WAL - INFORMATION PLEASE ?

[chris_b]

Have you bought it yet? Have you?

[philw]

Seems to me that one was originally fretted. Original fretless would I think have had an ebony 'board and no dots. What do you think @TrevorR? Really lovely bass either way.

[Rich]

This piece of original blurb would tend to suggest that rosewood was used for both fretted and fretless Pro basses.

I would sell a kidney to get hold of one of those DI output conversion kits.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Rich

[TrevorR]

4 hours ago, philw said:

Seems to me that one was originally fretted. Original fretless would I think have had an ebony 'board and no dots. What do you think @TrevorR? Really lovely bass either way.

Nope, rosewood with maple fret marker inlays was pretty much the standard fretless design for a Pro bass. Back in the 70s no one was all poncy about fretless fbs must be ebony and all that...

[NickA]

I certainly enjoy " the nerdy stuff".

Look, no op amps!  And no buffer before the (single pole) filters. And the mid boost instead of the variable q filters. Totally different from what (I think) is inside my Custom. 

... and yet, both sound recognisably Wal like.  I'd love a go on one of these.

[fretless]

After a great deal of thought, this bass is not for me and the owner has asked me to post it for sale on Basschat.

More photos and sale details on "for sale" section.

Thanks for all replies and information.

fretless

[Popper]

Greetings guys

Can you help!! I own a Wal Pro 2 active fretless - bought it 2nd hand in a music shop in Fulham, London for £350 in '83 (my how time flies!!!)  it is a beauty, original signature brown ' gold fur case with leather handle. all intact, had to get one of the pots rebuilt, but serviced etc and sounds like a dream - not selling!! I have had a lot of trouble identifying / valuing this bass!!The serial number is W1112.

 

It has the pick attack switches under the pickups, and the XLR balanced out.

 

any ideas - from my search the serial number implies it may be a bit special / early model... or?

 

Thanks in advance!!

 

Gavin.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Popper

[NickA]

THAT is seriously unusual!  The body is not like any Wal body I've ever seen.  Looks like pro 2e electronics (one big PCB) mounted from behind in a body that is a bit like a Wal Custom..

As W1111 was the VERY FIRST Wal and this is W1112, it would seem to be a very early prototype; all the other W serial numbered basses start with W2xxx.

http://walbasshistory.blogspot.com/p/normal-0-false-false-false.html

Probably worth lots to a collector.

If you post to the Wal facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2413094311/).  There will be much interest and discussion (I copied one of the photos as a teaser - hope that's OK).  And you could also ask Paul Herman at Electric Wood.

[Happy Jack]

Gavin, that's one helluva way to announce your arrival on Basschat ...

[NickA]

Ok.  My Wal playing pals on Facebook say that what you have there is a "rear loaded pro 2e" built by Wal and Pete Stevens In the early 80s whilst they were developing the pro 2e into the Wal Custom ( now called the MK1).  They only made 2 or 3 like this and from the serial number, this was the first.

Valuable to a collector indeed, to a player it's a very nice pro2e which would currently sell for £3k to £3.5k.

I lived in Putney in 1983, used to walk or cycle past that Fulham shop every day. Never saw,a Wal there. Did buy a carlsbro cobra bass amp there, and wheeled it back to Putney high street on a sack truck.

 

[mikeswals]

Gavin, this is a rear loaded Pro 2e.

Same Pro Bass, just sans pickguard and made to install the electronics from the back of the body. At least three of those that I know of. One of the others, Duncan says his is dated '81. 

Edited March 5, 2020 by mikeswals

[TrevorR]

That is a gorgeous bass. I am aware of a couple more thar Wal built like that in the Pro/Custom transition phase. I recall a white poly gloss one but this trumps that one for looks!

[Happy Jack]

So just for once we have a bass that really is both a prototype and a transitional model? I was beginning to think that was just something I read on eBay listings for badly-modified Squiers and Encores ...

[Popper]

Hi Guys!! So sorry to take... like 2 years to reply??!! What the hell happened to the world??!! Well... We kind of know... and its not looking much better after the latest little adventure in Ukraine!!   Anyway!!! Thanks so much for the info my bass (which I still have!) I have finally got round to doing a little more digging on the origins of my bass... and aside from the info here, all I found was a post by TrevorR on talk bass saying: "Since Clear Air Turbulence was recorded in the summer of 1976 it’s debatable whether JG would have had his W1112 bass in time - it may have been recorded on the customised P Bass that Ian Waller built him with a pickup that Ian hand wound himself (which is also responsible for one of my all time fave bass lines - Roxy Music’s Love Is The Drug). But Scarabus and Live at the Budokhan certainly were his JGs."

 

here: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/ive-decided-to-buy-a-wal.1463856/page-12#post-24397517

 

So whether this bass originally belonged to Johnny Gus I have no idea... But there won't be any other Wals with the same serial No.(unless there are!!)  SO I am guessing it may be. I never got to the FB forum... But I will check it out now. BTW It came with the Brown outer / gold inner lining classic Wal case which I still have.  Thanks so much for your replies - and apologies for my insanely late reply - its been a bit of a mad time for us the last 2 years - as for many I am sure. 

Gavin.

[TrevorR]

On 04/03/2020 at 22:03, NickA said:

As W1111 was the VERY FIRST Wal and this is W1112, it would seem to be a very early prototype; all the other W serial numbered basses start with W2xxx.

John G Perry’s original was W1111. Then they used JG and PB prefixes for the next two models. The W numbers started again around 1981 when the Custom series was being created. Some of the first “Customs” still have PB numbers (usually referred to as “transition” basses) and then the numbering restarted from W11XX. So not super early in the history of Wal but definitely early in the Custom Series - although it’s effectively a back loaded Pro - and certainly very unusual… incidentally Steve Hackett’s bass player, Dik Cadbury, had his Pro converted to back loaded sometime around the same time.

 

On 27/02/2022 at 19:03, Popper said:

here: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/ive-decided-to-buy-a-wal.1463856/page-12#post-24397517

 

So whether this bass originally belonged to Johnny Gus I have no idea... But there won't be any other Wals with the same serial No.(unless there are!!)  SO I am guessing it may be.

 

That’s my fault… a slip of the finger in that post talking about Johnny Gus’ first JG bass. Typed W1112 when I should have typed JG1112. Oops! Spreading fake news!

Edited March 2, 2022 by TrevorR