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It's the "I don't care, I love the way Wal basses sound" thread...


TrevorR
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[i]What have the Romans ever done done for us?[/i]

Apart from the quality of the unique sound, the well crafted feel, the ergonomics, the look, the QC and customer service?

Why have players around the world and at all levels prized Wal basses for over 40 years?

Beats me.

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[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1445440507' post='2891507']
Wal all happened whilst I was not in the UK.
They look a bit odd/naff like the JayDee things.

What makes them that special?

Good to play? Sound doesnt seem anything special from these examples.

Enlighten me!
[/quote]


:unsure:

Tempting to move this one in to that other thread :lol:

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[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1445440507' post='2891507']
They look a bit odd/naff like the JayDee things.
[/quote]
I see what you mean. Good heavens, they could almost be twins. I mean, they're both... well... they've got four strings... and, errm...

[attachment=203215:twins.jpg]

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Funnily enough when I bought mine from Allbang and Strummit in 1990ish I was choosing between a Jaydee, the Wal (£450 and £500) and an Alembic (£600).
And that Wal is now one of the only things I own that's actually increased in value. The Alembic may have shown a similar increase, but definitely not the Jaydee!

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[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1445421669' post='2891294']
I am doing a Rock Blues gig with a Wal fretless next Tuesday that is going out live on local radio. The drummer is Brendan O'Neill, ex-Rory Gallagher, and it's going to be 'kin loud :lol: Anyone who thinks Wal's are one trick ponies is a eejit. Mine has done Jazz, Latin, Rock, Funk, Blues, Pop, Big Band, pit orchestra work live, studio etc etc. I have never had a negtative comment and have had plenty of positive ones. Wals deliver. End of.
[/quote]

Yes, that's another strange Wal bass urban myth that you hear lots. "Well, Wals great for that growl thing they do but I wouldn't want that sound all the time and they're a bit of a one trick pony." Inexplicable.

Well, of course I can dial up a Wal growl tone on my Mk1 (and I find that the real growl seems to reside more in left hand technique than anywhere else) but they're so much more versatile than that. However, I've never found a situation where I couldn't dial in a sympathetic or appropriate tone. The covers band I used to play in covers a wide range of styles from Britpop to Motown, Beatles to Laurel Canyon singer songwriter, rock to easy listening, rock and roll to white reggae. With the Wal filter based controls I never had a problem finding a perfect sound for each song. The changes in tone derived from a whole mix of different factors - pickup blend and tone settings, how hard I attached the strings, plucking over the bridge pickup or neck pickup or over the end of the fingerboard.

I recall one wedding gig where for the first two sets I had noticed a late teenage boy watching my playing very intently. After the second set he came over, said he was a bass player and asked what those effects pedals that I was using to get all those different sounds were. I looked down at my feet... They were a Boss TU2 tuner and a Lehle 3@1 which I was using to switch between basses. That's it. All the tonal shifts were from altering pickup choice, tone settings and playing technique.

If you listen to a range of Wal players they achieve a huge range of tones. Laurence Cottle on the album Gaudi (Alan Parsons Project) sounds smooth and round and, while still retaining a certain Walness is a gazillion miles away from Flea's BSSM tone or Geddy's Power Windows sound. If there is one thing that a Wal is not, it's a tonal one trick pony...

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[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1445431498' post='2891405']
It was Wals first full production model in the late 70s, had a fetching leather scratchplate.




Named after the first guy to order one john gustafson I beleive... i think they only made 46 (or maybe 48?).

Quite a few notable names amongst the original owners as shown on this list from Trevors website.


[/quote]

I see!
When I was at school in the late 90s me and some like-minded mates used to use our 'free' periods to call in at the guitar shop up the road. I vividly remember an early, single-pickup Wal they had hanging on the wall for about £500. It was there for years! Wish I'd had the foresight to grab it when I had the chance...

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[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1445547658' post='2892398']
Loads more info here if you're interested... [url="http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk"]http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk[/url]

They came in a floral finish too... ;-)


[/quote]

Have you ever player one Trevor? or know anyone who has one?

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[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1445445054' post='2891551']
Funnily enough when I bought mine from Allbang and Strummit in 1990ish I was choosing between a Jaydee, the Wal (£450 and £500) and an Alembic (£600).
And that Wal is now one of the only things I own that's actually increased in value. The Alembic may have shown a similar increase, but definitely not the Jaydee!
[/quote]

Spookily enough, I used to rate these as the pinnacle of bass - they're still pretty close for me although Ritters etc are in the mix. To put the prices in perspective I sold my pre EB Stingray in around 87 for £450 IIRC. I was well pleased at the time to get around 25% more than I'd paid for it!

