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Dingwall Owners Club

#2,701
There is excellent set up info on the Dingwall site.

Key to volume and consistent volume across the strings is pickup height. If I recall, the treble end of the pickup should be 3/32" below the G string when you fret the string at the highest fret. That's about the diameter of the Allen wrench that fits the pickup bolt. Then hook into something with a Vu meter, I use an old tape deck, and adjust the othe end do the volume across the strings is even. The more you raise the pick up, the louder it gets, but there is a point of diminishing returns. You can hear it.
 
#2,703
Yeah, you should ask Sheldon and maybe get your bass checked. My AB-II is very hot in passive mode, and in series basically overdrives the settings that are normally used for other basses.
 
#2,704
This was pretty cool on the Dingwall board. Lee Sklar was spotted playing at the Latin Grammys, but there was a question about what he was playing since it wasn't his signature model but there weren't good pictures. So, Mr. Sklar joined the forum and answered the question himself.

Invalid Link Removed

The answer was a Prima Artist, because the singer liked the natural wood look.
 
#2,706
I'm starting to wonder about the next Limited Edition Combustion color...

Anyone think there will be a new limited edition color for 2012?

I'm really hoping for some kind of bright blue, that would be an EASY choice for a second Dingwall.

Any other votes for a candy blue?!
 
#2,708
I am almost ready to buy a Dingwall. I am a little confused however about the differences, other than the obvious, between the Combustion, ABZ, AB I.. The neck shape seems to be different, no compound radius, I don't care about the made in china/canada thing, I like the maple board, Pickups are different and so on. Some help to sort this out with me.. There isn't one to try out anywhere around my area.
 
#2,709
iriegnome said:
I am almost ready to buy a Dingwall. I am a little confused however about the differences, other than the obvious, between the Combustion, ABZ, AB I.. The neck shape seems to be different, no compound radius, I don't care about the made in china/canada thing, I like the maple board, Pickups are different and so on. Some help to sort this out with me.. There isn't one to try out anywhere around my area.
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The neck shape is a little different on the Combustions. I don't know if I would have noticed it at all if it was the only Dingwall I ever played, but trading back and forth between a Combustion, an ABZ and a Z3, the Combustion had a little bit thicker neck, with a little more of a D shape, carrying the thickness further into the edges. It may have only been a millimeter difference, but I noticed it.

The ABZs have an open grain finish while all the others are smoother.

Dingwall owners are unique in that they tend to be evangelists for the instrument. It wouldn't surprise me if you could find a Dingwall owner in Wisconsin who would let you come over and play his bass, either on this board on on the Dingwall forum.

Good luck. I got mine a month ago and love it.
 
#2,711
iriegnome said:
I am almost ready to buy a Dingwall. I am a little confused however about the differences, other than the obvious, between the Combustion, ABZ, AB I.. The neck shape seems to be different, no compound radius, I don't care about the made in china/canada thing, I like the maple board, Pickups are different and so on. Some help to sort this out with me.. There isn't one to try out anywhere around my area.
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TodB covered pretty much everything, I believe.
In case you'd like to hear some sound clips of an ABZ, you can check my youtube channel (IvanBassist's Channel - YouTube).
I bought that bass without trying it first (had it shipped from Florida to Peru) and it plays like a dream.
 
#2,712
iriegnome said:
I am almost ready to buy a Dingwall. I am a little confused however about the differences, other than the obvious, between the Combustion, ABZ, AB I.. The neck shape seems to be different, no compound radius, I don't care about the made in china/canada thing, I like the maple board, Pickups are different and so on. Some help to sort this out with me.. There isn't one to try out anywhere around my area.
Click to expand...

I, too, am about to buy a Dingwall... the one you linked me too, actually. It's on hold right now, waiting for funds to come through!

I had a lot of issue trying to figure out what direction to go. At first, I was going with a Combustion with the idea to upgrade pickups later. But, as a passive bass player exclusively, I couldn't get over the EMG preamp. I know it can be removed, but the more I thought about it, and looked around, more I realized a used ABZ could be had for only a wee bit more than the Combustion.

I, too, am confused by the neck profile stuff. Maybe we can ask Sheldon and the guys at Dingwall to make up some sort of neck profile diagram for quick and easy comparison.

All in all, I think the ABZ just fits me better. Passive, maple board, all lightweight. I like the looks of the ABI and II, but not enough to shell out more money.
 
#2,713
I am an active guy. Also, I am a EMG Endorser, so many of my basses have EMG's in them. I really wish I could find one to try. Yes, a Neck profile chart to show the differences. That would be cool. Congrats on the hook up over in the For Sale section. Me, I have to wait for the dust to settle a little and then I can make my decision.
 
#2,714
You know, my feeling is that when it comes to the electronics package on Sheldon's basses, its' worth putting some trust in him and his ears. My feeling is that a good preamp should be transparent, when its set up correctly, when you switch the preamp on, it should sound no different than with it off, until you start turning knobs. That's one of the things I like about my Voodoo/Zebra.

Neck profiles are a pretty personal thing. I have both an AB neck and a Z, and they're definitely different from each other, but I find both comfortable. I haven't held a Combustion, but I'm sure the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

The Combustion design is a little more traditional than the AB. In that, its got its own charms. I happen to like Sheldon's gloss finishes, although I can understand people liking those flat open grained ABZ finishes as well.
 
#2,715
I am 98% sure I would not change the electronics in whatever I version of Dingwall I choose. I am a pretty big fan of the designer made them this way for a reason kind of thing. I guess my main concern is the neck profile and feel. I just wish it were possible to put my hands on the 3 of them to compare. This is one case where I just can't blind buy.
 
#2,716
iriegnome said:
I am 98% sure I would not change the electronics in whatever I version of Dingwall I choose. I am a pretty big fan of the designer made them this way for a reason kind of thing. I guess my main concern is the neck profile and feel. I just wish it were possible to put my hands on the 3 of them to compare. This is one case where I just can't blind buy.
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If you're in the neighborhood, come on by and you can try out the two I do have. :)
 
#2,719
I'm test driving the Dinwall ABZ5 > Mesa M6/Carvin BX1500 > fEARful 12/6 this weekend :) The fEAR owner wants to try the Dingwall, and vice versa, so the trade seems fair.

BTW, anyone else running the ABZ5 and an M6 find the tone knob needs to come way down, almost off, at low volumes to keep from getting a tone that isn't too thin? I'm not finding it super bright, just thin. Tempted to try a Walkabout or something else with parametric EQ to dial in what I'm after.
 
#2,720
TodB said:
The neck shape is a little different on the Combustions. I don't know if I would have noticed it at all if it was the only Dingwall I ever played, but trading back and forth between a Combustion, an ABZ and a Z3, the Combustion had a little bit thicker neck, with a little more of a D shape, carrying the thickness further into the edges. It may have only been a millimeter difference, but I noticed it.

The ABZs have an open grain finish while all the others are smoother.
Click to expand...

I own a Combustion and can attest to the D shape being somewhat flattened out. I dusted off my Yamaha TRB5II this week and I found the feel of the neck to be very similar between the them. I recently had an opportunity to try an ABZ along with a new C2 combustion. The ABZ is a slightly thinner neck and it too has a more flattened shape across the back. Like Todb said above, if I hadn't tried them in an A/B situation I'm not sure I would have noticed the difference. Both are very comfortable to play with. I definitely prefer the feel of them compared to any Fender products I've played (high & low end).

The ABZ is definitely lighter (just over 7 lbs IIRC) which the only difference I noticed about the feel between the 2 instruments.
 

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