philw

I tried a fretless one at the LIM show in the summer and loved it. I was about to get my Visa card out, thinking I'd be looking at maybe £150 at the most, when the guy told me the price. I got my coat and sauntered off. It really didn't look £400 worth of instrument.

Phil

Oh that's tempting...

P

[quote name='7string' post='625657' date='Oct 14 2009, 12:56 AM']It states [url="http://www.tuscanyguitars.com/company.html"]here[/url] that:

[b][i]All instruments are made in Asia under rigorous quality supervision, imported in Italy, set-up by Lorenzo Brogi and then distributed worldwide.[/i][/b]

Could be good, could be bad.[/quote]

And the UK distributor is in Kent, just like the Ebay seller.

P

I've not read all the other replies (I'm supposed to be working), so I apologise if I repeat points already made, but as an occasional owner of not inexpensive "custom" basses, a small scale distributor of the same, and sufferer of chronic unfulfilled GAS (I want a Bassline Worp now!) , I have a couple of thoughts on Bilbo's entertainingly provocative post.

In an Stepford Wives kind of world where bass guitars are just machines and bass players simple automatons (the way we sometimes wish drummers were), Bilbo would be absolutely right. There would be no point in specifying an instrument that more than got the basic job done or cost more than was absolutely necessary. But thankfully it's not a Stepford world we live in (thankfully, except for the automaton drummer thing) and for many, a bass is far more than just notes and tone. It's the whole package of ergonomics, aesthetics, tone, vibe, feel, history, and yes, even ego. A beautiful bass, whether the beauty is heard or seen or felt or just imagined, is a deeply personal experience, and even thought the rational human in me knows an entry level Vintage or Dean or Squire or No Name with a decent setup and decent strings would likely not much compromise my abilities as a bass player, there's no way it would press the same emotional buttons as does my Wal. And emotional buttons are controls inherent to making music.

Phil

PS. Cliché Alert! What's the point of an Aston Martin when a Ford Focus can get you from A to B just as quickly?

I've a slightly uneasy feeling here that we might have drifted a little "off topic".

Karn's expression is reminiscent of the look folk would adopt when they first caught sight of my red leg warmers.

Oh the things we did in the 80s! What fun!

P

[quote name='Spoombung' post='619905' date='Oct 7 2009, 07:47 PM']When I bought it in '84 it had the original body, you can see it here, ahem:



Oh God, look at me; eighties style Erazerhead haircut, ironic Rockabilly jacket, heroes on the wall - Beefheart, Stravinsky, Wilhelm Reich, bits of my quirky pottery...... and my Wal bass.

I had the new Fender body made in '94. I remember it cost me £200 which I thought was an absolute bargain - even after trading in the old body to the workshop. In fact I had several changes made to it over the 10 years; neck completely re-shaped (it's thinner than a Jazz), fretlines added and numerous setups and they never overcharged.[/quote]

In my experience Pete never charged enough. I, err, don't think business acumen was ever really his strength.

Hey didn't Mick Karn do quirky pottery? Oh and he had a Wal too? Nooo, you're not really Mick Karn are you? Oh no, hang on, he'd have never been seen dead in a jacket like that. Ironic or not.

P

PS. Apart from the Wal strapped over my shoulder, I could have been seen reasonably regularly playing at the Rock Garden (and the like) in the 80s in a grey jump suite with red leg warmers (ironic ones of course). Thankfully there are no pictures of the leg warmers. The floor monitors always got in the way.

[quote name='Spoombung' post='619708' date='Oct 7 2009, 04:24 PM']I'm not sure that's the case. That guy has been working on it for ages now and still hasn't even got a working model. There's a lot of mouth but not much trouser going on in that Talkbass thread.

The thing to remember is the Wal pickup works in a perfect symbiotic relationship with it's preamp. Both are ingenious and devilishly complicated to reverse engineer because of their complexity.[/quote]

Mat Larrrivee, of Larrivee Guitars fame popped up recently on the Yahoo Wal group asking US Wal owners if he could borrow a bass and get close-up photographs of the preamp/eq circuits so that he could compare the PCB layouts to the schematic. When challenged on what appeared to be a crude attempt at reverse engineering he said that he was just doing research on a number of approaches to bass electronics as part of a programme to develop some new Larrivee basses. Still seemed a bit odd, not to say naive, though.

Seems to me, as has already been said, the unique sound of the Wal is primarily down to the pups and preamp/eq. The lutherie and wood selection, while ground-breaking 25 years ago is pretty common now, but I'll bet a fair slice of dosh that a new Wal will sound very much like an old one (and unlike anything else).

Phil

PS. I'd forgotten that Fender style body option Pete and Ian used to offer. It looks great, and suddenly I'm regretting that I didn't order mine that way all those years ago. I'm sure Paul H would quite happily offer it to new customers. Hey, I wonder if he'd do me a chambered, single-cut, headless Wal? I'd sever my own hands to own one like that....

Well I've still not yet grasped the eBay nettle so I'm having one last bump to see if I can trade for a Fenderish (Squire, other copy, Precision or Jazz, a maple fingerboard preferred) fretted 4 string of some description.

Phil

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='617407' date='Oct 5 2009, 01:38 PM']I know why they are back in business - license to print money by trading on the name?[/quote]

That's a pretty cynical attitude isn't it? Believe me, whoever you are, and whatever "name" you own, custom building high-end basses (or those short scale six string things that I can't remember the term for), is never, ever going to fall into the "license to print money" category.

Phil

[quote name='henry norton' post='617336' date='Oct 5 2009, 12:50 PM']It'll be interesting to see how they get on in today's market - 3k will buy you a pretty good, custom built bass but for some I guess only a Wal will do.... Good luck to them. [/quote]

Henry,

A Wal IS a pretty good custom built bass.

