Double Bass Walter Woods? Or not...

[Ric Vice]

They used to be cheaper, and when they came out what else was there? One of those nasty Polytones? Those are kind of fun for trying to get a '70s vibe, WW was around before the GK MBs which are not nearly as good, but, a more viable option.

Now there are just more options for a great sound. Even I upgraded!

How true, Around 1975-76 when the Walter Woods single and dual Channel MI-100-8's
came out, the other option was a B-15N, 30 watts and 75 lbs with the cab. The $635.00
for a Walter Woods head was unheard of. The Gallien Krueger 200MB's entered the market
and out sold the Woods, because they were light weight combos that sounded really nice until the redesign.
Unfortunately, those amps didn't hold up all that well, you don't see many used ones around.
Now the Acoustic Image and Euphonic Audio heads are out there and Walter is not really building many
amps. I'll still contend that the preamp in the Woods sounds better with my bass, pickup, and cabinets
and the amps are really robust builds.

 

[damonsmith]

No room for an onboard DI

Now we talking about a feature worth a few grand!

Sound Person/Recording engineer: "Do you have a DI?"
Walter Woods owner: "no."
Then they put a mic in front of the bass and maybe the amp and actually do their job.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

It’s not that there’s no room in the chassis for a DI. Walter felt they added noise and stopped making them an option.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

I generally run the Grace Felix into a (snip)

If you spend your money on a great preamp like a Felix it won't matter as much what amp you're going into......
With preamp like this the Quilter would be an excellent option to consider for all the reasons @shwashwa cited.

There's an argument that if you don't have a good preamp that's something to be thinking about. Honestly the Raven Labs preamp I used for years was much more important to me than any amp.

 

[Ric Vice]

It’s not that there’s no room in the chassis for a DI. Walter felt they added noise and stopped making them an option.

and for me, personally, not having a DI on the amp isn’t a dealbreaker. That said, Acoustic Image, Euphonic Audio, Genz Benz and many others opted to put a DI on their amps. So I think that had to impact his orders somewhat. Wierdly enough, I’ve had sound technicians complain about the noise coming off the line out, unless their using a Countryman 85.

 

[Ric Vice]

If you spend your money on a great preamp like a Felix it won't matter as much what amp you're going into......With preamp like this the Quilter would be an excellent option to consider for all the reasons

Something I may consider somehere down the road. When I purchased the
Grace Design Felix, the Quilter amps didn’t exist yet. I opted for a Monique M700.

 

[Acoop]

I've settled into a Avalon U5 thru a TC-450 Classic (into the effects loop for power) and out a Aguilar 1x12" and really digging the studio quality, light weight live sound. ... Cost (used) $900. ... Not bad and easy on the back.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Ric,

He made that call in the mid ‘80s, long before those ostensible competitors existed. Dude was way ahead.

If a soundman can’t get a good signal off an 85, the problem is with their gear, not yours.

As a broke teenager I had crap gear. After the first embarrassing onstage failure I resolved to only buy good stuff and have never had a single problem since.

 

[kerrycares]

I’ve owned 2 of the top of the line ,dual channel , high power models and now play an Aguilar TH500.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

I am playing a ART Tube MP Project preamp into the effects in in my WW 225-8, driving an old AI cabinet. My WW is a (rare?) "Sweeper" model with a 3-way parametric preamp. I believe going straight into the power amp gives me a cleaner, quicker sound + I do not face the limitless options of 3-way parametric...
I do remember though, many years ago jamming with my EB on an old 100-8 WW, and it just made my EB feel/sound so good.
BTW, my WW is perhaps 20 years old or more, and it looks like new, and I have never had any troubles with it.
The plan now is to buy a powered MAS 16, so I just have to add the preamp. But whether it will replace my old rig remains to be seen.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

and for me, personally, not having a DI on the amp isn’t a dealbreaker. That said, Acoustic Image, Euphonic Audio, Genz Benz and many others opted to put a DI on their amps. So I think that had to impact his orders somewhat. Wierdly enough, I’ve had sound technicians complain about the noise coming off the line out, unless their using a Countryman 85.

I prefer the 85 to every amp DI I’ve tried. I put it in front of the amp.

