I like all my basses but my Chinese Dingwall JT 5 string has dethroned all my others for top of the heap.
They're building killer stuff over there.
They're building killer stuff over there.
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Dingwall -- (ignorant) What's The Big Deal?
- Thread starter MochaFiend
- Start date
So much for those who think Dingwall is only for metal (!) Excellent playing and your bass sounds phenomenal!
That post says more about you than Combustion Bass
Thank you @MochaFiend. Wasn't aware of this sale.Dingwall Guitars John Taylor Signature 4-string Electric Bass - Gloss Cream | Sweetwater
Looking for Dingwall Guitars John Taylor Signature 4-string Electric Bass Gloss Cream? Have a look at SN 20277!www.sweetwater.com
Oooh, tempting... God knows I don't need another bass, especially since my main go-to's now are two Sadowski's. I have several basses I really ought to sell since I don't play them much since getting the Sado's, but reselling anything these days has gotten to be such a PITA.
And I've never tried a fanned fret, and I really don't need another bass, and...
The genius of these things is to combine much longer scale lengths for the lower strings in an overall package that's the same size as a normal 34.5" instrument.
I'd tend to not buy into the idea except Lee Sklar is convinced and records with it. That tells me a lot.
Never played one, so my jury is still out, and I wonder if it would be much of an adjustment for me to the fanned frets.
I hope to find out soon.
BTW. Do they make those pickups themselves?
I'd tend to not buy into the idea except Lee Sklar is convinced and records with it. That tells me a lot.
Never played one, so my jury is still out, and I wonder if it would be much of an adjustment for me to the fanned frets.
I hope to find out soon.
BTW. Do they make those pickups themselves?
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Yes
The FD3N is made in their China facility. All others are made in their Canadian custom shop.
I just grabbed a fugly green one today.
The black just doesn't do it for me. If you're doing weird 80's stripes, go full on obnoxious. The mid 80's were not about playing it safe with color choices..
I'll probably list my Combustion 4 now to help fund it. Seems kind of redundant now.
I'll have 2 "JT" basses now with my '80 SB-1000.
This will be the 4th fanned fret I've owned.
I currently have:
Mayones Patriot 5 VF
Combustion 4
I had a Dimension 5
I'm with you on the "JT" bass collection. I have a 1985 SB-1000 to mate with my Dingwall when it arrives.
I've spent some time playing Chinese made Dingwall NG3 and comparing it to all of my other basses.
What an incredible instrument. It's simply on another level.
Pros:
Today China makes really high quality things (phones, cars, mysical instruments, etc.) which cannot be cheap.
All above of course is just my opinion.
What an incredible instrument. It's simply on another level.
Pros:
- Piano-like tone
- Outstanding B string
- Even string tension across all five strings, with slightly higher overall tension than on traditional basses
- Excellent intonation across the entire fretboard
- Great sustain on every string and every fret
- Virtually no dead spots
- Excellent balance
- Fantastic midrange character
- Very versatile pickup combinations
- Active/passive switching
- Ergonomics: because of the longer scale length, reaching the lower frets takes more effort and my left hand gets tired more quickly
- Weight: I wish it were no more than 4.1 kg (9 lbs). Mine weighs 4.3 kg (9.5 lbs)
- Limited string options compared to standard-scale basses
- Playing above the 12th fret still feels a bit unfamiliar due to the fanned frets—it will take some practice
Today China makes really high quality things (phones, cars, mysical instruments, etc.) which cannot be cheap.
All above of course is just my opinion.
