Wal (bass)
| Private | |
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder | Ian Waller, Pete Stevens |
| Headquarters | Surrey, England |
|
Area served
|
Global |
| Products | Bass guitars |
| Owner | Paul Herman |
| Website | http://www.walbasses.co.uk |
Wal is a brand of electric bass manufactured by Electric Wood Ltd, first in High Wycombe and later in Fetcham, Surrey, England. It was started in 1974 by guitar builder and electronics expert Ian Waller and luthier Pete Stevens. Since 2009 it has been run by Paul Herman.
Wal basses founder, Ian Waller, was a bass player in 1960s Manchester pop scene. In the late 1960s he moved to London to follow a career as an electronics engineer. However, he quickly became involved in the film and then music industry because of both his electronics and woodworking skills. He became known to a number of players on the London session scene for his guitar making abilities, eventually being commissioned to build basses for them.
Early custom basses were purchased by leading bass players from the London studio circuit, such as John Gustafson (at the time of Roxy Music) and John G. Perry (formerly of Caravan) who commissioned the first instrument branded as a "Wal" bass. Another early commission was for a triple-necked bass, purchased by Rick Wakeman for his bassist, Roger Newell, to use in the "The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" concerts. The bass was later given to Chris Squire of Yes and is now on loan to the Hard Rock Cafe.
Later, a short run of semi-custom models (designated the JG series after the owner of one of the first models, John Gustafson) featured hand-tooled leather scratchplates. They introduced for the first time the distinctive eight coil humbucking pickups and proprietary bridge hardware which became a feature of all future Wal bass models. Owners of these models included John Entwistle, Paul Simonon, Gary Tibbs, Alan Spenner, and Percy Jones.
...
Wikipedia