Dingwall -- (ignorant) What's The Big Deal?

[Mr_BK]

I do have 2 Canadian DIngwalls. My Z3 is - in technical terms - the best bass I have. And I own about 1 dozen including EBMM, Fender, Warwick etc.

The Z3 encompasses a lot of perfectly executed and new solutions. It is well made as well as innovative. The bridge system is an engineering marvel as is the headstock that is tilted and does not need string retainers and looks way better than any other headstock on a multiscale. The neck is incredibly slim and fast as well as stable. Magnetic battery cover and superb craftmanship complete the Z3.
The sound is clear, articulate and very even across strings, which is the point here. It is clearer than all my other basses without loosing fundament and heft. It has a special sound though when compared to classic basses. Due to the greast ergonomics the extended scale is less straining than for example my Warwick Thumb 5 which isn't even multiscale. I do have a Glockenklang and a Darkglass PreAmp in my Dingwalls, both absolutely quiet and great sounding.

However, there are things to consider. I am not a big fan of the PU-selector knob. There is no compensation for volume differences which is annoying IMHO. Also, a lot of TB'ers seem to favour different PU combinations and mod the selector, which can be seen as a surrogate for it being underwhelming. The S/P switches don't really do the trick for me. Given that fact that the Dingwall PUs seem to be split coils and given the volume differences with those switches I find them unnecessary and complicating things.

In the end ... really great basses though that are technical and ergonomical masterpieces and offer theri own take on what a bass is. Sheldon Dingwall made electrical basses evolve.

BUT ... I would never pay 3K for a factory import from China. Even if such a price tag could be justified by whatewer reasons there might be ... it crosses a line for me personally and I am out.

 

[Nebadon2000]

BUT ... I would never pay 3K for a factory import from China. Even if such a price tag could be justified by whatewer reasons there might be ... it crosses a line for me personally and I am out.

At 71 I understand your bias as I to have had it and still difficult to overcome

Based on past experience of crap China produced not only in Music gear but Home Stereo along with many products in all areas companies like Walmart sold us

Yes some political reasons also

But today some companies in Music Gear have been able to produce good products in cooperation with overseas companies and of course in electronics such as Cell Phones, chips stc.

 

[Element Zero]

Did you get the opportunity to play the John Taylor model with the Neve preamp? I'm wondering why you didn't go with that model if you didn't like the Darkglass preamp? Seems like the JT-5 would be more to your liking.

There weren't any in stock at the time. Plus, I 100% cannot stand the look of the JT lol. The stripes are just hideous and the choice between the interesting (but very much NOT me) green or black I just don't find attractive. The purple Nashville with the Neve has my attention if only it didn't have the ridiculously large pickguard.

Gotta be able to find your instrument attractive to a point. That's why I had the custom pickguard made for my NG.

 

[Element Zero]

Nah, the difference is clear especially with metal downtuning, the Bs are all that. For motown, no necessary

Might not be needed but it's still a great bass that's worked well for me even with some Christopher Cross

 

[WouldULikeSomeE]

Adding my 2¢ as someone with a Z3. They aren't for everybody, mine is with FDVs and a darkglass preamp and it's the most aggressive sounding bass I own, it's also incredibly clear, almost piano like on all the strings, the lower frets can be a reach, especially if you're like me and both short and play in the classical position. It's also incredibly versatile, I can dumb it down from aggression to a soft p bass esque tone in passive mode with the neck pup, it does classic J and MM tones with ease too. The neck is incredibly stable, even here in Germany where the weather has been unstable and humid recently, it might as well not need tuning, it's as stable as a graphite neck almost. It's also slim, fast and plays like butter, I've not had to get it setup in 2 years now as it just doesn't move. The low B is of course fantastic, but also the higher strings being shorter means they sound nice and sweet, and don't have that kind of "ping" sound they can sometimes have on standard scale basses. You can get other fantastic low Bs on standard scales too (Warwick and LeFay come to mind), but then you're paying a lot more than the $3k an NG or AB costs.

