Dingwall Owners Club Part 4

[Zoomie]

Huge Thanks ! That is exactly what I was looking for. Saw nothing that put me off of the PZ.

Many thanks.

Now I just just have to put a few basses up for sale and see what sells in order to swing the balance. Feel like I am trying to sell off one of my children.

My wife will wonder why I am crying myself to sleep.

[eloann]

I've had my PZ for just a week now and I ended up using it for more than half of the album I tracked last weekend.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go play it some more

[Zoomie]

Originally Posted by eloann

I've had my PZ for just a week now and I ended up using it for more than half of the album I tracked last weekend.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go play it some more

This is NOT what I wanted to hear.

I was hoping that someone would say, "the ash with maple is a terrible bass that is muddy but with no bottom end. It weighs 15 pounds, does not cut at all in the mix, and those fanned frets have forced me to have 6 surgeries."

But instead I hear," My PZ is hotter than my wife/girlfriend/significant other/dog and it has changed my life."

You are all a bad influence.

[Grand Wazoo]

Originally Posted by Zoomie

This is NOT what I wanted to hear.

I was hoping that someone would say, "the ash with maple is a terrible bass that is muddy but with no bottom end. It weighs 15 pounds, does not cut at all in the mix, and those fanned frets have forced me to have 6 surgeries."

But instead I hear," My PZ is hotter than my wife/girlfriend/significant other/dog and it has changed my life."

You are all a bad influence.

No... you don't want to hear that at all, although you might be interested to find out that I used to be a die hard Ernie Ball MM basses fan!

I have had as follows:
Singray 5 - Two of them
25th Anniversary 5 strings (Now called the Reflex)
Bongo 5HHP piezo
Big Al 5 - 3 single coils

Then one day I was handed an ABZ 5 to try in a store, I loved it immediately snatched it from the store, took it home, sold all my EBMM basses within 4 months and ended up with these 3 Dingers



THE END

[Zoomie]

Originally Posted by Grand Wazoo

No... you don't want to hear that at all, although you might be interested to find out that I used to be a die hard Ernie Ball MM basses fan!

I have had as follows:
Singray 5 - Two of them
25th Anniversary 5 strings (Now called the Reflex)
Bongo 5HHP piezo
Big Al 5 - 3 single coils

Then one day I was handed an ABZ 5 to try in a store, I loved it immediately snatched it from the store, took it home, sold all my EBMM basses within 4 months and ended up with these 3 Dingers



THE END

HAHAHAHAHA !

That PJ makes me weak in the knees as well.

Baby steps, sir. BABY STEPS !

I'll have to sell something. I can call the vendor and see if I can throw them a grand to sit on it for a few weeks to sell some things, eat some Ramen, push a shopping cart, and collect some aluminum cans. Theres always www.hawkakidney.com.

[Smallequestrian]

Originally Posted by Zoomie

This is NOT what I wanted to hear.

I was hoping that someone would say, "the ash with maple is a terrible bass that is muddy but with no bottom end. It weighs 15 pounds, does not cut at all in the mix, and those fanned frets have forced me to have 6 surgeries."

But instead I hear," My PZ is hotter than my wife/girlfriend/significant other/dog and it has changed my life."

You are all a bad influence.

The weight/balance of the PZ5 might be my favorite thing. I've played some light weight basses that don't quite balance right, but this thing is just a hair over 8lbs and it sits perfectly at my preferred playing angle. Absolutely no fighting it at all.

[spiritbass]

Originally Posted by Zoomie

I'll have to sell something. I can call the vendor and see if I can throw them a grand to sit on it for a few weeks to sell some things, eat some Ramen, push a shopping cart, and collect some aluminum cans. Theres always www.hawkakidney.com.

The things people will do to finance Dingwall basses. I've sacrificed some very nice mono-scaled instruments & amp gear, but no body organs...

[Zoomie]

Originally Posted by spiritbass

The things people will do to finance Dingwall basses. I've sacrificed some very nice mono-scaled instruments & amp gear, but no body organs...

I have shady kidneys from having way too much fun when I was younger. With no warranty, I probably couldn't get much.

The basses that I currently have, are all common working man stuff. Lakland Sky DJ 5, 62 AVRI, a few other Fender P's and J's.

The problem is that all of them get played in regular rotation and I love each and every one of them.

I can justify letting the Lakie go as the Super will cover me for the few songs where a fiver is a must have. But the Lakie is an absolute beast with Fralins in it.

The 62 AVRI P is being replaced with the NAV 63 p, so technically I'm doubled up there too. Again, every time that I yank on a string, I smile.

I have tried diligently to let go of this Super P fetish but it won't go away.

Oh the agony !

[pmad_bass]

Do you perfer the ABZs to the super P/J...or other way around?

[singlemalt]

Dingwall gas won't stop with the Super P, but you won't miss the old ones once you have made the move.

You are moving onto a new level of instrument, there's no going back.

Currently the AB-1 fiver with TI flats is getting all the love, but the Super P/J's aren't going anywhere. If I have a preference between the Dingwalls it's the lightest one that will work for the band of the moment. All of them except the AB-1 sixer have the P tone pickups. One each of the Super P/J's and the AB-1's have rounds and one flats.

No other basses except a 76 Kramer 450B aluminum fretless here, and that's mostly for sentimental reasons. The Dingwalls changed everything. Everything else had been sold of traded.

[eloann]

I actually sold my ABZ to cover for the SPZ.

