New Dingwall Z-1 Rastaburst Pics!!!!

After my last thread about the building of my Dingwall Z1/Voodoo Rastaburst, I had some requests for more detailed, higher resolution pictures. I've been busy lately but had a few moments this afternoon to take some new and detailed pictures. I've tried to take detailed pictures of some of the cool unnoticed features!

First off, some of the nice top:
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Now here's some cool stuff. You'll notice in this picture, that the pickup routs are also radiused as well! The bridge inset is also radiused! I know its a small detail, but it really helps unify the bass. :

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You can see in this pickup detail, that The pickup covers bodies also match the bodywood and finish (dark filled ash under the spalted/flamed maple. You wouldn't normally see this...but it's a cool feature:
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Most people don't know that the 'standard' knobs on a Dingwall (throughout the line) are designed and sculpted by Sheldon. They're a soft plastic/rubber that are really comfortable and have a nice grip. They're also very beautifully designed. I can tell that this is a 'revision' from the earlier set. They pointer 'button' at the top of the knob is now convex as opposed to the old concave ones. Progress never sleeps!
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Ah, details of my two block inlays. They're of the same spalted/flamed maple as the topwood and finished the same way:
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Headstock! Headstock! Headstock!

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Check out the very cool sculpting at the place where the neck meets the headstock. Very cool and tactile lines here!

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The Neck joint and heel are also super sculpted, smooth and sexy:

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Ok, some back shots. The 'namesake' of the "Zebra" moniker is the dark stained grain of the ash body and the way it constrasts with the brightly colored finish:
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Lastly, this is cool. Instead of one of those cheezy fold out boxes for the batteries, this is what we find...held on by very strong magnets, it's easily open-able on the gig, but secure enough that you'll never have to worry about it. Check out the carving on this 'hidden' feature! Hells, who ever thought a battery compartment could be this sexy?

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Honk'n_down-low said:

WOW!

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I was excited by the expiration date on those batteries too!

RCCollins said:

looks awesome, but I don't really see how it's a "burst" finish

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The colours are bursted horizontally. They actuall do blend in the places where the colors meet, even if the transition is fairly (and necessarily) brief.

lowdownwalt said:

WOW!

The thought and detail that went into this instrument is incredible! Aesthetically beautiful!... and the craftsmanship shows through! How does it sound and what are the pick-ups?
Could Dingwall be a cut above the Sadowsky's and Lakland's?

Whats the cost of this beauty?

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Yes. it's amazing, and most of the little details would be unnoticed unless you held it in your hands or were tipped off with good pictures ().

It sounds great, even though I am still getting used to the differences from my Afterburner I, which has a different electronics package and is alder/maple/wenge. It definitely has the sound of ash, lively and with some nice forward presence. Its very easy to like!

The pickups are Sheldon's newest. Their made/wound in shop. Underneath the shells, they're split-coil with neodymium magnets. They're wired with four leads, allowing for internal switching between series and parallel (Two of the switches are for the pickup's series/parallel) With the switching options, you can go from a fairly 'traditional' Precision or Jazz tone to a much hotter modern sound.

The on-board is a OBP-1 but it is wired with Sheldon's 'hybrid' treble control. The treble is center detented with the usual boost on the front end, but traditional passive roll off on the back side of the turn.

Instead of the usual V/V or V/B most of the Dingwall line has a 4 way rotary switch to run the pickups: Bridge only/both in series/both in parallel/neck only.

In terms of cost, I'm not really a public poster of such things, but what I paid is not really relevant to the current cost, due to the fact that I made my deal and paid my deposit in 2005 dollars, not current value. I also have a number of features that also probably skew the end price.

In terms of build quality and detail, Dingwall basses are indeed some of the very best on the planet. I hesitate to compare to any other current builder, because a lot of the build features and concepts are specific to the Dingwall shop. I would guess that currently you could expect to pay in the same ballpark as a US made Sadowsky, MTD, or a similarly outfitted F-Bass. Of course, Sheldon has a BUNCH of different things happening (fanned frets, neck build, compound angled headstock, dual density bodywood, electronics, etc, etc, etc... that are only on his basses.

RCCollins said:

then they should call it rastablend. still not a burst

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I welcome you to refer to it in the future as the 'Rastablend'.

thewickedcool said:

That looks AMAZING. Usually I'm a fan of more traditional basses, but the quality of work on this is jaw-dropping. Too bad I won't be able to afford a boutique bass for years... and years... and years.

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line6man said:

Although thats really not my style of bass, i think that youve got one of the most beautiful finishes i have ever seen!

I love the inlays, but why did you only have 2 of them?

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I know that a lot of people aren't going to be into either the shape or the finish or wood choices I've made. And that's cool. I encourage everyone to play whatever they like! Obviously, this wasn't a bass building exercise in restraint or conservative styling. I feel very lucky that Sheldon appreciates the same stuff I do and that he agreed to put extra time and effort into the finish and that he also agreed to do this body shape for me, as it isn't a current production shape for him.

randbguy said:

Damn, that is absolutely drop dead, unequivocally, phenominally, gorgeous!!!!!

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Thanks! The pictures aren't half as good as it is in person. Fer real.

It sounds even better. Its also got a very low action and plays very quickly and easily. The low B is, as always, amazing and punchier than my AB. The bass has a different character from my Afterburner, but they're very complementary.

bongomania said:

Effing Awesome. Irie even. It takes a certain player to live up to a dramatic-looking bass like that, but I have gathered over time that you are that player. Very cool, and doubtless it will make people spit some ginger beer when they first see it onstage.

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WHat a waste of perfectly good gingerbeer! Especially if mixed with a bit of lime and some Gosling!

I can hold my own while running riddims. I am certainly NOT as good as so many of the amazing players around here...Turns out I do one thing pretty well though!

Thanks for the positive comments on the bass...It really is a work of art!