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Dingwall Owners Club

#20,001
singlemalt said:
...I loved taking it to blues gigs. Those guys are kind of mired in tradition and the whole vintage thing. Plus, no one wants to borrow your bass at a jam.
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ha! Love this comment, cause I come from a blues background but am a guy that always liked to go beyond "traditional vintage P" sound.
 
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#20,002
Hambone70 said:
Apologies for time-wasting here. Excuses - I'm relatively new to bass, and the 5-string, long-scale, active, fanned-fret elements are new to me, and I'm coming to this late in life. Old dog, new tricks, etc.

Thanks for the help from everyone.
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I guess for me the transition to playing the extra long scale bass was pretty easy since I had been playing a 35" scale bass (and still do) for almost 20 years. And for most of that time period I used Stainless strings for that extra zing and have never really liked "p-tone", as my playing style depends on growl and sustain and a bit more tonal range.

As far as being relatively new to bass and posting here, don't be concerned; I personally am advanced garage band level and no where near the level of most players who post here. But that doesn't mean that I don't have a darn good time playing.
The physics of the Dingwalls is one of the things that make them attractive, as the physics tells us that the longer scale means more sustain & articulation. But I can see if a person was used to a "P" being THE bass sound, these basses would certainly be a bit initially difficult if one were trying to immediately duplicate that type sound (get other strings - flats). And if a person was used to a 32-34" scale, it would be a bit of a transition.

If the bass you purchased was used, there is no telling about the previous owner setup. Before giving up on it I would say take it in to a really good tech and have them set it up. It is possible that when you loosened the truss to get rid of the "metallic" sound that you then probably had to adjust the height of individual strings which made everything a bit off. I personally haven't found the ergonomics to be much different than other basses. I do also have a short scale bass and am able to go back and forth - when I want to, which is never when playing live.
 
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#20,003
Hambone70 said:
Apologies for time-wasting here. Excuses - I'm relatively new to bass, and the 5-string, long-scale, active, fanned-fret elements are new to me, and I'm coming to this late in life. Old dog, new tricks, etc.

Thanks for the help from everyone.
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Thank you for this. This post honestly helps explain the situation a lot. I feel we can be better suited to offer useful advice knowing where your coming from.

And I tell ya what. Old dogs can definitely learn new tricks if they are bored and need something to do! ;)

I've learned more in the last 3 years then I did in the previous 20. I found desire and passion which was not there before to the same level it is now.

I hope you have the action set the way you want it. As for positioning, looking at the photo, have you tried adding just another 1-2" to the strap length. This might help you get the fretboard a little closer and more comfortable to you. Don't be afraid to play it in more of an upright positioning if it feels comfortable.

You look like you'd be more comfortable on a SJ or P as a suggestion.
 
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#20,005
bebass said:
ha! Love this comment, cause I come from a blues background but am a guy that always liked to go beyond "traditional vintage P" sound.
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Talking about vintage P sound: am I the only one here who "lives in two worlds"? I love my vintage Fenders as much as I love my AB2.
When I decided it's time for a decent five string bass, I knew it had to be a Dingwall (having played a AB1 for a few years in the past). No need for ma to go the "P-Tone" route with the Dingwall, since I already have the perfect P-tones at hand in different instruments. I like the AB2 because it is so different from the Fenders. It complements the my collection nicely.
The decision which bass I take is depending more on personal mood than on the gig since the Fenders fit into almost every musical situation as well as the Dingwall does, except if the low register of the 5th string is mandatory (which it rarely is).

24893842267_547435bdb5_c.jpg
 
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#20,006
Energy said:
Talking about vintage P sound: am I the only one here who "lives in two worlds"? I love my vintage Fenders as much as I love my AB2.
View attachment 2940118
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Nope, you're not the only one!
What a gorgeous photo! The main problem I see though is that you need to get one of these:
GS414B
And once you see how much you like that, you might even want one of these to keep at home:
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#20,012
Energy said:
Talking about vintage P sound: am I the only one here who "lives in two worlds"? I love my vintage Fenders as much as I love my AB2.
When I decided it's time for a decent five string bass, I knew it had to be a Dingwall (having played a AB1 for a few years in the past). No need for ma to go the "P-Tone" route with the Dingwall, since I already have the perfect P-tones at hand in different instruments. I like the AB2 because it is so different from the Fenders. It complements the my collection nicely.
The decision which bass I take is depending more on personal mood than on the gig since the Fenders fit into almost every musical situation as well as the Dingwall does, except if the low register of the 5th string is mandatory (which it rarely is).

