Philwbass Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ack! I have an intermittent problem on one of my Wal's active p/us. The poles are individually wired and under one of the strings the humbucker pole is occasionally silent (or maybe just much lower in volume). It's only occasional. If it happens, it usually happens when I plug in before a gig. I bang on the pick-up (after turning the volume down) and it goes back to normal then behaving fine for the rest of the gig - even for 4 hour gigs. I know what you're thinking - it's not the battery - I've checked many times. I had a similar problem a decade ago and was advised to go to the Wal workshop where they are made and Pete there sorted it out - but I don't think he's still working. I guess I should post this on a Wal forum or pop in to see Martin at Sei / The Bass Gallery but thought I'd post here just in case. These are the details of the p/us described by Wal: "ELECTRONIC FEATURES WAL flat response, humbucking pick-ups; moulded in black ABS. with three point, spring mounted, height adjustment. These pick-ups contain four individual string- matched pick-ups, thus virtually eliminating imbalances, crosstalk and inter-modulation. Plated pole-pieces are adjustable with socket screwdriver provided. WAL printed circuit electronic modules use high stability, closest tolerance components and graphite wiper pots, with push/pull gold contact switches. All controls are designed for ultra low noise, interference and distortion-free performance. Powered by a single 9-volt PP3 size battery, consumption is less than (1mA). Balanced DI and transformer isolation provides clean, reliable and safe studio or stage mixer feed without the need for an external DI box. Standard 1/4" jack output for amplifier feed. Insertion into this socket switches on electronics. A dummy or unconnected jack plug MUST be inserted when using DI output alone. Pick-ups, P.C. Modules and output sockets are all interconnected via shake-proof, polarized connectors for easy removal and replacement. All cavities are screened against external electrical interference." Thanks Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) Paul Herman is the guy to talk to, he's taken on all the Wal stuff from Pete. Contact him thru [url="http://guitar-xperience.com/"]Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience[/url] if nothing else. Good luck Edited January 13, 2009 by Merton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 [quote name='Merton' post='379268' date='Jan 13 2009, 04:26 PM']Paul Herman is the guy to talk to, he's taken on all the Wal stuff from Pete. Contact him thru [url="http://guitar-xperience.com/"]Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience[/url] if nothing else. Good luck [/quote] +1 There's just been a thread about this on the [url="http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/walbassesnaturally/"]Wal Basses forum [/url] on Yahoo Groups, so have a look there... Something to do with individual wiring to each pole piece IIRC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philwbass Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Great; thanks guys! I'll get in touch with him. I'm in the process of registering with the Wal forum - yahoo is a unwieldy business: telling me about that thread'll save me posting a similar thread again on that forum! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philwbass Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Here's the advice from the Wal forum for an identical problem. Thanks so much for pointing me to this. [i]It's almost certainly that the lead for that pickup pole has come loose from the multi-pin connector that attaches to the circuit board. I had the exact same issue with one of my Wals. It is a very simple issue to correct. You will need to remove the circuit board. Start by removing the knobs, nuts and washers. You will then be able to pull the circuit board out through the back of the bass. Once you get a clear look at the multi-pin connector you'll be able to see both how it attaches to the circuit board and how the individual leads attach to the connector. The offending lead will probably pull right out as you are removing the circuit board. Just reattach and you should be good to go! Best of luck.[/i] I'm not handy enough to do that myself. I'll see if Paul has time - which I doubt - otherwise I'll just pay someone to do it. Thanks, Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 [quote name='Philwbass' post='380315' date='Jan 14 2009, 03:12 PM']Here's the advice from the Wal forum for an identical problem. Thanks so much for pointing me to this. [i]It's almost certainly that the lead for that pickup pole has come loose from the multi-pin connector that attaches to the circuit board. I had the exact same issue with one of my Wals. It is a very simple issue to correct. You will need to remove the circuit board. Start by removing the knobs, nuts and washers. You will then be able to pull the circuit board out through the back of the bass. Once you get a clear look at the multi-pin connector you'll be able to see both how it attaches to the circuit board and how the individual leads attach to the connector. The offending lead will probably pull right out as you are removing the circuit board. Just reattach and you should be good to go! Best of luck.[/i] I'm not handy enough to do that myself. I'll see if Paul has time - which I doubt - otherwise I'll just pay someone to do it. Thanks, Phil[/quote] Does sound like a tricky job! Hopefully Paul can sort it for you but if not, I'm sure you'll find someone good local or via Basschat who can. The Wal forum really has got some useful stuff on there, so it's definitely worth joining and getting to know the people on there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philwbass Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='380885' date='Jan 15 2009, 12:26 AM']Does sound like a tricky job! Hopefully Paul can sort it for you but if not, I'm sure you'll find someone good local or via Basschat who can. The Wal forum really has got some useful stuff on there, so it's definitely worth joining and getting to know the people on there..[/quote] Paul is going to get in touch with me by phone. I might be able to do it myself. Otherwise I will probably ask Martin at the Bass Gallery. I have to find the best time interval with no gigs to get the job done. It's pretty intermittent so it maybe only affects me once a month or so - I'd hate it to become more drastic though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philwbass Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Paul was very helpful - I'm going to try to find a window to drop the bass down there. It's my main gigging bass so I will just have to find a week or so to do without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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