overwater#1 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 (edited) Hey all! I have finally layed my hands on a Wal bass! A great friend of mine has leant me his stunning Wal Pro IIE Pro Bass. Its such a great thing to play, and has a sweeet tone! Im very impressed, and can easily see why so many people rave about these pieces of 'electric wood' I was just curious to know what sort of value I could put on a Pro IIE? I will definately get detailed pictures up by tomorrow! Although, I do have a quick pic I took in my practice room, which doesn't show any detail, and is quite a mess.... il whack that below this post... But first.. a brief description... The bass has a few chips hear and there, mainly, two one the upper horn when the bass was knocked on a gig once by a lighting techie (bastard!!!!!!) with a spot light or something. Theres obviously a few other indentations around the lower of the instrument, the usual stuff, as the bass was gigged regularly back when it was new I hear. My friend has owned it since new, has all the original documentation, original case and accesories.. everything! The bass is completely original, absolubtly no after market parts, absolubtly spot on original. Although, one of the screws on the rear of one machinehead, the central one, has been replaced with a none standard screw.. I do also find the recessed jack socket a pain, as I had to go out and buy a new lead to fit in it, as my leads all have neutrik ends. Hence the cheap black cable in the picture.. I believe the bass to be in stunning condition, with some mojo added, by the odd ding and the chip from that bastard techie guy.. I will get pictures up soon, as I wish to share some of its beauty with you guys, its so sweeet! the serial number is P.B.12** If some of you Wal connoisseurs and nuts, and anyone else could comment, id like to get a realistic value of the bass, as I might even think of buying it... haha!! Seriously.. a figure would be good though, but for now I have it in my posession, and have been using it a fair bit.. although, it needs two more strings ideally. Many many thanks all!! Pics soon.. dont get impatient! All the very best, Matt Edited August 3, 2008 by overwater#1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 [quote name='overwater#1' post='253766' date='Aug 3 2008, 04:23 PM']But first.. a brief description... The bass has a few chips hear and there, mainly, two one the upper horn when the bass was knocked on a gig once by a lighting techie (bastard!!!!!!) with a spot light or something. Theres obviously a few other indentations around the lower of the instrument, the usual stuff, as the bass was gigged regularly back when it was new I hear. My friend has owned it since new, has all the original documentation, original case and accesories.. everything! The bass is completely original, absolubtly no after market parts, absolubtly spot on original. Although, one of the screws on the rear of one machinehead, the central one, has been replaced with a none standard screw.. I do also find the recessed jack socket a pain, as I had to go out and buy a new lead to fit in it, as my leads all have neutrik ends. Hence the cheap black cable in the picture.. I believe the bass to be in stunning condition, with some mojo added, by the odd ding and the chip from that bastard techie guy.. I will get pictures up soon, as I wish to share some of its beauty with you guys, its so sweeet! the serial number is P.B.12** If some of you Wal connoisseurs and nuts, and anyone else could comment, id like to get a realistic value of the bass, as I might even think of buying it... haha!! Seriously.. a figure would be good though, but for now I have it in my posession, and have been using it a fair bit.. although, it needs two more strings ideally. Many many thanks all!! Pics soon.. dont get impatient! All the very best, Matt [/quote] Hi Matt, Lucky you!! Looking at the Wal database (http://www4.cs.fau.de/~koesters/Privat/Wal/walspec.html) it appears to be a '78 model. Ten years ago. a passive one of these in sunburst was for sale in the Bass Cellar in Denmark Street for £1200. Obviously, shop prices are inflated but given this is the active version and it has the original parts (case, case candy etc..) and it's generally in very good condition.. So I think that privately it could fetch between £1200 & £1500. Mine wasn't that much but the sunburst ones are much more 'desirable' I think... Two years ago there was one like this on the old Bassworld for £1000 which went to the States IIRC. However, getting such a price would be dependent on any potential buyer specifically wanting a Pro model as opposed to a Custom and realising that they are pretty hard to come by! Maybe an an Ebay auction could push that figure but times being what they are, I'm not so sure? If I had the money to spend and I could acquire one like it for a grand, then I'd consider myself lucky! Perhaps some of the other Wal Pro owners like WalMan, Rich and Mgauction will chip in with some words of wisdom in order to help you decide to buy it. You know you want to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 MB1. Alas Matt!.... worth no more than £50 im afraid!...Can you deliver it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 surely, this being a wal bass, its £2k+? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 [quote name='BassManKev' post='253808' date='Aug 3 2008, 05:26 PM']surely, this being a wal bass, its £2k+?