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[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1445547658' post='2892398']
Loads more info here if you're interested... http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk

They came in a floral finish too... ;-)


[/quote]

Oo nice colour - having looked at your interesting blog site, I see that's the colour of John Gustafson's bass - I could see him playing this in the Ian Gillan band.

Do you know whether those leather pick guards deteriorate over time? I seem to remember Alan Spenner's was in a dark colour - in fact looked rather like the darker coloured Mark 1

Edited by drTStingray
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[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1445408272' post='2891194']
Does anyone know who played bass on the Avalon album by Roxy and particularly the track Jealous Guy - from the notes and style it sounds like Spenner to me and likely a Wal??
[/quote]

I've since found Alan Spenner played on all but three tracks on Avalon and him and the Wal bass is quoted as being partially responsible for the sound of Roxy in that era.

Jealous Guy was a single and it sounds like Spenner on Wal on it.

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[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1445418221' post='2891264']
Doc Stingray & Rob

Afraid I've got it worse cause I'd like my JG back. Normally I convince myself I don't mind selling it,other times who the hell am I trying to kid :(
[/quote]

Now I lament my pre EB Ray which went a similar way but if it had been a Wal I'd be totally depressed. So there's at least three of us in the market for a JG!!!

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[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1445581780' post='2892472']


Have you ever player one Trevor? or know anyone who has one?
[/quote]

I had one for a while Rob, in the late 90s.. Cost me £700 at the time and was IIRC, JG1123 or JG1124. It came in a full flight case and had the original XLR lead and advertising leaflet with it...

When I stopped playing, which I did for over 10 years, I sold it to Leigh Gorman, BoWowWow's bass player who's a friend of mine.

It was passive and had the 2 little switches for the pick ups embedded in the leather scratchplate, which was quite cool..

Beautiful as it was, to my ears, it never sounded as good as the Pro IIe's that I've had over the years, which is why I sold it to Leigh. If he hadn't been back in the country for a short while from California, where he still lives, I wouldn't have sold it.

Last time I saw it was when Leigh was over here in 2010 for the Matthew Ashman (ex- Adam & The Ants and BowWowWow guitarist who died in 1995) tribute gig at The Scala in Kings Cross.

Leigh's such a gifted player with a unique style, that it sounded great at that gig!

Given it's rarity value, I occasionally console myself with the thought that it's with the right person; better touring the States on a regular basis than having to knock out a series of dull indie covers down at The New Inn in Littlehampton in my less than capable hands! :)

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[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1445587579' post='2892535']
I had one for a while Rob, in the late 90s.. Cost me £700 at the time and was IIRC, JG1123 or JG1124. It came in a full flight case and had the original XLR lead and advertising leaflet with it...

When I stopped playing, which I did for over 10 years, I sold it to Leigh Gorman, BoWowWow's bass player who's a friend of mine.

It was passive and had the 2 little switches for the pick ups embedded in the leather scratchplate, which was quite cool..

Beautiful as it was, to my ears, it never sounded as good as the Pro IIe's that I've had over the years, which is why I sold it to Leigh. If he hadn't been back in the country for a short while from California, where he still lives, I wouldn't have sold it.

Last time I saw it was when Leigh was over here in 2010 for the Matthew Ashman (ex- Adam & The Ants and BowWowWow guitarist who died in 1995) tribute gig at The Scala in Kings Cross.

Leigh's such a gifted player with a unique style, that it sounded great at that gig!

Given it's rarity value, I occasionally console myself with the thought that it's with the right person; better touring the States on a regular basis than having to knock out a series of dull indie covers down at The New Inn in Littlehampton in my less than capable hands! :)
[/quote]

Thats a great little story.. I bet most of the 46 (48?) have similar back stories now, well the ones that have survived..

I know little of Leigh but when his name came up in another thread a little while back I looked up a few bowwowwow videos on youtube and I've got to admit I thought they were great tunes and what a bass tone... I'd be a happy man if I sounded half as good as that!

Are the switches below each pick up low pass filters or series parallel?

I would love one but they do seem sadly unobtainable... I am on the lookout for a fretted four and a proIIe is top of the wish list.