 

[Mr_BK]

At 71 I understand your bias as I to have had it and still difficult to overcome

Based on past experience of crap China produced not only in Music gear but Home Stereo along with many products in all areas companies like Walmart sold us

Yes some political reasons also

But today some companies in Music Gear have been able to produce good products in cooperation with overseas companies and of course in electronics such as Cell Phones, chips stc.

I do not doubt the quality of the import instruments. I am just not willing to pay a premium price tag that approaches Europen- or US-made insturments and surpasses other Asian makers by a large margin.

 

[Sid the Kid]

I just like being able to clearly hear every note I'm playing. As stated above they are very unforgiving to poor technique because of the clarity and trueness of pitch. I have a handful of traditional basses and when I play them sloppily with my bands the mistakes just muddle in, with the Dingwall I'm getting dirty looks. I love that, makes me strive to be a better player.

The tone of the Dingwalls took a little while to get used to. It's not as inherently muscular as my EMG J equipped Ibanez basses but it takes EQ better and is ultimately a better sounding instrument. Once I overcame the learning curve I haven't had a desire to play anything else.

They probably aren't for everybody but if you're curious give them a shot! Plenty of P and J basses available if it doesn't work out. If you buy used you will likely be able to sell the instrument for what you paid. I actually made money selling a few used DRocs that I didn't jive with.

 

[Sid the Kid]

I do not doubt the quality of the import instruments. I am just not willing to pay a premium price tag that approaches Europen- or US-made insturments and surpasses other Asian makers by a large margin.

Thing is my Chinese Dingwalls are better constructed than my American Fenders, and the price was within a few hundred bucks. Plus I'm not stuck with a crummy Fender B string and pickups. No desire or need to mod. Provenance be damned, just have to judge the instruments for what they are not where they originated.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

There weren't any in stock at the time. Plus, I 100% cannot stand the look of the JT lol. The stripes are just hideous and the choice between the interesting (but very much NOT me) green or black I just don't find attractive. The purple Nashville with the Neve has my attention if only it didn't have the ridiculously large pickguard.

Gotta be able to find your instrument attractive to a point. That's why I had the custom pickguard made for my NG.

I get it!! That cream colored JT was my favorite finish on that line. It is definitely a nod to the 80's. Definitely not for everyone. Maybe they will do a different design for the next run . White with black and/ or silver stripes would be nice. I see the blacked out version is quite popular.

I wasn't aware about the Nashville having the Neve. Yeah that purple quilt is nice . Just remove that clear pick guard all together and you have a sweet looking bass. But wow they are hefty in weight and price. That close to what I paid for my Fodera and weighs over a lb. more.

On another note, I'm finding it quite interesting that some of the descriptions given on the draw of the Dingwalls sound exactly like what drew me away from EBMM to my current players. ( minus the extended scale and fanned frets ).

Just goes to show that instruments are not one size fits all . You have to find what combinations of specs works best for you . And I agree, it must be visually appealing for me as the player and feel good in the hands.

 

[Mr_BK]

Thing is my Chinese Dingwalls are better constructed than my American Fenders, and the price was within a few hundred bucks. Plus I'm not stuck with a crummy Fender B string and pickups. No desire or need to mod. Provenance be damned, just have to judge the instruments for what they are not where they originated.

I was not talking about individual experiences with the quality of specific brands. Personal experiences are just that. Personal.

I was however comparing instruments for what they are and what I have to pay for it. And there is a discrepancy in the Dingwall import line. I can get premium instruments originating from the far east for half the price of an import Dingwall or less ... with an excellent quality. Think premium Ibanez basses, Cort, Sire etc.
The problem I see is neither the quality of the Dingwalls nor the fact that their origins are in the Asian area. The problem is that their price tag - bang for the buck - does not match other instruments from that region with similar quality standards. Like at all.

And that is where I won't bite. Me. Personally. Of course everyone can do as they see fit. But the discrepancy in the price is there. *I* have nothing against outsourcing production. But I won't pay domestic prices for outsourced products.

 

[DennyOnBass]

One of our local music stores held a Bass Day about a month ago and brought me in to talk about gear, specifically dialing in tone and pedalboard stuff. One of the attendees had one of the Chinese Dingwalls and was kind enough to let me play it after the clinic was done. It was perfectly set up and one of the easiest basses I've ever played, easily equal to a friend's Sadowsky that I got to play years ago. It sounded even everywhere - I was definitely impressed.

