silverfoxnik

[quote name='Doctor J' post='256881' date='Aug 7 2008, 08:15 AM']Something like a Lakland 55-02 or a G&L L2500 would be worth checking out too, both very versatile basses.[/quote] +1 Very versatile basses the G&L L2500s and good for a covers/function band I would have thought.. But every bass mentioned in the OP is a quality instrument so i would try as much as possible to try each one out first hand if you can.. Then it gets down to such personal issues doesn't it; what the neck feels like, weight & balance, looks even... Good luck with it!

[quote name='Rich' post='255958' date='Aug 6 2008, 07:21 AM']Here's PB1533, resting on my terrible lawn... [/quote] Lovely....

[quote name='bassplace' post='255024' date='Aug 5 2008, 02:47 AM']Thanks. I think it is a bit of a "parts" bass in Wal terms and is possibly the only rear loaded ProIIe. It was completed in March 1981 right when they were switching to Customs. Even has a left over JG plate for the SN. The trans-white is a refinish though. It was fretless and had a serious ding next to one of the knobs when I got it so I had Greg Curbow fix that and refinish it. I had always wanted a trans-white since seeing a P-Bass with the finish when I was a kid. Definitely a bass I would never willingly sell![/quote] Very cool! As is the Entwhistle bass....

[quote name='BassBod' post='255657' date='Aug 5 2008, 06:32 PM']Nice to see Ian remembered here - never got to meet him, but I have met Pete a few times and he was always very helpful, even with basses that had been round the houses more than a few times. Anyone know anything about the future of Wal? I read somewhere (here?) that Paul Herman may take it on? A 21st century Wal...now there's something to look forward to??!! BB[/quote] Pete's retired now, not very well apparently but word is that he is handing over the reins to Paul, who is an excellent choice to take the Wal bass forward.. as you say, into the 21st Century! More news to come soon I believe, probably through Chris Franklin at Harrow Audio who is often in touch with Pete. As you can imagine, there's certainly a lot of anticipation out there amongst Wal owners about this development.. BTW, chris_b & 99ster, your basses look pretty good to me from where I'm sitting!! We definitely need another WalFest sometime...

[quote name='overwater#1' post='255659' date='Aug 5 2008, 06:38 PM']...and I wasn't even born This one does seem heavy, but I personally feel better playing a heavy bass. I have played much lighter basses, and never feel comfortable with them...Heavier feels more solid, I don't know, its a personal mentality, much the same as why I prefer to play 6 or more strings, I like the size and the feel of a wide neck in my hands, although the two extra strings are fantastic! I probably wont be saying that about weight in 20 or so years time, but at 17, Im making the most of it! [/quote] 17 I love your sense of ambition!! Just wish I'd been the same at that age....

Great idea Matt! Just to say that Walbassist's & Cetera's are lovely basses and I've may have played one of them before at the Walfest in January 2006 IIRC... Anyway, with apologies for the poor picture quality throughout, here's a few Wals I've owned over the years.. First up, a Wal Pro1E s/n: PB1264 that I bought from Mgauction (Mike G) over in Phoenix, only to sell it back to him a year later! Great way to meet and get to know one of the nicest persons on the planet (and who also happens to have an amazing collection of Wals too..) [attachment=11613:recorded...11th0112.JPG] Here's the only photo I've got of JG1123 a passive Wal Pro2E that I owned back in the '90s. One of the legendary 'leather scratchplate' models that formed the first batch of Wals ever made. When I bought this it came with flightcase, DI box, the works and was amazing. But hard times in 1998 forced me to have to sell it. I was lucky enough to be able to sell it to a mate of mine, Leigh Gorman of BowWowWow who first got me interested in Wals back in 1980. Leigh still has this bass and tours the States regularly with it these days with a reformed line up of the band, as you can see here: [attachment=11614:JG1123.jpg] Here's the only Wal 5 string I've ever had, W3000. It was one of the first 5 strings Wal made with the old Mach I body shape; very heavy and for some reason I never got on with it so I sold it on.. [attachment=11615:5_String.jpg] This was my second Wal Custom, W28899, bought in 1987 to replace the first one I had from 1983 that was stolen. I had a small clear plastic scratchplate fitted near the neck to simulate the effect of having the scratchplate on the Pro models, which for some odd I reason, I find more comfortable to play: [attachment=11619:Custom_W2889.jpg] Again, for some inexplicable reason, I didn't get on with it so I traded it in for this Pro 2E (PB1169) at the old Bass Centre in Wapping. The photo is terrible quality, but of all my Wals over the years, this was my favourite.. I made a couple of albums with it and still to this day wish it hadn't been stolen when we had our studio broken into in 1993! [attachment=11621:Pro_2e__PB1169.jpg] Here's a picture of my present day Wal, PB1354 bought from Gwilym in 2005. Barring nuclear war, great depression or some other unforeseeable tragedy, this bass ain't going nowhere!! [attachment=11622:Wal_Pro_2e_edit.jpg] Lastly, I thought it might be nice to put a couple of other Wal related pictures in here: Taken at the 2006 WalFest, Adam's amazing Wal double-neck, MIDI bass!! [attachment=11623:Adam___t...MIDI_Wal.jpg] Also at the WalFest, the 'wall of Wals': [attachment=11629:Stars_of_the_show.jpg] And here's Ian 'Wal' Waller & Pete 'the fish' Stevens in their workshop back in the early '80s. Coincidentally, Wal died 20 years ago last month so this thread is a good way to help celebrate his fantastic contribution to the development of classic custom-built British bass guitars! [attachment=11633:Wal_1980s.jpg] [attachment=11634:Wal___Pete_1980s.jpg] Cheers Wal!!

