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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
That’s nice. I want to get 5 string Super some day. I jumped the gun and got an SJ4 before the 5-string was released.
By the way, I wonder how many Dingwall players use a Fender Rumble amp. The image is usually a high-end boutique-y type of rig. For most small gigs I play through a Rumble 500 combo.
Lookin' good, goofy!No Dingwall should be a "case queen"...
Totally! I love fancy tops and finishes, as long as you're still planning on playing it! I keep my basses low key for a reason, they get gigged, a lot! I take care of my gear, but it gets used.
I don't get buying a bass, or anything, that you're afraid to use. I'm not trying to save it for the next guy...
What are the current options for strings that will fit 5-string Dingwalls? I have a NG-2 and I'm thinking about putting flats or tapewounds on them, instead of using the rounds that are currently on the bass, but when I searched, it seems my only options are the special made ones Dingwall sells that come in nickel and stainless steel?
I appreciate fancy woods on Sheldon's playable artworks, but have never been willing to pony up for the 'icing on the cake'. My only fancy-topped bass was made in 2013 when the Super J bodies were still being chambered. When you spec'd a swamp-ash body, it was capped with a northern ash top. Sheldon blew me away with the bookmatched top he put on it! A fancy-topped bass by serendipity. 
It's my favorite-ever five-string...
It's my favorite-ever five-string...
I've heard that the new flats from Payson - @Blues Cat are worthy.
Payson strings provides some good options, as noted. They've got both flats and tapes.
You can also reach out to Fret Nation and ask them what options they can provide - they do custom orders of strings to match the long scale Dingwalls. The guy who runs Fret Nation has an account here, but I forget his handle.
@Lunatique +1 to this. I have a set on my AB2 and I love them. If you search back a few pages, you'll read all our praises for them.
Definitely check out the Payson Reduced Core as well, if you decide to check out their Flats.
We have the Payson Fanned Flats available in 4, 5 and 6 string sets. Perfect drop in fit made for Dingwall’s. Tapered on the B,E and A strings.
We also have Payson Fanned Nickel Steel, Fanned Stainless Steel and Payson Fanned Black Daggers sets made specifically for Dingwall’s 37”-34” Fanned XL scale. Custom sets and singles available too... .170T and .145T in both alloys.
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I don't get buying a bass, or anything, that you're afraid to use. I'm not trying to save it for the next guy...
I have to confess, my 2012 quilted redwood SJ5 got babied for a couple of years.
In fact, I was forced to buy a Z2 (fourth down, left column) so that I could bear to take the "plain ol'" SJ out of the house. It's now my regular player. The question is...how do I get the Z2 out of its "Tufnel Bass VI" status??
Nigel Tufnel: Look… still has the old tagger on it, see? Never even played it.
Marty DiBergi: [points his finger] You’ve never even played…?
Nigel Tufnel: Don’t touch it!
Marty DiBergi: We’ll I wasn’t going to touch it, I was just pointing at it.
Nigel Tufnel: Well…don’t point, even! It can’t be played. Ever.
Marty DiBergi: Don’t point, okay. Can I look at it?
Nigel Tufnel: No. no. That’s it, you’ve seen enough of that one.
Not when I searched for "Dingwall strings." All the hits I saw on the first page were all strings from Dingwall.
Are the "black coated" on your website the tapewound (are those terms interchangeable)?
Currently, I find the roundwounds that came with my NG-2 has a bit too much finger noise for my liking, and I'd like something less noisy in the higher frequencies, but I'm not into the totally rolled off treble with just muffled notes kind of old school Motown sound either--I'd like some punch and attack, and be able to get a good slap sound too. So I'm thinking it's gotta be either flat or tape, but I'm not sure which. (Obviously other stuff in my signal chain will matter too, but it's a little annoying to always have to EQ just the offending frequencies without losing a little attack.)
The kind of tones I'm going after are ones heard on songs like these:
Ah... I searched “Fanned Bass Strings”
The Payson Fanned Black Daggers are Black Coated strings tapered on the B, E, A and D strings.
Punch and attack describe all our sets, really. The PFNS-RC’s have the most low mid punch with the Payson Fanned NS-Medium Lights having more treble.
I would venture to say by your YT samples you’re into the Brand New Heavies as well?
For bass playing, I'm mainly into City Pop, K-pop/indie, jazz fusion/acid jazz, funk, R&B, etc. Brand New Heavies is within that general umbrella, but I'm more into the east Asian bands as their sensibility is a bit different than their western counterparts.
So just to be clear, your Black Daggers are your tapewound strings? I didn't see anything that specifically said "nylon" or "tapewound" in the descriptions for your selection of strings.
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I put a Boughton LPF (low pass filter) near the end of my signal chain to combat unwanted fret/finger noise. I can dial it in to kill the offending frequencies, but I only really really need it on certain EQ settings (about 1/2 the time). I almost always leave it on though, since it makes most settings just a little bit better, and probably helps me stay in my lane, frequency-wise, in a band setting. It was a game changer for me. There's lots of different LPFs out there. I believe BurningSkies has the same LPF, but I'm not sure if it's for the same reasons.
Tried out the new long scale Dunlop super bright nickels last week. Grabbed a set of these from Jason as I was looking for something a little different, excellent service as always.
The strings left me wanting sadly. Tension was similar to the Dingwall strings but the gauges were a little too much for the nut on my ABZ and I didn’t want to modify it. They were noticeably rougher feeling than Dingwall nickels, felt more like stainless steel.
They also just didn’t sound good to me, whether that was the nut being a little tight or that they just aren’t what I’m looking for in string I’m not sure. They lasted one jam and had to take them off. Back to Dingwall strings for me.
If anyone locally wants a set to try drop me a message.
The strings left me wanting sadly. Tension was similar to the Dingwall strings but the gauges were a little too much for the nut on my ABZ and I didn’t want to modify it. They were noticeably rougher feeling than Dingwall nickels, felt more like stainless steel.
They also just didn’t sound good to me, whether that was the nut being a little tight or that they just aren’t what I’m looking for in string I’m not sure. They lasted one jam and had to take them off. Back to Dingwall strings for me.
If anyone locally wants a set to try drop me a message.