[/quote] Maybe if it was one of the 'leather scratchplate' models, of which only 24 or 25 were made.. Otherwise, I don't think so. In fact, GAK recently sold a Custom Wal for around £1100/£1200 to someone here on Basschat, so that gives you some idea of where the market is at. Admittedly, they took it in under the pretext that it was a Pro model, but then that's their loss because they should have done their homework and priced it accordingly as a Custom Wal.. Though on a personal note, it's great to see the customer win out for once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 (edited) [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='253823' date='Aug 3 2008, 06:04 PM']Maybe if it was one of the 'leather scratchplate' models, of which only 24 or 25 were made.. Otherwise, I don't think so. In fact, GAK recently sold a Custom Wal for around £1100/£1200 to someone here on Basschat, so that gives you some idea of where the market is at.[/quote] Wow that's nice. I want... I agree with Nik on price. A few months ago I would have said the sky's the limit because folk were paying silly money for Wals (I was offered £5k for mine!), but with the economic downturn prices should become more reasonable. Also, one important thing to remember is a lot of the electronics that went into these Wals are now no longer available, so should the bass break down it could be a big issue for the owner. Cheers Gareth Edited August 3, 2008 by walbassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalMan Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 I would also have to agree with Nik's suggestions. One has got to expect a few knocks with gigging - mine certainly has a few small dinks - and the finish can develop hairline cracks, but the photo you posted seems to show a bass in much better than average condition, and you have the original case, which can go for up to a couple of hundred to a collector looking for a replacement case. The Pro2E/Custom in GAK was up for £1,199 without a case and from your description was in in a similar condition, if not slightly worse. Whoever traded it must have been pretty desperate! If I had not spent so much money on recording software recently (just totted up what I have spent since May & gulped) I could probably have had that. Nik will be glad to hear that I have now achieved closure on that issue and I passed on the joy to a fellow BC'er so I am fine about it - no really! If you can negotiate a price you are both happy with in the suggested ballpark I would say go for it if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 [quote name='walbassist' post='253834' date='Aug 3 2008, 06:29 PM']Also, one important thing to remember is a lot of the electronics that went into these Wals are now no longer available, so should the bass break down it could be a big issue for the owner. Cheers Gareth[/quote] +1 And as WalMan said, [i]"If you can negotiate a price you are both happy with in the suggested ballpark I would say go for it if you can."[/i] It certainly won't go down in value and it could well increase over time.. More than that though is the fact that it's a great bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overwater#1 Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 (edited) Hey guys, many many thanks for the comments on this. Im not sure if I plan to buy the bass, but you never know. I should have it for a while though I hope, as my friend uses his Sukop, NS upright and Fender J instead.. it was he first time in years he had the Wal out of the case when I asked him I believe. I am potentially buying a Conklin GT7 still, which would be a better match for the Overwater, but in a few years, I may get this too.. Im not sure if he's planning on selling it, he's owned it since new so its unlikely, I just want to get some extra information for him off you guys, such as value etc.. Nuff said anyway, il get some pictures up, and wait to hear your comments! Pictures tell a better story than my comments after all... The pictures dont really do it justice, and these are just quick taken pics, so theres loads of reflections on the bass.. making it look like theres more defects haha! Quite strange reflections... but you might get the general idea of the bass.. Theres only a few dings really, and then the nick on the upper horn, which isn't really obvious.. although adds to the character and mojo of this stuning bass! My friend has the other accesories and such, like the original paper work and stuff. Here you go.. ! Edited August 4, 2008 by overwater#1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overwater#1 Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 MB1. Mate of mine had a identical Green one,which i wish id bought off him many moons ago! Get this bought Matt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 [quote name='MB1' post='254395' date='Aug 4 2008, 01:51 PM']MB1. Get this bought Matt! [/quote] +1 Thanks for the pics, Matt.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalMan Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 [quote name='overwater#1' post='254347' date='Aug 4 2008, 01:19 PM']The pictures dont really do it justice, and these are just quick taken pics, so theres loads of reflections on the bass.. making it look like theres more defects haha! [u][i]Quite strange reflections[/i][/u]... but you might get the general idea of the bass..