Calling all Wal-ers!!!

[alstocko]

Hey guys,
As someone who is unfortunate enough not to have played or even seen one in the flesh, can someone explain why these instruments get such high acclaim on here and in the pro circuit?
I mean no disrespect to any owners, I have only heard one before...

[tubbybloke68]

Hi there, it's difficult to explain but they certainly have 'a sound' think smooth creamy tone that can punch through a mix with ease. I've had sooo many compliments on my sound it's untrue!!! I think if you were to play one is the only way I guess. For me it just really is a case of the 'wal factor' the middy tone just cuts through without all the fret noise. Perfect bass for me!!

[gjones]

About a year ago, after coming off stage at venue I was playing at, I had to break off a conversation I was having to go and check out the bassist of the band on after us after hearing just a few notes played at the line check. He had the best sound I've ever heard from a bass. I'd never seen that type of bass before and was told it was a Wal mk III. Is it worth £3000? If you've got the money in the bank maybe it is?.

Edited August 8, 2012 by gjones

[Happy Jack]

The Wal Custom basses have a filter-based pre-amp which allows each pickup to produce independently a wide range of very useable and musical tones. You can get sounds which are at least close to all the classic bass sounds (Precision, Jazz, etc. etc.) plus loads more besides.

The knobs have a pull-up which alters & "humps" the frequency being boosted, giving the option of adding a very noticeable 80's feel throughout that wide range of useable and musical tones.

The two pickups, each with its own wide range of useable and musical tones, can then be blended to produce even further useable and musical tones.

It's actually very difficult to produce sounds from a Wal Custom that don't sound "right".

And all that's before you get into handmade + exotic woods + unusual looks + famous player associations + blah blah blah.

What's not to like?

[lozbass]

I've had a MkIII custom 6 and a fretless MkII 4 - both absolutely gorgeous to look at. For me the tone has a strong '80s association (though thats a. not a bad thing, and b. not all a Wal can do!) As explained with great eloquence above, the tonal range is outstanding/surprising. Beyond that, the playability can be superb. I played a lot of Wals in my youth and there was a distinct V profile to the neck - I'm not sure that the V is so pronounced in current models - I found it very appealing years ago, not so much now. Overall, the fit, finish, quality of components, craftwork and timber selection is certainly towards the highest end of bass luthiery. At the £3.5k mark you'd expect this. In this segment of the market too, there's a lot of choice - many years ago, Wals would have been at the top of my list - I can't really say this now (just personal preference).

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1344411514' post='1763937']
It's actually very difficult to produce sounds from a Wal Custom that don't sound "right".
[/quote]

Sorry but I have to disagree for the very reasons that you think that they are great! I agree with all of the statements that a Wal can sound great BUT having owned one many years ago (and having one in the house now on loan), I have to say that they infuriate me with their ability to allow 'me' to screw the tone up!

I found that when I owned mine that if I gave it just a bit of a tweak mid song/gig it had the potential to start to sound pants and I'd then spend the rest of the gig trying to get back what I wanted... not my idea of fun. Not saying that they aren't great basses, I have liked the neck of everyone that I have tried but I find them generally a bit too heavy and those tone circuits are just not for me.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1344436625' post='1764465']
Sorry but I have to disagree for the very reasons that you think that they are great! I agree with all of the statements that a Wal can sound great BUT having owned one many years ago (and having one in the house now on loan), I have to say that they infuriate me with their ability to allow 'me' to screw the tone up!

I found that when I owned mine that if I gave it just a bit of a tweak mid song/gig it had the potential to start to sound pants and I'd then spend the rest of the gig trying to get back what I wanted... not my idea of fun. Not saying that they aren't great basses, I have liked the neck of everyone that I have tried but I find them generally a bit too heavy and those tone circuits are just not for me.
[/quote]

so not like P basses then?

[4000]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1344436625' post='1764465']
Sorry but I have to disagree for the very reasons that you think that they are great! I agree with all of the statements that a Wal can sound great BUT having owned one many years ago (and having one in the house now on loan), I have to say that they infuriate me with their ability to allow 'me' to screw the tone up!

I found that when I owned mine that if I gave it just a bit of a tweak mid song/gig it had the potential to start to sound pants and I'd then spend the rest of the gig trying to get back what I wanted... not my idea of fun. Not saying that they aren't great basses, I have liked the neck of everyone that I have tried but I find them generally a bit too heavy and those tone circuits are just not for me.
[/quote]

Have to say I didn't really get on with the Wal Custom I had. Loved playing it at home but in a band found it nigh on useless; it was just too nasal using most settings. Still after a (preferably passive) Wal Pro though. Saw Leigh Gorman again on Friday; what a tone.

[Chris2112]

Don't forget, Wal basses were once hopelessly unfashionable! Time was at a point in the 90's where they were considered 'uncool', and once were described to me as the aspirational bass of the pub band bassist. I suppose this is due to the fact that they were one of the 'new' basses of the 80's pop scene, and if it wasn't a Status then such and such would have played a Wal, etc etc. Mind you, people though Brit Pop and Oasis were cool in the 90's so that proves they knew naff all!

As such, their values plummeted and it was a while until the experienced a renaissance. I remember seeing a slightly used mk2 at The Gallery for £1200, within living memory, as it were.

I've always loved them though I don't think they're worth the prices they command these days. The prices seemed to shoot up as it began to seem likely that the days of them being produced were numbered. Sadly, now that they're being made again the new price list has stayed truly top-shelf, whereas they were once something everyone could aspire to.

