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Won the Wal pickup on ebay!!!

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#101
That's a point... Justin Chancellor's bass sound is not really representative of what the WAL sound is...I have seen Tool live several times and the bass sounds makes me think more to Spector sound... But it's just my opinion.
 
#103
TheBigO said:
As long as this thread has been bumped. . . any updates?
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I've been a bit behind on this project. All the parts are made, and I'm going to be winding the prototype today.

I didn't want to disturb the coils on the original, so I've made some calculations on what gauge wire and how many turns it should be, and once I get a coil wound I'll know for sure.

Once that's done things should move along a lot quicker.
 
#104
mokl said:
I think you're missing my point. I have no dispute with the legality of a reproduction, to me it is more of an ethical and moral issue. If you are comfortable with ripping off somebody elses designs, and you can get away with it, then that's your perogative. I think what bothers me is that there is wide acknowledgment of the genius and creativity of Ian Wallers designs - just look at the excitement this thread has generated. It just seems like a cheap move to copy this mans great and unique work. FWIW, I understand that Wal is far from dead yet, although it is going through a somewhat lengthy transitional period.
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I think a lot of people have made a lot of money off of Leo Fender's designs, and no one seems to be objecting too much these days.
 
#105
giglawyer said:
I think a lot of people have made a lot of money off of Leo Fender's designs, and no one seems to be objecting too much these days.
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Yeah, I pointed that out earlier in the thread also. Look at all the Jazz bass clones and pickups, as well as MM pickups, etc. All Fender designs. Everyone is fine with that.

Also before Wal made this pickup, Bartolini was doing pretty much the same thing. If you go back even farther, Gibson had a multi coil pickup for the EB series basses, and then Ovation had the Magnum.

Even if Wal had a patent on the pickup, it would be expired by now, and that's what patents are all about... to give you protection and a head start over competition, but it doesn't mean people can't make the same thing eventually. Plus Wal doesn't sell these pickups unless you buy a bass.

Also, I'm going to introduce some improvements and make the pickup in a form factor that will work with existing basses.
 
#106
I'm planning on having a six string Stambaugh commissioned this year and was hoping to use your pickups and pre. The electronics would most likely be installed around August or September. Do you think the six string version will be available by then?
 
#107
TheBigO said:
I'm planning on having a six string Stambaugh commissioned this year and was hoping to use your pickups and pre. The electronics would most likely be installed around August or September. Do you think the six string version will be available by then?
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Cool! The nice part about this pickup is it's sort of modular. So a six string version would be easy. Just have to figure out a case for it.

I just started making EMG-45 sized neo six string pickups as well.
 
#108
WarriorJoe7 said:
It looks like what Wal did is nothing new. You guys might think it was unique and novel, however research (that doesn't even need to be done) shows that it isn't anyways. Something is not unique just because you think it is.
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I don't know of too many control cavities that look like this, including Alembics:
 

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#113
greenboy said:
What are you trying to say? - that it's tidy? Others are tidy too.
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Tidy for sure but that was not was I was responding to. Granted, the circuits haven't changed since the 80's, but I was speaking to their size and complexity. Also that the Wal system is a filter based preamp system which at that time only Alembic was really doing 1/2 a planet away.

Wal electronics are deceptively complex - don't forget you can pop up each tone filter pot (one per pickup) for a boost at the selected frequency and you can pop the volume pot up to engage the 'pick attack' circuit as well.

Sure, the system is Alembic-like on several levels, but to write-off Waller's work as 'nothing new', inferring that there isn't something special about the instruments is wrong IMO.

And FWIW, my 'opinion' comes from owning and playing 13 Wals over the years.
 
#114
hippiesandwich said:
Tidy for sure but that was not was I was responding to. Granted, the circuits haven't changed since the 80's, but I was speaking to their size and complexity. Also that the Wal system is a filter based preamp system which at that time only Alembic was really doing 1/2 a planet away.
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That's a fairly recent Wal in your photo. Alembic did the filters first, starting back in 1968, and were in Jack Cassidy's bass in 1972. The Series I schematic I have is from 1977. It was updated to the Series II in 1980. Wal was formed in 1974 and the first basses were nothing like what Alembic was doing. They based the body on a Fender Mustang, and had regular passive electronics, rewound Guild humbuckers and Fender Mustang pickups. It was also a short scale bass. Notice they are using a Gibson EB-2 brige.

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And who can forget this 1974 Wal triple neck!

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It wasn't until the late 70's that they started looking like what we know them as today. The first production Pro Series basses came out in 1978. The Wal Pro schematic I have from 1977 did not have the filters, just a passive tone control. It did have the pick attack and midrange boost though, as well as the DI output.

The Custom Series debuted in 1983, which was the first with laminated bodies. The low pass filters started with the Custom Series.

Wal did their own thing. They were always one of my favorite basses. But they weren't really ahead of Alembic. Seeing Jack Cassidy's bass in GuitarPlayer made a huge impression on me, and surely a lot of other people too!

Each has their own place in history. I think Ken Smith also had filters in his first basses before Wal.

Compare those early Wal basses with this early 70's Alembic. They are apples and oranges.
 

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#119
Chronicle said:
Hmm...tell us when you are going to start selling these pickups... ;]
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I will! Shouldn't be too long. I'm finishing up some Bart BC4 and BC5 sized pickups, and I just got an EMG-45 size online, so the Wal-esc pickup should be next, followed by the ubiquitous P, J and MM sizes.

The preamp will be coming along soon also, and some other goodies.
 
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