Does anything else passive have a better B than a Dingwall?
 

As per title. I have heard of Knuckle quake, which I expect would be quite good...

EDIT : I mean passive. forgot that one. have edited title.

Maybe one of those Carl Thompsons with a neck best measured in light years.

Scale length isn't an automatic guarantee of a great B string. It's also dependent on quality of materials, construction methods, and overall design. I've heard great B strings on all scales from 34" and up.

"Better B" is a relative term and will only start a fight here. Just sayin. There will be those who chime in with "I play a 14" B and it rocks better than any Dingwall". And there will be those who say "I have a custom made 48" scale bass so Dingwall can suck it". And then there will be the throng in the middle of guys who play "regular" 34" and 35" B string and swear by them as well. It's not worth the fight. But it will happen anyway.

Again, with what proof do you start a conversation with the assumption that a Dingwall has the best B to begin with?

Ring the bell. Round one............

Yup.

My 34" Fodera has a great B as does my 35" MTD and Spector.... As did my Sadowskys, Roscoes, Benavente.... Etc.

I owned an Afterburner... Great B string, but not light years ahead of other quality basses available.

Is there any other kind of thread on TB? But you are right of course, 'Better B' is subjective, I'm only looking for some hope onions. I mean opinions.

Just an impression from reading around really - they get a lot of love, and very little hate. Which doesn't mean they're 'The Best', but it does sound like I'd be very likely to like one. I haven't tried one yet BTW.

Apologies to posters who replied already : I changed the title to *passive* - don't want the B sound to come from the preamp - but thanks for the thoughts.

A wise teacher once told me "Never make an absolute statement,
somebody will prove you wrong".

If you have the $, just about anything is possible.

The B can sound good on any bass if it's well built. 0.140's work well.
In fact a B string is nothing nowadays. Try a Low Gb or C#.

My Precision V had a lousy 'B' until I learned how to play it.

Laklands.

:) LOL

Well, if Dingwall has the best B string you've encountered, then you don't necessarily need to keep looking. It's fine to keep aware of what's out there, but old timers like me know that the constant search for "better/best" can be expensive, and the end result is usually that you've found something different -- even if it's wonderful in its own way, it might not be better.

Philosophy aside... I think the Modulus Quantum B string is as good as Dingwall. FWIW, I currently play Sadowsky fivers. The 34" B string might not have the crystal purity of Modulus or Dingwall, but the bass overall has a more traditional timbre, and that's far more important to me than modern 'piano' tone... and I should stress that I don't think the Sadowsky B is inferior in any way.

But this is about you, not me -- which is why I recommended Modulus. :)

Of course the string itself is a fairly significant part of the deal.

The SB-2 also had a lousy 'B' until i realised it wasn't there

While the Dingwall Bs I've played are tight, responsive & clear, I've come to prefer a Spector's 35" B. It probably has more to do with the Dingwall neck profile & fret sizes, though. It felt like a rounded over 2x4 with wires on it. -_-

Passive B (where Fender fails) so no active electronic driven B (were Fender shines)?
 

Yamaha Bb series

Yamaha Trb series are reknowned for killer B string, but they're
35" active only basses

So Yamaha Bb series
dependin' on what you can afford

MII Bbx425 go for around $. 500.00
MII Bbx1025 go for around $. 1,000.00
MIJ Bbx2025 go for around $. 2,000.00 and can match Made in Canada Dingwall price tags (and surely beat'em down to the
mere quality of craftsmanship and timber)

Cheers,
Wallace

Couldn't you look at it another way and say it still has a lousy 'B', but you learned how to compensate for it? I too use a variety of techniques to coax better sounds out of my B strings. I'd just rather not have to.

Sure... my questions on the dingwall are to see how sensible it is to use it as a point of reference in my search for something that's the right kind of thing for me. There's a lot of variety available in the bass world, just trying to get my bearings!

If it can be done without a total derail, I would love to read your explanation of this statement. I'm honestly not arguing with you. Just really curious. Thanks.