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Are Dingwalls worth the price?

C

cc9191

Sep 11, 2012
35
3
#1
From what i've read and heard, Dingwall basses seem really good. However they very expensive, with the "affordable" combustion model costing £1600 and the others costing £4000+

Are they really worth the cost? or are there other bass guitars that are equally as good and cost significantly less
 
#2
Their pricing has drastically changed for the worse over the past 3-4 years. I get that you do what you need to but they have shot way out of my pricerange and interest anymore. While they are wonderful basses (Ive owned and played a couple) I cant and wont rationalize dropping the coin for new one right now.

So I say..to each their own and "worth" it is subjective. Are they great basses . Yes. Do they sound great. Yes .. Do they cost a ********. Yes.

Id say try to find one on the used market as they are much more reasonable.
 
#6
It kind of depends on what you want. I love my Dingwall AB2-5, but I got it a long time ago when Dingwalls were only expense, not very expensive. That said, I'm more of an old-school P bass guy. My Dingwall was my one and only foray into modern basses and I am satisfied, but I'm also not someone who can compare Dingwalls to other modern basses. I chose my Dingwall because of the B string and the overall design and construction. The B string is relatively thin and also great sounding at the 37 inch scale. I have a 35 inch scale that I run a 145 on, but my Dingwall only has a 135, which still delivers an amazing, different tone. The design is fantastic and there is literally nothing wrong with the construction - really top of the line. Still, it's really subjective as to whether a Dingwall is worthwhile for you.
 
#7
LightGroove said:
Their pricing has drastically changed for the worse over the past 3-4 years. I get that you do what you need to but they have shot way out of my pricerange and interest anymore. While they are wonderful basses (Ive owned and played a couple) I cant and wont rationalize dropping the coin for new one right now.

So I say..to each their own and "worth" it is subjective. Are they great basses . Yes. Do they sound great. Yes .. Do they cost a ********. Yes.

Id say try to find one on the used market as they are much more reasonable.
Click to expand...

The ABZ series is a fantastic value, you can find them new online for around $1800. I got mine used for $1500. They are easily worth every penny.

Sure, you can spend thousands more on the Sklar Signature, Super J, Prima, whatever, but you can get the amazing playabilty and tone for yes.

To the OP: You can find a Dingwall Combustion for around $1300 new, and $900-1000 used. It's a good way to see if you like the tone and playability.
 
#8
Only you can answer that question. Is the money worth what a Dingwall offers you? Have you played one before? The way I see it, sound samples won't cut it. You can hear the string-to-string balance, but feeling how it plays is the big selling point of a Dingwall. I have not owned one, but I did play one in a shop and switching between strings was very smooth.
 
#9
I haven’t been keeping up, but I saw a pic of the P-style one their gonna make (or maybe have already).

I find that people who want to “sit in” are often intimidated by my five-strings… if I had a fanned-fretted bass, I think they’d completely stop asking, haha.

(Not that I ever really minded that much, depending on the gig.)
 
#10
Another point: Don't listen to anyone who says that the transition to fanned frets is hard. I tore mine out of the box and was playing everything I could on my parallel fret basses.

To Marko5657: The Super P is out.
 
#13
Mr. Lovejoy said:
Well, let's be realistic here.

Would someone who paid a large amount of dollars for a "buzzworthy" instrument really say it was anything but an amazing purchase?
Click to expand...

There are definitely guys who buy high end/ expensive basses and then flip them because it 'just wasn't their thing' or whatever reason.

I got mine from a guy who only had it a couple weeks, then decided he wanted a really high-end, boutique 5 string Jazz.

For me, the ABZ fit every need I had in a really good 5 string; passive, versatile tone, easy playability and a fantastic low B.
 
#15
IMO, the pricing seems on par with other "boutique" basses within the quality/feature level so this question could easily be asked of a number of basses out there.

FWIW, I don't think you'll run into any quality control issues, they are built well and built to last. I'm personally coming-up on 20 years with my Dingwall and have continued to receive stellar customer support when it comes to questions/upgrades/etc. IMO, if you're going to buy an expensive bass you should buy one that's built by people who are more passionate about quality, product refinement and customer service/satisfaction than anything else.

Deep down, to me anyway, a Dingwall is a bolt-on "Fenderish" type of instrument although there's obviously a lot more to it than that. It's going to be up to the player to decide if a Dingwall is the right bass, or worth the money in terms of tone and feel. There's no one bass that's right for everybody.
 
#18
Well, "worth" doesn't mean anything...

is a fender worth 10K? to me no... is a used fodera worth 5/6k? to me yes ...

Dingwall have a very unique tone... the ABZ serie sounds absolutely massive... and well, when I see fender producing "custom shop" instrument for 4K... I think 1800 for a dingwall, is nothing.. as to my ears, the dingwall absolutely rapes the fender :D

:) all this is just IMHO
 

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