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Double Bass Walter Woods? Or not...

#262
Props for the most expensive solution :) I replaced my WW on gigs with a Felix into a GSS power amp. It works great and sounds good but it doesn't sound anything like my WW MI-400. If I had unlimited funds I would have tried some sort of fancy all tube solution. I think that would get me closer to the WW sound but that is seriously expensive and I would probably break a tube every month...

I think anyone who likes the AI stuff isn't the right audience for the WW or WW clones. The WW stuff always colors the signal in a way that I think helps it cut. The AI stuff was always so transparent (almost to a fault IMO.)
 
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#263
RVBASS said:
If two channels are required, something like a Grace Design Felix in between your instruments and amp/board would be an option.

FELiX2 Acoustic Instrument and Mic Preamp - Grace Design
Click to expand...

Which certainly will work, however why not just use the Grace Designs Felix with a powered speaker in my case a couple of different MAS powered speakers ( MAS 1/8 or 4x5.5) or the newer GR Bass AT 110 350, AT 112, 350/800 or AT 210 800 powered cabinets.
Eliminating the gain staging that will occur with the Felix plugged into the front end of a Walter Woods/ or Walter Woods Clone. Otherwise your using the amp as a very expensive power amplifier. Just my take of course.
AT-110-Siderev2.png
AT-Cube-112-Side.png
AT-210V-Combo-AT-210V-Side-2.png
 
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#264
Ric Vice said:
Which certainly will work, however why not just use the Grace Designs Felix with a powered speaker in my case a couple of different MAS powered speakers ( MAS 1/8 or 4x5.5) or the newer GR Bass AT 110 350, AT 112, 350/800 or AT 210 800 powered cabinets.
Eliminating the gain staging that will occur with the Felix plugged into the front end of a Walter Woods/ or Walter Woods Clone. Otherwise your using the amp as a very expensive power amplifier. Just my take of course.
View attachment 5227649 View attachment 5227650 View attachment 5227651
Click to expand...

That works if you need cabs. Or, depending upon the situation, eliminate the cabs all together, send the Felix direct to the mixing board and use in-ear buds drawn off the board.
 
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#266
brianrost said:
With both WW and AI amps and worries about them breaking down before I do (wild guess, 10 years) the Felix is on my radar...but the sticker shock is strong in this one, Luke. Oops, saw two Star Wars movies this weekend.
Click to expand...

I was certainly glad I bought mine in the early days before they came out with version 2 and raised the price by $300.00. There's a Black Grace thats been sitting in the TB classified's for a while at $975.00 still a lot of money, but it's pretty rare to see one come up on the used market, because

the of the 5 year warranty and Graces stellar service reputation.
 
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#267
For what it's worth, I read these forums and value the feedback they provide. We have not ruled out a multi channel bass amp in the future. I think it may end up in a larger box, although still sub 10-lb weight. Maybe a tube and solid state channel, maybe two of the tube or two of the solid state, lots of options....but in any case, we are looking at more products in the sub $2K range and likely a second chassis size for the more elaborate models, likely a 19" standard rack size.
 
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#268
Realistically, I to spoiled with a 7 1/2 lb 12x9x3.5 Dual channel Walter Woods Electroacoustic amplifier to entertain purchasing a 19” rack mounted head when the Woods is so much smaller and lighter. Just my take however. I had always heard that Walter’s vertically mounted preamps were tricky to build. As good as your amps likely sound, using a single tube in the preamp section isn’t something I desire. My experience is that both my Woods sounded great without one. Again, just my take. I owned a SWR Baby Blue with a single tube, either of my Woods sound
far superior.
 
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#269
FUCHSAUDIO said:
Happy to report, the following dealers have (or will have shortly), our bass amps in stock. More coming !

The Bass Bazaar LLC
199-09-24th Road
Whitestone, NY, 11357

Bass Southwest
Southport, NC 28461

Gollihur Music
Mark Gollihur
503 Fislerville Road
South Harrison Twp, NJ 08062
Click to expand...

I’ve dealt with Lou Laurenti at BASS SOUTHWEST. He sold me a $4200 Surine Quest that he represented as new. The bass arrived with a finish flaw. When I confronted him he denied that it had any flaws. So I contacted Surine and Pat Wilkins the finisher and they confirmed that the bass was indeed shipped to BSW with the flaw, and Laurenti was given the option to have it corrected before shipping, but he told them to ship it and he would keep it as his personal bass. Surine considered Lou the original owner because they didn’t expect him to try to retail it after he said he was keeping it for himself. So the bass was actually used, but represented as new. Surine will not honor the warranty because it’s not transferable from the original owner, who was Louis Laurenti from Bass Southwest in Redondo Beach, CA. I paid cash so I had no recourse. Lou is a dishonest seller. Avoid him at all costs.
 
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#270
I just got through the Walter Woods History and Development thread on the slab side (all 45 pages of it!). What a hoot! Here’s what I learned:
  • Walter has disappeared!
  • Wait, he’s back!
  • Nope, he’s gone again!
  • He can be very difficult or impossible to reach.
  • He always returns phone calls, sometimes on the same day!
  • His amps set the standard for small power amps when they first came out; they still are the standard.
  • Many modern amps have caught up with WW’s (AI, etc.) or even surpassed them.
  • The older amps sound better.
  • The newer amps (Electroacoustic) sound better for DB.
  • You can’t play a WW bridged into a 4 ohm load.
  • You can play a WW bridged into a 4 ohm load.
  • One of the effects pots is called the “Magic Knob” because it affects the tone of the amp even when there’s no effects connected.
  • These amps seem to burn up a lot.
  • These amps can provide trouble-free service for decades.
  • Walter is the only one who can service his amps.
  • Any experienced tech should be able to service a WW.
  • Walter sometimes charges exorbitant prices for seemingly simple repairs.
  • Walter sometimes refurbishes and upgrades amps sent in for minor service at little or no cost.
  • “l’ve been calling Walter for months with no response.”
  • “I just got off the phone with Walter!”
  • No known photos of Walter Woods exist.
  • One person claims to have a photo of Walter Woods but refuses to release it publically.
All this sounds a lot like the controversy and air of mystery surrounding Robert Johnson, the enigmatic Delta Blues guitarist many consider the greatest blues man ever and the father of rock and roll.