[quote name='Stan_da_man' post='254795' date='Aug 4 2008, 07:31 PM']It sounds pretty good I think. Very good rock tone.[/quote] Definitely... I just checked a clip out on YouTube and it sounds pretty good!

[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.

Very nice & compact set up!! The Peavey bass looks really good - how does it sound? I've always liked that P/J pick up configuration...

[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 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 name='bassplace' post='254059' date='Aug 4 2008, 02:02 AM']I've never had a custom, (although mine does have "Custom" on the headstock), but I had a ProI passive fretless for a while. It had an amazing amount of tight low end for just having a single bridge pick up. I couldn't get used to it not having the neck pickup to rest my thumb on. That and I was so good without frets! I'm getting the urge to try fretless again though.[/quote] That is gorgeous!! When I looked at it in your avatar, I thought it was a custom.... Fabulous looking bass!

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='254085' date='Aug 4 2008, 08:33 AM']Where was that then? Got a link? In principle, fair point but my experience differs from his. I don't think he has a very well structured argument.[/quote] This is a fascinating thread! CK; I think I'm in agreement with you and the doctor_of_the_bass on this one. All of the successful and respected luthiers out there have used the different methods - solid body, ,multi-laminates, neck-through, bolt-on etc, etc - when constructing their basses over the years to try to make the best instruments they possibly can. If they all 'buy-in' to the idea of 'tonewoods, then who are we to disagree? When I had my first Wal Custon built in 1983, Pete 'the fish' Stevens who founded the company with Ian Waller, told me how they would spend considerable time matching up different bodies with different necks until they got a match where the bass would literally 'sing'. Given that the Wal necks were all made the same but the bodies had a mahogany core with different tonewood facings, then as far as Wal Basses were concerned, there was definitely a value in the mixing and matching of different woods.. Having said that, I'm not a fan of multi-laminate basses but I definitely think the principles of using 'tonewoods' is 'sound' (no pun intended ). Ultimately, isn't the debate all a bit academic; especially when we get so ultra-analytical over an issue like this because we all hear things so differently anyway?? So even if was possible to absolutely prove the merits of one method of bass construction over another, chances are we'd all disagee on which sounds the best!!

[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 name='Delberthot' post='253582' date='Aug 3 2008, 01:19 AM']Very good sounding, easy to operate amps. None of your 30 band active eq nonsense. The inherent sound is so good that I have most settings around the flat position.[/quote] +1 I used mine pretty much that way too.. Just a bit of bass e.q. a tweak on the contour control and some of the 'boost'! I'm getting all nostalgic now...

[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!

I think that apart from a few unusual brands, vintage or rare basses, most basses prices are dropping at the moment. Though quite why Warwick & MM seem to suffering more than most, I'm not sure? It could be because there's a lot of them around and there is more choice...

[quote](bassplace @ Aug 2 2008, 08:02 PM) Trevor's site is a great compilation. All sorts of good stuff on the unusual Wals. I think I've seen pics of at least a couple of your Wals. My ProIIe can be both tough as nails and a little fragile at times. The electronics tend to come a bit loose after use so I have to go in a tighten things up, mainly the input jack. I don't gig much so I'm not afraid to use it though. I'm also amazed at the tone and feel every time I pick mine up. It the same as the first time I picked it up. It's also nice to have a variety of basses and to be able to come back to it. dunc[/quote] +1 I'm not in the position now of having a custom as well as a ProII, but for a while I did and I always enjoyed playing the Pro model more than the Custom which used to baffle me?? In the end, I decided that having the scratchplate made the difference to me as it makes the gap between the strings and the body of the bass smaller, which I find more comfortable when playing.. My dream was always to get a Custom 5 Mk II and have it built with a scratchplate and the old circuitry.. When I bought my Pro II from Gwilym, I also bought the second scratchplate with the circuit that he had as well, but by then Pete was not working anymore and I doubt I could have afforded it anyway! But it was nice to dream about from time to time.. [quote name='mgauction' post='253592' date='Aug 3 2008, 06:23 AM']Yeah, dunc - Trevor's site is the best! I have had the same situations with my Pro11. These are the best basses! Nik - Your comments are right on, my friend, as always! [/quote] Likewise!

Just watched the YouTube clip and I realise now that I'd actually seen it before.. For me, the 3 very different playing styles don't gel particularly well on that piece, so I will check out their respective solo work I think and go from there in order to try to get my head around what they do... But, watching it again did confirm for me what I've always thought about Stanley Clarke, which is that I think he really should have been a guitar player. Of the 3 musicians, the one I most closely identified with as a bass player was Marcus Miller because in the main, he was playing what I recognise as bass lines/grooves etc.. However, I realise that's maybe more a reflection on my own limitations as a musician!

Looks really good to me; and simple and easy to use by the look of too, it which is a good thing! I've never heard one, but I'm hoping someone will be bringing a Genz Benz to the SE Bash in September...

[quote name='MB1' post='253265' date='Aug 2 2008, 12:29 PM']MB1. Uma Thurman looks Good in Leather,the same cannot be said for Wal Basses!......Think both would look more interesting without the leather to be honest! [/quote]