Dingwall Owners Club

[ThisYouCanTrust]

I did not get a "Made in China" bass that was worthy of its price until the fourth one arrived. First two NGs had paint defects "dirt in the paint", the 3rd "Combustion" had a chunk of fret-board missing but the 4th "Combustion" is a real keeper

All 4 of them had the pickups set way too high "according to Sheldon's videos" so I have to disagree that they are setup meticulously despite the fact you do get to pay for this.

The 4th one that I have now is a very decent bass, it's a lot heavier than the others but has a great tone, sustain and it'll not neck-dive "ever". I have recently been trying out Payson strings and I can say it sounds as glorious as it looks now.

It has been a bit of a trial for me getting to this point, but it does demonstrate a bad bass "can" get to a customer, my worry is that they "did not" get looked at let alone checked over & setup in Canada like they say.

I did get there in the end despite a lot of extra waiting, disappointment and no apologies it's not stopped me wanting an SJ or SP as the slightly smaller scale may ultimately be for better me.

PS. I am not a Dingwall basher, I love the basses & the company but they do still have some QC issues like all the others.

My first dingwall (a canadian one) arrived from bassdirect with a bad nut and a bad setup (which looked awfully like what one would do to hide such a nut issue), so yeah poopie happens, even for high-end instruments.

A pit stop at my luthier had it all fixed, and after that it was happiness ever after

 

[BurningSkies]

I assume there's some accountability for inspections. I do know that my NG has this sticker:

There was some previous discussion as to if that last one is a JD or an SD...for the big guy himself.

Either way, I can only speak to my personal experience and that I've not had 'on delivery' issues with any of my Dingwall basses, though I know there are some who have (but then, thousands of basses, I'd expect some things to arise). I have found the retailers I've worked with as well as the shop to be very attentive to any questions or concerns I've had along the way.

 

[xnewyorka]

I assume there's some accountability for inspections. I do know that my NG has this sticker:
View attachment 3897343

There was some previous discussion as to if that last one is a JD or an SD...for the big guy himself.

Either way, I can only speak to my personal experience and that I've not had 'on delivery' issues with any of my Dingwall basses, though I know there are some who have (but then, thousands of basses, I'd expect some things to arise). I have found the retailers I've worked with as well as the shop to be very attentive to any questions or concerns I've had along the way.

I agree. I have had quite a few imports come through here, and I am a stickler for perfection, to the point of OCD, as several folks who got basses from me can attest. Every import that I have seen come in from the factory has been nothing short of one hundred percent perfect in every aspect, not a single thing missed. Perfect action, perfect intonation, perfect pickup heights, perfect finish and paint job, perfect frets, perfect electronics, just perfect. Absolutely not what one would expect for something built in that part of the world based on prior experience with other types of items that one might buy at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, HomeGoods, etc.
I have a neighbor who owns a company that makes high-end exercise treadmills. They are manufactured in China. Like all of his competitors, he was having big quality problems and had to have an extensive network of repair technicians going out to the customer sites to fix manufacturing issues after the treadmills got delivered and set up by the gym stores. He figured out there must be a better way, and switched to the Dingwall approach. He has all the units shipped to his warehouse here in New Jersey instead of being shipped straight to dealers. His crew unboxes and fully assembles each one, performs a technical QC inspection, and addresses any of the quality issues, then repacks it and ships it to the retailer. The end result is zero defects seen by the customer, exact same result Dingwall has achieved. Obviously there is a high-cost to doing this, but my neighbor and Sheldon have both made the decision that the added cost is worth the gain in reputation. Preaching to the choir, I'm sure most of us tend to agree it was a good decision.

 

[Rocky55]

I was late to the Dingwall game. Although I have known about them for quite a while, I didn't start checking them out until a couple years ago. My first one was a Super J5. Absolutely flawless fit and finish and sounds fantastic with the 2 FD3 pickups and Glockenglang preamp. Then I got an NG3 with the FD3-N pickups and Darkglass preamp. Again, perfectly setup, fit and finish, although there is a tiny bit of a build up on the back of the neck that could be sanded down - but you can barely feel it. I also just acquired a Z3 with FVD pickups and Glock preamp. Absolutely flawless in every way. The smaller neck is a breeze to play and the variety of tone is insane.

If I could only have one, it would be the Z3. However, I would be leary bringing such an amazing (and expensive) bass to certain shows, or leaving in hot/cold trailers, hotel rooms. I could've bought an NG3, a Combustion and a D-Roc for the price of the Z.

