Jason Karloff Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 For sale is my Wal MK1 Fretless built by Electric Wood in 1983. W2082 I have owned this for the last 32 years of its 38 year life so far, and I bought it in a local guitar shop in Wiltshire. I exchanged a fretted MK1 I had at the time and paid an extra 100 quid on top to own my first fretless. It is truly a superb instrument and rightly highly sort after like all the old Wal's are. The reason i'm selling it is simply that I haven't played it much since I've owned it and it's just wrong that something that amazing isn't doing what it should be doing. Some one else should have the opportunity to own it. I have another slightly older fretless Wal which is my go to fretless. The reason why that bass usurped this one is over the years I grown to find basses with natural wood finishes unappealing. Didn't bother me when I was a spotty teenager but now I crave colour I guess. All subjective isn't it?) So with the choice made to sell it I wanted to ensure who ever owns it next would get it in absolute A1 condition. So I took it back to see Paul at Electric Wood and told him to get it as perfect as it could possibly be. He did an amazing job and I picked it up from him just before Christmas Day. Nice for it to go home after 38 years. After I collected it I even resisted the urge to play the hell out of it and immediately put it back in the case so I know its perfect. Such will power) I saw an almost identical fretted version of this go for 6K 9 months ago. So I will sell it for the same amount and carry the cost of its time warp work back to 1983 myself. My photography skills are pretty crap. If you want anymore specific pics then please ask. Payment via bank transfer. I don't mind travelling somewhere exotic here in the U.K to hand it over if needs be. Or we can deploy the services of a capable courier to send it further afield . As long as it gets there perfectly and is insured for the full worth. 29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkle Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Wow. Have a free bump! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveybass Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I may have dribbled slightly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Steady man. Stiff upper wotsit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Mick Karntastic 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 I should retell the story of when I bought it way back in the shop. Because for decades I thought the bloke who sold me it was a collosal cnut, but now I can appreciate his genius sales skills. I walked in big nosed, ripped jeans, gangly oik. Reaches for said instrument on the wall. He pretty much said word for word Don't touch that you big nosed, ripped jeans... Etc You could never afford that. Which of course meant I just had to buy it. To show him not to judge people. (even if he was right) haha So I can see it for what it was. Genius strategy 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I played a fretted one recently, (The guy in the 80s band I'm in has 2, fretted and fretless) It is awesome. Beautifully made, wonderful neck. GLWTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 The ultimate fretless basses imo. Realistic price too. That said, too rich for me ... This'll be gone soon anyway 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Thanks for the kind words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers_Williamson Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Please don't take this the wrong way (because you have a truly beautiful bass there), but why is it the volume knob looks like it's had a lot less use than all the others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunion Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 15 minutes ago, Piers_Williamson said: Please don't take this the wrong way (because you have a truly beautiful bass there), but why is it the volume knob looks like it's had a lot less use than all the others? Turn it up, leave it up!! 😂🤣 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 3 hours ago, daveybass said: I may have dribbled slightly From the mouth I hope lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 For what it's worth ... I asked Paul Herman about givng my own fretless Wal a full refurb a couple of years ago ... fingerboard planing, electronics service, new strings and setup cost me £310. Full restoration of the finish was going to be "£500-600" (so I skipped that). Makes this one a very good price really. Polishing up the wood work doesn't change the sound of course, but flattening out the fingerboard and servicing the electroncis are things you'd probably have to get done anyway. I'm guessing that if I copy this thread across to the Wal Lovers FB page .. it will sell in days (probably to the states) following a bidding war. So let's give bass chatters first call shall we? 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 You are spot on. It had the works done to it including a full restoration on the finish. So yer add the 310 plus the 600 and a bit more. I wanted it to be in as good a condition as possible. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I'll get mine done before I die 🙂 GLWTS .... good job you have another one else it would be heartbreaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveybass Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 43 minutes ago, Thunderbird said: From the mouth I hope lol Maybe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Yer I just prefer my other Wal. Its probably half the value of this one, but value can't just be measured in monetary terms. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazed Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Great looking top on this. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Gorgeous looking bass and all but identical to mine. Also yours is numbered just 27 basses earlier. Wenge faced fretless Mk1s are unusual too – there's very few about. GLWTS P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmdavies Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Holy cow. That is a ridiculous looking thing. GLWTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 You don't scrub up so bad yourself. Oh the bass! Sorry 😜 I wonder if there becomes a tipping point due to everyones gracious commments that I change my mind!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazed Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Pre sale sellers remorse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Ha no. It will be sold and easily forgotten about. I'm shallow like that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I'd not be likely to forget selling a bass for £6k! 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Karloff Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Easy when you have the memory retention of an IKEA bookcase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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