• 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.

WAL-copies?

Velocityx

Velocityx

Feb 12, 2008
34
19
Turku, Southern Finland
#1
Hello fellow talkbassists!

I've got this tingling GAS for a WAL, the type that Justin Chancellor uses, but they cost anywhere from 3500€ to 5000€, which is way out of my price range.

Now I saw this bassist on Youtube:


He's got a Wal-like bass that's not a Wal but a similar model made by another luthier, probably for like half the price. It looks and sounds like a Wal.

Has anyone got any experiences or knowledge about where to get such a Wal-copy?
 
#2
I doubt you will find a Wal-like bass in a very affordable price range. The body shape is easy to reproduce, but the pickups and preamp are unique. Undoubtedly, the costs of producing such a pickup are much different than the cost of producing, say, a single coil. I doubt demand is sufficient to justify a "cheap" version of this pickup - or the electronics.
 
#4
Clark Dark said:
Did you try going to his YT page and sending him a question?
Click to expand...

That's the first thing I did. He hasn't answered, which is why I decided to ask you guys :)

EDIT:

"I doubt you will find a Wal-like bass in a very affordable price range. The body shape is easy to reproduce, but the pickups and preamp are unique. Undoubtedly, the costs of producing such a pickup are much different than the cost of producing, say, a single coil. I doubt demand is sufficient to justify a "cheap" version of this pickup - or the electronics."

This does explain why they are so expensive and hard to copy soundwise, thanks for the clarification. In that video's comments the bass player says that he can sell Wal pickup copies. Interesting.
 
#5
If you couldn't afford a Ferrari and really wanted one, would the next best thing be a top of the line Corvette or a fake Ferrari if they both cost the same?

Wal's are a pilgrimage. For some it's a decades long endeavor to get there. There is a small town called Mecca about 75 miles southeast of Tiajuana, but it's not the same thing.

Welcome to bad metaphor Monday!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JPBassMan, McFarlin and Velocityx
#6
I'm very interested in this. I am also a huge Wal fan. Justin Chancellor of Tool, Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree, Paul McCartney, I love the filter electronics associated with them. I've also been looking around for a decent filter style bass with a similar sound but somewhere closer to $1000-$2000. (Which is much more achievable) This is probably the closest I've heard although keep in mind one of the biggest contributors to JC's tone is his bi-amp rig. One head is clean and one head is dirty at a slightly lower volume. If this guy was running bi-amp the tone would be nailed almost dead on. If you can get a price on the pups or just more info on the bass please let us know!
 
#9
View attachment 537903
OutToPlayJazz said:
Not a WAL copy, but with some similarities
Click to expand...

Very nice bass! A little flashy for my tastes. After doing some research from what I've gathered it's only similar in the way the pickup is built. Yes multiple coils in each pup but I'm looking for something with the filtering ability of a wal. Do they do custom work? I'd be curious how much it would cost to have a couple low pass filters added.
 
#11
Take a look at ACG's Uber line of basses with Wal-style pickups and filter preamps. They are the top end of his range, but even still they will be less expensive than the "real" Wal.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Alan sells his filter preamps separately, but the only way to get those pickups is in one of his basses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: smperry
#13
210943_320381784641236_1456148655_o.jpg
heard things about the Heartfield DR line being a poor man's Wal, but I don't have a Wal i could compare it to
 
#14
I've owned 4 Wals of various years and configurations and have 2 currently. The filters are not all they are cracked up too be. The most use I get from them at times is when you pull the boost up and sweep them back and forth because it sounds cool, then you set them at 8 and play.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back