I'm extremely happy with all 3 of my Dingwalls. They all serve a different purpose and I'm planning to add a Super P soon. I play a lot of country (Super J or P), but also have a rock cover band (NG3/Super), and back up a folk/country/R&B singer doing festival and theatre shows (Z). I have recorded with 3 country artists with my Super J and everyone loved the results.

The NG3 is so agressive and cuts through a rock mix like butter. Those pickups are hot! It also sounds amazing with effects. Although it was my cheapest Dingwall, it probably has more shows on it then the other ones.

All that to say, it's a pretty safe bet to purchase anyone of them. With the demand these days, if you end up not liking it, or want a different model, I don't think it would take long to take one off your hands.

Good luck!

 

[BurningSkies]

I was late to the Dingwall game. Although I have known about them for quite a while, I didn't start checking them out until a couple years ago. My first one was a Super J5. Absolutely flawless fit and finish and sounds fantastic with the 2 FD3 pickups and Glockenglang preamp. Then I got an NG3 with the FD3-N pickups and Darkglass preamp. Again, perfectly setup, fit and finish, although there is a tiny bit of a build up on the back of the neck that could be sanded down - but you can barely feel it. I also just acquired a Z3 with FVD pickups and Glock preamp. Absolutely flawless in every way. The smaller neck is a breeze to play and the variety of tone is insane.

If I could only have one, it would be the Z3. However, I would be leary bringing such an amazing (and expensive) bass to certain shows, or leaving in hot/cold trailers, hotel rooms. I could've bought an NG3, a Combustion and a D-Roc for the price of the Z.

I'm extremely happy with all 3 of my Dingwalls. They all serve a different purpose and I'm planning to add a Super P soon. I play a lot of country (Super J or P), but also have a rock cover band (NG3/Super), and back up a folk/country/R&B singer doing festival and theatre shows (Z). I have recorded with 3 country artists with my Super J and everyone loved the results.

The NG3 is so agressive and cuts through a rock mix like butter. It also sounds amazing with effects. Although it was my cheapest Dingwall, it probably has more shows on it then the other ones.

All that to say, it's a pretty safe bet to purchase anyone of them. With the demand these days, if you end up not liking it, or want a different model, I don't think it would take long to take one off your hands.

Good luck!

Its really not worth people getting in a mix over. My NG has also seen as many gigs (most likely) as my custom Z-1. The neck on the Z is thinner and has more serious geometry going on...compound angle to the headstock, compound radius, compound neck profile with asymmetry. The NG is also asymmetric, but a bit closer to 'standard,' the radius is the same down the neck (this hasn't bothered me a bit) and the headstock is a straight pull. I've found over time that both neck thicknesses work fine for me. They're both within the range of comfort for my hands and in fact the extra few mm may end up being beneficial for the size of my hands.

I think I mentioned that my band prefers the sound of the NG with the DGTC.

The hardware is an upgrade on the Shop-made basses for sure, but the standard import hardware certainly hasn't been a problem for me to use across hundreds of gigs without problem, and I have both the 'old style' ABM bridge (Combustion) as well as the newer one (NG). I feel like the 'savings' in the imports comes from the same place where back when the AB was entry level. The body is less contoured and rounded (less sanding and hand work on that). The neck is a straight pull not angled (no join to be done/glued, etc.), more limited range of options and finish choices, and hardware differences.

None of this is to say that it's ever a waste to buy the Canadian basses. The premium you pay is definitely applied to the instrument's build. But I really think there's Dingwall 'magic' at all pricepoints in their model line. Look at the number of high quality name-brand bass players that are out touring the world with NG/Combustion models, it speaks to their magic.

 

[spector_boogie]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I need to look at the dimensions on the necks, as my Lakland's is pretty comfortable, but pretty chonk sometimes, and I remember the neck definitely being a huge factor on my long-lost ABII 5'er from years ago. I'll keep my eyes peeled, keep current in this thread, and again if anyone has an ABZ or AB 5 (with preamp, either one) of mostly any make, let me know, be happy to take it off your hands! I have some 'reunion' shows coming up in a few months I'd like to have this bass for, so I still have a little time. As we get closer, may bite the bullet and try an NG3 and if it's what I remember, prob will put in a custom order and get what I want.