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They are excellent basses. They have really surged in popularity over the last two years. Easy to see why. Sometimes I wonder if the competitors version of the multiscale basses can actually boost Dingwall sales when folks see some of the flaws of those instruments. You usually get the feel of the 37 inch B string but at the same time you wonder what's missing. The JT had been at its cheaper price on sweetwater since at least May. That cheaper price opened a lot of people to Dingwall, I'm sure. I bit the bullet at fret nation. Why? I knew it was an awesome bass, and the price was also a factor. What made my mind up is that Jason did not charge sales tax. You see that concept of going beyond to help customers in the smaller shops and that means a lot these days. He once sold me a brand new Darkglass Infinty 210 combo amp as an open box unit for $850. That was a hefty discount. All voluntary on his end. I'm fortunate enough to live 50 minutes away from a Dingwall dealer that is usually fairly well stocked with Dingwall's. They will tell you that there are no other basses like them. It wouldn't hurt Dingwall or Guitar Center if Guitar Center(musician's friend) became a Dingwall dealer. I think it would really put Dingwall out there in a way that they haven't experienced yet. But at the same time I understand why Dingwall might not want to be associated with Guitar Center with the store's horrible reputation. At the same time Guitar Center could hurt Dingwall's reputation.
My advise to anyone new to Dingwall would be to start out with a Combustion style model. Then try a DRoc, and then try the SP1. Or you could buy the Combustion style Dingwall and then go full Canadian Dingwall. I would tell people, do not start out with the SP1. It is not the best representation of what Dingwall's capabilities.
My advise to anyone new to Dingwall would be to start out with a Combustion style model. Then try a DRoc, and then try the SP1. Or you could buy the Combustion style Dingwall and then go full Canadian Dingwall. I would tell people, do not start out with the SP1. It is not the best representation of what Dingwall's capabilities.
First thing to do is to stop looking at the Dingwall in-stock basses as Chinese basses. These basses are phenomenal as are the MTD Kingston line. Some of the Chinese builders have come a long way.
Some of the assembly is done when Dingwall & MTD receives them, plus they go through each of them thoroughly before they go to the dealers.
When I received my NG3 the action was super low with no fret buzz and the bass was flawless. I started having problem with the jack shorting out. Dingwall paid the shipping both ways to get it checked out and repaired. Amazing.
These off-the-shelf Dingwalls were about $2600 here in the US before tariffs. I bought one from a Canadian dealer a year ago and got it delivered as tariffs were being imposed and it squeaked through.
Contact Blaise Black at The Vibrato Bar in Burlington Ontario Canada to see what he has in stock. I got my NG3 (4 string) for about $2200.
Plan a small vacation and travel up there to try it out. Trust me, you won't leave without it.
You still have the tariff issue to deal with so take with you a junk bass of a similar color in a cheap gig bag. Tell them you're going up to play music with a friend. Bring back the Dingwall.
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It's official. NBD.
I've played this bass for a few hours and I can honestly say I get it. There are some things that really leap out to me immediately.
1. The electronics are silent. I don't have to turn to find "the sweet spot". It's just silent.
2. This is a loud bass. Without changing any settings on my amp, I plucked one note and the whole room vibrated. It actually made me jump.
3. It is not immediately tameable. I'm going to have to work a bit to find tones that match my needs, but small tweaks make a huge difference. It's very diverse, sonically.
4. The fanned frets are not an issue at all. The visual offset is what makes the upper frets challenging because horizontally, the fret wire is a half step higher in some places between the E and G strings, but this is true of the Strandbergs also.
5. It is a very comfortable bass to hold and play.
6. I wish the preamp had a mid band, but I like that there is a master tone that can finesse the tone when the preamp is turned on.
7. I like the magnetic battery compartment but I wish it was just a smidge wider. It fits alkalines easily, but the more angular lithium 9v batteries were a really tight squeeze. I'm not looking forward to getting those back out. A strip of nylon webbing would have been welcome to assist with popping batteries out.
8. If the five string was the same price as the four (on sale) I'd own the five string.
9. The scale length of the Dingwall JT is slightly more awkward than that of the Strandberg Boden. The neutral fret on Strandberg is 7. I believe it's 8 on the JT4.
I've played this bass for a few hours and I can honestly say I get it. There are some things that really leap out to me immediately.