View attachment 2940118
Click to expand...

That white ABII is stunning.
 
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#20,013
Hambone70 said:
This feels comfortable, no wrist pain. Still 'searching' for the fanned fret positions, but getting there!
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Thanks for posting this, looks pretty good.
You could try adding an inch or two to the strap length to drop the bottom end down a touch and keep the neck position where you have it.
That should move the tummy cut into a more comfortable position and still keep your reach reasonable.
 
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#20,014
Waltsdog said:
Thanks for posting this, looks pretty good.
You could try adding an inch or two to the strap length to drop the bottom end down a touch and keep the neck position where you have it.
That should move the tummy cut into a more comfortable position and still keep your reach reasonable.
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The other piece of ergonomics (and I was looking at this again today while I was seated and doing my morning online-browse and finger-exercises)... is that the neck of the bass should be something like a 45 degree angle extended from your body rather than parallel to your front (working in 3 dimensions). This also changes wrist and hand position. This of course moves your left arm forward, changes your elbow, wrist and shoulder joint angles a bit.
 
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#20,015
BurningSkies said:
The other piece of ergonomics is that the neck of the bass should be something like a 45 degree angle extended from your body rather than parallel to your front (working in 3 dimensions).
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YES, in other words, a 45 degree angle as viewed from above in case that wasn't clear.

And what is the length of your strap? Like the others said, it looks a wee bit short. I found 42.5" works well for me. Everybody is different, and you need to experiment with it, which you are doing, which is great. Would you mind humoring me and just giving it a try at 42.5" and see how it feels? Maybe slightly less if you are less than 6' tall.
 
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#20,016
bebass said:
ha! Love this comment, cause I come from a blues background but am a guy that always liked to go beyond "traditional vintage P" sound.
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Working in a reggae world, there's plenty of 'vintage adulation' going on as well. I find I get really little comment or pushback because the full scale Dingwalls are so 'outlandishly' different and 'advanced' from the vintageland that you've polevaulted past all the cork-sniffing and right into 'what the hell is that' along with 'holy carp, that sounds amazing out front'. You're more likely to get interest and curiosity rather than hostility and attitude in a 'what's you're trip all about?' kind of way.

We also don't play 60bpm traditional reggae either, so sometimes the instrument fits the band, and the whole package is a surprise to people. We did an opener for the Wailers recently and the first few songs of our set simply STUNNED the packed audience who were reggae neophytes ready for Marley classics. That moment when you finish a song cold and it's silent for a hitch before the applause starts. ;)
 
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#20,017
Energy said:
Talking about vintage P sound: am I the only one here who "lives in two worlds"? I love my vintage Fenders as much as I love my AB2.
When I decided it's time for a decent five string bass, I knew it had to be a Dingwall (having played a AB1 for a few years in the past). No need for ma to go the "P-Tone" route with the Dingwall, since I already have the perfect P-tones at hand in different instruments. I like the AB2 because it is so different from the Fenders. It complements the my collection nicely.
The decision which bass I take is depending more on personal mood than on the gig since the Fenders fit into almost every musical situation as well as the Dingwall does, except if the low register of the 5th string is mandatory (which it rarely is).

View attachment 2940118
Click to expand...
I also live in both worlds.
That ABII is gorgeous. Very lusty.
 
#20,020
Hambone70 said:
Apologies for time-wasting here. Excuses - I'm relatively new to bass, and the 5-string, long-scale, active, fanned-fret elements are new to me, and I'm coming to this late in life. Old dog, new tricks, etc.

Thanks for the help from everyone.
Click to expand...
Stick with it and you shall be rewarded. In January, I made a Dingwall Super P5 my only bass in large part to force myself to learn to play the 5 string. I play it every day and have done three gigs with it. I have been a little clumsy in public, but forcing myself to be exclusive with the Dingwall 5 has been extremely beneficial to my adapting to a longer scale 5 (for over 40 years I’ve only played 4 string fender Jazz and P basses). While the SP5 is a different beast than your bass, it’s not that different and I just wanted to encourage you to stick with it. Repetition is your friend.
 
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