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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
Oh, I meant the 3 modes of which 2 are actually useful: the normal and low boost settings. You have to balance out the low boost via two internal trim pots to achieve the desired tone without any major volume bumps. Nice pre but the top end is a too crisp in the center detent so I roll off to ~25%. On the plus side, the module came pre-wired w/ pots and a separate "mystery" trim pot which we think adjusts the mid frequency if one should choose to wire in the optional mid control. I mounted the trim pot on the control cavity sidewall aligned with a small access portal drilled thru the cover plate. Looks cool and it's fun to jack around with a jeweler's screwdriver but I don't see where it does anything in its current state. There's also about an extra dozen pair of wires on the Audere module which have no purpose whatsoever given the volume / blend / stacked treble & bass configuration.
Riis
Mr_Music90 said:
I went from a 4 string J bass to a 5 string Dingwall in January. I don't think of the fanned frets at all. That 5th string, however......
Yes for some reason it's mostly a string extra that provides the problem 
I play the Combustion as my primary bass now but it has been many years since I have played just one bass all night and still like to use a fretless P and a Squier VM J on one song each. Also my back up 5er is a Gibson V. My real problem lies in that all of these other basses I have mentioned have more pronounced midrange compared to the Combustion so swapping to and from the Combustion requires a fairly drastic EQ change. Rather than have a separate input channel for each bass so I can compensate for the difference in the basses response (which I have already tried, to much extra equipment to carry...) I am now leaning towards an EQ pedal to put in the Combustions signal chain or a new three band EQ/pre for the bass. This is why I asked about different pre's, because I want a mids control on the bass, the original pre just isn't versatile enough the way it is (this is just for my taste).
Sheldon: Thanks for a great product and the fast responses. When I look on the Dingwall website I see pre's listed with pickups but no pre's alone. Is this temporary or can you recommend a three band EQ/pre that works well with the OEM Combustion pickups? I need to keep my gear as simple as possible due to the venues I play (small to medium clubs mostly). Since the Combustion is the only bass in my collection that requires additional EQ (my amp is set with all tone knobs near 12 o'clock) it seems logical to mod the Combustion so I can plug into the Ampeg SVT4 pro with no other changes to the amp or the signal chain and have comparable/compatible levels and tone for a seamless transition between songs/basses. I am also interested in your recommendation to split the bridge pickup and run it in series. I am very capable of that (or any electrical) task so I will need a switch and diagram/pic of the pickup so I get polarity correct and I will try that. Do you have or can you recommend a resource for the switch and support for splitting the Combustion's pickup?
Sheldon: Thanks for a great product and the fast responses. When I look on the Dingwall website I see pre's listed with pickups but no pre's alone. Is this temporary or can you recommend a three band EQ/pre that works well with the OEM Combustion pickups? I need to keep my gear as simple as possible due to the venues I play (small to medium clubs mostly). Since the Combustion is the only bass in my collection that requires additional EQ (my amp is set with all tone knobs near 12 o'clock) it seems logical to mod the Combustion so I can plug into the Ampeg SVT4 pro with no other changes to the amp or the signal chain and have comparable/compatible levels and tone for a seamless transition between songs/basses. I am also interested in your recommendation to split the bridge pickup and run it in series. I am very capable of that (or any electrical) task so I will need a switch and diagram/pic of the pickup so I get polarity correct and I will try that. Do you have or can you recommend a resource for the switch and support for splitting the Combustion's pickup?
The bridge pickup is already in series but the neck pickup is in parallel. We left the back of the pickup open so that users can re-wire the coils in series easily. I'd start with that. If that doesn't get you where you need to go, check your volume pots. We've been installing 1 megs lately and it really opens up the tone. A 1 meg pot won't do much for the mids but will help with presence. Lastly, replaceing the volume/volume with a volume/rotary selector will give you the option of both pickups in series with each other. It would be hard to imagine needing more mids than that.
We've never installed a 3-band in a Combustion. There are a few 9V systems out there that will work. OBP-3, John East, Glockenklang, Bartolini are a few that we've installed in the past and present.
We've never installed a 3-band in a Combustion. There are a few 9V systems out there that will work. OBP-3, John East, Glockenklang, Bartolini are a few that we've installed in the past and present.
Glockenklang is currently what we install, Aguilar, John East, Bartolini are what we have installed in the past in most of our models except for the Combustion.
Here's my link to a thread on the dingwall site, I changed my comby to series and love it. HAven't bothered with a switch, just hard wired it. The photos are not working today on the dingwall site for some reason so I have included them below.
Invalid Link Removed
Attachments
2 Sets of Payson 4 string sets - FREE
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f129/fs-2-sets-unopened-payson-fanned-fret-strings-890122/
Somebody has a 4-String, Yes?? No??
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f129/fs-2-sets-unopened-payson-fanned-fret-strings-890122/
Somebody has a 4-String, Yes?? No??
Initial Impressions of Payson's Ground Wound on my ABZ5:
1 - Took me about 40 minutes to string and tune (no truss rod adjustment). Remember, I'm dealing with paralysis of my left hand from a spinal cord injury (ok, it is full-body and neck-down, but most severely limits my left hand and arm). The thickness of the wrap at the tuner end made the B and E strings a bit of a challenge, in contrast to the thin wrap on the stock strings. The strings held a tune pretty well right out of the box with minimal stretching.
