Wal Pro series

[TheGreek]

I, like many others using this site, am an avid eBay watcher and recently purchased the Wal Pro series pictured below. Information on these is pretty scant so I didn't find out that this is the budget version till after the sale (this morning actually after receiving an Email from Trevor Raggatt). Turns out that this may not be the bargain I thought it might have been .

Anybody watching eBay will probably know what I paid for it but does anybody know what a fair price would be for one of these?

Hate to think I may have rushed in blind - there may be a truism here - "fools rush in where angels fear to tread"..

suggestions for a fair price??

[Happy Jack]

Mick, I just love the notion of a 'budget Wal'!

I know what you mean though. My understanding is that the Pro series was cheaper than the Custom series, and with fewer bells and whistles, but that Pro basses were and remain very high quality instruments. Certainly the Pro IIe I sold to Clarky was anything but a 'budget' instrument, and was a bass that I have every intention of replacing at some point.

Did you pay too much? IMHO, yes, but it's hard to know by how much because the eBay description is none too clear. It was called a "non active" bass. If it really is a single pickup passive Wal, then I reckon you're probably out by £300-£400.

That's in Basschat terms, of course. Re-list the same bass with much the same description on eBay and you might well get your money back.

Personally, I'd be inclined to start by playing the bass - you may find you don't want to sell it, in which case its 'true' value becomes irrelevant.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Happy Jack

[lozbass]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='995743' date='Oct 21 2010, 11:36 AM']Mick, I just love the notion of a 'budget Wal'!

Personally, I'd be inclined to start by playing the bass - you may find you don't want to sell it, in which case its 'true' value becomes irrelevant.[/quote]
I couldn't agree more - the Pro series was less expensive than the Customs but still beautiful, handcrafted instruments from an earlier period in Wal production (indeed, depending on age, I suspect your bass could have been built by Ian Waller and Pete Stevens). I've played loads of Wals over the years: Barrats of Manchester had the distribution deal many years ago and I couldn't keep out of there. The Pros that were around back then were sublime instruments and pretty much head and shoulders above everything else (well...depending on tastes...Status and Pangborn weren't bad!)

You may have overpaid a bit, but if it's a great instrument, then no real problem

[gary mac]

I was watching that auction with interest as I have the same model in very similair condition.

Even though I thought it was slightly over priced, I was surprised that there weren't more bids.

Congrats hope you enjoy.

[philw]

Mick,

I'm fortunate enough to own a Mk 1 Fretless Custom that I bought new in 1983 and the enjoyment and fun I've had from it (and still have) is immeasurable. The vast majority of folks will never be lucky enough to own a Wal, so if I were you I'd not worry too much now about how much you paid for it. I'd just get on and enjoy it.

Yes, the Pro series pre-dates the Custom series (although their was some crossover and a small batch of Pro's made much later) and was Wal's attempt at a production-line bass (although most I believe were still hand made by Pete and Wal). They are lovely high quality instruments and some would argue more of a purist, "players" bass than the Custom with all its bells and whistles. Think of them as Wal's P-bass. You're a lucky man.

Phil

[TheGreek]

[quote name='philw' post='995921' date='Oct 21 2010, 01:43 PM']Mick,

I'm fortunate enough to own a Mk 1 Fretless Custom that I bought new in 1983 and the enjoyment and fun I've had from it (and still have) is immeasurable. The vast majority of folks will never be lucky enough to own a Wal, so if I were you I'd not worry too much now about how much you paid for it. I'd just get on and enjoy it.

Yes, the Pro series pre-dates the Custom series (although their was some crossover and a small batch of Pro's made much later) and was Wal's attempt at a production-line bass (although most I believe were still hand made by Pete and Wal). They are lovely high quality instruments and some would argue more of a purist, "players" bass than the Custom with all its bells and whistles. Think of them as Wal's P-bass. You're a lucky man.

Phil[/quote]

You may be right but since I've been diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel and may need an operation on my hand I'm not gonna get the enjoyment from it for some time. In the worst case scenario it may be that I won't actually get to play it so would end up losing a not unsubstantial amount of money on it. What should have been a pleasant experience may turn out to be something other than...

Just out of interest what was the price new??

Edited October 21, 2010 by TheGreek

[philw]

[quote name='TheGreek' post='995933' date='Oct 21 2010, 01:52 PM']You may be right but since I've been diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel and may need an operation on my hand I'm not gonna get the enjoyment from it for some time. In the worst case scenario it may be that I won't actually get to play it so would end up losing a not unsubstantial amount of money on it. What should have been a pleasant experience may turn out to be something other than...

Just out of interest what was the price new??[/quote]

Oh that's a bugger. I hope you get over it and get the chance to play that lovely collection of instruments you have.

You'll hate this but my Wal new in 1983 was £595. Not such a bad buy as it turned out.

Phil

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='philw' post='995958' date='Oct 21 2010, 02:12 PM']Oh that's a bugger. I hope you get over it and get the chance to play that lovely collection of instruments you have.

You'll hate this but my Wal new in 1983 was £595. Not such a bad buy as it turned out.

Phil[/quote]

Based on purchasing power parity ( [url="http://www.hanseisenkolb.de/V80-10en.htm"]http://www.hanseisenkolb.de/V80-10en.htm[/url] ) £595 of your 1983 pounds would equate to £757 today.

