Wal Custom 4-String

Mine is an 83 fretted Pro 11E in translucent cherry red. I bought it second hand when it was less than a year old. this one hasnt got the DI output and the only slight gripe I have is that the recessed jack socket is so narrow that many chunky jack plugs wont fit into the recess. The quick release bridge is really good. there is a 3 way selector switch, two volume pots, two tone pots (that actually go up to 11!)and three switches built into the scratch plate that act as coil taps/filters or something. not too sure what but they add a bit of top and thin/fatten the sound.

you can make the guitar sound pretty much like any guitar you want, although I tend to use just one sound - its warm,powerful and rich while still being woody and natural. I have used other guitars at rehearsals and in the studio but whenever I put other guitars down and plug the Wal in people usually comment on how good it sounds.

The bass is 23 years old now and been about a bit. It has not always been treated kindly but apart from the odd dent and scratch from stupid 1980s studded belts it still looks great. the action is low and I have never felt any bass that feels as good. I havn't played for over 5 years now but whenever I do pick my Wal up I remember just how great it feels!

I have had only two problems with this guitar, both were when I first got it and both were sorted quickly and without fuss (see support). Since then it was used extensivly live and in the studio and never gave a minutes trouble. If there was a nuclear holocaust its likely that only cockroaches and this guitar would survive!

The first problem was that the early necks had a glue problem and the fingerboards occassionally came away. The bloke that sold it to me never told me and had just had it set so that it woud play long enough to sell it. I phoned Wal and they spent hours putting different necks on my guitar until I found the one that I really liked. they never charged me and even bought me lunch.
The second problem was on a tour of US military bases around the Med. In Turkey the active electronics went down. Another phone call to Wal and they sent a complete new cicuit board that just plugged straight in, to the next base. this took only 5 days. When I phoned to see how much I owed them they said it shouldn't have gone wrong in the first place and never charged again. I have taken it back to the factory for about 3 services in 23 years and the people that work there are always nice and seem really passionate about what they do.

Since 1985 I have mostly run it through a Trace Elliot AH150 and 4x10 or 2x10. The amp is totally knckered but the guitar is as good as new. I have tried other basses but nothing else compares. If it was stolen I would buy another Wal but i dont think that I could replace this one.

1992 Black Poly "Geddy Lee" mode; w/21 frets. Bought used for 2000.00 US dollars. Incredible bass!

Perfect Sound for playing hard rock. I use it mostly to play RUSH and Solo Geddy. I Use it with Amped SVT 4 pro and Peavey Mark IV heads, into PAS and Peavey 3620 cabinets with twin poewered 2X10 cabinets. Bright, warm sound. Punchy. Awesome electronics.

for a 15 year old instument it's in great shape. A few finish nicks here and there, as to be expected.

Awesome. Get a Wal if you can find one.

never needed support

playing since 1975. I own 2 early Spectors, 2 Warwicks, ( thumb and Streamer) a Warrior Adam Niti 6 string, a Yamaha John Myung 6 string, 2 fenders, 76 fretless precision and a 69 Fender Jazz, a Washburn AB20 acoustic bass, Wal Geddy Lee mach 1, A Zon Sonus Custom, A hofner beatle bass '67. Looking for a whale pool Dingwall 6 and a Steinberger L-2 to replace one that was stolen.

Mine is a lined fretless bought in 1984.

Probably the best fretless bass in the world with a distinctive growl and rich mid-range although you can really get any sound out of it. The tone pots are wonderfully designed.

It's extremely well set up with extraordinarily beautiful woods. It's very heavy, however, and the neck is extremely fat and chunky - not to everyone's taste. They tend to give a rather bizarre reason - that it forces you to get your hand into the correct playing position. Ahem, it might be easier to make the neck thinner, guys! I get the impression from other bass players that they would sell far more if they made the necks slimmer. But of course the workshop in High Wycombe will customize it if you ask - and I've had mine trimmed.

It's indestructable.

The dedicated worshop will do anything for you at reasonable rates. They will customize it any way you want. They make you feel special for owning the bass. They're wonderful.

It's a wal. One of the best basses in the world. Fantastic. I haven't played a better bass.

My instrument is a 4-string Left-Hander with 21 frets, made in early 1984. It has the usual block of Mahogany, faced front and back with Wenge, with a thin sliver of Maple between the layers at each side. The neck is a 5-piece construction, not sure of the woods but looks like Maple/Mahogany.It is bolted to the body with 4 screws. The fretboard is Ebony & has good size frets, jumbo I would say. Electrics are the usual Wal active system, with Treble/Bass blend (i.e. bridge/neck pickups), individual tone controls with pull-resonance, overall volume with a kind of pull-bright effect that the maker calls 'pick attack'. Very clever bridge design that makes changing strings a doddle. Metal parts are chrome plated and still look like new.