[/quote] So long as it's not an over aroused BC member Looks very nice and bar the two major dinks on the upper bout in really good condition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overwater#1 Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 (edited) [quote name='WalMan' post='254726' date='Aug 4 2008, 05:51 PM']So long as it's not an over aroused BC member [/quote] Dirty man.. haha! Nice one!!! Never know mate, its tempting.... HAHA! Edited August 4, 2008 by overwater#1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 If the battery cover isn't broken, then its in great condition! The plastic gets brittle with age, so go gently. I had a ProIIE refurbed by Pete at WAL a few years ago, and it seems the transistors used in the circuit can degrade - they can still be sourced but are a bit expensive. The other bit that dies is the jack socket, but its a standard Switchcraft, so easy to replace and a perfect "screw in" replacement. I ended up virtually giving mine away as a "donor" to a friend with a badly decomposing WAL. His was really going down hill - eating a battery a week, missing knobs and one half dead pickup. And the neck had de-laminating/open joints..not a good thing. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overwater#1 Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 (edited) What are the signs of transistor degrading? When I pluck very hard, there is some distortion... maybe a duff battery though I think. The plastic is in A1 nick, battery cover is fine.. !! The knob on the bottom right of the bass is actually damaged slightly. There is no connection between it and the pot, although the pot is fine, and can be adjusted with removal of the scratch plate I believe. I think a connection between that and the pot needs replacing or fixing some how, but I haven't dared to remove the scratch plate to see how it could be fixed. Edited August 4, 2008 by overwater#1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 [quote name='overwater#1' post='254834' date='Aug 4 2008, 08:43 PM']What are the signs of transistor degrading? When I pluck very hard, there is some distortion... maybe a duff battery though I think. The plastic is in A1 nick, battery cover is fine.. !! The knob on the bottom right of the bass is actually damaged slightly. There is no connection between it and the pot, although the pot is fine, and can be adjusted with removal of the scratch plate I believe. I think a connection between that and the pot needs replacing or fixing some how, but I haven't dared to remove the scratch plate to see how it could be fixed.[/quote] Matt, It could be a number of things.. If the battery is going then there is a tendency for distortion to start creeping in to the sound as the battery loses it's charge.. However, the Pro basses have a very high output normally, so it might be that if you really pluck the strings hard, then it might be overloading your amp input.. I'm not sure if any degradation in the transistor(s) causes that to happen as it's not happened to any of my basses so far.. Regarding the faulty pot, it's quite a tricky repair as I understand it as the pot is wired direct to the PCB which is fitted underneath the scratchplate. It can also be a bit fiddly getting the scratchplate off as well.. There's often a lot of discussion about these issues on the 'walbassesnaturally' forum on Yahoo, so you could look there for more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassplace Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 (edited) [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='254904' date='Aug 4 2008, 05:45 PM']Matt, It could be a number of things.. If the battery is going then there is a tendency for distortion to start creeping in to the sound as the battery loses it's charge.. However, the Pro basses have a very high output normally, so it might be that if you really pluck the strings hard, then it might be overloading your amp input.. I'm not sure if any degradation in the transistor(s) causes that to happen as it's not happened to any of my basses so far.. Regarding the faulty pot, it's quite a tricky repair as I understand it as the pot is wired direct to the PCB which is fitted underneath the scratchplate. It can also be a bit fiddly getting the scratchplate off as well.. There's often a lot of discussion about these issues on the 'walbassesnaturally' forum on Yahoo, so you could look there for more info.[/quote] I'll try to save you some digging although there's a lot of good reading over there. Not sure about the distortion. I would change the battery first. If you didn't change it when your friend pulled it out of the case for the first time in years, thats a good bet. Next I would lower the pickups slightly. The pots are soldered to the PCB. The original ones, by Radiohm, had spindles the plugged or snapped into the pot. These can sometimes break off where the connect and can be a pain to deal with. I was able to get some replacements from Pete (probably some of the last) and cleaned mine up. The pots are still made but I have not been able to find any in quantities that I could purchases. In recent years Pete was replacing them with a different brand but that required making the hole in the scratch plate larger. A good tech could certainly make this repair. All the other parts in mine look pretty good and certainly still sound good! What's the SN on that one? That's a great looking ProIIe btw. In my opinion, $3k USD would be a decent deal, $4k USD would be pushing it. Edited August 5, 2008 by bassplace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 (edited) Niiiice! Now here's where if I'd sold my CS and that was definitely for sale I'd be on it (well, depending how heavy it is..)