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'78 Wal ProIIE in black, recently overhauled by Paul Herman


Clarky
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I only got this a couple of weeks ago in a trade with Happy Jack but - though its a gorgeous bass - something has to give as I have just splurged on a couple more basses (including a Fender Pino, which I have long coveted) and I really don't want to sell my lovely Alembic.

It was valued in our trade at £1750, including a new Wal embossed Hiscox case, and thats what I would like for it. It spent a few months with Paul Herman this summer being restored to its former glory (electrics, hardware etc) and is in superb condition, especially considering its a 1978 (9?) bass. The only non-stock feature, as far as I am aware, is the ebony thumb-rest Jack had made for the bass. I am taking the liberty of including a couple of Jack's highly professional photos. Hope thats OK Jack?

Edit: just spotted that the knobs in these photos are different to the ones on the bass now. Paul Herman put original-type black-and-clear plastic calibrated knobs on the bass. Plus, as I couldn't locate a black tipped pickup selector switch (PH has not responded to my emails) I coloured the existing (incorrect) white one in black with a permanent marker pen - it works!

[attachment=61553:eb21yf.jpg]
[attachment=61552:5zf9ud.jpg]

Edited by Clarky
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Here are the rest of the photos:

[url="http://tinypic.com/a/20ggy/3"]http://tinypic.com/a/20ggy/3[/url]

These were taken just after I bought the bass from Silverfoxnik, so it still had the "wrong" knobs fitted.

Paul Herman did a complete overhaul of the bass for me, especially the electrics and electronics, and it came back to me in pretty much 'as new' condition.

I haven't played many Wals so I'd best not gush, but this is a very VERY competent bass - far better than me! I hadn't planned to sell it, but I received an offer I couldn't refuse. :)

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[quote name='Happy Jack' post='990491' date='Oct 16 2010, 06:59 PM']Here are the rest of the photos:

[url="http://tinypic.com/a/20ggy/3"]http://tinypic.com/a/20ggy/3[/url]

These were taken just after I bought the bass from Silverfoxnik, so it still had the "wrong" knobs fitted.

Paul Herman did a complete overhaul of the bass for me, especially the electrics and electronics, and it came back to me in pretty much 'as new' condition.

I haven't played many Wals so I'd best not gush, but this is a very VERY competent bass - far better than me! I hadn't planned to sell it, but I received an offer I couldn't refuse. :)[/quote]
Thx Jack, much appreciated. The photos are second only to lysdexia's :lol:

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  • 6 months later...

[quote name='Clarky' post='990475' date='Oct 16 2010, 06:40 PM']I only got this a couple of weeks ago in a trade with Happy Jack but - though its a gorgeous bass - something has to give as I have just splurged on a couple more basses (including a Fender Pino, which I have long coveted) and I really don't want to sell my lovely Alembic.

It was valued in our trade at £1750, including a new Wal embossed Hiscox case, and thats what I would like for it. It spent a few months with Paul Herman this summer being restored to its former glory (electrics, hardware etc) and is in superb condition, especially considering its a 1978 (9?) bass. The only non-stock feature, as far as I am aware, is the ebony thumb-rest Jack had made for the bass. I am taking the liberty of including a couple of Jack's highly professional photos. Hope thats OK Jack?

Edit: just spotted that the knobs in these photos are different to the ones on the bass now. Paul Herman put original-type black-and-clear plastic calibrated knobs on the bass. Plus, as I couldn't locate a black tipped pickup selector switch (PH has not responded to my emails) I coloured the existing (incorrect) white one in black with a permanent marker pen - it works!

[attachment=61553:eb21yf.jpg]
[attachment=61552:5zf9ud.jpg][/quote]

Well, well, well. This bass used to belong to me. I sold it in 1992, to a guy in Macclesfield. It's got a quite a special history, if anyone is interested?

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[quote name='SFX83' post='1208410' date='Apr 22 2011, 03:48 PM']Well, well, well. This bass used to belong to me. I sold it in 1992, to a guy in Macclesfield. It's got a quite a special history, if anyone is interested?[/quote]
yes please! It was mine for a while too...

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[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='1208713' date='Apr 22 2011, 10:25 PM']yes please! It was mine for a while too...[/quote]


Wal Pro2E Bass, PB.1354 (ex Nick Beggs)
This bass was played on the 1983 No1 hit, Too Shy (Kajagoogoo)
and various other tracks on thier White feathers and Islands albums, along with the Musicman Stingray.
This bass also apeared on the videos of Too shy (Kajagoogoo 1983) and Headless Cross (Black Sabbath 1989)

Nick sold it through the Bass Centre (London) on commission, in 1989. I travelled down from Newcastle on the coach ( 7 hours) to London to collect it. I got to the shop to find the cheeky f***as had hired it out to the then bass player of Black Sabbath (Laurance Cottle) who were shooting a video that day, for (Headless Cross) single. So one of the guys from the shop had to go get it back. I bet Nick didn't know about that! I saw the video a month later, on tv and there it was.
You can always recognise this bass, by a cigerette burn on the headstock, just above the E string. I tried to polish it out, but it's visable if you look for it. I changed the original control knobs, for the newer Wal aluminium ones. But kept the old ones and gave them to the buyer, when I sold it.
I kept it from 1989, until 1992. I sold it to someone in Macclesfield, for £475 the same price I paid for it.
It's a great bass, wish I still had it.
The Wal Pro bass range, were first intoduced in 1978 (PB.1111) and ran untill 1981 (PB.1859) So this particular bass (PB.1354) was probably made in 1980.