All in all, this thing is built to last - mine is 18 years old, and aoart from a few wear & tear marks, is pretty much as it would have been the day it left the factory. The electrics provide a simple yet amazingly versatile e.q. system.

I teach guitar and bass, as well as playing guitar and bass as required in several covers bands (styles range from acoustic rock to Britpop to 60's pop to pretty hard-edged rock, with a bit of Jazz-funk thrown in), and previously owned an anonymous but adequate Korean made 4-string from a well known Japanese manufacturer. This is a different ballgame altogether! You name it, this thing will do it! I use it with a UK-made Ashdown combo, and between them I can easily get any sound I have tried for. The amp is a great piece of gear io its own right (although not that well known in the States I'm told), but the Wal is the star of the show. I particularly like the pull-bright control on the volume pot, which gives a real edge to the sound - ideal for slap and very useful for adding a bit of 'edge' to the sound whatever the style. If there is a downside to this level of control, it that you do need to be prepared to experiment a little in order to avoid some of the clunkier sounds of which it is also capable if you try hard enough - not really a problem for the Wal, but worth noting all the same.

The electrics are designed to make it easy to use live or ecording - in addtion to the standard jack, there is a dedicated D.I. output that lets you plug straight into a desk without compromising the sound in any way. Wouldn't it be nice if some of the more mainstream makers offered this facility?

Setup was first-class. It plays like a dream, and responds well to a variety of playing techniques. I'm not sure that massively technical playing techniques are its real strength (the neck shape is a comfortable but fairly chunky 'D' profile), but then again it was made at a time before EVH changed the rules - and I have seen more recent examples that suit that type of playing style much better. Pickup adjustment was a little less than perfect, with the neck pickup being noticeably louder than the bridge, and sound balance across the bridge pickup wasn't quite right. Both these items were easy to correct with a small cross-bladed screwdriver, but I was a bit surprised that it wasn't picked up before I took delivery.

Fit & finish is a real Wal trademark, and this instrument was no exception. It does have a couple of marks to show for it's 18-year life, but in truth the standard of finish is outstanding. A Fender wouldn't look this good after this amount of time!

What can I say? Built like the proverbial brick shithouse. The fact that it looks & works as well as it does after 18 years tells you everything you might want to know about it. I have no hesitation in using it without a backup, because it just doesn't go wrong.

Having said that, at its last service some of the pots needed replacing, and I have known this happen to other, much more recent examples. Unlike traditional passive pots, these are mounted directly onto one of the two circuit boards. It may be that continued heavy use does take it's toll.

Actually this isn't really a problem in practice as long as you get it serviced from time to time. Which brings me nicely to.....

Pete Stevens is the man who makes all Wals in a small factory in High Wycombe, England. He also services any that are put his way. I have had the good fortune to meet him several times, and have found him to be a very down-to-earth guy, who loves his work and knows his instruments inside out, even years after making them. However, public relations is not high on his priority list, and whilst he will always take the time to discuss your instrument and its needs, his focus is on making and maintaining bass guitars. He isn't on the net, and even his answering service is a bit down-homey. Personally I prefer it this way, because it means his attention is focussed on what is really important, i.e. making the best instruments he knows how. Just don't expect a slick publics relations machine when you call him.

I've been playing guitar for well over 30 years, and playing bass for around 6 years. In that time I have had cause to play a variety of instruments from Ibanez, Yamaha, Fender (icluding a VERY nice Japanese - made Jazz bass), but this Wal tops the lot by a wide margin. For bass amplification I use a UK made Ashdown rig, not all that powerful by modern standards (around 250 watts RMS), but an ideal partner for the Wal.

If I lost it I would sob openly and loudly for a while, and then go and hunt down another one. In all areas that really metter to a player, this instrument has what it takes at the highest level - it is reliable, beautiful to look at, built to last, and sufficiently versatile to fulfil any need that I can foresee for it. If I had it stolen, the thief had better pray that I don't find him.

Overall, I just love the way that it does whatever you ask it to do without fuss or drama - for me as a working musician, that's the highest praise I can give.

Mine was build in May 1985,
It is Brazilian marogany core, African padauk faces, maple interleave, thai rosewood f.board. Two custom humbucking by wal.
This bass has enormous features with a very original electronic that include trble boost (very subtle), powerfull filters etc.
Also includes a DI in XLR.
It can do plenty of different sound although I like flat best (almost)
beautifull case, only 21 frets (that explain the 9), but they are making 24 now.

