Dingwall Owners Club

[alembicbones]

Hey AB Nate,

Your Galactus bass is a real inspiration for me if I ever order a custom Dingwall. I love the purple and green along with the maple board. I would do it in a 5 string though. If finances come together by the end of the year, it might be time to get into the queue. The good thing is that I have the purple NG-3 5 string in my avatar to keep me going for the immediate future.

Best Wishes,
Bones

 

[AB Nate]

Hey AB Nate,

Your Galactus bass is a real inspiration for me if I ever order a custom Dingwall. I love the purple and green along with the maple board. I would do it in a 5 string though. If finances come together by the end of the year, it might be time to get into the queue. The good thing is that I have the purple NG-3 5 string in my avatar to keep me going for the immediate future.

Best Wishes,
Bones

Awesome Bones!!! Sheldon and team brought a sketch I made to life perfectly and it seems like a snowball effect with these things. @pravus nebula burst was inspiration for this creation. That, some aurora borealis, some toxic alien visions and The Joker.
I recently was very tempted by a purple NG, thankfully a fellow member saved me from myself.

Good luck getting the finances together.
I haven’t had any regret owning any Canadian made Dingwall....only regret parting with them.

Stay well man

Nate

 

[EMoneySC2]

I haven't been around much due to crazy life/work (and some stupid policies here) but I'm starting to get the itch to add a 4 string to my current #1 (5 string Z3).

I'm kind of wanting to play around with lower tunings on it also. A couple questions. I like D standard - will the standard Dingwall nickels or the Payson reduced cores handle that just fine?

Ok - wild card just for fun. Drop G#. Are there any sets by the above that do it ok or do you have to go to custom sets like Kalium for that? Not sure I'll go that way but I'm liking some of this technical stuff I'm hearing on youtube (I have no idea what genre this stuff even is but Jacob Umansky and Nolly type instrumentals) and was thinking about trying it. I'm really comfortable with setups so I'm not worried about the switch. Plus it gives me a reason to mess with one of my own or buy a new guitar too

I'd go to Payson and FretNation for strings before Kalium. It's a whole thing, but Kalium has a bad rap in multiple corners of TB.

 

[singlemalt]

Man, a six string at under 8 lb, that’s very cool!

I’m going back and forth with Jason at FretNation on just how light a set I can get away with on the AB and Dbird. I’m headed in the opposite direction as everyone else, as usual.

He can do custom sets!

 

[monsterthompson]

I haven't been around much due to crazy life/work (and some stupid policies here) but I'm starting to get the itch to add a 4 string to my current #1 (5 string Z3).

I'm kind of wanting to play around with lower tunings on it also. A couple questions. I like D standard - will the standard Dingwall nickels or the Payson reduced cores handle that just fine?

Ok - wild card just for fun. Drop G#. Are there any sets by the above that do it ok or do you have to go to custom sets like Kalium for that? Not sure I'll go that way but I'm liking some of this technical stuff I'm hearing on youtube (I have no idea what genre this stuff even is but Jacob Umansky and Nolly type instrumentals) and was thinking about trying it. I'm really comfortable with setups so I'm not worried about the switch. Plus it gives me a reason to mess with one of my own or buy a new guitar too

I'm planning to string up my D Bird BEAD with a set of Payson Drop C strings tonight. Based on Payson's customer service and delivery speed from when I placed my order, I'd say consider that avenue. Hopefully I can comment favorably on how they sound and play in the next day or two
Payson Fanned Drop C 4 String Bass Set

 

[singlemalt]

Payson is rock solid customer service. Great strings built specifically for fanned fret longscales. The reduced core nickels were my favorites.

The new Payson flats sounded great on the AB, they are going on the Dbird next. I wanted a more slap happy thing with the AB, so back to rounds there. The Dbird and flats might be just the ticket.

Jason, at Fret Nation, suggested I tune my DR Pure Blues .040 VW set down to a tension I like, and then report what pitch I end up with. Then he can do a set for that tension. And he can build the set for lightest strings or go for a more balanced set.

I could get down to .085 for the E and on down from there. It’s a cool idea, I’d never really thought of diving into tension charts. I like the feel of the GHS Boomers .030. I’m curious to see just what kind of tension they have.

 

[spiritbass]

I have an appreciation for all of the exotic woods that Sheldon uses in his creations, but all it takes to 'float my boat' is a nice translucent finish over ash (and I am a sucker for blue!). This is so tasty.

 

[Ryno1330]

I'm planning to string up my D Bird BEAD with a set of Payson Drop C strings tonight. Based on Payson's customer service and delivery speed from when I placed my order, I'd say consider that avenue. Hopefully I can comment favorably on how they sound and play in the next day or two
Payson Fanned Drop C 4 String Bass Set

Good to know about those. I have played both the RC and standard nickels and like them both so these would be a good option.

Just so I'm clear - is drop C just another step down from D standard, or does drop C imply D standard tuning with the lowest string dropped to a C? The nomenclature can be confusing because sometimes drop is only in reference to the lowest string.

 

[monsterthompson]

Good to know about those. I have played both the RC and standard nickels and like them both so these would be a good option.