1. The electronics are silent. I don't have to turn to find "the sweet spot". It's just silent.
2. This is a loud bass. Without changing any settings on my amp, I plucked one note and the whole room vibrated. It actually made me jump.
3. It is not immediately tameable. I'm going to have to work a bit to find tones that match my needs, but small tweaks make a huge difference. It's very diverse, sonically.
4. The fanned frets are not an issue at all. The visual offset is what makes the upper frets challenging because horizontally, the fret wire is a half step higher in some places between the E and G strings, but this is true of the Strandbergs also.
5. It is a very comfortable bass to hold and play.
6. I wish the preamp had a mid band, but I like that there is a master tone that can finesse the tone when the preamp is turned on.
7. I like the magnetic battery compartment but I wish it was just a smidge wider. It fits alkalines easily, but the more angular lithium 9v batteries were a really tight squeeze. I'm not looking forward to getting those back out. A strip of nylon webbing would have been welcome to assist with popping batteries out.
8. If the five string was the same price as the four (on sale) I'd own the five string.
9. The scale length of the Dingwall JT is slightly more awkward than that of the Strandberg Boden. The neutral fret on Strandberg is 7. I believe it's 8 on the JT4.
I'll do my best to say less.
This is most of my current line up. I've played many other boutique brands.
Nothing doesn't like dingwall. The sounds I want. The playability I want.
Some people are cheap. Some people are broke. Some people love spending money. I'm cheap broke and love spending money. BUT I love spending it on quality. I know what I want due to what my fingers, ears and desires tell me. I just do that that. Turns out it's dingwall.
I have a 30+ yr old dingwall and the neck is thinner and as comfortable as my recent builds. It's actually the first 6 string dingwall ever built. Sheldon has been working on building perfect instruments(in his vision) since he began this venture. His vision aligns with mine.
I'm not a fan boy. I like what I like. I like other brands/instruments too.
This is most of my current line up. I've played many other boutique brands.
Nothing doesn't like dingwall. The sounds I want. The playability I want.
Some people are cheap. Some people are broke. Some people love spending money. I'm cheap broke and love spending money. BUT I love spending it on quality. I know what I want due to what my fingers, ears and desires tell me. I just do that that. Turns out it's dingwall.
I have a 30+ yr old dingwall and the neck is thinner and as comfortable as my recent builds. It's actually the first 6 string dingwall ever built. Sheldon has been working on building perfect instruments(in his vision) since he began this venture. His vision aligns with mine.
I'm not a fan boy. I like what I like. I like other brands/instruments too.
I'm lucky (read: irresponsible) enough to own some pretty amazing basses, like a Fodera, 2 Marleaux basses, and now two Canadian Dingwalls.
The quality is simply off the charts. They're perfect, so incredibly well-built, and the design is impeccable. Weight, ergonomics, sound, feel, features, solid-built, everything. My other basses are also amazing, but for me Dingwall just about edges them (by a tiny amount). I've had some (extremely tiny, incredibly minor, very easily fixed) issues with my other basses, but both Dingwalls (ABZ 5 and ABII 6 fretless) are quite literally flawless. I cannot fault them in any way. They are expensive, but worth every last penny.
The quality is simply off the charts. They're perfect, so incredibly well-built, and the design is impeccable. Weight, ergonomics, sound, feel, features, solid-built, everything. My other basses are also amazing, but for me Dingwall just about edges them (by a tiny amount). I've had some (extremely tiny, incredibly minor, very easily fixed) issues with my other basses, but both Dingwalls (ABZ 5 and ABII 6 fretless) are quite literally flawless. I cannot fault them in any way. They are expensive, but worth every last penny.
I have posted these videos a few times already. I am super impressed with the build quality. The extended scale and fanned frets are certainly doable. I don't really have much of an issue until I get to the 20th fret. I just need to put in a good 30 hours of practice to acclimate my muscle memory.
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