Stoney Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 So, today I decided to strip my beloved Wal pro 1 bass to give it a good clean and set it up and I decided to take the pickup out to have a gander. To my surprise the inside body was dated June 81 and was signed by a chap called Greg. The serial number on the back is P.B1183 which according to the wal data bass says the instrument was made in 1978. Could this mean that the neck and or neck plate are non origional? Any hep would be great! Many thanks Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Here are some pics of the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 That looks pretty genuine to me; Greg was one of the early Wal team in the Pro model era.. Nice bass by the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazed Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I can't recall the details but I'm sure I've read that at some point there was problem with necks warping in the early days and Wal replaced them when it happened. Nice Pro One though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Seriously cool bass - can't help with identifying possible replacement parts - maybe the body was serviced in some way in '81 (electrics cleaned or serviced?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Cheers guys, thanks so much for your input. She really is a beaut and a fabulous player, so I'm not too bothered either way. I was just really surprised to see the 81 date as I always bellieved it was made in 78 and the chap I purchased it from said it was all origional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 [quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1431879620' post='2775822'] That looks pretty genuine to me; Greg was one of the early Wal team in the Pro model era.. Nice bass by the way! [/quote] Thanks man! was it usual for them to sign and date the pro1 body's? I know they do with modern wals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Not sure to be honest. It might have been a black refinish from what was originally a natural finish? There have also been some documented cases of the PBxxxx numbering being occasionally out of sequence too.. Might be worth you looking on this site for more info,if you haven't done so already: http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I think the neck is definitely later than the serial number date. IIRC the early Pro basses had extra laminates in the headstock, as per the pic. My Pro 2-E has these and it's PB1533. "Early Pro headstocks featured 10 laminations of maple, mukalungu (an Amazonian hardwood) and English hornbeam. In later Pro basses the (purely decorative) outer mukalungu laminates were dispensed with to create an 8 way lamination." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 [quote name='Dazed' timestamp='1431880472' post='2775839'] I can't recall the details but I'm sure I've read that at some point there was problem with necks warping in the early days and Wal replaced them when it happened. Nice Pro One though [/quote] Good point Rich; maybe Dazed's post above provides the most sensible answer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Cheers chaps, I'm starting to think this might be the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 My long gone '84 Custom was signed off by a Greg..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeswals Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 From what I gather, the Pro series can be difficult to date unless a particular owner is the original purchaser. But this bass having a date and Greg's name seems cut and dry, and the headstock having the later style 'two stripes' seems to be inline with the date written in the body. You always email Paul or Phil @ Wal and see if they can find in the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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