Hmmmm.

Can't do it (easily) for RPI owing to the re-basing in 1987 and the move to CPI.

[mandomicky]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[size=2]hi
check these out it might make you happier about the bass



www.LowEndBassShop.com :: View topic - Wal 4 string



these have one up for sale now for £1899 and fretless
www.bassdirect.co.uk[/size]




[size=2]
[font="Arial Black"]taken from wilipedia-
Early custom basses were purchased by leading bass players from the London studio circuit, such as John G. Perry, who purchased the first Wal bass. Another early instrument, a triple necked bass, was purchased by Rick Wakeman for his bassist, Roger Newell, to use at the Journey to the Centre of the Earth concerts. The bass was later given to Chris Squire of Yes and is now on loan to the Hard Rock Cafe. Later, a short run of semi-custom models (designated the JG series after the owner of the first model, John Gustafson) featured hand-tooled leather scratchplates. Owners of these models included John Entwistle, Mark Davis, Stayton Heyward, Paul Simonon, Gary Tibbs, Alan Spenner and Percy Jones.
The first full production range of Wal basses appeared in 1978 as the "Pro Series." These basses followed the basic design specifications of the JG series (solid ash body, maple, hornbeam and Amazonian hard wood neck and rosewood fingerboard) but replaced the leather scratchplate with a large plastic one. The Pro Series were superseded by the Custom Series in 1983. This introduced the laminated bodies now standard with Wal basses. Various woods such as American walnut, schedua/hydua, padauk and wenge were offered as standard thick laminates over a mahogany core. During the 1980s the range was expanded to introduce 5 and 6 string models and three distinct but similar body shapes - commonly referred to as Mark 1 (the original Custom 4 string style), Mark 2 and Mark 3. Other rare models were also available periodically, including a midi-bass (the MB4 & MB5) and a simplified passive model.[/font][size=2][/size][/size]

[WalMan]

[quote name='philw' post='995958' date='Oct 21 2010, 02:12 PM']Oh that's a bugger. I hope you get over it and get the chance to play that lovely collection of instruments you have.

You'll hate this but my Wal new in 1983 was £595. Not such a bad buy as it turned out.

Phil[/quote]
You don't want to know what I paid for mine (second hand) around the same time then!!!

As explained to me by Pete in 96 the passive Pro 1's were a sort of "starter" bass the idea being that if/when you wanted to you could go back to Wal/Pete and he would retrofit the Custom actives and pups. That's what I did in 96, though I had originally only taken mine up for an overhaul and it was only pure chance that Pete was retrofitting another, he said "have a try while your here", we got chatting and he explained the process & quoted me a price, and I left having booked mine in for the same

Picked it up a few weeks later and it was a whole different bass.

Not sure whether you would want the retrofit, but it might be worth a word with Paul at Wal if you were interested

I have recordings of it pre & post conversion, and it was a great sounding bass even before the conversion but the after, was even better!!

Value....difficult to say. They are what they were built for, and a great bass even in the stripped down version IMO. That and you can't get them now so... possibly what you're willing to pay, particularly if it's in good nick and with a Wal case, but I should have said not crazy money

EDIT: Just found the listing....it does look a lot and a bit more dinked than mine, but you can't get them now, it has a Wal case - which is worth £200 on its own - looks really nice, and if it plays and sounds as good as mine did and you're happy with it is still worth it.

Oh and it is 3 younger than mine as mine is PB1680 - and I believe Silverfoxnik had PB1682 at one time. Small world /Edit

Edited October 26, 2010 by WalMan

[Simmo]

I really think this bass is gorgeous hope that makes you feel a bit better

[WalMan]

[quote name='mandomicky' post='996282' date='Oct 21 2010, 07:36 PM']--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


these have one up for sale now for £1899 and fretless
www.bassdirect.co.uk[/quote]
I expected this to be a full on custom at that price but it doesn't appear to be. Beautiful looking bass, but the price seems over the top

[Chris2112]

They're nice basses and without looking at the Ebay auction I can't comment on the price. However, having had the chance to play Pro basses and the top line mk1 and mk2 models there is (IMO) quite some distance between them. For instance, I don't dream of owning a Pro series Wal but I've been made about the Mk2 basses for years!

[absolutpepper]

Hi

I saw that one on ebay, it looks great and Wal's are just lovely in all versions IMO. I looked into getting one of these a while back and the going rate was around £1100 - £1300 so maybe it was a bit over, however if the bass is great and you enjoy it then I wouldn't worry!

[philw]

[quote name='mandomicky' post='996282' date='Oct 21 2010, 07:36 PM']--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[size=2]hi
check these out it might make you happier about the bass



www.LowEndBassShop.com :: View topic - Wal 4 string



these have one up for sale now for £1899 and fretless
www.bassdirect.co.uk[/size][/quote]

Hmm, yeah I'm not sure Bassdirect are really playing that Wal with an entirely straight bat. It's not a Mk1 it's a Pro One (and it's a shame about that ugly thumb rest). Still a lovely instrument, but not quite the same thing. I also wonder if permission was sought and granted for the pictures that appear to have been lifted from the Wal web site.

P