Phil

And £3200 for a Mk1 custom really doesn't seem excessive to me. Not sure how it pans out in terms of inflation but I paid £600 (new) for mine in 1983. £3200 now feels about right.

P

Don't all rush at once....

[url="http://www.walbasses.co.uk/"]http://www.walbasses.co.uk/[/url]

Phil

[quote name='cd_david' post='612474' date='Sep 29 2009, 09:05 PM']Would love to buy it but am never down the south coast and have no idea when i could make the trip. Good luck mate

Dave[/quote]

Dave,

Well I am starting to think I'm going to have to ship it at some stage. I have a mad plan where I buy a hard case for my soon to arrive Veillette acoustic bass but use the case initially to ship the Eko and trust the purchaser to ship just the empty case back to me. So if you're genuinely interested, and that plan works for you, PM me with an offer.

Phil

OK, final bump before Ebay.

Surely somebody has a Far East/copy Precision/Jazz of some description they'd like to swap for a slice of genuine Italian acoustic bass cool?

Phil

Gareth,

There's always my original, classic and deeply, deeply cool Eko for a straight trade

It even comes complete with no pickup!

Phil

[attachment=33573:Eko_2.jpg]

Healthy interest (probably thanks to the mention of chocolate) but nobody's taken the plunge yet. Ebay beckons soon I fear.

I'm definitely interested in trades, so try me, you never know.

Phil

[quote name='Gareth Hughes' post='601860' date='Sep 17 2009, 11:35 PM']I played a fretted version of this the other day. Surprisingly loud for an acoustic bass, and a great tone too.[/quote]


Gareth,

Was it an original, like mine, that you played or one of the recently reintroduced (and I believe Far East manufactured) instruments? I don't think the new instruments have the curved back of the originals (a curved back that you'll note I completely failed to take a picture of).

I just did a bit of googling and found out a little more about my bass. There's a small site here www.ekobass.co.uk dedicated to the instrument. Seems from the serial number (250684) that mine dates from 25th June 1984, about three years before the original Eko company shut up shop. So it sat in a warehouse or music shop for maybe eight years before I waltzed in and rescued it.

Phil

Drove through Epsom yesterday for the first time in an age and Bootleg Music has gone!

Sad, but a good excuse for a BUMP!

Get your chocolate teapot here.

P

All,

I have a shiny new Veillette acoustic bass on the way so my old Eko needs a good, appreciative home.

Depending on your point of view, an Eko B4 is either a delightful slice of classic 70s Italian lutherie, or the bass equivalent of a chocolate teapot. That being the case, I've really no idea how much it might be worth, although if we're talking trades, I'd really like a Squire/Fender P Bass of some description (a '51 style one would be nice). The Eko's the kind of bass that's worth nothing if you don't want one, but if it floats your boat, well they're pretty rare these days..... So anyway, I'm open to offers...

This particular Eko was bought new in the early 90s. It had sat in a warehouse and then the window of a music shop in Epsom (Bootleg, for those who know Epsom) for quite some time before my resistance failed and I walked in and made an offer that wasn't refused (£299 I think). I've used it mostly for noodling at home, writing sessions and a bit of recording but I've never dared use it live (it has no pickup). It's one of those basses that's lovely to have around but it's not, if I'm being totally honest the kind of thing that will get used every day. It has some lacquer cracking in the headstock and a repair in the body end where it got "holed" by the sharp corner of a table. Other than that, it's sound, stays in tune and is perfectly playable. Sounds lovely too, in an idiosyncratic sort of way.

Over to you.
Phil

PS. There's no way I'd ship the Eko, it's way too fragile, so it'd have to be a local pickup or some cooperative effort.

[attachment=32859:Eko_2.jpg]
[attachment=32860:Eko_3.jpg]
[attachment=32861:Eko_4.jpg]
[attachment=32862:Eko_5.jpg]
[attachment=32863:Eko_6.jpg]

I took my '83 fretless Custom up to Paul's workshop for its slightly overdue 25 year service earlier in the week. Things are obviously moving along nicely on on the new Wal front with the web site (www.walbass.co.uk) apparently scheduled to be up in the very near future. I wonder who's going to be the first basschatter to order a new one?

Phil

This thread has got me all melancholy. I first saw and heard a Steinberger at the reading festival in '79 (I think) when Tony Levin used a fretless in Peter Gabriel's band. I wanted one from that moment on and there was a time not long ago when I owned a pair of early L2s – one fretted, one fretless – both in pretty good condition. They were unique and wonderful instruments and I'll regret forever letting them go.

Phil

[quote name='Eight' post='498504' date='May 27 2009, 08:46 AM']I like this very much.

Despite being a 5... and fretless... and not black... I think its lubberly.

[/quote]

Mmm that is nice. Website anywhere? Googling Damico didn't get me anywhere.

Phil

I reviewed the GK MB150, Mark Bass MiniMark and AER Amp One for Performing Musician mag. All were good but the AER completely seduced me and that's what I now use. It's small, light, loud and has a warm but clear tone to die for - with both Steiberger EUB and fretless Wal.

Phil

BigBeatNut's Electro was in fact mine before I sold it to him, and sometimes I regret letting it go. The electro is a one trick pony but it's an unusual trick and one that sounds rather marvelous. I'd have another without a doubt - lovely instrument.

Phil

PS. I bet Rob Green would still make an Electro if you asked nicely and opened your wallet.

If I had to guess who "Paul" might be I'd suggest luthier Paul Herman - guitar maker to the stars (well some of them) and the man behind the promised second coming of Wal.

Phil

PS. And yes Alan Thompson is a great player. Saw him many times playing that bass in JM's band. Last I heard he was playing a Gougi - www.gougi.com/fr/atelier/ed/basse/index.html