2 - Tuning was faster/easier because my tuner (Korg Pitch Black) registered the note more easily, most likely due to the fundamental emphasis of the flats and the reduced overtones.
3 - My action got higher, and the string tension is firmer. I clearly need to do a truss rod adjustment soon. I also need to eat some protein powder to strengthen up my gimpy left flipper
4 - Plugged in (Mesa M6 - fEARful 15/6), the fundamental thumps away. The high-mid brittle honk of the stock strings dulls away and the low-mid takes a stronger roll. These may be a bit dull for a rock player, but right where a jazzier guy needs. I have a set of D'adarrio Chromes on a Warwick $$ and they are brighter than Payson's strings, in a more rock-friendly way. Cranking up the treble on the amp adds some sparkle, but not gobs. I ran the bass with the tone knob wide open. More impressive is how the mid and bass and voice controls have a better influence on the tone. It is a rounder, warmer, bassier sound, though there is still a quality that I'm not fond of in the upper mids that I can make go away by changing the voice and rolling up the bass, and in some cases boosting the mids on the amp. It is most noticeable in the series pickup setting, which I like the higher output of. The bridge pickup feels more useable to me, thanks to enhanced fatness. The bridge solo though gets very suby and sounds like it may be hard to spot in the mix.
I was on the fence about going with the nickels over the rounds, but I got what I got and I need to jam it out in a band setting before I make a final verdict. Though, my initial impression is that the flats may be just a bit on the dull side for my style and taste, and I can't EQ in what isn't there, while I may have been able to EQ out the extra zing of the nickels. Though, my overall take-away at this time is an improvement over the stock sound.
Thanks for posting your thoughts Monster.
Once you do the truss rod tweak the action will be lower and easier to play. Also the strings will be slightly closer to the pu's again bringing out even more mid detail. The reduced string noise will always be consistent.
I run my PFGWFlat's wide open with an SL900 and LDS 156 cabs no tweeters.
If you need more mid mix cut then the PFNS strings would also be good in your sonic tool box imho.
Once you do the truss rod tweak the action will be lower and easier to play. Also the strings will be slightly closer to the pu's again bringing out even more mid detail. The reduced string noise will always be consistent.
I run my PFGWFlat's wide open with an SL900 and LDS 156 cabs no tweeters.
If you need more mid mix cut then the PFNS strings would also be good in your sonic tool box imho.
We'll see how the sound works when I get my TecAmp Black Jag 900 next week. I had to do a warranty swap, but when I had it briefly, it had quite a bit more control on the EQ and the Rock distortion could get pretty edgy with bite.
More importantly, I just gave it a quick run at low volume and found I liked the parallel setting on the ABZ5 PUs, which I hated before. That might actually be my favorite setting now.
Also, regarding PUs, I'm now more tempted to roll the P-tone into the mix. I think the neck PU would benefit from the punchier P-tone sound I'd expect from that PU, now that I've gone with the flats.
Lastly, I'm finding technique has a more noticeable result with regard to plucking location. Play around the 15th ala Geezer and it is days away from the sound you get striking near the bridge. I'm trying to find that sweet spot between the urp and the honk.
More importantly, I just gave it a quick run at low volume and found I liked the parallel setting on the ABZ5 PUs, which I hated before. That might actually be my favorite setting now.
Also, regarding PUs, I'm now more tempted to roll the P-tone into the mix. I think the neck PU would benefit from the punchier P-tone sound I'd expect from that PU, now that I've gone with the flats.
Lastly, I'm finding technique has a more noticeable result with regard to plucking location. Play around the 15th ala Geezer and it is days away from the sound you get striking near the bridge. I'm trying to find that sweet spot between the urp and the honk.
Interesting to read about your settings, strings, and sound. I have yet to use strings other than Sheldon's, but would like to try the Paysons soon. With my old Prima, I run the bass full out and the treble at middle. Using my old GK 800 RB, I got quite a great rock sound that I found I could modify by either using my fingernails when plucking the strings for a more bright sound, or by rolling my fingers away from the nails to use more of the pad and get a darker sound...
Since the demise of my GK, I've replaced it with a Markbass Little Mark Tube 800, which my rack (and my back) appreciate, the weight difference is 26 pounds vs 6...the sound is very different however. I tried the Genz Benz amps and didn't like them as much as the Little Mark Tube800 for about the same $$$. My goal was smaller footprint & lighter w/o giving up too much sound quality, and I got what I wanted. I would like to get another GK someday...would love to try a TC Electronic RH950 but nobody has them around here, have to be ordered, and the $$$$ for me is an issue...
I play through a Hartke Transporter 15", playing rock, jazz, standards, country and disco.
Thinking that I might look for a 4-10 cab for the disco stuff.
Just my .02, your mileage may vary.....
j
Since the demise of my GK, I've replaced it with a Markbass Little Mark Tube 800, which my rack (and my back) appreciate, the weight difference is 26 pounds vs 6...the sound is very different however. I tried the Genz Benz amps and didn't like them as much as the Little Mark Tube800 for about the same $$$. My goal was smaller footprint & lighter w/o giving up too much sound quality, and I got what I wanted. I would like to get another GK someday...would love to try a TC Electronic RH950 but nobody has them around here, have to be ordered, and the $$$$ for me is an issue...
I play through a Hartke Transporter 15", playing rock, jazz, standards, country and disco.
Thinking that I might look for a 4-10 cab for the disco stuff.
Just my .02, your mileage may vary.....
j
