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Dingwall bass

#41
Verb the Noun said:
The combustion I just ordered will be the most expensive bass I own. Yeah, made in China combined with the previous sentence did not compute for me either.

Weirdly, I also have no expectation of it being one of my main players. This is purely a wish list novelty toy for me. I said "some day" the first time I discovered Dingwall, and here I am in a some day scenario.
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newwavefrank said:
I have all of them. I own a Dingwall NG2 that I changed the pre amp to aquilar. I do love the low b because I can use a thinner string and it sounds great. I bought and then sold a Bongo. Sounded great but just didn't connect with it. I own 2 Stingray classic 4's, a fretless Stingray 4, a fretless Stingray special 4, and a Stingray classic 5. Personally I think the Stingray classics or special sound better than the Dingwall (with either preamp) I think the Dingwall might be next, then the standard Stingray 3 band. I would suggest making the drive WITHOUT taking your basses with you. Try the Dingwall. Then you can't impulse buy and do something you might regret. If you really want it the next day or later then drive back. FWIW I would just sell one (if you decide you want to make the switch) and not trade as you won't get as much in trade.
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I bought & sold a Bongo 4-string that was Fabulous...later I asked my buddy if he would sell it back to me & he said, "Do I have to? It's the best recording bass I've tried..." haha I kept my Bongo 5-string...
 
#43
el murdoque said:
I had an NG-3 for a while and I personally think they are a bit overpriced for what they are.
At the time, the new price was 2800 for a 6 string and the second hand ones in mint condition moved for around 2200-2300. You get some stiff competition in that price range. I was not blown away by the overall quality of the NG-3 - although I had nothing to complain about either. But just from using and handling it, I would have guessed it is a bass that retails at around 2k.
In the end, I did not get comfortable on that particular neck and the sound was way too aggressive for my taste. A great bass for metal, but not really super versatile.
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Have you played it Passive?
 
#44
I love reading all of the "Dingwalls are too aggressive sounding" comments that seem to have no end across TB. I played mine on an RnB gig Saturday night and it was fantastic. I played a jazz standards type gig (i.e. bring your copy of the Real Book) a while back and it sounded wonderful. I've played old school country bass on it and it sounded... you guessed it... great, and not overly aggressive.
 
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#45
silky smoove said:
I love reading all of the "Dingwalls are too aggressive sounding" comments that seem to have no end across TB. I played mine on an RnB gig Saturday night and it was fantastic. I played a jazz standards type gig (i.e. bring your copy of the Real Book) a while back and it sounded wonderful. I've played old school country bass on it and it sounded... you guessed it... great, and not overly aggressive.
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Again, all I said was what I've heard on YouTube and the way they have them EQ'd when played solo. They sound very upfront but because of that they probably sit very well in a mix. Also, I know Lee Sklar can't be wrong.
 
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#46
@jwilson67 I wasn’t referencing your post specifically. It’s more that there’s an ongoing global TB narrative that Dingwalls are made for metal and nothing else, which doesn’t hold true for those of us that own them. To your point, there’s simply a glut of YouTube examples of them in metal contexts, frequently paired with Darkglass B3K-sounding circuits.

jwilson67 said:
Also, I know Lee Sklar can't be wrong.
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Truth!
 
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#47
silky smoove said:
I love reading all of the "Dingwalls are too aggressive sounding" comments that seem to have no end across TB. I played mine on an RnB gig Saturday night and it was fantastic. I played a jazz standards type gig (i.e. bring your copy of the Real Book) a while back and it sounded wonderful. I've played old school country bass on it and it sounded... you guessed it... great, and not overly aggressive.
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As controversial as the bongo isn’t it?
 
#51
I have a Chinese-made Dingwall Combustion from the first run of NG-2s, it's a wonderful instrument for the $1,480 I paid for it. At $2,600 I think it would be a much harder sell. Not because it's a bad bass - it's WONDERFUL - but because that's a very competitive price point and you start getting into real handmade boutique territory around there.
 
#54
OP, where are you located? For sure, take the 45 minute drive and play what the store has in stock. You are lucky to be in that location.

You could also post in the Dingwall owners club thread. You might find a Dingwall player that lives close by and would let you check out their bass. I loved putting my Dingwalls in a players hands at GTG or jam nights.

There are many of us Dingwall fans that jumped in without ever seeing or playing a Dingwall, and then never looked back.

Start prowling the TB classifieds for prices on the used market.

Don’t be put off by the made in China imports. All of the imports pass through the Dingwall shop for final setup and inspections.

I have had several Canadian made Dingwalls and my import Dbird hangs right in there.

I buy all mine used. Get a good price on a used Dingwall, and if it doesn’t work for you, you’ll be able to pass it along without taking a loss. You might even turn a profit. More likely, you’ll be selling your “straight” basses to fund a Dingwall habit.

Good hunting!
 
#55
singlemalt said:
OP, where are you located? For sure, take the 45 minute drive and play what the store has in stock. You are lucky to be in that location.

You could also post in the Dingwall owners club thread. You might find a Dingwall player that lives close by and would let you check out their bass. I loved putting my Dingwalls in a players hands at GTG or jam nights.

There are many of us Dingwall fans that jumped in without ever seeing or playing a Dingwall, and then never looked back.

Start prowling the TB classifieds for prices on the used market.

Don’t be put off by the made in China imports. All of the imports pass through the Dingwall shop for final setup and inspections.

I have had several Canadian made Dingwalls and my import Dbird hangs right in there.

I buy all mine used. Get a good price on a used Dingwall, and if it doesn’t work for you, you’ll be able to pass it along without taking a loss. You might even turn a profit. More likely, you’ll be selling your “straight” basses to fund a Dingwall habit.

Good hunting!
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Whiteville NC. The city that sells them is Wilmington.
 
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#56
Music Loft is fantastic! I drove out there from Raleigh to try some Dingwalls before buying one as well... Much longer drive for me, fwiw :)

Just be careful if they have any of the crazy Z3 builds they're always posting on their Instagram in the shop, you might be unable to resist buying it on the spot regardless of the price
 
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#57
Snake101st said:
Music Loft is fantastic! I drove out there from Raleigh to try some Dingwalls before buying one as well... Much longer drive for me, fwiw :)

Just be careful if they have any of the crazy Z3 builds they're always posting on their Instagram in the shop, you might be unable to resist buying it on the spot regardless of the price
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Nothing on their site but Combustions/NGs and D-Rocs… and then one bonkers Canadian SPJ :smug:
 
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#59
Cory rich40 said:
I agree that the higher the cost the less chances are you will end up with a dud regardless of country of origin. The most criticisms I’ve seen though are the whole fender USA vs Fender Mexico battle. A lot of folks claim that Squire has better quality instruments than Fender Mexico. Well, Fender’s top of the line bass amps are out of Mexico and they are awesome. I think most of Fender’s guitar amps are out of Mexico too. However my worse experience so far was a $1400 Ibanez Ashula. The batteries were dead on arrival. After that the batteries only lasted a week and that was without being plugged in. I returned it and never bothered with Ibanez again. That partially influenced my decision with the Korean Spector. I know the same thing could happen with music man basses but I’ve owned 3 so far and never had one problem
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I think that's also a moving target as once upon a time the mim Fenders on here were lauded as being the better deal overall for the price if you're not particular about the origin. I suppose what I'm saying is that I get country of origin being a consideration, but I'd be hesitant for it to be a big enough red flag that I'd swear off a line of basses if I could still test in person. Fwiw, I had a great Ibanez SR 700. Great till the neck twisted. I wouldn't say I swore them off though, my Rickenbackers not only did the same thing but were prone to it even being MIA
 
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