! In terms of price, over the last couple of years I've missed out on 2 ProIIEs, one at £899 and one at £820. Ironically I'd sooner have one than a Custom. Edited August 5, 2008 by 4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 As said, check battery first. Mine used to get through batteries every 6 - 8 months, but they died very quickly when they went. Lowering pickups is a good idea, and check the (adjustable) pole pieces aren't set really high. The transistors do distort when they go bad...but from memory its a fairly constant "Jack Bruce" distortion that gets worse when you pluck harder. On mine its was much more noticable on one pickup, but both did it. New transistors cleaned it up completely. There was a chap at Harrow Audio (google 'em?) who was able to get spares from Pete - get to know the bass, see what needs work and then talk to him? For the record, I love the Pro basses for their historical importance and the complete dedication that went into them - really ahead of their time. But I wouldn't buy or play one now. Too heavy, poor balance and a bit of a "marmite" sound - the only bass I've been requested not to play! BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 +1 on the pickups & polepieces. To stop the distortion on mine, I ended up lowering the pickups almost all the way down into the surrounds. The bass' output is huge. The pot spindles are quite delicate, they snap into the top of the pot via two little clip/prong things which can very easily break off. As some of mine did, some time ago. They're all OK at the moment, but god help me if they break again. My bass is currently wearing non-original control knobs and I'd love to get some originals for it. My bass is PB1533, & I bought it for £330 in 1986. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overwater#1 Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 (edited) I might try that, although won't adjust it much as it isn't my instrument.... yet! If I decide to buy the bass, then il get someone to go over the electronics for me, and check the transistors. I remember my friend saying that it was the two little clip things had broken on that one pot. It isn't much of a problem, as its set to a beautiful tone as is now, but it would be useful to know how/if it could be fixed. Hey Rich... il give you £350 if you want to get rid? £20 profit to you, I know im losing out.. but I wouldn't mind that !! I wasn't going to post the serial, if its safe though.... Its PB1260, which dates it at '78 roughly is it? It is heavy I guess, but I don't notice it one bit, as its a similar weight to my Overwater it seems. I have never really done alot of playing on lighter basses, although if I use the Precision or the RBX Yammy thing in college, they feel like toys.. !! There certainly is a lot of interest in this bass, and Wal's in general on here... is there a 'Show your Wal's' thread, or 'Early Wal Basses'... hmmmm.. It would be great to see everyones early Wal basses. I think the Mk III basses are stuning though, id love to get one of them!! I've seen the picture of the rare 6 string Mk III, now that would be right up my street!! Edited August 5, 2008 by overwater#1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overwater#1 Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 After turning down the gain on the amp a touch, even though the clip light wasn't coming on, the distortion has gone. There is still some slightly from the E string, but the poles are very high under that string. Sorted!! Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 (edited) [quote name='BassBod' post='255150' date='Aug 5 2008, 10:20 AM']As said, check battery first. Mine used to get through batteries every 6 - 8 months, but they died very quickly when they went. Lowering pickups is a good idea, and check the (adjustable) pole pieces aren't set really high. The transistors do distort when they go bad...but from memory its a fairly constant "Jack Bruce" distortion that gets worse when you pluck harder. On mine its was much more noticable on one pickup, but both did it. New transistors cleaned it up completely. There was a chap at Harrow Audio (google 'em?) who was able to get spares from Pete - get to know the bass, see what needs work and then talk to him? For the record, I love the Pro basses for their historical importance and the complete dedication that went into them - really ahead of their time. But I wouldn't buy or play one now. Too heavy, poor balance and a bit of a "marmite" sound - the only bass I've been requested not to play! BB[/quote] Are they all heavy? I've played about 3 Pro IIs over the years and I only remember one being heavy, although I was young & fit in them there days! The distortion thing happened to my old Wal Custom after the new owner had had it a couple of years; he sent it to Pete who fixed it. Not much chance of that now... Edited August 5, 2008 by 4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I've only owned one, but have played about five IIEs over the years - all pretty heavy (for the small body size) but the one I owned was the heaviest. The English ash they used was great furniture wood..but like ash Fenders of the late 70s, can be very dense. I think you've got to put it in context - at the time they were designed, the Pro basses weren't unusually heavy. And we were all younger...of course. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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