The tone was great as well. There wasn't a lot of vibe to it, but I play a couple of janky 70's P and J basses, a Guild Starfire I hollowbody, and a Stingray 5 at my various gigs. I wouldn't call it sterile, but definitely "clean" in comparison to my collection. I could see myself rocking something like that though if I only had one bass and needed it to sound even and able to cover a lot of ground.

 

[Element Zero]

@MochaFiend Not sure where you're located but I'd recommend taking a road trip (if feasible) to at least try one or many at a store. I think all bass players should get their hands on one and see what's what. Maybe you'll like one. Maybe not. Maybe you'll find something else you like and will have a NBD post so we can all

 

[dazmond]

As far as the pricing goes, they are a business trying to survive **AND** pay the employees living wages. Sheldon Dingwall is known (especially in town) to be a fantastic employer trying to do right by his people and build incredible basses. The passive basses (SP1, D-roc) are a little less expensive. They maybe aren't for everybody, but they at least do have some distinctions from parallel fret basses. The tone going towards the octave frets is much more clear than a standard 34" scale( long scale models). Jealous you got to see Adam Neely!

 

[Nebadon2000]

As far as the pricing goes, they are a business trying to survive **AND** pay the employees living wages. Sheldon Dingwall is known (especially in town) to be a fantastic employer trying to do right by his people and build incredible basses. The passive basses (SP1, D-roc) are a little less expensive. They maybe aren't for everybody, but they at least do have some distinctions from parallel fret basses. The tone going towards the octave frets is much more clear than a standard 34" scale( long scale models). Jealous you got to see Adam Neely!

Don't have to defend Dingwall based on someone's assertion that they are overpriced Sire, Ibanez and Cort
We know better and MIC Dingwall owners for sure know better

Dingwall is more comparable to Sadowsky Metroline, Sandberg, EBMM also considering they do setup and QC in same place by same people who do the same for their Custom Basses

 

[dazmond]

Don't have to defend Dingwall based on someone's assertion that they are overpriced Sire, Ibanez and Cort
We know better and MIC Dingwall owners for sure know better

Dingwall is more comparable to Sadowsky Metroline, Sandberg, EBMM also considering they do setup and QC in same place by same people who do the same for their Custom Basses

Guilty local fanboy But maaaybe just in case someone didn't know that.......

 

[scottycameron]

Whelp, if they were cheap people would turn their nose up at them.

I'm in equipment sales. we are not the cheapest and not the most expensive. Any pricing complaints are handled with some version of "we sell at the bare minimum price we can offer while still delivering the quality our customers expect and deserve."

 

[MochaFiend]

Jealous you got to see Adam Neely!

Come to NYC! I'd love to hang out!

 

[MochaFiend]

We know better and MIC Dingwall owners for sure know better

Dingwall is more comparable to Sadowsky Metroline, Sandberg, EBMM also considering they do setup and QC in same place by same people who do the same for their Custom Basses

Okay, but considering that a really expensive Sterling by MM is under a thousand, I'm still not sure how you're justifying it based on the criteria. An "expensive" Sterling by MM is $1599. A Dingwall MIC is more that double that. I may be misunderstanding, but it sounds like you're attributing the cost to where someone does a setup? Come on now. Send it to me completely shaged up and I'll get a local tech to sort it in under an hour. Dingwall is charging roughly the same price for MIC as Ernie Ball MM Ball Family Reserve! I'm glad you can make it make sense in your mind, but from the outside, it's just... what?

 

[JoeyFab]

Not to sidetrack the thread, but hasn't Ibanez been selling a multi-scale bass guitar now for many years? I think I tried it once in a music store long ago, but I really wasn't quite the expert () back then that I am now.

 

[silky smoove]

Okay, but considering that a really expensive Sterling by MM is under a thousand, I'm still not sure how you're justifying it based on the criteria.

They're different basses with different design philosophies and features.

Further, the only justification they need to do is set them at a price where they sell and the business can, at a minimum, remain operational and pay its employees a living wage. They're doing that, so what more justification could they need?