He he, I've try them all, and nothing compares to it. FOR REAL !
I used it in my SWR amp with Hartke cab, but I've try it on Fender and Music Man tube amp, and it seems like it sounds good in EVERYTHING you plug it in ! It is dead silent electronic, extremely balanced, good for studio and gigs. The only trick is that when you plug a Stingray, you have a Stingray sound. With Wal, you'll have YOUR sound.
If Stradivarius had made bass guitar, it would be like a Wal.:-)

perfect set-up, P E R F E C T everything.
The action deserve an 11.

Rock Solid.Never had to touch the neck more than once in 15 years.
I use it on gigs without backup with no fear.(as long as the string are not years old)

Never had to call them

Playing with this babe since 1985, and never even look at other babes.
And I'm a gear maniac.I love it for everything, sound, pleasure to have my fingers on it: I'm in love :-)
If somebody stol it from me, he must be really quick.
I would buy another if it was the case, but price have tripled.

I am the proud owner of an '83 4 string Mach 1 with a partial-lined fretless fingerboard. Unlike almost every other Wal i have a single humbucker pickup in the bridge position. There is one Volume and One tone pot with a pickup selector switch in between. Also unlike most Wals its Passive. Schaller Tuners, bolt on neck, lift out strings from the bridge (not like pulling them all the way through on a P-bass which really annoys me). What else can i say? It has just about all you could need.

Originally, the high end was a little quiet, but the Wal pickups have easily adjustable poles which sorted out the problem easily and now the sound is just about perfect. The growl from this bass is beautiful, beating a Warwick. Although because there is only a pickup in the bridge position the punch can sometimes be a little low. One of the most best things about the sound of this bass is that it is just the sound of the bass, not like a p-bass/j-bass where you can get rattles and clicks this bass is absolutley silent other than the sound you want. I play a variety of music through it, ranging from the chili peppers to sting and it performs well for everything. I really love the sound of this bass. The only single problem i would state is that it lacks a pickup closer to the neck which would add a bit more punch, but almost every other Wal does have a pickup here.

Set up perfectly, low action, everything set up better than i could expect. The build quality of this thing is amazing, it feels and sounds like it was really built to perfection, and mine is 18 years old and its still the same. I really have no problems with it here at all.

I wouldnt hesitate to gig it without backup, although i would take an old p-bass along if i wanted a more 'unfinished' grunge style noise. This bass will withstand anything it is built like a tank, which makes it a little heavy but i hate really light basses so it doesnt bother me at all. No problems here either.

Havent had to deal with them so i dont know. I havent actually ever found someone who has needed customer support on a Wal so they seem to hold up to alot.

If it was stolen i would definitley buy a new one, it has a better tone than any other bass i have ever played and i have played alot of basses. I only have one other bass at the moment and thats a standard p-bass which is beaten up and scratched but i am never going to sell it (it was my first bass!) and that doesnt ever compare in terms of sound, build quality or anything really but it has sentimental value.

21 fret 4 string with Shedua top. Volume, pickup selector, active eq with semi paemetric low cut. Wal Humbucker pickups. I'd have to say this is the most versatile bass I've run across & I've owned LOTS of basses. This is a 2000 model, & it smokes every bass I've ever owned!
The only thing I'd complain about is it would be nice if there was a coil splitting option for each pickup other than that it's great. Quick release bridge is a nice touch.

What can I say, this bass is perfectly eq'd without even messing with the controls! String to string volume is outstanding & tone is very even. Does everything I want it to, from aggresive slapping to walking bass to tapping it sounds awesome!

So far I haven't found any flaws with this bass at all as fat as construction goes. I could go snowboarding on this bass & it would still hold up well.

I would definatly feel comfortable playinga live gig without backups with this bass. However, I'd probably still bring an old Fender into the studio for recording purposes.

I haven't had any problems yet so I don't know.

I've been playing proffesionally about 12 years & this is the best bass I've found. I was going to buy a Fodera but I think this bass is much more versatile. I also own a MTD/Modulus Genesis 5, & a Fender Jazz 5 fretless. If something happened to this bass I probably would replace it with another Wal or a Sadowsky. Over the years I've owned Fender's,Yamaha's,Vigier,Modulus Quantum & Genesis,Conklin,Musicman,& Tobias basses & I'd definatly say this a better bass than any of them!
I'm even thinking about fitting this bass with a D-tuner & giving up the 5 string format for good! It's that smoking! The next bass I'll buy will probably be a '64 Jazz. I'll peobably keep that & the Wal & sell everything else

Mine is a really early one - a single pickup "Pro-1" Custom. I think the "Custom" bit refers to it being FRETLESS. 5-peice laminate bolt-on neck with ebony (?) finger board. Schaller m/c heads.

