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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
Question for everyone.
I was reading a few interviews of well known bass builders and they all stated that solid B strings depend more on quality of build material more than scale length. That's why they only build 34 inch scale length basses.
I was wondering if any of you have ever played a 34 inch bass with a great B string? A tight responsive B string is one of the many reasons why I gravitated toward Dingwall. Just curious as to what all of your thoughts and experiences have been?
I was reading a few interviews of well known bass builders and they all stated that solid B strings depend more on quality of build material more than scale length. That's why they only build 34 inch scale length basses.
I was wondering if any of you have ever played a 34 inch bass with a great B string? A tight responsive B string is one of the many reasons why I gravitated toward Dingwall. Just curious as to what all of your thoughts and experiences have been?
Yup. I mean the B on my J is amazballs.
The B on the Warwick thumb I had was also fantastic. Same as some really good others.
I committed to Dingwalls because the necks. I just love how they feel and play. Tone is tone IMO. With technology these days amazing tone can be had with lesser expensive instruments IMO
Yes, a bit. But I'm not a fan of flamed tops. I prefer solid colors, or a good old fashioned burst.
BTW, this is my new ABI (my other Dingwall is a Ferrari Green NG2).
It could use some nice silver, fancy scratchplate.
I slap it a lot. And that’s just between us guys, right?
The black pickguard on my Super P totally shows every pinky nail contact. It turned into a huge swirl on the gloss black pickguard. I ended up sticking a Darkglass logo on it. My own special edition. At some point I might source some material and make another, in a contrasting color that won’t show the scratches. Gloss black anything is tough to keep clean and perfect.
The poly finish on my ABs never showed any wear from my nails. It’s super hard stuff. I’d hate to cover up any of the flame maple finish, but if wear was an issue I’d consider a clear guard. Ideally something that would stick on but peel off without damaging the finish. Heck, with the right material and a template, I could DIY it.
I like the look on Ayumu’s solid color AB, it makes sense on a painted finish. It’s a great black and white contrast. Very clean. I think I’d take a sharpie to the inside of the truss rod cavity to black out that last glimpse of maple.
The bare maple neck heel looks a little unfinished to me. I remember guys painting them black to reduce the visual. Seems like it isn’t too big a deal to flatten the neck from the fingerboard to heel so the pickguard fits. So if it’s going to be a pickguard on an AB, I think it should fit clean under the end of the fretboard, with a slot for the truss rod access.
The black pickguard on my Super P totally shows every pinky nail contact. It turned into a huge swirl on the gloss black pickguard. I ended up sticking a Darkglass logo on it. My own special edition. At some point I might source some material and make another, in a contrasting color that won’t show the scratches. Gloss black anything is tough to keep clean and perfect.
The poly finish on my ABs never showed any wear from my nails. It’s super hard stuff. I’d hate to cover up any of the flame maple finish, but if wear was an issue I’d consider a clear guard. Ideally something that would stick on but peel off without damaging the finish. Heck, with the right material and a template, I could DIY it.
I like the look on Ayumu’s solid color AB, it makes sense on a painted finish. It’s a great black and white contrast. Very clean. I think I’d take a sharpie to the inside of the truss rod cavity to black out that last glimpse of maple.
The bare maple neck heel looks a little unfinished to me. I remember guys painting them black to reduce the visual. Seems like it isn’t too big a deal to flatten the neck from the fingerboard to heel so the pickguard fits. So if it’s going to be a pickguard on an AB, I think it should fit clean under the end of the fretboard, with a slot for the truss rod access.
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Hey, enjoy the instrument built to your personal specifications. Unless another person is paying for my instrument, I have no interest in others' opinions.
I can totally see that. Be nice if it didn’t have a notch for the neck heel. Like Ayumu’s.
She’s a beauty.
Go for Alperious, then post pictures, be bold.
I've had some killer 34" & 35" B-strings. The B-string on my F Bass BN's & BNF is 34.5" and it just thunders! The 34" Valenti S24-FJ5's I had at one time had fantastic B's.
Having said all that, I think a good analogy comes from the racing world, where the mantra is "There's no replacement for displacement", meaning having a 409 under the hood is great, but having a 427 is better! A 34" B can be incredible, but a 37" B is just gonna be massive.
Also, unless one of those builders was Sheldon, they're probably not doing a whole lot of multi-scale stuff. Once that gets factored in, it stands to reason that some of the other builders might take that position. I definitely agree that better materials and better build quality will make a better B string, but after that, the improvements would come from scale length.
Going through used Guitar Center listings, there is an ABZ4 for $1,449.99. I've no idea if the model is identified correctly or whether the price is a deal. Just passing along the information in case someone might be interested or live nearby this GC location (Davenport, IA.)
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The only black instrument I owned was my first new bass ('73 Jazz like Geddy's). I only accepted it because the sunburst jazz I had ordered arrived with the headstock broken off and I was tired of waiting...
I played my first Dingwall (Indigoburst over alder Afterburner I) for five years before I passed it along to another brother. It still looked near-mint. Very pretty and durable finish!
Lol. I hear ya and agree. Not saying I care what others opinions (sometimes I do though) are about it. Jus saying that we all have one and thankfully they aren’t the same.
I’m actually ridiculously excited about it.
It’s just the most bold spec I’ve committed to.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
You can have a great B string on a 34" bass but it will get overtones as you climb up the neck. You will never find a 34" scale bass that doesn't have overtones at the 15th fret. Honestly though, 99% of B string playing occurs under the 5th fret so the benefits of the 37" scale might be outweighed by the cons, depending on your style.
I do feel that construction plays a huge part in a good B string as well. I have had Dingwalls that got overtones at the 15th fret, albeit far less pronounced than a 34" bass, so I don't think scale is the entire solution. I think you need a strong, stable neck but I am not sure what the exact cause is that makes a fantastic B string beyond "quality construction."
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Looks like an older ABZ to me. I'd say late 00s as it looks like mine. This is from a time when Dingwall made very few 4 strings. Not a bad price at all, not a steal but definitely a good buy.
Best 34" neck I've had was on a NY Sadowsky and US Fender P5. The best were 35" (Lakland, Modulus, Zon, Elrick, Noordstrand, Fbass (34.5), Sukop and MTD. The very best have been my Lull T5, 3 Supers and the ABI5.
Just got awarded the Talkbass addicted badge. 
Never saw that coming, congrats! I think.