 

[ThisYouCanTrust]

I assume there's some accountability for inspections. I do know that my NG has this sticker:
View attachment 3897343

Sure, mine has that too.
Where I work you can even get the build history if you have a serial number, that is did everything run as planned during construction or did something need a rework or a second pass, everything is logged.
Maybe they have something like that at dingwall too, but I'm sure bassdirect doesn't, and like I said now everything's fine so I didn't bother looking further into it, what would be the point ?

 

[Rocky55]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I need to look at the dimensions on the necks, as my Lakland's is pretty comfortable, but pretty chonk sometimes, and I remember the neck definitely being a huge factor on my long-lost ABII 5'er from years ago. I'll keep my eyes peeled, keep current in this thread, and again if anyone has an ABZ or AB 5 (with preamp, either one) of mostly any make, let me know, be happy to take it off your hands! I have some 'reunion' shows coming up in a few months I'd like to have this bass for, so I still have a little time. As we get closer, may bite the bullet and try an NG3 and if it's what I remember, prob will put in a custom order and get what I want.

I sold my Lakland 55-94 and Sadowsky MV5 when I got the Super J. I had the Lakland since 1999 and the Sadowsky since 2009. The 55-94 had my favorite neck of all the basses I had played. The Dingwalls feel very similar.

 

[spector_boogie]

I sold my Lakland 55-94 and Sadowsky MV5 when I got the Super J. I had the Lakland since 1999 and the Sadowsky since 2009. The 55-94 had my favorite neck of all the basses I had played. The Dingwalls feel very similar.

I really like it, I mean really really, the 'sound' I just hear in my head nowadays is different than what it produces. Plus I don't play enough to keep both in house, but I'll be sure to get the Dingwall in first and just make sure. These original series 55-94s are pretty dang awesome.

 

[ab2112]

My Combustion arrived to the dealer smashed during shipping this week. For that and other reasons I was issued a refund. Little bummed out, but the hunt continues

 

[spiritbass]

My Combustion arrived to the dealer smashed during shipping this week. For that and other reasons I was issued a refund. Little bummed out, but the hunt continues...

Bummer! I guess that one wasn't meant for you for some reason...

 

[Sheldon D.]

My first dingwall (a canadian one) arrived from bassdirect with a bad nut and a bad setup (which looked awfully like what one would do to hide such a nut issue), so yeah poopie happens, even for high-end instruments.

A pit stop at my luthier had it all fixed, and after that it was happiness ever after

I'm sorry to hear this. Can you send your serial number to [email protected] so that we can look into this?

Thanks.

 

[Sheldon D.]

I did not get a "Made in China" bass that was worthy of its price until the fourth one arrived. First two NGs had paint defects "dirt in the paint", the 3rd "Combustion" had a chunk of fret-board missing but the 4th "Combustion" is a real keeper

All 4 of them had the pickups set way too high "according to Sheldon's videos" so I have to disagree that they are setup meticulously despite the fact you do get to pay for this.

The 4th one that I have now is a very decent bass, it's a lot heavier than the others but has a great tone, sustain and it'll not neck-dive "ever". I have recently been trying out Payson strings and I can say it sounds as glorious as it looks now.

It has been a bit of a trial for me getting to this point, but it does demonstrate a bad bass "can" get to a customer, my worry is that they "did not" get looked at let alone checked over & setup in Canada like they say.

I did get there in the end despite a lot of extra waiting, disappointment and no apologies it's not stopped me wanting an SJ or SP as the slightly smaller scale may ultimately be for better me.

PS. I am not a Dingwall basher, I love the basses & the company but they do still have some QC issues like all the others.

I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through so much trouble to get a bass you were happy with. In the end, I'm glad you finally do have a bass that you're happy with but it shouldn't have taken 4 to do it. I've searched through our tech emails and don't see any reference to these issues but will follow up. Who was your dealer? Problems like this shouldn't make it through inspection. Somehow they did and I apologize for that.

On a side note, it's not possible for a bass to get shipped out without setup and inspection as we do the frets and nut. The bass would be nearly unplayable without at least these two areas being taken care of. The pickup height in the video was a suggested starting point not an absolute measurement like intonation or scale length. The setup guys are now raising the pickups slightly to make them hotter sounding.

 

[Digity]

My Combustion arrived to the dealer smashed during shipping this week. For that and other reasons I was issued a refund. Little bummed out, but the hunt continues...

Dingwall really needs to start making their own hardcases, mine was damaged in shipping as well.

