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Wilcock Basses - Where's the Love???

phillipkregg

phillipkregg

Jun 8, 2010
3,681
5,824
Nashville, TN
#1
I've recently been looking into modern short-scale basses and currently have a custom Serek on order, which I'm super excited about.

But there's another builder from London who has gotten my attention.

Wilcock basses has some amazing short scales, feel free to check out the website link here.


The model below is called "The Mullarkey" and is the signature model of Robin Mullarkey - an amazing session bassist who is currently on tour with Jacob Collier.
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Here is a video of Rob demoing the bass:





These basses were originally brought to my attention by Tim Lefebvre who has also started playing them:

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Strange that I can't seem to find many posts about Wilcock basses here on TalkBass...

So the big questions is, have any of you guys had the opportunity to play one of these yet???
 
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#3
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#4
I just bought one of these from the Bass Gallery in London. Tim Lefebvre was playing one at the KCL show at Ronnie Scott's on Wednesday and it sounded huge. Unfortunately I don't have access to an amp until I get back to Seattle, but it sounded great in the shop.

Wilcock.jpg


It's a shortscale with Bartolini pickups. I emailed Viv Wilcock to ask about whether you can buy these in the states (you can't - he doesn't have distribution), and he told me about this bass "I built it last September/October. It was a bit of an experiment to see how my short scale configuration would work with some modern pickups and how much tonal variation I could squeeze out of a passive short scale, lots as it turned out."

It has Vol/Vol/Tone, and the (humbucker) pickups are parallel/series switchable. Martin at the Bass Gallery told me they do the electronics for Wilcock.
 
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#5
pwilson said:
I just bought one of these from the Bass Gallery in London. Tim Lefebvre was playing one at the KCL show at Ronnie Scott's on Wednesday and it sounded huge. Unfortunately I don't have access to an amp until I get back to Seattle, but it sounded great in the shop.

View attachment 3715349

It's a shortscale with Bartolini pickups. I emailed Viv Wilcock to ask about whether you can buy these in the states (you can't - he doesn't have distribution), and he told me about this bass "I built it last September/October. It was a bit of an experiment to see how my short scale configuration would work with some modern pickups and how much tonal variation I could squeeze out of a passive short scale, lots as it turned out."

It has Vol/Vol/Tone, and the (humbucker) pickups are parallel/series switchable. Martin at the Bass Gallery told me they do the electronics for
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Nice!!!

I guess this is the same as the Rob Mullarkey model except for the Bartolinis?
 
#9
Great looking basses, never heard of them until this thread... so that explains where the love is; they are just largely unknown. I bet there is plenty of love from owners, they look gorgeous.
 
#12
I've been playing the Wilcock for a week and I still love it :). I put on a set of flats and it sounds huge.

phillipkregg said:
I guess this is the same as the Rob Mullarkey model except for the Bartolinis?
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Yes in that it's a two pickup short-scale, but the pickguard is different. I actually prefer the look of the Mullarkey, although this one (from his FB) is my favorite...
wb.jpg


If I were getting another one that would be it...

RudyTardy said:
I'm guessing no US distribution whatsoever?
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I asked Viv Wilcock this and he said no. However most of his basses are built to order so I don't think it matters (unless you want to try it first)
 
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#14
RudyTardy said:
Do you happen to know the lead time on a Mullarkey?
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He told me... It usually takes three months from start to finish to complete a build. I take £500 to secure a build slot and the balance on completion.

You can reach him at Viv Wilcock <[email protected]>

Note: I have no connection to the company other than owning one of their guitars and thinking about getting a second :)
 
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#18
AngelCrusher said:
Was able to compare Serek to Wilcock. While I like both, the Wilcock to me was a no brainer and I ordered it. These are some gold standard shortscales - imo.
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That's awesome man, where did you find one?

I've got a couple of Sereks that I love, but I'd really like to get my hands on a Wilcock. Just can't decide which model, the Mullarkey, the MM, or the '51 P style. Plus he doesn't have US distribution yet. Maybe that will change and we'll start seeing more of them in the states.

Last week I ordered the new Sandberg short-scale "Lionel" bass and it showed up this afternoon. I've been playing it for hours and it's an amazing bass.

Probably gonna need to start selling off all my standard scale basses now before I buy anything else!
 
#20
phillipkregg said:
That's awesome man, where did you find one?

I've got a couple of Sereks that I love, but I'd really like to get my hands on a Wilcock. Just can't decide which model, the Mullarkey, the MM, or the '51 P style. Plus he doesn't have US distribution yet. Maybe that will change and we'll start seeing more of them in the states.

Last week I ordered the new Sandberg short-scale "Lionel" bass and it showed up this afternoon. I've been playing it for hours and it's an amazing bass.

Probably gonna need to start selling off all my standard scale basses now before I buy anything else!
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Basically know a guy who has both and was able to give them a go when it was convenient. Mullarkey model vs 2 pickup model Serek.

The Mullarkey model to me, is the best sounding short scale I have ever played. Hell, one of the best sounding basses i have ever played. I like deep, warm tones that retain definition. This bass does that extremely well. I don't play heavy rock or metal anymore. If I did, the Serek would maybe make more sense, but honestly I have a G&L L2500 and a Sadowsky P/J that can deliver for me there. The Serek had a cool sound, but it was thinner than what I like. If you compare it to the Mullarkey, the Mullarkey simply has a deeper tone. I also think the build quality is higher as well. The Serek's to me seem a little overpriced for what they are. Dont get me wrong, they are freaking sweet basses, but I think $1,500 to $1,800 is the range of what I would personally pay for one. The Mullarkey, even with shipping to the US is less than the Serek, yet its quality and tone (to me) is better. In a perfect world, I would own both quite honestly, but I've never felt the need to own a lot of basses. The Wilcock will be my 4th, and for me that is a lot.

I really enjoyed playing both of them - a whole lot. I can see how people are switching to short scales more and more. Builders like this make it more appealing, but I also think the buyer should be wary on how much they are spending on a hot trend + heavy instagram influencer pushes as well.

Brings me to your Sandberg. I feel like that bass is a smart buy. Great price for it and we know they make great basses. If I didn't love the Wilcock so much, this was going to be my purchase. Real interested in your impressions and comparisons to your other basses. My shopping list for shortscales was:

Serek
Fender JMJ
Wilcock
Sandberg

I did not get to play the Sandberg, but the Wilcock basically won me over and I knew it was the one for me. The JMJ was really cool too, but the Mullarkey tone is grail for me.

RudyTardy said:
+1! That's awesome that you managed to find one to try. My Maghini P is close to being finished so I can't throw the cash down yet, but man do I want to try that Mullarkey.

Congrats on the order! Definitely follow up here when you get it.
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Thanks! Those Maghinis look so rad. Damn! I am a sucker for that type of neck, but since the Wilcock is so warm, I went with flamed maple this time to balance it out a little.

Yeah the Mullarkey, IMO is a complete bass that does a nice variety of warm tones. Bonus of course being that its a lot easier to carry around to sessions and gigs.

I do think that they will get US distro at some point. They are going to catch on and the demand will go up a bit, since they are a pretty unique short scale, but the tone is rather studio friendly.
 
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