NickA

Replace "Alembic" with "Wal" and I'm in a similar position!! Likes = the sound, the flexibility. Dislikes = the ergonomics, the price and (in the original ones) slightly dodgy build tolerances (eg is that neck angle what it should be, and why are the strings not evenly spaced?) I think Pete Stevens was knocking them out quite rapidly in the late 80s / early 90s .... not that it changes the SOUND, which is what it's all a bout IMO. Though the workmanship on some of the Alembics is a bit special don't you think?

Especially if you have a signature sound dialed in by expert sound people using specific plug-ins / effects etc. I guess there's no point having controls on the bass if you have "a sound". I think Joe's sound is great; but I don't really think it's straight out the bass or entirely due to his fingers. I'll bet there was a lot of "tweaking" going on to get there.

Oh man!!! He'd sound great playing anything. What a gig.

Certainly is. Makes my pjb flight case giggable.

Of course I did. It's a bit like seeing someone else snog your girlfriend, but I'm a generous chap 😂. He loved it but didn't make me an offer. First time I played a ( lovely walnut ) fretless custom (1985) I wasn't well impressed. £550 seemed expensive. It takes a while to get into the Wal groove. As I'm sure you know Wal sounds are also to be found in the playing of Percy Jones, Mick Karn, Colin Bass and many more; Chancellor, Lee and Flea are outliers for me. But that the bass can do all that says a lot.

Absolutely. And there's come back as no-one wants a bad name here and lots of stuff does the rounds. EG I believe I have Beedsters old pb300 active extension cab ... though this is the first he'll know if it!!

Excellent place to look for a bass ..but what's their commission like? I think most dealers take 20% ( bass bags a bit less I think), but dealers will up the price which softens the commission blow a bit. I thought of trading mine in for one a little better quality and significantly better condition a few years back. I'd have spent £10k to get the better bass, the dealer said he'd put mine up for around £6k but he'd do £1k of work on it first so couldn't pay more than £5k and wouldn't do a comission sale without the work being done. He suggested I sell it privately 🙂 . ...since when Tim Batchelar has declared mine "a nice bass" and made it sound better than the £10k one. Dealers hmm.

Also here. Though it tends towards orchestral and hence rather higher end stuff than basschat. https://www.musicalchairs.info/double-bass/sales

My case says Wal on it. Most people haven't a clue what it means. I get asked " is that a Warwick"? " Who made that?" Even a professional jazz bass player asked me what it was at a jam session.... before begging a go on it. Disappointing but reassuring lack of recognition! Anyway WE know exactly what it is and are very pleased for you. What year? Did you get it / check it on the Wal database? http://www.nedcom.nl/WAL/ PS: Good to see a tool fan not insisting on Maple facing, only 4-strings, mk2 body. You chose wisely imo 😉

Re Eudoxa .... Used to use them on my cello but price aside, they went out of tune with the slightest weather change and the silver winding first turned my fingers black then wore through, freyed and made my fingers bleed. ...if they didn't just randomly snap first. Bunch of crap ... But they do sound lovely under the bow, especially if you like that slight "chuff" as they start to sound and aren't too bothered about volume. £230 for my db's set of Eva's was quite enough cash ..and they're so good I've stopped swapping back to Spiro's for jazz.

Indeed class B or class AB was the trad hifi amp. Class A being better but much too lossy. Class C high efficiency but lots of distortion. Class D (pwm) getting so good now that A and AB likely to disappear. The gnome, the elf and the pjb power amp in my pb300 and flight case are all class D. Run pretty cool. It's true that my 450W of pjb is quieter than my old 350W of trace ( class ab) ...but trace watts were always bigger! No-one would use class C for audio surely. Awful distortion.

Chaps. It's in Maltock, Derbyshire. Tim Batchelar has the photos and is considering what's best. I trust him with basses beyond anyone else ( in driving reach ). I did play quite a nice Czech laminate at a double bass bash. I'd always denigrated laminates before that, but my prejudices were modified. Generally though ... and in the case of any real quality ... carved spruce all the way! Re the "look of the finish" ...I think it may be ronseal, applied by our principal bassoonist whose wife had care of it for several years. When I first met it, it was a warm honey brown ( and buzzed like f£_&). The basoon family generally did it good..but the finish is not that of a top bass builder.

All Wal pickups are passive in that voltage come out of them without putting any in. ..gotta say, this Wal obsession is getting a bit crazy. As a Wal nut, Wal fanboy and owner of two of them I follow it avidly .... But is there a similar thread where people are trying to re engineer an Alembic series 2 or a Smith black Tiger. And if not, why not?

Well that one fell in the right hands! Wish I had technique like that. Embarrassed to own nice basses now.

A half size will likely struggle with low notes. My orchestra mate is about 5ft0" and plays a lovely 3/4 Bryant 5 string trouble free, which is quite deep and wide, so going to half size probably isn't necessary. Plus I'd never buy a bass unseen and unplayed. You need to spend a few hours with it... maybe if you're going to amp it up then a good setup, well fitted pickup etc are more important than changing the Stentor? I've found getting the pickup right makes a massive difference.

We're going to get it done ... without epoxy / araldite. It's been neglected for decades. Might be nice with some tlc. Calling Tim Bachelar later this week.

Nice offer. Thanks. Which innovations are they ( assume not silver slaps!). Think we'll try my old helicore hybrids first and see how we go. Cheers.

You mày be right. It's better than I originally thought. The table is pretty good, one mended split and no warping. But until we spend a load on it we won't know. Hopefully the orchestra coffers will get the end pin and sound post sorted, we'll get a better tail piece on there and then we'll see if it's worth doing the bridge. Thing is, it total repairs go over £1200 we could have bought a decent 60s Czech laminate.

They were quite reasonably priced once. You just have to be old. Anyway, looks like you can make your own!

Build tech beyond Electric Wood's cowshed there! Lasers indeed 😯 Though one of my Wals has a black plastic cover and the other a home made aluminium one ( the original was cracked and I reckoned ally would be better shielding; it is, but it makes no odds ), so not essential to the sound 😉

😁😁😁 It's an age thing maybe: In the 80s we'd all moved on from guitar bands ( and the word "cool" ), having discovered synths, sequencers, Wals and Alembics. In 1981 I really wanted a sunburst fender jazz bass and an Ampeg amp. By 1985, following 4 years of post punk funk & indie and a degree in electronics, I really wanted a Wal and a trace gp12smx. Not a passive bass in the house now ( double bass aside). Now ( passive instruments & cool )..THEY'RE BACK. Actually, the word "cool" ( briefly supplanted by "stealthy") has now been back for longer than it was ever away.😁. Same likely true of Fenders.

Think we're getting the block bored and a whole new 10mm end pin fitted. We found a useable tail piece on an old laminate bass that is even more broken. Dyneema is what I'll use to fit it; beats wire on basses and on boats! Interesting it improved the sound; maybe I should replace the wire on my own bass with dyneema ( yards of it in the garage). Might try changing the strings for an old set of helicores have. Bridge can wait for now - at least till we know what it sounds like!