Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thoughts?
How did they compare to other basses you play or owned?
I am curious how they compared tone wise against a 4002 or 4004 in particular

Cheers

Very focused clear tone. Really a top notch instrument. They're hard to come by, but Wal is back in business again, so hopefully you'll get the chance to play one.

This, however, will probably get moved to the Others section.

But Wals are real cool though.

s4001 wrote:Very focused clear tone. Really a top notch instrument. They're hard to come by, but Wal is back in business again, so hopefully you'll get the chance to play one.

This, however, will probably get moved to the Others section.

But Wals are real cool though.

or the "quest for tone" thread. that's where mine got moved with a gibson .

s4001 wrote:Very focused clear tone. Really a top notch instrument. They're hard to come by, but Wal is back in business again, so hopefully you'll get the chance to play one.

This, however, will probably get moved to the Others section.

But Wals are real cool though.

Very nice basses...and yes, this is getting moved to the Others Forum.

John Simmons has a lefty Wal that I have attempted to play a couple times! Brian Crisman had one for a short time, he sold it before I had a chance to play it. I almost bought one new in 2000 (and should have!) The price was a bout 1/4th what they go for now a days.

I have had 5 of them. they are really nice basses for what they put out. I would like to have another one sometime but I am stoked with the Ricks...

My bandmate, Dave has one, IIRC. Got it for super cheap because it flew out the back of somebody's truck, in its case. Didn't seem to mess the bass up, but the previous owner didn't want it after that for some reason. That being said, Dave usually uses an ESP P-bass b/c it seems to fit our sound better. . . though given the means, I think he'd prefer a Rick. He too loves the sound of Joey's 4001-S bass.

I'd been looking for an early one for a couple of years, and found this '82 MK1 late last year.


Having played a couple of 4002's and 4004's, the Wal is superior in every aspect.
Just my observation.

I played a fretless 4-string once and it was pretty good but something was wrong with the neck pickup. The A string didn't sound very good in the case of that pickup. Ultimately it was similar to when I played a Conklin at Bill's shop, really a great bass in most aspects but yet it really didn't stand out from anything else I had ever played so much that I could justify buying one; the tone especially didn't seem to be improved over what I was used to. A great Ric or Fender would be equally as good for me. But the fit and finish of both the Wal and the Conklin truly were a cut above most basses; pretty much on par with a "special" Ric or Fender.

wints wrote:Having played a couple of 4002's and 4004's, the Wal is superior in every aspect.
Just my observation.

Even appearance? That's the most important factor, isn't it?

paologregorio wrote:

wints wrote:Having played a couple of 4002's and 4004's, the Wal is superior in every aspect.
Just my observation.

Even appearance? That's the most important factor, isn't it?

I understand that Wal will do a WB version for you, Paul.

jps wrote:

paologregorio wrote:

wints wrote:Having played a couple of 4002's and 4004's, the Wal is superior in every aspect.
Just my observation.

Even appearance? That's the most important factor, isn't it?

I understand that Wal will do a WB version for you, Paul.

But, will it come in JG? Well, I'm sure a dark ebony body could be found...

Good point Paul. The Ric aesthetic is better, no question. The Wal is built like a tank though, and has a scope of sound that the active Ric's don't have. Basically the best British bass ever made, and certainly up there with the boutique American gear.

wints wrote:But, will it come in JG? Well, I'm sure a dark ebony body could be found...

I've owned two and they were both fantastic. Fit and playability were top notch on each but I preferred the contours and aesthetics on my MK-3. There is such a wide range of useable tones available. On my Rics I tend to have one basic tone that I use and get variations through technique. On the Wal the options are vast. As a comparison I would say that the Ric has one solid tonal character that sounds great in any situation and the Wal has 10 distinctive characters that sound great in any situation. With my opinion take into account that I'm a ham handed hack running a filthy tone at unrealistic volumes so some nuances may be lost on me.

I sold the first one because my band situation became uncertain and the second because it freed up some cash when I was looking to move from the city (further from my band as well) a few years ago. It's a lot of money to have tied up in a bass that may not be getting used much. If I was gigging on a regular basis I would get another in a flash.

The only reason I looked at anything other than a Ric was to get the 5th string. Just sayin'.........

MK-2......


MK-3......

Sorry guys,

One more move to Mike Snow's section....

I LOVE WAL basses, and played one YEARS ago...top notch as said.....