Dingwall Owners Club

[Bassheart365]

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?

The only non-Dingwall fretted bass I currently own is a 34" Le Fay Singer. Handmade in Germany in small numbers and with great care. The B string sounds fantastic. But it doesn't have the thunder of a 37" Dingwall B. Crappy 34 scale basses have crappy B strings. Handmade boutique 34 scale basses do not. But at some point quality of construction and materials give way to physics, i.e., a longer scale length.

 

[AB Nate]

Just got awarded the Talkbass addicted badge.

I think this may be the wrong group to ask for help from.

Congrats!! Lol

 

[been_effected]

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?

No B I've played over the years, on any bass, has come close to the B on a 37" Dingwall in terms of tightness and evenness of tone. I've had 34's and 35's as well (Warwicks, Spectors, Fenders etc.)

 

[The_Owl]

I've heard a lot of really good B-strings on both 34 and 35 inch scale basses, but not as good as a Dingwall 37"! The clarity and fundamental quality simply can't be beat.

Sadowsky, Warwick and Sandberg all have good 34" B-strings.

 

[billbern]

I have some really fine and well respected 5 strings, Ken Smith BSR (34"), Sadowsky MV5-PJ (34"), Lakland DJ-5 (35"), Tom Clement Fretless 6 (35") all have good B strings. But the B strings don't sound the same as the other strings. On my NG-3 the B string sounds like the other strings. It still has clarity fretted above the 7th fret.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

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

I agree. I have played 34 and 35 Bs that sounded pretty good, but you don’t get the balance in string tension that you get from a Dingwall and the tone sounds great over the full string. I love that every string has pretty much the exact same tension. Makes a Dingwall such a joy. And I agree, the necks are awesome

 

[The_Owl]

but you don’t get the balance in string tension that you get from a Dingwall

This is one of the main points non Dingwall owners often won't consider. It's not just the fantastic B-string or the even tone, it's also about every string feeling the same to play.

 

[lotusland9663]

When I got my first Dingwall a few years ago I was pleased with how great the B sounded - but I expected that from all the info out there. What surprised me is how great the E sounded!!

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

When I got my first Dingwall a few years ago I was pleased with how great the B sounded - but I expected that from all the info out there. What surprised me is how great the E sounded!!

I agree. Even though I have a fiver, I quite often play the E open just because it sounds so damn good.

 

[pbass6811]

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.

Agreed. I'm not gonna kid anyone, my last two F Bass BN5s(34.5")had incredible B-strings. The last MTD 535-24 I had was, without a doubt, the BEST playing bass I've ever owned. It had the lowest action, without any buzzing, that I've been able to get on any bass that wasn't fretless. The B-string was terrific, BUT, the clarity from string to string just wasn't quite what I can get with my Dingwalls. And, like others have said, the E-string on my NG and, especially, my D-Bird, is just insane.

Having that kind of timbre on an E-string is part of the reason why I love playing Drop-D stuff on a 4-string Dingwall tuned to Drop-D! I was informed that my ABZ 4/3 is gonna show up a little later than my other basses, but I still can't wait to see how much better it might feel over my D-Bird Standard...

 

[Bassheart365]

Yes I concur. The superiority of 36" E string kind of gets overshadowed by the Dingwall B. Best E string in the bass world.

 

[NaH]

Never saw that coming,

Do I detect a little snark in that comment? I suppose I have been posting quite a bit lately.

congrats! I think.

Thanks. I think.

 

[djaxup]

I only play 4-string basses... Dingwall E-string is the best out there. On most of my other basses I love the A string the most.

 

[reddavid]

Prayers for a speedy, complete recovery!

 

[spiritbass]

Prayers for a speedy, complete recovery!

Did he crash?

 

[graphics1988]

Did he crash?

No sir. Going in for prostate surgery.
All the best to Sheldon and family. Prayers for a speedy recovery.

 

[Thumper]

Best prayers and wishes to you and your family.

I'm under watch for this same issue, but recent good news is decreasing blood draws and exams from every 3 months to every 6 months, so I know what you're dealing with.

 

[BurningSkies]

Here is another slightly cheaper.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

If this were a 5, I'd be grabbing for my wallet. Mid-00's BluEQube equipped AB-1 in amberburst.

 

[groovaholic]

If this were a 5, I'd be grabbing for my wallet. Mid-00's BluEQube equipped AB-1 in amberburst.

4-string Dingwalls are totally under-appreciated...and I get that the fan really wakes up the B string in a way that few other design factors do, but the benefits show up BIG on a 4-string too

 

[BurningSkies]

4-string Dingwalls are totally under-appreciated...and I get that the fan really wakes up the B string in a way that few other design factors do, but the benefits show up BIG on a 4-string too

I just don't play 4's anymore. All our music is written on a 5 and I don't really have a purpose for a 4 or the will to massage all my playing onto four strings. When I was out on medical leave in December I even lent my NG3 to the fill in bass player to use rather than him having to try to translate the material. Also there's a handful of songs that are literally 3 notes...but down in the B-C-D range that wouldn't really be the same when played up an octave.