[pierreganseman]

True , I met a guy once who had 4 wal 4 string....

he said he all bought them in the mid 90's for between £700 to £1000....

gets you dreaming huh...

prices are high indeed... but they are amazing basses!! I had 2... sold both cause they were 4 strings...

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1344559802' post='1766555']
I've always loved them though I don't think they're worth the prices they command these days. The prices seemed to shoot up as it began to seem likely that the days of them being produced were numbered. Sadly, now that they're being made again the new price list has stayed truly top-shelf, whereas they were once something everyone could aspire to.
[/quote]

Every part of a Wal bass except the machine heads is custom made by or for Wal. The only other basses I know of that have that level of uniqueness of parts is Gus and their prices make Wal look cheap by comparison.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1344584571' post='1766617']
Every part of a Wal bass except the machine heads is custom made by or for Wal.
[/quote]

Surely you could say that for Fender, Gibson, Warwick... ad infinitum; if the parts aren't made by the company themselves then someone makes them for them ('custom made')!

[Happy Jack]

Probably time someone mentioned CNC machines and robots.

There's custom and there's custom, I suppose.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1344585372' post='1766623']
Surely you could say that for Fender, Gibson, Warwick... ad infinitum; if the parts aren't made by the company themselves then someone makes them for them ('custom made')!
[/quote]

What I was trying to convey, is that those parts are unique to Wal Basses. Also companies like Fender, Gibson and Warwick make thousands of basses every year so even if the parts have been specifically designed and made for them the quantities involved make the costs trivial compared with someone like Wal who probably make less than 100 basses in a year.

You need to compare with other small scale custom builders where making your own hardware is the exception rather than the rule. Someone like Sei make fantastic basses, but everything except the wood is "off-the-shelf" parts that are available to any other bass luthier.

[Dingus]

I am hopelessly biased of course, because when I was a kid a Wal was the bass I aspired to more than any other, but I still think that Wal basses are truly special sounding instruments . I can distinctly remember the first time I played one at the Bass Centre at Wapping and being blown away by the tone , even compared to the other high-end basses I tried that day. The only thing in the shop that could compete was an Alembic. I ended up buying three Wals, and they were all brilliant basses each with distinct characters of their own but all with that unmistakable midrange prescence that is , in my experience, unique to these basses. They are however, idiosyncratic instruments and won't be to everybodys taste ( I suppose you could say that about any /every bass though) , but the overall superb quality of build and sound will always win over the majority of people who try them. Some people comment on the high prices they go for nowadays , and what Chris2112 says is perfectly correct in my recollection ; you could get them for silly money back in the mid to late nineties and I mean £600-700, but full retail for a new Wal nowadays is actually still pretty good value for money . I would baulk at the prospect of paying £2500 for a vintage one when Paul could make me a new one for a little over three and a half grand. I know that's a lot of a money on the face of it, but I would compare one of these basses to an Alembic Series One or even Series Two in terms of sound quality ( before anyone gets excited , I mean in their own way- i know they sound nothing like an Alembic), and are easily as good as a something like a fully -optioned Fodera. If you look at what those basses will cost you, especially in the U.K, then the Wal looks a pretty sensible price . It's a handmade instrument that will last you a lifetime and could save you a lot of money in the long term. It's also worth mentioning that , regarding any debate over the preamp ( which to my sensibilities is easy to use and sounds both unique and fantastically good), the Wal can be used in passive mode and it sounds just as good as active. And the passive tone controls work really well too. I don't play Wal basses any more for various reasons, but they will always have a special place in my heart and under the right circumstances I would jump at the chance getting another.

Edited August 12, 2012 by Dingus

[Rich]

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1344559802' post='1766555']
As such, their values plummeted and it was a while until the experienced a renaissance. I remember seeing a slightly used mk2 at The Gallery for £1200, within living memory, as it were.
[/quote]
I paid £330 for my Pro 2-E in 1986. Worth a bit more than that now

[White Cloud]

I was lucky enough to own a Mk1 back in the mid 80's - bought it brand new on the never never (£750).....didnt eat, drink, drive or have a love life for the next few months as I payed it up on my meager wage.

Was it worth it? Well...Yes...and no. You have to consider the fact that during this time there were very few hand custom luthier type basses on the market (Alembic, Wal, Status, Jaydee, Ken Smith, Vigier) or you could have a P or a J or a Rick - today there are a confuusing myriad of builders making incredible basses that have incredible elecs and stunning woodworking. The generic tone of the Wal was sublime, and I agree with aforementioned testimonies above - it was the only bass on the market that could compete with the insanely expensive Alembic series basses of the era. The sounds were to die for. The electrics/pickups/tonal controls are what make these basses special.

There is nothing complicated or flashy about the design or woodworking of these basses..relatively simple/understated bolt on neck design, simple laminated body facings onto a core...but in fairness built to a great standard.

The negaitves? Mine was VERY heavy...it hurt to play for more than 2 hours live. The neck is an acquired taste with its distinctive old school Fender vee shape - but it grew on you ...and it actually improved my left hand technique.

I eventually traded it (a direct swap) for a Jaydee Supernatural that turned out to be a complete disaster as the Jaydee neck failed and ended up with a terminal backbow that resembled a banana which rendered the bass as useless (JD had received a rogue batch of Mahogony during this period) but thats another story.

The biggest regret of my life was parting company with my Wal.

[witterth]

seeing as were talking Wal, anyone want to buy an original wal (80s) case? (refurbed but still the thing) thought I'd ask here before putting this in the correct place, and while I had your attention.
superb basses btw

[mikeswals]

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.