 

[DingwallDingus]

Hey guys, I'm having trouble tracking down FD3s in the old Combustion shells. I impulse bought the Nordstrand FD3s in an EMG40 shell that will fit but now I'm worried that they won't work correctly/are voiced for parallel fret basses.

The pictures for the pole pieces of both look nearly identical from what I can tell, also they are huge. I've seen fanned fret bass projects using these and as a Dingwall mod with no complaints, but the marketing "for parallel fret basses" is throwing me. Any info is appreciated.

 

[LawDog]

Dingwall really needs to start making their own hardcases, mine was damaged in shipping as well.

Sheldon actually spoke to this issues a few pages back in this thread - apparently the costs were prohibitive and basses were still getting damaged anyway

 

[xnewyorka]

Sheldon actually spoke to this issues a few pages back in this thread - apparently the costs were prohibitive and basses were still getting damaged anyway

I have had 3 shipping boxes get pretty well mangled up by FedEx lately, two of them looked like they had a forklift fork driven right through the box. Thanks to pure luck, all of the damage missed the areas of the boxes where the basses were. The third one was simply smashed, and the gig bag completely protected the instrument.

FedEx also damaged a non-Dingwall bass that was shipped in a hard case a few months ago. The case itself was cracked from a sharp impact. The bass was fine, but the $400 case needed to be replaced. I filed a claim, and they denied it saying that there was insufficient protection around the case. Luckily, the builder was kind enough to send a new case, which costs as much to ship empty as it does with a bass in it.
I guess as they are feeling the crunch from and increased shipping volume due to covid-19, they are getting more and more careless with packages. I continue to insure everything for full value and keep my fingers crossed. I've actually started thinking about even insuring things for more than full value just to tack on something additional for the pain and suffering that is sure to occur if they do actually damage something. If they do damage a Dingwall, it's not like I can just snap my fingers and get another one like it right away -- it will take months in most cases.

 

[jjmf]

Sheldon actually spoke to this issues a few pages back in this thread - apparently the costs were prohibitive and basses were still getting damaged anyway

I spent 20 years in transportation, there is always risk due to both systemic and human influences...
but the best "smart" packaging:
ie the cardboard box, its flute / gauge, re-enforcement locations, and the nature of the internal "fill" used can have dramatic impact (good or bad) on the shipping results. The Old Dingwall bags in a box with some cardboard inserts were pretty good but not sure if the new cases are as "helpful" in protecting the basses, how the shipping processes have changed (depending on where its made/shipped from and the 'path it takes' to get to the owners) ...
Knowing the team and Dingwall they are no doubt focused on solutions ...
sometimes a small change in packaging can have a huge effect... (ever drop a light bulb on a cement floor? try it from 1, then 2 feet up, then grab a bulb and add 1 page of news paper on that concrete floor... you will find the paper gives you literally 30-50%+ more drop height before it breaks)

 

[jjmf]

I have had 3 shipping boxes get pretty well mangled up by FedEx lately, two of them looked like they had a forklift fork driven right through the box. Thanks to pure luck, all of the damage missed the areas of the boxes where the basses were. The third one was simply smashed, and the gig bag completely protected the instrument.

FedEx also damaged a non-Dingwall bass that was shipped in a hard case a few months ago. The case itself was cracked from a sharp impact. The bass was fine, but the $400 case needed to be replaced. I filed a claim, and they denied it saying that there was insufficient protection around the case. Luckily, the builder was kind enough to send a new case, which costs as much to ship empty as it does with a bass in it.
I guess as they are feeling the crunch from and increased shipping volume due to covid-19, they are getting more and more careless with packages. I continue to insure everything for full value and keep my fingers crossed. I've actually started thinking about even insuring things for more than full value just to tack on something additional for the pain and suffering that is sure to occur if they do actually damage something. If they do damage a Dingwall, it's not like I can just snap my fingers and get another one like it right away -- it will take months in most cases.

So true! But usually they won’t pay anything beyond what a Produced invoice states ... if they take liability at all...
Fed ex is usually the strongest quality provider.... they must be pressured as you say ...

 

[ThisYouCanTrust]

I have seen how the people work at the local post office : packages will get thrown, sometimes from 5/6 yards away, eg from the office directly into the delivery truck.
So this is basically what you have to package for
I would not try to cover the "run over by a forklift" case, I guess at some point you just have to accept that not all instruments will survive shipping in this stupid world we live in.

Also I would pay I guess up to 400 for a dingwall custom-fitted hardcase.
Not really for delivery, more for trips to the rehearsal place and for storage purposes.