greyparrot

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='430263' date='Mar 10 2009, 11:27 AM']No one told me but here it is... [/quote] Bloody awful!

This has turned into a bass slaging match!.....................i still think Fender CS is the best though!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='429476' date='Mar 9 2009, 03:43 PM']I would point out that I am a great believer in loyalty and intimacy with an instrument and, above a basic manufacturing standard, my perspective is to work with the bass to find your sound and not to expect it to 'deliver' something when you pick it up for the first time. For the record, I tried 3 Wals out before I bought mine (25th April 1986) and was so impressed with the consistency that I bought my current bass by mail order[/quote] Thats just it, you get a good Fender jazz and ..............................hmmmm! I take your point about you can creat your own sound with it though. Nice carrots by the way!

I remember playing one at the bass center about 20 years ago. they had about 5 on a stand, all around £700 I did want to buy one cos i liked how it looked, but When i played it the other day, i felt the same now as i did back then. It would not offer me what i need for the gigs i do. I bought an 87 squire jazz.

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='429248' date='Mar 9 2009, 12:15 PM']Allo I too played the Wal at the Bass Merchants yesterday! I've had Wals in the past and for certain things, they are spot on - very fruity sounding - there are (as already noted) certain `dodgy' sounds available too but they are unique instruments and very well made. I wish I'd kept one in the collection; I worked in a shop at weekends in '87 and we had nine in stock - all different woods etc - would be worth a fortune these days. Awful slappers (pullers) though (imo!) - too much space under the strings for me.[/quote] Glad im n ot the only one thinking they are weedy! I thought i was gonna be in for some stick!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='429227' date='Mar 9 2009, 11:51 AM']My main fretless bass is a Sei Flamboyant Offset with the ACG pre-amp. Tone-wise I pretty much told Martin that mick-Karn's TB2000/Wal sound was what I was after. Fretted I play Gus G3s.[/quote] Nice!

[quote name='mike257' post='429161' date='Mar 9 2009, 11:16 AM']I played one years ago when I used to work in a studio, the guy who owned the place had one from his touring days. It was nice, but it never blew me away, although that's probably as much to do with the dead strings and the fact I was about 17 and didn't appreciate it. He offered me it for £700 at the time though, so I kick myself now every time I see one sell for a couple of grand on here [/quote] Dont feel to bad, i sold MAny years ago, a 1974 sunburst jazz for £500. And iv heard worse on here than that! Still have this jazz now, so the pain has gone!!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='429152' date='Mar 9 2009, 11:08 AM']Like any bass the look and sound of a Wal is down to each individual. Just like I don't get on with Fender-shaped basses, and haven't yet played a Warwick under £4000 that didn't to me feel horrible, the Wal basses aren't for everyone. Current prices are as much down to the fact that they are currently (and have been for some time) out of production and that they have some fairly (in the bass world) high profile users who have distinctive tones. All goes to make them desirable and push up the prices. It's been over 20 years since I last played a Wal and at the time my style of bass playing didn't really benefit from what the Wal had to offer. Since then what I want from a bass has changed plus one of the few bass players that I admire - Mick Karn - is a well-known Wal user. However it's worth bearing in mind that most of his signature bass playing in Japan was done before he got his Wal on a Travis Bean TB2000 and TBH there's not a massive difference in the recorded tone...[/quote] Whats your axe of choice? Personally i can see a wal making a great fretless bass, but in fretted form, it sounded to me too weedy, and no growl. Im a player that plugs right into a pa via a di box and a flat channel on the mixer, and my pa is an 800wat powered sub and 200watt tops. I try to keep the natural sound of the bass, and i have had many basses, and the fender and warwick sounds fantastic natural. I think in terms of the way i amp the bass, more electronics would get in the way for me. I recently bought the custom shop jazz, and its passive as we all know but it is magnificent. Marcus how did you ever part with it??

I have seen lots of walscoming up for sale and going for £2500+ with no questions. Well i was in BM the other day, and they had in a wal bass. (now sold i think) It was very well made, and looked good. Anyway i was playing it, and although the electronics were very advanced, it seems to have a lot of sounds that were honky or that i would not use, and compared to a warwick or good jazz, it seemed had a fairly weedy slap sound. It seemed to me that you had to work the tone controls to get a good sound, where as a fender jazz, plug in and away you go! It was very mid to top. It is a great bass dont get me wrong but why so expensive? Is it cos they are rare like the old fenders? If it was between a warwick fender jazz or the wal of the same price, to me the fender would win hands down closely followed by the warwick. Dont mean to belittle, just cant see what makes them so expensive. Any of you guys tried them? what do you think?