Anyway, I just purchased a 2004 Walter Woods Electroacoustic Green Light stereo amp from a TB member, and will report back if any of the above is true!
 
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#271
I won't bother to read all 45 pages but my experience with Walter reflects several items you listed. All I can add is that after quite a few years and a professional cleaning I recently started using my old MI100-8 again. I've used several others but came to the conclusion that I still prefer my old reliable after all this time. Who would have thought?
 
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#272
Knock on wood(s)but... I've had my WW elektra acoustic (green light) for a couple of decades. It has managed to sound good (to my ears) in every circumstance, with (usually) very minor adjustmennts of eq. I'm not big on affection for inanimate objects, but my WW (with a Barefaced 10 still makes me smile. Warm and clear.

Notabene
 
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#274
statsc said:
I just got through the Walter Woods History and Development thread on the slab side (all 45 pages of it!). What a hoot! Here’s what I learned:
  • Walter has disappeared!
  • Wait, he’s back!
  • Nope, he’s gone again!
  • He can be very difficult or impossible to reach.
  • He always returns phone calls, sometimes on the same day!
  • His amps set the standard for small power amps when they first came out; they still are the standard.
  • Many modern amps have caught up with WW’s (AI, etc.) or even surpassed them.
  • The older amps sound better.
  • The newer amps (Electroacoustic) sound better for DB.
  • You can’t play a WW bridged into a 4 ohm load.
  • You can play a WW bridged into a 4 ohm load.
  • One of the effects pots is called the “Magic Knob” because it affects the tone of the amp even when there’s no effects connected.
  • These amps seem to burn up a lot.
  • These amps can provide trouble-free service for decades.
  • Walter is the only one who can service his amps.
  • Any experienced tech should be able to service a WW.
  • Walter sometimes charges exorbitant prices for seemingly simple repairs.
  • Walter sometimes refurbishes and upgrades amps sent in for minor service at little or no cost.
  • “l’ve been calling Walter for months with no response.”
  • “I just got off the phone with Walter!”
  • No known photos of Walter Woods exist.
  • One person claims to have a photo of Walter Woods but refuses to release it publically.
All this sounds a lot like the controversy and air of mystery surrounding Robert Johnson, the enigmatic Delta Blues guitarist many consider the greatest blues man ever and the father of rock and roll.

Anyway, I just purchased a 2004 Walter Woods Electroacoustic Green Light stereo amp from a TB member, and will report back if any of the above is true!
Click to expand...

This is hilarious and true.
 
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#275
notabene said:
Knock on wood(s)but... I've had my WW elektra acoustic (green light) for a couple of decades. It has managed to sound good (to my ears) in every circumstance, with (usually) very minor adjustmennts of eq. I'm not big on affection for inanimate objects, but my WW (with a Barefaced 10 still makes me smile. Warm and clear.

Notabene
Click to expand...

I use my Walter Woods with two Barefaced Big Bay 2 cabs and I like the results :)
 
#276
So I just had my first gig with my new 2004 Walter Woods Electroacoustic Green Light Stereo amp. Here's what I learned:
  • There is something to the urban legend of WW's "special sauce." It's hard to describe, but the tone for upright bass seems a bit "thicker" (though not boomy) and "tighter" and more "even" throughout the instrument's range than my AI Clarus SL. Other band members noticed it as well and commented favorably.
  • The EQ controls on the WW are also special. Also hard describe, not so much more sensitive but more effective than on other amps I've used. The Balance and Vari controls are unlike anything I've seen on other amps. @dylanjohnson has helpfully posted manuals for different models of WW amps that explain the purpose and how to use these and other controls on the amp, available here.
  • Using the Pan controls when using the amp in stereo was initially confusing to me, until I figured out how to pan each channel. I was using an MAS 18 on my side of the stage paired with an AI Double Shot on the other side of the stage. Panning the two channels 8:00/4:00 seemed to work the best. Interestingly, I found that with only Channel 1 input used but speakers plugged into both channels, if the Channel 1 Pan was set to 12:00 (1:1) I was getting sound out of both speakers, though I could not individually control each speaker's volume and EQ.
  • The "magic knob" (Send Mix on an Electroacoustic) actually does something, even without anything plugged into the Effects Send or Receive. Again, hard to describe, but counter-clockwise makes for a "leaner/dryer" tone, while clockwise is "fatter/wetter." I much preferred "leaner/dryer."
  • The venue was a room I've played several times (a brewery!) with FOH support in which it's notoriously difficult to get a decent upright bass sound in. This was the best sound I've ever had in this room! The sound guy said he was using the bass sound all from the stage, with a little bit of added midrange to boost the clarity during bass solos. Nice to have a sound guy who doesn't try to do too much!
So it seems that I've drunk the Walter Woods Kool-Aid, or at least taken a deep sip. We'll see how it does on other gigs, but based on this one, I may be retiring my AI gear!
 
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