I've got a SUper P in the pipeline, which was going to be a super PJ, but I"m wondering if I should keep my existing Super P and flip it into a fancy Super Jx3. hrm. Can you get a neck P-tone in a modern Super J5/ 3x?
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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
My ex did a paper in a wood anatomy class where she did cross-sectional analysis of tonewood samples common to luthiery, then compared the most common ways those tonewoods are described as sounding, and found no correlation between the wood anatomy and the perceived tone.
I have a Super PJ5, and it is a great bass, but my SJ5XXX is the finest instrument I have ever owned or played, so my vote is obvious. And I love my stock FD3 neck PUP. I have a Ptone PUP for install in the middle position should I ever want a change.
Do I feel a tone wood debate coming
Was your ex a bass player or luthier? I hang out with Kenneth Lawrence a lot...his shop is right down the street from where I live. You may have heard of him. Anyway, I've learned a lot about wood from him. He has all kinds of exotic hardwoods around his shop. All you need to do is tap different species samples with the tip of your finger or knuckle to hear the difference in tone. He has been building world-renowned basses for over 30 years and vehemently rejects the notion that wood type is immaterial to the sound of an instrument. It may not show up on engineering studies, but it does to the trained ear of a musician or luthier. It's all about vibrations baby! Kinda like string theory.
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By the time sound hits my ears, I think the body/neck/fingerboard wood "tone qualities" are vastly diminished. Pick, strings, pickups (and all that goes with them - multiple pickups, where they're placed, series.parallel, etc etc), on board preamp, pedals, amp preamp, power section, speakers... any one of those things will have a much greater and noticeable change on tone than any wood on an electric bass. On an acoustic instrument (especially guitar, violin, upright bass, etc) the wood is much, much more of what you're hearing as it's producing the sound directly itself. For me, I buy woods I like to look at on my electric instruments... if there is a difference between any two, well, I can certainly overcome that with all the tools at my disposal.
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I see Nate had the same suggestion as me - the Super P's are incredible and well worth the money.
I also had the pleasure of playing an orange-swirl NG-2 over the weekend while I was in Melbourne. It's reinforced that I'm definitely on the Dingwall train, and definitely keen to hear the difference between it and the Combustion 3X 6 string I have on the way which should be here in a few months. Can't wait.
Of course they are diminished compared to an acoustic instrument, but they are still there to my ears. One of the most satisfying purchases I've ever made was my custom Dingwall, where I choose every piece of wood on the bass, based on what I knew I liked. Not for the looks. But for the tone qualities and sustain inherent in the woods. Also, my technique is very percussive, so wood tone is more pronounced. I feel it in my body.
I have a lightweight alder Fender P, and a heavy as hell ash Fender P. Same pickups, same strings, same player - still a different sound. I agree that pickups and placement of PU, strings and electronics have a larger influence on the sound of an electric bass, but wood definitely plays a role.
I had two Spector Euros, one with a matte stain finish (satin, feels like raw wood) and one with a thick, hard poly laquer high gloss finish. The basses were otherwise the same, same woods (I think maple over alder), same pickups, same strings. That high gloss one was harsher in the top end and felt bassier. The satin one sounded more middy, more musical somehow.
Ever played a wenge neck bubinga body Warwick bass? They even sound gritty and snarly when played without any amplification. That's got to be the woods used.
I guess it's just a matter of how everything works together. Even action height can alter the tone drastically, and I'm not speaking about fret buzz.
I had two Spector Euros, one with a matte stain finish (satin, feels like raw wood) and one with a thick, hard poly laquer high gloss finish. The basses were otherwise the same, same woods (I think maple over alder), same pickups, same strings. That high gloss one was harsher in the top end and felt bassier. The satin one sounded more middy, more musical somehow.
Ever played a wenge neck bubinga body Warwick bass? They even sound gritty and snarly when played without any amplification. That's got to be the woods used.
I guess it's just a matter of how everything works together. Even action height can alter the tone drastically, and I'm not speaking about fret buzz.
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I dont have any clips of the D Bird but at London Bass Show this year and at the Guitar Summit this year (in Mannheim Germany) i played the D Bird Standard prototype.
At the Guitar Summit i was able to play it through the Darkglass 900 amp at a very lound volume and at london only with a tiny phil johns headphone amp.
I can tell you this bass sound massive and the 3 pickups is the best setting.
Long story short my D Bird standad will arive in one or two monthes.
This is a vid from the London show earlier this year. I hope this helps you.
At the London show i was with Sheldon at the booth of Eich amps (German highend Bass amp brand) when the show was closed for the day and the Dbird was played through one of the eich amps and through the eich bassboard.
Sheldon and i where standing one the Bass board and feeling the vibrations with the amazing sound was just great!
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Thought you guys may dig my modded Combustion V4. She is starting to get some wear on her which I am quite enjoying. The gold Dingwall logo and beautiful maple board ispired the change.
Yeah I've watched this video a few times, sounds great! I'm very happy to hear about the DBird Standard sounding massive, I figure the 3 pickup setting will be the one I use most. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Yeah I've watched this video a few times, sounds great! I'm very happy to hear about the DBird Standard sounding massive, I figure the 3 pickup setting will be the one I use most. Thank you for sharing your experience!
I talked with Sheldon and he sayed that everybody that played that bass loves the 3 pick up sound.
He is right, because it sounds different. Its not a typical sound like a J or a P bass, its more like its own amazing sound.
Very nice! Where did you find a gold string tee? That's the only thing I couldn't find for mine.
Thanks! I was very happy with how it turned out. I ordered the guard first as I liked the NG-2 position, then made the switch with the hardware.
I believe I found the string tree on stewmac under a 7 string guitar tree if I'm remembering correctly.
I believe I found the string tree on stewmac under a 7 string guitar tree if I'm remembering correctly.