Body is a single lump of mahogony, painted back - wood-grain is showing through paint, and paint is bloomed in some places (perhaps it was re-painted by a previous owner?).

Standard cast Wal bridge. Tone and volume controls only, and a series / parallel pickup switch. Some active electronics from a previous owner, although I now have the pick-up wired balanced straight to the stereo jack socket, and I use a mathcing transformer to drive my desk direct.

This is a really "controlled" instrument. It's not dull sounding, but it never booms or twangs. The 2 pickup settings give a choice of a light "single coil" sound and a deep thumping bass. I tend to use the former for my melodic style.

Action is perfect, and the slightly raised pickup provides a small thumb-rest for "walking".

It records very well using my impedence transformer. Never needs much, or any EQ. It sounds "just right" as it is.

Bought used - and badly modified. Easy to cut out the added stuff though. Easy-to-work-with electronics. The circuit board has tracks in the shape of a guitar neck, with wire-posts for machine heads - very cute. Some tracks are not used, making it easy to modify however you like.

Some bad scoring on my fingerboard, probably caused by someone trying "guitar style" side-to-side vibrato.

This is already an old instrument, but I know it will last forever. I hope to live to be 150, and I haven't decided who to bequeath it to yet.

I've owned it for 14 years, and after periods of not playing (some lasting months), it always comes out of the case perfectly in tune and looking beautiful.

I called WAL about 8 years ago asking for some history, and an insurance valuation. The guy who answered the phone had a "we don't make those any more" attitude.

I got the impression that they're not really interested in their heritage. I never hear much about them in the UK. The only web info is third party.

I started playing my dad's hofner short-scale about 20 years ago. The Wal came along via a friend 6 years later. I think it was a bargain - it's not the best example, but it's still better than any other bass I've ever played.

It often get's comments from other musicians when I play live. It perfectly suits my style and ability.

Neck type: Bolt on six piece laminate neck of rock maple, hornbeam and rosewood. Fingerboard: Thai rosewood, 21 frets, pearl dots Body: Brazilian mahogany core, maple laminate and bookmatched figured hydua (pronounced "schedua") facings Finish: Natural wood Pickups: Two Wal flat response humbucking pickups (each pick-up contains four individual string-matched pickups), active circuitry. Controls: Jack output, balanced XLR D.I. output. Volume (push/pull "pick attack"), Pickup mix, Two tone controls (push/pull quasi-parametric boost ? provides a boost of about 10 dB around the roll-off frequency of the tone control giving a more active sound) Hardware: Gold plated Schaller machineheads and Wal cast bridge.

The sound is quite middly and great for fingerstyle playing while the pick-attack adds a great punch to the sound for rockier fingerstyle playing. The tone boosts are great for that studio active sound for pop and funk. There are some great slap sounds too. All in all you can get everything from a Precision type sound to a mellow, almost double bass type sound.

The body looks gorgeous and the hydua body has a wonderful, unusual flaming which moves beautifully under the light. If I had to make any criticism the heel of the neck is a little square and bulky. However, having said that, the playability is great; the cutaways allow good access to the top of the neck and the heel doesn't give me too much of a problem and is no worse than most other bass necks. Still, in fairness I guess I'd have to knock one point off here.

Fifteen years old, mint contition, used every week, still going strong with not a problem.

As far as customer service is concerned Wal also scores highly. The bass is really robust and has never had any mechanical problems. When I bought it in 1992 it was still in mint condition bar one little screw in the bridge. However, it did not have a hard case and I contacted Wal to see if I could get hold of one and a replacement screw. I popped over to their workshop to buy the case and Pete ("the Fish") Stephens was really keen to see the bass and took time to chat about the bass and what I thought of it. He replaced the missing screw and then said, "While you're here I'll just give it a complete once-over and check the set-up." ? all for free (had to pay for the case of course!!). If anything ever did go wrong with the Wal I have no doubt that they would be very helpful in sorting it out.

I have wanted a Wal Bass for years so when I got the chance to get hold of a mint condition Wal for silly money I jumped at it. It is a great bass which is versatile enough to play just about any type of music. It is a quite heavy bass but this adds greatly to the sustain and depth of the sound. Frankly this was a bass I lusted after for years and, unlike most dreams, the reality has lived up entirely to all my hopes. Now I wouldn't buy another bass (unless it was a Wal 5-string).