The piano-like tone of the ABZ made it an absolute joy to play and I had grown very used to its long scale. I will buy another long scale Dingwall some day - just not that rich right now.
However in most band settings the SPZ fits better. More traditionnal sound (though it still has that Dingwall stamp) and looks (besides the frets, which oddly enough many people don't notice straight away). Everyone I deal with (bandmates, sound engineer, teacher, mom) prefer the SPZ, which is what I was shooting for.

[Zoomie]

Originally Posted by eloann

I actually sold my ABZ to cover for the SPZ.

The piano-like tone of the ABZ made it an absolute joy to play and I had grown very used to its long scale. I will buy another long scale Dingwall some day - just not that rich right now.
However in most band settings the SPZ fits better. More traditionnal sound (though it still has that Dingwall stamp) and looks (besides the frets, which oddly enough many people don't notice straight away). Everyone I deal with (bandmates, sound engineer, teacher, mom) prefer the SPZ, which is what I was shooting for.

Sounds like exactly what I am looking for.

Alright, send some positive thoughts to this wannabe Dingwallian so that my bass children are adopted by someone.

[nostatic]

Well, I just pulled the trigger on a used Combustion to do the experiment. If I don't bond with it, I can flip it without losing much. If I do bond with it...gawd help my budget

From the comments of most I don't think it would replace my current E-C strung 5-strings as I do a lot of chord comping with those and play up high. I don't have a 5'er with a B so this will cover that gap. Time will tell...

[BuffaloBob4343]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Well, I just pulled the trigger on a used Combustion to do the experiment. If I don't bond with it, I can flip it without losing much. If I do bond with it...gawd help my budget

From the comments of most I don't think it would replace my current E-C strung 5-strings as I do a lot of chord comping with those and play up high. I don't have a 5'er with a B so this will cover that gap. Time will tell...

The thing is, there is really no comparison between the Combustion and a Canadian made version. Yes, it is fanned, it is engineered by Sheldon, and for the money, a killer bass. I think he's done such a great job of taking his technology and putting it in the hands of bass players for whom most of his Canadian basses are out of reach.

BUT, the difference between Canadian and Combustion is still night and day. Of course, so is the price!

I had been playing an older ABII for a few years, and finally scored a Z2. As much as I love my ABII, and it will never go anywhere, even a comparison between the Afterburner line to the Z2 is just another cut above. The neck profile is to DIE for, and the bass is crazy light and resonant. I also have a pre-fre Voodoo Prima, and I LOVE it, too. Incredible basses.

So keep this in mind as you experiment. If the fanned frets are cool, try a Canadian built model just so you know what there is at the next level. And let us know what you think.

[Zoomie]

Well, the AVRI lasted all of 3 hours on the board.

I am happy to say that I will get to order my Super PZ5 tomorrow morning. And here's the best part. I get to keep my kidney.

Everybody dance and make it funky now!

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by BuffaloBob4343

So keep this in mind as you experiment. If the fanned frets are cool, try a Canadian built model just so you know what there is at the next level. And let us know what you think.

I think I can extrapolate fit/finish. Mostly it is just to figure out if I can live with the fanned frets. I know the B will kill (no hiding from physics), but I'm sensitive to ergos and have to be careful about tendonitis. My sense is my hands will either love it or hate it. A used Combustion is a cheap experiment, and better than trying to spend 15 min in a store with one to figure out if it works for me.

We'll see. Life is an experiment.

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I think I can extrapolate fit/finish. Mostly it is just to figure out if I can live with the fanned frets. I know the B will kill (no hiding from physics), but I'm sensitive to ergos and have to be careful about tendonitis. My sense is my hands will either love it or hate it. A used Combustion is a cheap experiment, and better than trying to spend 15 min in a store with one to figure out if it works for me.

We'll see. Life is an experiment.

From my in-store experience I found the fanned frets easy to deal with but I really noticed the difference in neck profile between the Combustion and Canadian models (I spent most time on an ABZ). That's not to say one is better, as feel is subjective, but I realised I wouldn't be happy with the Combustion knowing what the ABZ feels like.

[Sheldon D.]

Originally Posted by nostatic

I think I can extrapolate fit/finish. Mostly it is just to figure out if I can live with the fanned frets. I know the B will kill (no hiding from physics), but I'm sensitive to ergos and have to be careful about tendonitis. My sense is my hands will either love it or hate it. A used Combustion is a cheap experiment, and better than trying to spend 15 min in a store with one to figure out if it works for me.

We'll see. Life is an experiment.

I'll share our experience to date regarding tendonitis sufferers. We do hear a lot that our basses play with less pain but I think that's just because hand position is different. Fanned-frets are not a solution to wrist pain, only technique can really solve the issue.

I'll add though that if you find the reach to the 1st position a little "stretchy", we have a solution that works really well. It requires swapping out the strap pins for Dunlop Strap-locks and adding a 3rd countersunk straplock on the back of the body about 3" in from the end. The result being that the nut is moved 1.5" closer to your body making the 1st position really comfy.

[TodB]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

From my in-store experience I found the fanned frets easy to deal with but I really noticed the difference in neck profile between the Combustion and Canadian models (I spent most time on an ABZ). That's not to say one is better, as feel is subjective, but I realised I wouldn't be happy with the Combustion knowing what the ABZ feels like.

That was my experience too. If I just played a Combustion and compared it to parallel fret basses I probably would have thought it was fine. Unfortunately the store also had a ABZ and a Z3 so I kept getting lured higher up the food chain. Tip of the hat to those troublemakers at Bass San Diego.

[Zoomie]

And the PZ5 that I wanted is gone. I don't know which one of you bought MY bass but there will be trouble !

I'll just sit here and feel sorry for myself.