Just so I'm clear - is drop C just another step down from D standard, or does drop C imply D standard tuning with the lowest string dropped to a C? The nomenclature can be confusing because sometimes drop is only in reference to the lowest string.

Drop X generally seems to mean only the lowest string dropped to a whole step below everything else. So a D standard would be all strings down a whole step. Drop C would imply D standard with the lowest down a another whole step. I just popped the strings on and they are much lighter than a 125 DR 5-string set I had been using. I’m gonna need to make some truss and bridge tweaks.

 

[Waltsdog]

For reference to earlier convo.

Nate, what colour is that SJ? The P I have on order indigoburst over so just wondering if this is the same colour.

 

[monsterthompson]

I'm planning to string up my D Bird BEAD with a set of Payson Drop C strings tonight. Based on Payson's customer service and delivery speed from when I placed my order, I'd say consider that avenue. Hopefully I can comment favorably on how they sound and play in the next day or two
Payson Fanned Drop C 4 String Bass Set

Okay. I got the new strings (linked above in my own quote) on the D Bird. I was coming from a set of DR Stainless Fat Beams (5 string set at 125) and going to the Payson Drop C, also in Stainless. Payson's are definitely a lighter string set, and I will need a full, proper setup done, but for now I tweaked a few truss turns and adjusted the saddles a tad. The biggest difference aside from the tension is the tapered low B. As expected, I've got a bit of buzz and my intonation is off (to be fixed later).

The lighter tension is nice and makes the bass much easier for me to play. I've got some hand mobility issues so this is a huge help. The sound is a big improvement too. I can't say if it is just having new strings, but these aren't bringing more "zing" that new strings normally would. I'm finding they give me a bit more "doom" in my sound. I'm running my bass into a Hilbish Pessimiser distortion and Sol Invictus pre-amp, into a cab sim and then into my studio monitors. I like the softer attack (less twang) combined with the bridge solo and bridge+middle settings.

I don't have much to say after my quick test, but I did want to say the initial impressions are good, and thank Payson for his help and suggestions. There's a solid chance I'm going to be buying these again for this bass.

Edit - Almost forgot to mention the string-to string balance feels and sounds improved. Not night and day difference, but better.

 

[AB Nate]

I have an appreciation for all of the exotic woods that Sheldon uses in his creations, but all it takes to 'float my boat' is a nice translucent finish over ash (and I am a sucker for blue!). This is so tasty.

View attachment 4058271

I can’t argue that. Sometimes a nice ash grain is exotic enough for me.
Johnfoxbass has a Skjold that I can’t help but lust after.
https://www.johnfoxbass.com/product-page/2020-skjold-drakkar-33-6-string

Nate, what colour is that SJ? The P I have on order indigoburst over so just wondering if this is the same colour.

I’m sorry man but I don’t know. Maybe @Sheldon D. can help with that? I will say though that in the right like it almost seems like whalepool as it does get a bit green towards the center. Doesn’t look like it but it does.

 

[ThisYouCanTrust]

I have an appreciation for all of the exotic woods that Sheldon uses in his creations, but all it takes to 'float my boat' is a nice translucent finish over ash (and I am a sucker for blue!). This is so tasty.

View attachment 4058271

Yeah, this is beautiful. What are the 3 switches for, since I see only 2 pickups ?

 

[ursus]

9.7 is quite reasonable and close to average I would think, standard gig shouldn't be a problem. Internal smile makes everything lighter.

Well I’m 68 so I’m getting a bit weak

 

[packrat]

Noticing some buzzing on my low b on my new Combustion, it goes away when I apply a bit of pressure on the string behind the nut. Sounds like somethings rattling around the nut.

Check if the tree is a touch high letting the strings buzz against it.

 

[packrat]

I’m still waiting on a courier-stranded pau ferro board combustion that’s going to become a fretless. Any thoughts from folks here on finish (oil vs epoxy) and string choices?

 

[Digity]

Check if the tree is a touch high letting the strings buzz against it.

That’s what it was, oddly enough it wasn’t buzzing the day I got it but I saw the screw on the string tree was a little higher on the bass side than it was on the treble side so I tightened it abit and all is good now.

 

[packrat]

That’s what it was, oddly enough it wasn’t buzzing the day I got it but I saw the screw on the string tree was a little higher on the bass side than it was on the treble side so I tightened it abit and all is good now.

my NG came like that. Infuriating until I found it. Trivial fix.
B>

 

[BurningSkies]

I’m still waiting on a courier-stranded pau ferro board combustion that’s going to become a fretless. Any thoughts from folks here on finish (oil vs epoxy) and string choices?

I don't know about the Pau Ferro, but when I consulted with Sheldon on the rosewood board on my Combustion he suggested that it needed a good hard coating since it was farmed rosewood and therefore softer than old-harvest wood. Mine's neither epoxy or oil, but a really hard Poly of some kind.

 

[jakka1]

The Super PJ i have on order is going to have an ash body (Swamp ash & northern ash) + Wenge neck/board.
Sheldon did mention that he prefers to pair Wenge + Alder, but i really like the look of ash

When you say Wenge + Alder is Sheldon's preference, is that an all wenge neck or maple w/wenge board? I'm with you on the looks of ash... it's very tempting.