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Dingwall Owners Club

#28,941
Everything is fine now except for some minor grounding issue. I have a low volume crackling noise that disappears when I touch anything metal (ie knobs, strings, bridge etc.). I will resolder all ground connections, that should eliminate it.

Should anyone come across that strange noise I had, that hissing that sounded like a synth loop ;) - I had the DG electronics tugged in too snug, there was a good amount of pressure on the top where all the cables are connected. It seems this has caused the sharp ends of the solder points below the circuit board to touch the paint at one end, and that caused the noise. I've wrapped it in its foam again and took my time to find a good spot for it. That one additional pickup cable sure made things tight in there...
 
#28,942
The_Owl said:
...I've mostly been using the N/B combo with pickups internally in series. I've tried the M/B w PUs in parallel...
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steve_rolfeca said:
Does your AB have coil tap switches?
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:whistle:

To be fair, I get confused writing about it as well. It's hard to differentiate between series or parallel wiring of two pickups and the pickup itself internally - especially when the 3X and D-bird switches don't have the same modes.
 
#28,944
IvanBassist said:
Has the finish of the necks changed over the years? On my recent trip to Session Music Frankfurt I got to play a bunch of dingwalls (SP, NG2,NG3) and the neck finishes felt smoother (& also less shiny) compared to the finish on my SJ
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Not only have the finishes changed but the regulations on what is allowed in the finish chemistry have changed.
 
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#28,945
The_Owl said:
Rap with me a bit, Dingwall brethren. I'm having doubts about being able to get the kind of tone I want when recording with my AB. While it does sound really good through an amp and cab and/or with a lot of drive, processing and gain, I'm having issues finding a clean tone that works for me. At least when recording direct or through an XLR. I've yet had the opportunity to amp/reamp a clean signal.

There is definitely no doubt I'm getting a high fidelity full range tone, but I'm finding it lacks a bit of character to sit well in the mix. I've mostly been using the N/B combo with pickups internally in series. I've tried the M/B w PUs in parallel, but I'm having mixed results. While the initial transient and attack of the notes in this mode are quick and responsive, I find that the fundamental has a tendency to not resonate the way I want (abstract, I know). In the N/B mode, I find that the tone sits better in the mix, but that the mids are not adding any character to the tone. Ironic, considering my bass is solid Bubinga and Wenge, two very mid focused woods.

I have been considering a pickup swap to the FDVs, as it might be the case of the FD3s being a bit too modern for my taste. I like a warmer, more vintage/mid focused response rather than sharp and detailed modern one.

Again, I need to attempt recording with my amp and cab miced up before I make any changes, but I'm also looking for feedback from the Dingwall people here who mainly play their Dingwalls with clean tones.
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FDV's will likely give you the character you're looking for. They have been the answer to anyone who's felt the FD3's are too sterile sounding. Their tone balance is similar to the FD3s. If you're looking for a more bottom-heavy tone, Super-Fatty II's are a better choice.
 
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#28,946
Sheldon D. said:
FDV's will likely give you the character you're looking for. They have been the answer to anyone who's felt the FD3's are too sterile sounding. Their tone balance is similar to the FD3s. If you're looking for a more bottom-heavy tone, Super-Fatty II's are a better choice.
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To add to this. My experience has been that live, I run pickups in series...but for nearly every studio session I've done, the parallel bridge/neck setting has worked better, and this has been across a bunch of years and multiple studio/recording sessions and Dingwall basses. Tube preamps help (and if you've got the ability, you might get more love out of a UA LA-2A even if it's not set to do much by way of compression/limiting, but it does some really nice tonal coloring.

In nearly all I've done, I use my Monique as a tube DI, I reduce the sensitivity control way back compared to my stage setting (clearer and less harmonic content) as well. It fared better than the Avalon U5 in critical playback.
 
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#28,947
Sheldon D. said:
FDV's will likely give you the character you're looking for. They have been the answer to anyone who's felt the FD3's are too sterile sounding. Their tone balance is similar to the FD3s. If you're looking for a more bottom-heavy tone, Super-Fatty II's are a better choice.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips, Sheldon! It's not that I'm lacking low end, not at all. That's never an issue with Dingwalls.

What do you think about going with one P-tone and two FDV:s? Since I have the S/P-switches, would it work well with the bridge in series?
 
#28,949
whirledpeas said:
I’d like to buy a new pick guard to match the white pearloid blocks on my SPJ5 (and finally ease my apparent OCD, lol).

Who’s making quality guards worthy of these instruments? Love to hear suggestions from the Dingwall enthusiast collective!
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If you're not altering the pickguard shape, Chandler aka "Pickguard Heaven" is a safe bet (and I know the shop does refer people there). Invalid Link Removed

I ended up having mine cut by Terrapin Pickguards, since Chandler wouldn't work with mine for having an altered perimeter. They were fantastic to work with and I'm happy with the three I had cut: Invalid Link Removed

Note that people will have slightly different materials, so do check a bunch and find the one that best suits your vision.
 
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#28,950
whirledpeas said:
I’d like to buy a new pick guard to match the white pearloid blocks on my SPJ5 (and finally ease my apparent OCD, lol).

Who’s making quality guards worthy of these instruments? Love to hear suggestions from the Dingwall enthusiast collective!
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I'm sort of in the home stretch of this myself. I have one of my SJ4's up in your neighborhood, at Mike Lull's shop, having some work done including a couple new pickguards, and I also have one of my SJ5's down at Mo's shop, also having a few new pickguards made.
I don't have them back yet, but I have every reason to feel confident in these specialists work.
 
#28,951
Peter Lufrano said:
I'm sort of in the home stretch of this myself. I have one of my SJ4's up in your neighborhood, at Mike Lull's shop, having some work done including a couple new pickguards, and I also have one of my SJ5's down at Mo's shop, also having a few new pickguards made.
I don't have them back yet, but I have every reason to feel confident in these specialists work.
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Nice. Is Mike’s shop cutting the pickguard themselves?
 
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#28,953
whirledpeas said:
I’d like to buy a new pick guard to match the white pearloid blocks on my SPJ5 (and finally ease my apparent OCD, lol).

Who’s making quality guards worthy of these instruments? Love to hear suggestions from the Dingwall enthusiast collective!
Click to expand...

Is a current model PJ? If so Dingwall sells them you just have to email. I bought a P5 pearloid pickguard just a couple months ago. If not see everyone else's replies :)
 
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#28,958
The_Owl said:
Thanks for the tips, Sheldon! It's not that I'm lacking low end, not at all. That's never an issue with Dingwalls.

What do you think about going with one P-tone and two FDV:s? Since I have the S/P-switches, would it work well with the bridge in series?
Click to expand...

Why not start with just the P-tone and see where that gets you? It records extremely well.
 
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