.ampshopbassexchange.com
It was in conjuction with the album release by the Mick Karn/David Torn/Terry Bozzio project, Polytown. The label, CMP, and Musician Magazine did this as a promotion; rather than just entering and hoping that your name would be drawn out of a hat, you were required to write a little essay, extolling the virtues of the band, essentially a promo blurb. Seeing as how I spent years in record wholesale/retail, I’d seen plenty of that sort of thing, and although I’d guess that I was one of just a handful of people who entered, I felt that I had earned it, rather than it being pure luck. A small Trace-Elliot combo was part of the deal as well.
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Maybe I overdid it.
The OP mentioned being broke and GASing for a Wal, which can be a toxic combination (given the wait-time and money investment needed to even get on Wal's waiting list. And even paying that hefty deposit to get on the waiting list may not guarantee you a bass, given how many years out they are).
Human nature's "the pleasure of possession" happens. I've done my fair share of GASing over expensive gear. I've lost money GASing for expensive gear (to my detriment). I've been at the point where the stuff I own ends up owning me and I had to let go.
I hope the OP finds what they're looking for. Hopefully one of the Wal-inspired basses (mentioned in this thread) or a bass modded with Wal-inspired electronics (mentioned in this thread) will scratch the Wal itch enough that the OP will save money and the heartache to own a Wal.
The OP mentioned being broke and GASing for a Wal, which can be a toxic combination (given the wait-time and money investment needed to even get on Wal's waiting list. And even paying that hefty deposit to get on the waiting list may not guarantee you a bass, given how many years out they are).
Human nature's "the pleasure of possession" happens. I've done my fair share of GASing over expensive gear. I've lost money GASing for expensive gear (to my detriment). I've been at the point where the stuff I own ends up owning me and I had to let go.
I hope the OP finds what they're looking for. Hopefully one of the Wal-inspired basses (mentioned in this thread) or a bass modded with Wal-inspired electronics (mentioned in this thread) will scratch the Wal itch enough that the OP will save money and the heartache to own a Wal.
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The only bass I ever took out a loan for was a Wal Mk II 5 string. $1700. It was a looooong time ago! It was a great bass and I even spoke with Ian Waller once or twice about it. I also had a single pickup "budget" 4 string for a time. The 5 was my first 5 string and main bass for quite a while. Then, in one of my countless periods of monumental stupidity, I sold both. The 5 was spectacular. The 4 less so.
Still, I yearned for that sound and look. I just last month got a Wal Tribute from Dario at Octave guitars. It checked all the boxes for me. Took a year (he's usually quicker than that). The pickup/preamp combo is really something. They can sound really foreign in a "bedroom" setting but in a live mix just about any setting is useable, IME. Way less than the real thing.
Full disclosure: It does not have a "V" neck and the XLR jack is just for show.
BBB
Still, I yearned for that sound and look. I just last month got a Wal Tribute from Dario at Octave guitars. It checked all the boxes for me. Took a year (he's usually quicker than that). The pickup/preamp combo is really something. They can sound really foreign in a "bedroom" setting but in a live mix just about any setting is useable, IME. Way less than the real thing.
Full disclosure: It does not have a "V" neck and the XLR jack is just for show.
BBB
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Take a look at a company called Octave basses. They aren't cheap, but the prices are much more grounded that current Wal builds, and they make beautiful wall tribute basses that are very authentic to the originals.
There are other companies that can build you a bass utilizing multi coil pickups with filter preamps so you can get that general sound without needing to shell out for the cost of a pre-owned car.
There are other companies that can build you a bass utilizing multi coil pickups with filter preamps so you can get that general sound without needing to shell out for the cost of a pre-owned car.
I'm glad you bought up the shape of the neck, @Michedelic. The V shape is especially noticeable on the 4-string basses (as far as I remember,) so if this is something that could be a deal breaker for the OP or anyone else interested, it's better to know now.
Undeniably KILLER basses, though!
Honestly, I'm on the other side of the equation. If only a Wal can scratch that itch, no imitation bass will.
