philw

I do it all the time too. I have a Boss LS2 line switcher so it all works pretty seamlessly. Takes about 10 secs to do a swap. Most gigs with the current band I'll use my fretless Wal, fretted Yamaha BEX 4 and NS CR4 EUB (pizz and arco). Sadly, on one song, I play the first section on the EUB and the second section on the Yamaha (I'll have the Yamaha hanging on its strap while I'm playing the EUB). Whether the punters really notice the difference is of course a moot point - although actually I'm pretty sure when I swap from, say, fretted with flats played with a pick to round-wounds on the fretless played finger-style, anybody actually listening would probably be aware that something's changed. I think it's more complex than that though. The sounds we get playing bass fundamentally influence the the way we play a song. It's not just about the audience hearing (or not) different bass guitar tones, it's about the sound of the whole band and the performance. P

I know absolutely nothing about it (other than Esh being a well established German high-end bass brand (http://www.esh-bass.com) and Vester being a Far Eastern budget MI brand in the 80s/90s)), but I really quite like it. Think you might have a bit of a find there. P

Do you know Gareth, I thought that looked a bit like you when I first saw the picture! The years have definitely taken away some "nerd" and added some "cool" (not too much though so don't let it go to your head). Not sure about that very bling Spector (?) though with it's gold plated bridge. What happened to the single pickup Wal? It looks very custom to me 'cause the pickup isn't in either of the usual (Pro Bass) single p/u positions. And yeah, why did it have four knobs? Perhaps the "spare" knob adjusted the player's nerd look and you accidentally had it up at 10 that day? Phil PS. I see we're both trying to sell a Veillette at Bass Gear! The Flyer's almost sold twice now but I think I might bring it home soon and actually play the thing for a while. It's too much fun to have it sitting there doing nothing.

Anybody else notice that the audio and video aren't always in sync on the YouTube clip? And it seems to me an elliptical tube would have been a much better option. P

Maybe you should arrange to call in on Paul with the bass on your way from Wales to Kent? Get off the M25 at Wisley and you're only 10 or so mins from the workshop (actually if you lobbed the bass out of the car halfway between Wisley and Leatherhead, it'd probably all but land in Paul's lap). Once Paul's stopped sobbing he might have a few ideas how to approach doing something with it. And you never know, if he sees the bass in the flesh he might start wondering about getting a Wal pickup in it….. P

Reading the couple of recent Wal themed threads made me wonder if we shouldn't try and do a Wal themed bass day? We'd get as many Wals as possible together in the same room so that folks who have always wanted to have a go on one but have never had the opportunity could do so. It'd also be fun for us Wal owners to see and hear our own instruments in the context of a whole bunch of their relatives. I wonder how many we could get? We might even get Paul Herman to come along as Pete and Wal's representative on Earth. Phil

[quote name='chardbass' timestamp='1387363052' post='2311025'] I love this thread. [/quote] Me too. I also love that fretless single pickup Wal. I too have great memories of a visit to Wal and Pete doing a service and set-up on my Mk 1 Custom (Pete was reluctant to take any money off me and I had almost to force £20 (I think) on him). And yes, High Wycombe was the centre of the UK furniture industry right up to the point when we all fell in love with crap from MFI and then Ikea - that all but ripped the heart out of the town. I worked in the UK hi-fi speaker industry in the 80s and vast numbers of the speaker cabinets for all the big brands at the time; KEF, Mordaunt-Short (who I worked for), Mission, Celestion, B&W, etc. etc. were made in High Wycombe. Phil

Hmmm, well I guess it's fine if it works, but duty and tax (VAT) alone on a £1k guitar import from the US would normally work out at around £243. So I've no idea how Musician's Friend manage it, or how they've done a deal with UK Customs & Excise for the duty and VAT (legally the responsibility of the importer) to be paid up-front. I wonder what the UK Lakland distributor think? "Curiouser and curiouser", said Alice…. P

[quote name='lee4' timestamp='1384199943' post='2273972'] True enough that there are differing grades in plywood(mainly to do with the timbers used),but birch ply is not marine grade. Marine ply has differing grades depending on the end useage(Lloyds and Anchor ratings are for boat hulls in salt water.Standard Marine ply is for making boxes etc which are above the waterline and not for immersion in salt or fresh water). If you want to build a body from ply,get something that is hardwood throughout and not softwood with a hardwood veneer.There will be less defects in hardwood ply. [/quote] Thanks Lee, I've learned some useful stuff there. Phil PS. Cobham Sound eh? I grew up in Oxshott. I guess you know that Paul Herman is building Wals only a couple of miles from you?

