Hand-built bass guitars
I am lucky enough to be the owner of two bass guitars from one of Britain's most respected builders... Wal Basses by Electric Wood. These are a "Pro series" bass from around 1978-1979 and a "Custom series" bass from 1985. My other British bass is a custom built acoustic bass made by Tony Revell.
| Wal Mark I Custom Series bass | Wal Pro IIE bass | Tony Revell acoustic bass |
| Aria Pro IIe bass (...what??) | A very brief history of Wal basses |
1985 Wal Custom series bass - W2601:
My first Wal
was bought second-hand in 1992. It's a Custom series bass
built
in September 1985 and, when I bought it, was a "closet classic", having
spent the intervening seven years sitting in a cupboard
unplayed.
The previous (and original) owner was an jazz upright bass player who
had wanted to try out a good quality bass guitar. He
purchased
the Wal and soon discovered that he simply didn't get on with the
playing position of the bass guitar and put it away unused.
The bass
has,
what's known as, the "Mark 1" body style (a development from the body
shape of the previous "Pro Series"). The specs are as
follows:
the body has a core of mahogany with exotic wood facings made from
schedua or hydua - a figured relation to ovangkol; the neck is a six 
piece
laminate of hard rock maple, mukalungu and hornbeam with a 21 fret Thai
rosewood board. One of the characteristics of Wal "Custom
series"
basses are their unique pickups and active circuitry which is
both versatile and simple to use. This bass can cover just
about
any style of music you can throw at it and pass with flying
colours. Perhaps not naturally a slapper's bass... but that's
not
necessarily a bad thing! A great punchy, growly bass
sound.
The basses even have a balanced XLR output - yes, an inbuilt DI box!
1978 Wal Pro series bass - PB1291:
My Pro
bass is a "Pro IIE" was, according to records at Electric Wood,
completed on 24 September 1979.
The Pro Series was Wal's first production bass line (hence
"Pro") and the IIE
signifies twin pickups and active circuitry. Another
beautifully
built bass with a translucent (strawberry) red finish over a solid ash
body that the photos simply do not do justice to. The body
shape
and size is similar to the "Custom Series" basses and the neck is much
the same construction although with a larger "paddle" style
headstock. However the neck profiles are quite different -
the
"Pro" has a comfortable and fast C 
shaped
neck while the
"Custom" is rather more "V shaped". The bass is dominated by
it's
large scratchplate on which the pickups and controls are
mounted.
The sound is very different from the "Custom series" bass - much more
of a 70s rock 
vibe
although when both pickups are used
together it has a huge round bottom end that you just don't find on the
"Custom" basses!
This bass was picked up second hand in a local guitar shop in 2001 after a haggling session which lasted over a year and a half! When I first saw it in the shop it was priced the same as a new "Custom" bass. Well, after I had popped in about once every other month to offer a sensible price for well over a year the owner eventually relented and it was mine! For more details on the fantastic Wal basses made by Electric Wood and more photographs, check out this detailed history of Wal basses.
My regular gig set-ups. Two Wals, Aria, Trace Elliott amp, Lehle switch & sometimes just a touch of Boss chorus.
Custom-built Tony Revell Acoustic bass:
I
ordered this bass in 1992 after seeing a review of Tony
Revell's
guitars in Guitarist
magazine.
Tony, an ex-employee of respected UK builder
"Overwater",
is an
independent luthier based in South Wales. Although he
specialises
in blues and rag-time guitars he also makes a mean range of other
instruments including mandolins, electrics and basses.
At
the time there were
barely any acoustic basses available in mainstream music shops in the
UK - custom built was just about the only way to go.
Fortunately,
I had a pretty good idea of the type of
characteristics I was looking for in an acoustic
and the type of woods and 
tones I
wanted.
I arranged to meet up with Tony to look first hand at some of his guitars and to chat in detail about what I wanted. One of the great things about buying custom-built is the interaction with the builder and the fact that the instrument is being made bespoke to your requirements.
My bass has a
flamed maple back, side and neck with a spruce top, rosewood headstock
facings, fretboard, bridge and finger-rest. The sound is
amazingly deep and resonant with an amazing sustain - not that annoying
dull thud that a lot of acoustic basses give you.
The neck is based on my Aria SB700 (see below) which was my main bass at the time. So, it has a really comfortable neck which is a pleasure to play on. However, the most unusual feature of the bass is the neck joint which is completely without a heel. Amazing access but with a rock stable neck - on an acoustic bass! Tony Revell, the man's a guitar-making genius!