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On another Wal related note I've managed to get hold of a set of the schaller MS4 light replacement tuners for my MK1. I didn't have the right tools to change them over myself so I dropped it off with Martin at the Gallery yesterday for the changeover... Picking it up Monday and the new tuners look almost identical and will shave half a pound off the weight :)

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[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1445547658' post='2892398']
Loads more info here if you're interested... [url="http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk"]http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk[/url]

They came in a floral finish too... ;-)


[/quote]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1445581780' post='2892472']
Have you ever player one Trevor? or know anyone who has one?
[/quote]

I've sadly never played one myself. However, I know 4 people who have had them pass through their hands. Nik, of course. Then a guy called Chris Franklin who helped Pete sell Jethro Tull's John Glascock's for his widow. Then there is the current owner of the above - John Entwistle's bass - a lovely, lovely guy from Arizona called Mike Gutierrez who is a bass fan but also an expert memorabilia appraiser in the States. He also had a refinished JG which was beat up and in a horrible state until restored and resprayed in a blue burst. He passed that on to "Bassman Jaymi" (if you know his review vids0, who passed it on soon after. Not sure where it is now.

I'd love to have the chance to play one, I'd love the chance to own one - well maybe the former will happen one day... I'm absolutely sure the latter wont! :-)

There's very little documentation on them but I'm pretty sure that the switches are series/parallel switches like on the passive Pro basses. Don't know how the leather would age but it's a pretty robust material and if a bass is stored it'll be away from light and airborne oxidants it would be pretty well protected. If it was in constant use I would guess that the natural skin oils and regular cleaning agents if would come into contact with would act to preserve it... No idea. Talking off the top of my head. I know that John Gustafson used his two Pro basses pretty much exclusively up until he died. So they must have been robust enough if properly looked after.

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[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1445582816' post='2892483']
I've since found Alan Spenner played on all but three tracks on Avalon and him and the Wal bass is quoted as being partially responsible for the sound of Roxy in that era.

Jealous Guy was a single and it sounds like Spenner on Wal on it.
[/quote]

Roxy Music had a lot of Wal players through its ranks. John Gustafson played all the bass on Siren (incl Love Is The Drug) on a custom built bass that Ian built for him in pre-Wal days. Spenner, of course, though most of the YouTube vids I've found of him with Roxy have him playing a fretless P bass (maybe he didn't want to expose it to the rigors of regular touring), Gary Tibbs got a JG while he was in Roxy...

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[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1445621381' post='2892934']




I've sadly never played one myself. However, I know 4 people who have had them pass through their hands. Nik, of course. Then a guy called Chris Franklin who helped Pete sell Jethro Tull's John Glascock's for his widow. Then there is the current owner of the above - John Entwistle's bass - a lovely, lovely guy from Arizona called Mike Gutierrez who is a bass fan but also an expert memorabilia appraiser in the States. He also had a refinished JG which was beat up and in a horrible state until restored and resprayed in a blue burst. He passed that on to "Bassman Jaymi" (if you know his review vids0, who passed it on soon after. Not sure where it is now.
[/quote]

+1 about Mike, Trevor - he's an absolute star!

He's a Basschat member actually, though not sure if he still visits the site ?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I made up a playlist of recordings I have done with my 1986 Wal Custom Fretless over the last 15 years or so (older one's aren't on my computer), just for the sake of evidencing its versatility. I have loads more but it had reached 46 minutes and I thought I was beginning to waste MY time, never mind yours!!

https://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/sets/wal-bass

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Went out to see a local band last night as I know the bass player and he's a great guy. Thought he sounded absolutely fantastic all night and guess what he was playing: his recently acquired Wal. Offered me a widdle at the end as we had had the "isn't it really heavy" etc. conversation, and he made me strap it on even though it's the wrong way round for me just to show that while it's heavy, it's really nicely balanced. It was, it felt great, actually. No widdle as I'm not good enough to play the wrong way up (and he's a seriously good player plus I was three pints ahead by then). He reckons it's his go-to bass now, and I could hear why.

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[quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1447503538' post='2908105']
Went out to see a local band last night as I know the bass player and he's a great guy. Thought he sounded absolutely fantastic all night and guess what he was playing: his recently acquired Wal. Offered me a widdle at the end as we had had the "isn't it really heavy" etc. conversation, and he made me strap it on even though it's the wrong way round for me just to show that while it's heavy, it's really nicely balanced. It was, it felt great, actually. No widdle as I'm not good enough to play the wrong way up (and he's a seriously good player plus I was three pints ahead by then). He reckons it's his go-to bass now, and I could hear why.
[/quote]

I've got one for sale that's the right way round for you... :)

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