I think the issue here is that not all plywood is created equal... Pop down your local DIY store and buy a piece of generic ply and you'll probably have something not much better than chipboard for a bass body. It'll be made form who know what and be full of voids and badly glued layers. However, find yourself some high quality. void-free, birch ply (sometimes known as "marine play" cause it's traditionally in boat building) of the kind beloved of numerous Scandinavian furniture designers, and 1970s BBC loudspeaker designers, and you'll have something completely different and probably quite well suited to a bass body (although it'll be heavy I suspect). Phil

My first bass was something very similar, bought second-hand from ABC Music in Addlestone in, probably, 1978. Arbiter (named after iconic founder Ivor Arbiter) was a huge player in the 1950s/1960s/1970s beginnings of the UK music retail industry. Ivor was the first (I think) UK Fender distributor. Actually, think of him as a UK version of Leo Fender (except Arbiter's original speciality was drums) and you won't go far wrong. I met him a few time in the late 80s while I was working for a pro-audio PR company that had the Arbiter account. Boy, did he have some stories (not that I can remember any of them now). There's loads of info on t'web about Arbiter the company and Ivor the man, but this isn't a bad place to start: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ivor-arbiter-314771.html Phil

Nobody's mentioned Eberhard Weber. Double bass, well, electric upright, rather than conventional electric bass, but still a unique fretless bass player. He can be heard on a few Kate Bush tracks (try Houdini off The Dreaming), but his solo albums (Later That Evening is probably the best) and work in the Jan Garbarek group on ECM are where his really interesting work is to be found. P http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdK90n5f4U

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1383816050' post='2269368'] Tesco is doing 'JOHN MARTYN - Sweet Little Mystery - The Essential' for £3. Well worth it. Doesn't say on the sleeve notes who played the fretless - no doubt someone here will tell us. Lovely subtle fretless stuff, though. G. [/quote][quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1383838748' post='2269843'] I'm thinking John Giblin as a likely candidate for the above. [/quote][quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1383838748' post='2269843'] I'm thinking John Giblin as a likely candidate for the above. [/quote] It was very much John Giblin. I've been impossibly lucky enough recorded twice in recent years with Martin Levan, who engineered and produced John Martyn's Grace and Danger sessions back in, I think, 82. Martin still talks about John G's fretless playing on those sessions. He loved that I play a fretless Wal like John's although he was always polite enough to talk only about the sound of the bass reminding him of Grace & Danger rather than my playing. P

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1383773280' post='2269044'] My all time favourite British bassist, the great Welsh fretless genius Percy Jones. Ground breaking, innovative, unique...even Jaco was blown away when he overheard Percy practicing! A word to the wise - seek the Brand X album "Masques" ...so many great examples of Percy playing his Wal fretless..."The ghost of mayfield lodge" in particular.... [/quote] Percy is the main reason I play bass. I got to Brand X via Genesis (Brand X was Phil Collins' entertainment during Genesis down-time) and I was so blown away by Percy's playing I decided there and then I was going to learn to play bass. That was maybe 1980. I had a Wal by 1983. White Cloud is spot on: the Masques album is brilliant, and it's peppered with the most innovative, unique, and sublime fretless playing. It's required listening I'd say for anybody who wants to play fretless. P

Hmmm, they look gorgeous. Anybody have any rough ideas on price? P

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1380716451' post='2229377'] Hi Phil funded by my Mum and Mrs Walbassist. [/quote] Just spotted a guy on the forum mulling over selling his Tacoma Thunderchief Fretless 5 and I've always wanted one of those. Don't 'spose your Mum and Mrs. have caught the bass buying habit have they? They missed my 50th birthday too (by err, four years).

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1380716767' post='2229386'] Erm ... you're sure about that. [/quote] My immediate thought too. Has anybody ever before referred to a Wal with the phrase "ahead of schedule"? :-)

If only I had the dosh Saul I'd probably make you quite a silly offer for it. Thunderchiefs, as you've discovered are pretty rare and, if the one I once played was anything to go by, they are truly lovely instruments. Some say they are the best of the ABG breed (although I'd say that honour goes either to my current Veillette or the Ribbecke Halfling Boby Vega I once played). The problem of course with valuing anything "niche" is that to some extent it's worth is defined simply by what somebody is willing to pay. If it were me, and I had the spare dosh, I wouldn't balk at something way north of £500, but that's because I've always wanted a fretless Thunderchief. Others of course, either because they've not been previously seduced by a Thunderchief, or because they want one even more than me, might be of a completely different opinion. Can you post some pictures just so I can drool/dream a bit? Phil

That's very exciting Gareth and I guess goes some way to explaining why I can't tempt you with another of Joe's exotic creations :-) You'll have to bring the Wal to Brighton when it's in your grubby mits. Phil