An exception on this page and on this site but a fantastic little bass nonetheless! This Aria SB700 was my first ever bass guitar and I still love it! Passive electronics and one pickup but a thru-neck and ash body wings, this bass plays beautifully! Frankly, it's far too good a bass for a starter like I was! I was such a lucky player to start out learning on one of these. The bass has a lovely deep round tone - which you can lighten using the small series/parallel switch. The through neck and heavy brass bridge set into the face of the bass makes for a very clear tone and incredible sustain!
The Aria SB series were one of the first Japanese marques to really compete in even terms against their Western rivals rather than being straight copies. The were well respected instruments and attracted much pro interest with the top of the range active SB1000 being used by musicians as diverse as Jack Bruce, John Taylor and Mike Oldfield. An SB1000 even appears in the classic video for The Buggles' "Video killed the radio star". Neil Murray of Whitesnake fame could often be seen toting a twin pickup SB900.
My SB700 was built in
1981 and is in all original condition except for a small mod, adding a
little "active buffer preamp" to it - a Hollis GX10. This is
a
little black box that's sadly no longer made - I'd love to hear one in
a really nice Jazz bass. It doesn't really change the fundamental sound
of the bass, just makes it sound more focused and clearer. It changes
the impedance so that it's a better level for long cable runs - almost
like putting it through a really nice, transparent active DI
box.”
Simple, elegant design using custom-built components. Solid brass bridge plus a surprisingly versatile single pickup.
The bass was an 18th birthday present in 1982. From then until I bought my first Wal it was my main bass, playing in college bands, church, rock musicals and my old folk-rock band, Tintagel. Here are a few a few shots of it in action around 1991 (gosh, did I ever look that young?). Nowadays it's regularly used in my covers band.
Back to Main page Go to Guitars page
Wal basses (or
"Electric Wood" as its parent company
is called) was set up in the early '70s by electronics guru Ian Waller
and luthier Pete Stevens with a single mission - to make the world's
best bass guitar. Early custom built basses included the
monster
triple neck Wal (originally built for Roger Newell of Rick Wakeman's
English Rock Ensemble) played by Chris Squire form Yes.
Consulting the needs of top British bass players of the time (including
the likes of John Entwistle, Percy Jones, John G Perry and Pete Zorn)
they settled on a design specification for their basses.
These
"JG Custom Series" basses (named for bassist John Gustafson -
Merseybeats, Big Three, Gordon Giltrap, Roxy Music) were still built on
a semi-custom basis and are distinguished by their unique leather
tooled
scratchplates!
Only a few of these basses were built before, in 1978 Wal launched
their first production bass - the aptly named "Pro Series"
bass.
In 1982 the first basses of what was to become the "Custom Series" were
created. These dispensed with the scratchplate - surface
mounting
the pickups and controls - and replaced a solid ash body with a
mahogany body core faced with a selection of exotic woods.
The
Wal Custom became a staple of 
studios
and stages
throughout the eighties finding favour with artists as diverse as Paul
McCartney, Dire Straits, Spandau Ballet, Japan and Rush (at least two
Wals even appeared on stage at "Live Aid" in Wembley
Stadium).
The bass lines on the original "Band Aid" single, "Do they know it's
Christmas" (one of the biggest and most influential singles of all
time) was powered by Wal.
The original "Custom
Series" design (Mark I) of "Custom series" electronics and a
mahogany/exotic wood laminate body has since formed the template for
all further developments and versions of the Wal Bass.
In early 1986 Wal introduced a 5-string bass with a 24 fret neck and a revised body shape (Mark II) which was also applied as an option to the 4-string basses. Tragically, Ian Waller died suddenly of a heart attack in 1988 and his passing was marked across the music industry. Despite this irreplaceable loss, Pete Stevens was determined to carry on Ian's legacy and continue building world beating basses. The late '80s saw the development of a relatively short lived Wal MB4 Midi bass - in conjunction with Australian electronics designer Steve Chick. Production of the MB4 (a bass midi controller that actually worked) for only a few years when US giant, Peavey, bought the rights to the technology on which the midi controller was based. In 1995 the Wal underwent a further design development with the introduction of a 6-string bass and a new body and headstock shape (Mark III).
For the last few years Pete has continued building Wal basses as a small, often one-man, operation offering these fine instruments in three body styles, faced with a range of beautiful woods and in 4, 5 and 6 string incarnations to the discerning bassists of Britain and the world.
For information on how to contact or order Wal basses please click on the Wal emblem below:
For a more detailed account of the history of Wal basses please click on this link
Text © Trevor Raggatt 2005
