As much as I love me some wenge I also love me some BEM fretboard which I think leans me to the top but..... tough choice for me on this one
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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
I could go for birdseye maple, but it's way too much for me with the block inlays.
I think I have never seen a bass where block inlays did not look super cool.
Body from the top, neck from the bottom
The Stormy Sea Fade is gorgeous!!!! But I would be happy with either.
Top bass, Bottom neck, the ghost speedo bars really work on the dark fretboard.
Hey fellow Dingwall owners, I have a 2017 NG2, and the DG tone capsule seems to have quit on me ! I was going over music for an upcoming gig and practicing with the bass in the passive mode then flipped to the active mode and nothing! changed the batteries, which weren't that bad, still nothing. I checked for loose or disconnected wiring and don't see anything there that could cause this problem ! This bass is my baby and I treat it with the utmost care so it hasn't been abused ! Anyone ever have this issue with an NG2 or a Darkglass tone capsule ???
Nearly kicking myself for not picking up that ABZ 6 that was in the classifieds. I’ve still not played a Dingwall and chances are I probably won’t for a long while. Too bad Bass San Diego went out of business as they were the only dealer relatively close to me albeit a 7 hour drive.
I bought my Dingwall without ever having seen or played one as there aren't any dealers close to me either. I was looking for a good 5 string with the best low B string, and all the praise given by our fellow TBers gave me the faith to pull the trigger sight unseen ! I couldn't be happier about my choice ! These instruments are amazing, and I can't imagine ever wanting anything else, unless it was a Dingwall upgrade !
I also made the blind leap, almost 12 years ago, with a Super PJ 4.
Four have come and gone as my interest in fives and sixes waxed and waned.
Three more have come to stay, all four strings. Super P, AB-1 and the Dbird.
All the four strings have the same string spacing(19mm), and are light weight. The P is under 8.
I’ve never been disappointed. Every single one has been stellar.
Don’t discount the imports, my Dbird is an awesome example of why I stick with Dingwall.
All of them came to me through the TB classifieds. Never had a problem with a Dingwall seller. All easy deals.
Four have come and gone as my interest in fives and sixes waxed and waned.
Three more have come to stay, all four strings. Super P, AB-1 and the Dbird.
All the four strings have the same string spacing(19mm), and are light weight. The P is under 8.
I’ve never been disappointed. Every single one has been stellar.
Don’t discount the imports, my Dbird is an awesome example of why I stick with Dingwall.
All of them came to me through the TB classifieds. Never had a problem with a Dingwall seller. All easy deals.
I agree with the Singlemalt.
These instruments demand a pretty high investment. So just buying one without ever having an opportunity to try one takes some guts.
I am a very happy owner and I never will regret my decision to move forward.
It’s been almost two months for me now.
I really wish I had owned one for as long as Dingwalls were being made but that was not an option in the past. As a result I can unbiasedly compare it to some fabulous instruments, I have owned,and say these really are a step up in the bass world.
Compliments are coming from band mates, their wives and people who have never uttered a word prior to using my Dingwall. They can hear the bass lines and are commenting how good it sounds.
For me it is incredible because it cuts through the mix and allows me to play as well as I ever had.
Being able to add subtleties to your playing have it be totally transparent is pure joy.
When the time is right for you take the plunge and enjoy the heck out of your Dingwall.
I bought blind as well, but I'm a lefty. Even though I could have made a trek to a few dealers, nobody's stocking left handed instruments. I get it in November, but I'm already debating how long I have to let my wife cool off before ordering a six string.
I took a leap of faith with my Fodera and it more than paid off. However, it’s more or less a normal bass that I’ve been used to. The whole fanned fret aspect of Dingwalls is a complete unknown to me and not exactly willing to take that leap just yet... but that ABZ 6 that was in the classifieds recently... man I looked at that thing multiple times a day for a number of days lol.
And to think I complain that Thomann is a bit over 4 hours away from here .. ah, USA
I can promise you categorically that you'll have no problem with the fanned frets. Nobody ever does. There are other things about Dingwalls that may be more a question of personal taste, like the neck carves or pickups or whatever, but the fanned frets are just as easy to play as normal frets.
I've heard it explained this way: from your point of view as the player, straight frets don't LOOK straight anyway, they appear fanned as well due to perspective effects. Each set of Dingwall frets is only slightly off from parallel anyway, so in any given hand position the difference is miniscule. The effect on the viewer in the audience, who can see the whole fretboard from the front, is to make it appear dramatically skewed, but from the point of view of the player, who's only really concerned about the distance between, say, fret 5 and 7, it makes basically no difference at all.
If you get a used one in decent condition, you probably be able to flip it for what you pay for it. (In the very slight chance you don't bond with it)
johnsonabq
Watch out where the huskies go...
Living in NM has guaranteed that except for a couple of high end Fenders, you don't see any basses over $1k, let alone play them. No choice but to just order one. For the last 10 years I've been buying Spectors, and now Dingwalls. These are amazing basses. Order one and you will get a great bass. What I've discovered is that to really know if the bass is for me, I need to play with my band full volume. Only then do I really know the instrument. It's a commitment for sure.
Same here - i was at a music retailer, and there was a Dingwall Meet n Greet, by chance. I never played one - only saw from a distance. Was smitten with the LOOK first, then listening to Sheldon talking - really showcased his vision and class. He had got some questions from the audience (regarding other brands) to which COULD have sparked controversy - instead, he handled himself with class. So - i heard some fine fellas playing - and jumped in with both feet - i custom ordered a AB1 - then found a used mint 5 string (to tide me over) and then got another one Super PJ...then have had 3 or 4 others - bought and sold.
I found NOT looking at the fretboard while playing - not only encouraged ear training, but made the transition literally minutes. A few bombed notes here and there and the hands/ears learned the spread - and back n forth transitioning from parallel to fan frets, is not even a thought anymore.
On a funny side note: I DO recall getting a birth-year '70 P bass - to which i played exclusively during the honeymoon phase - then grabbed the Super P ....started glancing at the fretboard and then did an A/B to the two...glancing at both..then had this shock moment - i could have SWORE my 70 P bass had fanned frets....no alcohol was consumed during this time either. To this day, my visual of FF and P frets - seems similar from my vantage point..
Like someone previously said - buy used at first to make sure..you wont lose hardly (if any) money on it during resale. IMO..best resale brand i have seen thus far. Cheers
I found NOT looking at the fretboard while playing - not only encouraged ear training, but made the transition literally minutes. A few bombed notes here and there and the hands/ears learned the spread - and back n forth transitioning from parallel to fan frets, is not even a thought anymore.
On a funny side note: I DO recall getting a birth-year '70 P bass - to which i played exclusively during the honeymoon phase - then grabbed the Super P ....started glancing at the fretboard and then did an A/B to the two...glancing at both..then had this shock moment - i could have SWORE my 70 P bass had fanned frets....no alcohol was consumed during this time either. To this day, my visual of FF and P frets - seems similar from my vantage point..
Like someone previously said - buy used at first to make sure..you wont lose hardly (if any) money on it during resale. IMO..best resale brand i have seen thus far. Cheers
