I have a couple different amps (quilter, GK, etc.). My favorite is an Alembic F-2B through a power amp, but that is kind of big and bulky and lately I’ve been favoring light and compact. My Walter Woods fits that bill, has great tone, and I haven’t had any problems with it.
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Double Bass Walter Woods? Or not...
- Thread starter Foxrock321
- Start date
Walter built exceptional amplifiers, unfortunately unless you know a shop that can repair one, it's not easy to get one serviced. Walter's amps were built to last a long time,
but unfortunately all amplifiers no matter how well designed have to be worked on. Just my take of course. I have a Walter Walter Woods Electroacoustic that I'll be selling off
sometime this year.
but unfortunately all amplifiers no matter how well designed have to be worked on. Just my take of course. I have a Walter Walter Woods Electroacoustic that I'll be selling off
sometime this year.
I still use mine in certain situations. It sounds as great as ever after 40+ years of use. I do have to clean the pots more frequently but otherwise nothing special.
They are nice amps, but hard to sell. I actually had three, figured I only need one so tried to sell two over the last year. Priced lower than any of the others listed for their models and sat there for months with no inquiries. Finally sold one, but I took the other one down recently. Might post it again at some point.
I assume it's the repairability issue and the availability of newer lightweight alternatives. I doubt I would try to get mine fixed if and when it finally quits- hopefully not for a long time.
Used WWs are a tough sell. Most people price them high because they paid so much for it. Walter told me he only makes the blue lights (1200 watts?) now and they are well over $2K.
My first was a used but not abused MI-200-8 for $1000 and still have a like new Electrocoustic MI-200-8 that was $1600 or so (same price as a new one at the time). The guy that sold the newer one pointed out I was really paying for not waiting...I had been on Walter's list for three years to and after my annual phone call he suggested getting a used one.
If it breaks down after Walter passes and there's no way to get it fixed I'll probably just give it away.
My first was a used but not abused MI-200-8 for $1000 and still have a like new Electrocoustic MI-200-8 that was $1600 or so (same price as a new one at the time). The guy that sold the newer one pointed out I was really paying for not waiting...I had been on Walter's list for three years to and after my annual phone call he suggested getting a used one.
If it breaks down after Walter passes and there's no way to get it fixed I'll probably just give it away.
I know a couple of techies locally who would be happy to work on mine if needed(I asked) but were concerned about parts availability and if the original sound would be preserved. Walter himself was only able to do a minor repair on mine about fifteen years ago because he didn't have to replace any major parts.
I watched a Rick Beato tour of Abbey Road Studios recently ( a link from a great TB'er here ).
Great gear of the past ( for instance a TB500 from David Funk that I have, as well as a Walter classic ) is still in demand by us old farts that keep them in good shape, don't tour with them, and love the Sound of Anniston.
Great gear of the past ( for instance a TB500 from David Funk that I have, as well as a Walter classic ) is still in demand by us old farts that keep them in good shape, don't tour with them, and love the Sound of Anniston.
Many of Walter's Amps have outlived the parts from which they were made and the circuit designs that he used. When you look inside a Woods amplifier you'll see the entire preamp is vertically mounted to the inside of the front panel. The power supply and power amp take up the entire interior of the amp and are horizontally mounted. It requires a lot of components as the power supply and power amplifier were built one at time by hand. Many of those parts simply don't exist in large quantities anymore. Berlin Amp Repair claims to be able to repair them, but I would bet that even as good as they are, their are some components that would be very difficult and expensive to replace and repair.
PS. I have the flyer for the original Alembic preamp with a schematic of the circuit design.
PS. I have the flyer for the original Alembic preamp with a schematic of the circuit design.
So, does anyone here still think Walter Woods heads are sonically special enough to merit a new acquisition, even after factoring in price, future serviceability and the quantum expansion of the rest of the class D pack?
Nope.
People are funny. I have a Thunderfunk and think it is a great piece of equipment but would never consider purchasing a Walter Woods, yet somehow I still have a love affair with vintage tube Ampegs....
People are funny. I have a Thunderfunk and think it is a great piece of equipment but would never consider purchasing a Walter Woods, yet somehow I still have a love affair with vintage tube Ampegs....
I was a Woods amp geek for years when I still amplified, and even spoke to him on the phone a time or two. But the fact is that he’s secretive about his designs and not immortal.
Speaking as an owner and user for many years, it wouldn't be worth it now for the reasons of age and reliability- no expectation of repair if needed. They were among the best in their day and still sound great but the age and repair issues would be the problem. If one came on the market priced low enough, maybe, but probably not. I'll keep using the one I have as long as I can.Jefenator said:
People are funny! At this point, unless you are a electronics service technician with lots of experience or know one,then buying a Walter Woods amplifier
would be something that I wouldn’t personally recommend. I had a close friend that owned a Thunderfunk and we did an A/B with my Walter Woods MI-400-8
I much preferred the Woods, but to each his own. Everyone has their preferences. Very few people have played through the Woods MI-400-8 ,because Walter only built around 25-30 of them. Take my word for it, they were exceptional. I also own a completely restored Ampeg B-15N(C) as far as I know of the three amps only the B-15 can be completely rebuilt because parts and schematics are easy to find. Restoring a older Woods would be a very expensive proposition. Walter’s amps were built to last until they don’t. Just the opinion of a player who happily used a Walter Woods amp from 1980-2005 and never had to send one in except for a few water
drop that got on to the circuit board.
Yeah, not so much. He scrapes the values stamps off the components he uses.