Sorry about the poor quality pic, but it's a very old photo and the only one I have.

Edited by SFX83
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Great story; thanks for that!! I do remember the cigarette burn...sadly, owning the bass didn't help impove my slapping skills :)

I owned it from 2005 to 2010 and i bought it from fellow Basschatter Gwilym, who'd bought it s/h at GAK a year or two before.. Interestingly, Gwylim sold it to me with two of the electronic circuit boards - the original one and a spare one.. The circuit boards on these are attached to the scratchplate and are numbered so you know if you have the right one for the bass. I sold the second one and had a little bit of work done on the original board as it was not working 100% as it should.

The bass finally got the attention it deserved when Happy Jack had Paul Herman service it properly last year, so I bet it sounds fantastic now!

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@SFX83 - great bit of history on this bass. I was going to add to one of the threads on Wal's that Too Shy was played on a Wal but couldn't rmember if I was just making that up or not :)

Also I almost fell of my chair when I read about Laurence Cottle playing with the Sabs. I like the Sabs and I like LC and never realised their two paths crossed.

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[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1209939' date='Apr 24 2011, 12:02 PM']Agreed. LC's style these days hardly shouts Sab does it! :) I just googled the vid on YouTube to see it with my own eyes… you're not wrong![/quote]

Thanks for all the replies. I posted this on the Talk Bass site, but no one seemed interested at all.
I've spoken to Nick a couple of times about the bass, but he never said anything about wanting it back. He's got his Wal 5 sting now, which he said he loves.
You know the crazy thing about Ebay, is you never know what you will find next. look what I've just found, below. (Yours to bid on at £4.99) lol

He looks like Freddie Boswell, out of "Bread" (1980s TV show)

These were taken in 1984 on the Kajagoogoo, Islands tour, Hammersmith Odean London. I had some great photos I took at Newcastle city hall, same tour. But I gave most of them to the buyer, when I sold the bass.
I can remember being really disappointed at the gig, cos at the the time Nick couldn't sing and play bass at the same time. so they had session player (John Mckenzie) playing most of the basslines. I remember saying to Nick, afterwards, funny how you can sing and play at the same time, when you're on top pf the pops. lol

Here's one I took, May-19-1984..... Again, sorry about the poor picture quality.

Edited by SFX83
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  • 2 weeks later...

Guess whos just got a new Wal 5 string bass??

My Facebook friend, recently collected his new Wal 5 string at the same time as Laurence Cottle, was collecting his. Small world eh!

Edited by SFX83
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[quote name='SFX83' post='1209725' date='Apr 24 2011, 12:49 AM']This bass was played on the 1983 No1 hit, Too Shy (Kajagoogoo)[/quote]

Great story. And great bass line on Too Shy! I think I hear two distinct bass sounds and (at least) two bass lines on the song. Some slapped parts sound more like a Stingray to me.
I think he overdubbed some bass lines on that song (with another bass)?

Edited by barend
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[quote name='barend' post='1219392' date='May 4 2011, 12:33 AM']Great story. And great bass line on Too Shy! I think I hear two distinct bass sounds and (at least) two bass lines on the song. Some slapped parts sound more like a Stingray to me.
I think he overdubbed some bass lines on that song (with another bass)?[/quote]

No, Too shy was all done with the Wal. (Nick told me) I used to have that bass and if you mix the 2 pickups and get the tone controls set right, you can get very close to a stingray sound, believe me. But if you listen to the instrumental version (B side 7") or the 12" mix, you can hear clearly, just the Wal on it's own. The only other bass you can hear is, where they've double tracked some parts with a synth.

Edited by SFX83
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My, my! This bass has come a long way since I found it tucked at the back (too shy? :) ) of GAK in Brighton a few years ago (summer 2004 I think). I wonder how it fell on those hard times?

A very nice bass, and one of the nicest slap tones I've heard - quite surprised that Nik sold it on! I only moved it because I was starting to play 5 stringers and wanted to focus on that.

I'm sure that whoever has it now will be enjoying it too.

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[quote name='Gwilym' post='1220328' date='May 4 2011, 09:50 PM']My, my! This bass has come a long way since I found it tucked at the back (too shy? :) ) of GAK in Brighton a few years ago (summer 2004 I think). I wonder how it fell on those hard times?

A very nice bass, and one of the nicest slap tones I've heard - quite surprised that Nik sold it on! I only moved it because I was starting to play 5 stringers and wanted to focus on that.

I'm sure that whoever has it now will be enjoying it too.[/quote]

Yes, I know what you mean. I really wish I hadn't sold it. Nick sold a few basses at the time including his old pre Ernie ball, Musicman stingray, his 2 white Vigier Arpeges and of course the Wal pro2E. Like you he moved on to 5 strings and bought his Wal Mk2 5 string in 1987, when he formed Ellis, Beggs & Howard.
I do think I'll buy it back one day, that is if the price isn't too silly.

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