 

[Ric Vice]

I prefer the 85 to every amp DI I’ve tried. I put it in front of the amp.

Agreed, It works better runing from the line out of the Walter Woods Electroacoustic Ultra. It used to be the standard DI for most sound companies, not not as much.

 

[shwashwa]

I have two Walter wood amps currently and have had them for many years. they both sound great, but lately they stay home and I bring my quilter bass block to the gigs with a preamp in front. Sounds fantastic

This Thread inspired me to take out the Walter Woods amp in the practice room today. It's coming to the gig tonight, not the quilter!

 

[Andrew Pressman]

I have had a 1996 green light Walter Woods since 1999. It has been my main gigging amp for both upright and electric. I am very much a Walter Woods user. I sent it in for repair in 2008. He rebuilt it and it's been great ever since. My current upright setup is a Chadwick bass with some sort of steel string (can't remember which) into a Krivo pickup into the WW.

When I fly out, I request a Mesa Subway D800 for backline. I like its simplicity. It delivers a tone I like and am comfortable with. I'm not sure if it's close to the tone of the WW because I've never had them side by side. But I really like the Subway D and will likely add one to my toolbox before too long. There is a model with a HPF and EQ sweeps.

And I like Mesa. They are nice people who are very responsive when contacted.

 

[brianrost]

He had to do repairs on his stuff because he would shave off the parts numbers inside electrical schematics to keep other companies from copying his design. Didn't he think about patents?

You can't patent circuit board designs in the USA.

I've have had two green lights, one of the older ones and now an Electrocoustic. The one time I needed a repair Walter only asked only for $20 for the return shipping, even though I was not the original owner.

I've tried a couple of class D heads and they did not sound anywhere near as good and were single channel, I need two which is why I got a WW in the first place (AI didn't have true two channel amps until Series 3). I also use AI combos, but I have never put their amps side by side with the WW into the same speaker...I suppose I should. If my WW ever dies and Walter is gone, I guess I'll be buying a Clarus.

 

[Ric Vice]

I did not know that you could not patten a circuit board design here in the states, but it kinda makes sense. It's worth mentioning that the Fender Bassman circuit layout and components
were the basis of a whole generation of tube amplifers. RCA used to show tube preamp designs in their tube manuals to promote sales of their product line. That said, Walters component
layout is incredibly complicated. I can't imagine anyone wanting to duplicate one of his amps in the age of ICE power amps. Just my take.

 

[CutlassI]

Still waiting for someone to put up an amp that comes closest to Walter Woods magic box..

I would have to agree.. I feel lucky having had the chance to travel and try most of what is around Brand wise when is comes to Bass amps.. Believe it or not, Tokyo is a heaven when it comes to gear and availability. This is also where I tried my first Walter Woods (brand new in a shop).. It blew me away.. NOTHING, IMHO, comes close to clarity and power.. No "signature tone" like e.g. Aquilar or Mark bass has, subjective obviously, but just purely how I believe my basses actually sounds if you put the EQ in neutral.

Together with the 5" PJB speakers it is the best rig I have ever owned.

 

[Ric Vice]

I would have to agree.. ...This is also where I tried my first Walter Woods (brand new in a shop).. It blew me away.. NOTHING, IMHO, comes close to clarity and power.. No "signature tone" like e.g. Aquilar or Mark bass has, subjective obviously, but just purely how I believe my basses actually sounds if you put the EQ in neutral.

Together with the 5" PJB speakers it is the best rig I have ever owned.View attachment 3200512

Beautiful rig, and the color’s match nicely.

 

[ScotJam Bassie]

I just stumbled on this old thread...I don’t play upright, but if I ever have the extra cash, I’ll get an AER to play my Godin A5 fretless through. I know they only make combos, and it’s a bit odd that they don’t have extra speaker outs, but I am guessing those could be retrofitted? Or one could use it with a powered cab if necessary.

 

[brianrost]

ScotJam,

Usually combo amps without speaker outputs have a 4 ohm speaker and that's as low an impedance as the amp can drive. To use an extension cab would require replacing the internal speaker.

Combos with 8 ohm speakers usually support 8 ohm extension cabs to get a 4 ohm load and maximum wattage out of the amp.

I played an AER combo a long time ago (20 years or more) and it sounded excellent for double bass.