WalBone

Yes, I've always like ash, since the first Pro 2 I had. You're right - I have to try not to think too hard about selling, but needs must! As long as it goes to a good home...

For very reluctant sale, one of only two [b]36-inch[/b] [b]scale[/b], 6-string instruments ever made by Pete at Wal basses. The bass must be about 5 or 6 years old now but looks brand new, with no marks anywhere - the condition is immaculate. It has a solid ash body and ebony fingerboard, with a lovely bass-clef inlay at the 12th fret. Hardware is all gold. The bass has an interesting history, starting life as a prototype for an alternative on-board pre-amp that Pete and I were working on until ill-health got the better of him. Paul Herman has since fitted the standard pickups and pre-amp and set the bass up beautifully so it plays like a dream. The Wal 6 is a powerful enough instrument normally, but the combination of the solid ash body and longer scale give this one a truly thunderous sound! Bass comes with a Hiscox case (as most Wals have over recent years). Given its rarity and condition, I'm looking for offers around the £4,500 mark. No trades. I strongly recommend a test -drive! Pictures follow - excuse the duff photography (there is more reflection with the flash, but it gives a more accurate impression of the colour of the wood) [attachment=112470:Wal6_6.JPG] [attachment=112468:Wal6_2.JPG] [attachment=112469:Wal6_3.JPG] [attachment=112471:Wal6_13.JPG] [attachment=112472:Wal6_1.JPG]

Yes it is! Saturday bump...

Guess it depends on the piece(s) of timber as well as the "profile"? My old Pro 2 was a lot chunkier, as was my first Custom. Can't see the issue myself but it's seems to be a point that comes up regularly with Wals.

I've tried a couple of ways of weighing it and both seem to wind up around 9 pounds. Having played a good few, I know it's very light as Wals go...

[i]I'm not the original owner so I honestly don't know the reason, whether the guy preferred the passive sound or just wanted a lighter body. It's too slim to fit the boards in, so it was clearly built that way deliberately - I've always assumed it was a weight issue (as some people seem to find Wal's too heavy), otherwise they'd just have left the boards out and kept the body standard. I did ask Pete a few years back, but he couldn't remember himself![/i] [i]The single coil sound is interesting - it's not really like a Jazz as it's still got a whole lot more power (and it doesn't make any noise!), but it's more in that direction than the standard humbuckers are. I tend to use a mixture, with one pickup in single-coil mode and one humbucking, so you get the definition and the body.[/i]

As far as I'm aware, this is the only one of its kind - a completely [b]passive[/b] Wal Mk1 Custom bass (built in ’92). The standard 4 knobs give you volume and tone for each pickup and the push-pull pots switch between single-coil and humbucking mode (as distinct from the Pro 2's, which switched between series and parallel). The facing is a treated birdseye maple (more golden than blonde - excuse my rather amateur photography) and the condition is excellent. Paul Herman has serviced the bass recently, so it’s been fully checked over. It comes with the blue/grey Wal case (with traditional broken catch!). [attachment=111512:Wal4_1.JPG] [attachment=111513:Wal4_2.JPG] [attachment=111514:Wal4_3.JPG] [attachment=111515:Wal4_4.JPG] The body has a deliberately slim profile (to keep the weight to a minimum), hence it is physically too shallow to accommodate the standard circuit boards, so it would [b]not[/b] be possible to retrofit them, but as anyone who has played a Pro 2 or the early leather scratchplate Custom basses will appreciate, the passive sound is pure Wal, and the single-coil facility makes for some interesting and widely varied tones. Price £2500 (destined for the black hole that is my kids' University fund, hence I'm not interested in any trades but am open to [i]sensible [/i]offers). You are more than welcome to come and test-drive the bass if you are within reach of SW England. Thanks for looking...