mikeswals

So the 2009 bass Bobpalt was selling now is mine, and someone snapped a pic of last weekends gig doing its' thing.

Oli, The five string basses do have wider pickup spacing than the 4 strings. But, if you look through the Wal database, at least from the instruments submitted to that list, there have been folks who requested closer spacing. Oddio's MkIII 5 has the pickups stacked pretty close together.

Since I'm on the other side of the pond, over the years it has been difficult to find them or let alone hear/see anyone playing these in any old club in downtown USA. The Bass Centre in Los Angeles had new ones of course. And back in those days -pre internet- they were always very expensive and you just never knew where used ones were. I surely don't remember them being uncool here, but how could they when they were very scarce to begin with. But hey, I sure remember Fenders being uncool, and anything 4 string as well! I've been using them pretty exclusively for the past four years now, and wether it's a recording session or gig, I'm always met with the same comments from engineers; "wow- what clarity and perfect sound balance it has". But still, I go most gigs without anyone knowing what it even is. I still love my Jazzes and Musicmans dearly, but these Wals take tone and ergonomics to a whole other level. The weights of my various Wals are no different than my various StingRays. I absolutely love the electronics in that the filter preamp keeps the volume constant no matter where you set tone knobs (in click-down positions), or set the pan/blend knob. I can't say that for traditional boost systems where you can suck the volume right out of a bass rolling down the tone knobs, or soloing a bridge pickup usually makes a regular bass thin and weak. Not a Wal, you get bridge pickup sound but kept at consistant volume. As for ergonomics; the body contouring and balance has been superb. The bass feels like it was made to fit me. Yes they're very expensive. But over here on my side, the same comparison can be made of US Spectors (awesome basses too). Back in the day they were a typical high end priced bass, about $2k. But same thing today just like a Wal they're $5-6000 dollars new.

Hmmm, it could be. I like the way it looks! I was just looking at the Wal database, and PB1580 is solid Shedua. So I wonder what else in that batch is solid body, and what kinds. Really neat!

I just noticed your 'new' MkI has a non-laminated body, being natural and all. Is it solid mahogany? [quote name='wombatboter' timestamp='1327853142' post='1517652'] And he did.. Got a Wal MKI Custom bass which appears to be made around 81-82 and was a custom model made for Roxy Music bassplayer Gary Tibbs if I remember correctly..? Bit of dings and dongs but it sounds great and it has all the nice Wal-ingredients. [/quote]

Wow, that sure is a nice plank Clarky!

I had a 79, loved it. The sound was very hi-fi, very Spector like, really brilliant, really high output too. I'm still kicking myself for selling it.

And a couple preEB's: feb '78 StingRay. [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/Negative7bass/DSC02149.jpg[/IMG] apr '80 Sabre. [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/Negative7bass/DSC01367.jpg[/IMG]

And the Precisions: '05 Custom Shop 55 single coil P in very rare shell pink. [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/Negative7bass/DSC04370.jpg[/IMG] '82 Precision Special, white turned into the nicotine queen. [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/Negative7bass/DSC02868.jpg[/IMG]

My two current Jazzes: the keeper, holy grail '69 all orginal. [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/Negative7bass/DSC07987.jpg[/IMG] the '02/'03 MIM 60's Reissue limited run with matching headstock. [IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f224/Negative7bass/DSC07914.jpg[/IMG]

There used to be a better color version of this. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeH2ls71CWE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeH2ls71CWE[/url]

Congrats sir!

[quote name='Toasted' post='1336166' date='Aug 11 2011, 02:06 AM']The new Wals almost look "cleaner" than the old Wals.[/quote] The new ones certainly display perfection in build quality (above the old ones), from what I've seen in every pic I've seen so far. Everything matches so perfectly. I sort-of do hate to admit that, but Paul is doing better. Someday I hope to get a new MkIII 4 string from him.

[quote name='Clarky' post='1248464' date='May 28 2011, 09:40 AM']My '83 Mk 1 fretless and 2004 Mk 2 fretted[/quote] That MkII with the III headstock just looks sexy! I wish I could find someone who has a MkIII 4str that wants to go back to a MkI.

[quote name='73Jazz' post='1236160' date='May 18 2011, 11:19 AM']if this is a question between the lines..i will never sell just kidding..[/quote] Nope, I wasn't implying anything there.

[quote name='73Jazz' post='1235704' date='May 18 2011, 05:53 AM']but still great price..they last i have seen were from 1800-2100 euro, which are, 1585 gbp to 1850 gbp or in your case 2560 USD to 2995 USD[/quote] Yup exactly, $2600 to me. But I keep thinking to myself, 'where else am I going to find one?'.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1230296' date='May 13 2011, 11:05 AM']Its the intonation pins being (after Market) too long not the pads being too high [/quote] Well most of the originals were that way too where the D and G intonation screws ran into the pads. After a few hot summer days the pads would migrate forward a tad from being pushed by the screw.

I had one of these too, in LPB, serial# in the high 800's. Mine was alder. But I wished I could have found a Sonic! Here's what I can tell you from Stateside.... These were first run in 2002 starting with the CAR ones, the other colors ran in 2003. Yes MIA. The serials I saw tell me there's almost a thousand total (combined all colors) floating around. They were everywhere back then in the big stores and online dealers. I should say the red initially were snatched up quickly, but the LPB and OLY ones were most plentiful by far. By spring of 2004 the dealers here were blowing them out for $999 discontinued! But the rarest being Sonic Blue, they seemed to have mostly been shipped to Europe, because I've only seen one guy here claim to have one, but I've seen lots of pics from owners outside the States. I see Bass Direct currently has a Sonic for sale, but the cost and exchange rate puts it $1k dollars over what the other colors typically sell for used here!