Dingwall Owners Club

[Jeff Roller]

I have a question for you guys who have the old Kahler bridges on the pre-fire voodoos. I'm building a fanned fret bass and have found that Kahler still makes these bridges, but the mounting plates look completely different.

Does anyone know if Sheldon made his own, or perhaps had Kahler make them? On a Dingwall, they look WAY more angled than the stock five bridge.
I may have to just go to a shop and have the bridge plate machined.

Here's the Kahler stock bridge:

Here's the Kahler Voodoo bridge:

 

[MackieBass]

The bass in my avatar is being delivered to me on Friday! Ng3 6 string in white <3

 

[BurningSkies]

I have a question for you guys who have the old Kahler bridges on the pre-fire voodoos. I'm building a fanned fret bass and have found that Kahler still makes these bridges, but the mounting plates look completely different.

Does anyone know if Sheldon made his own, or perhaps had Kahler make them? On a Dingwall, they look WAY more angled than the stock five bridge.
I may have to just go to a shop and have the bridge plate machined.

Here's the Kahler stock bridge:

View attachment 4325252

Here's the Kahler Voodoo bridge:

View attachment 4325254

Yeah, the baseplate is most likely proprietary no matter who made 'em, so if you're making your own and not doing a replacement/retrofit I'd look at a couple things...I'd hit up Kahler and ask just to rule that out... then I'd hit up Erwin Visser with measurements/tracings and details and have him machine you one in the metal (or rare metals) of your choice. Then at least you're keeping some of the project in the larger Dingwall family's hands and will definitely get high quality.

 

[Sheldon D.]

Well...I've cycled the pot about a dozen-times-a-dozen and then some. Perhaps it's a bigger speck of dust?

I do appreciate your advice Sheldon!

Keep up the good work!

In that case replacement may be your only option. But, I like the advice RoketRdr gave. We'll try that in house.

 

[Sheldon D.]

I have a question for you guys who have the old Kahler bridges on the pre-fire voodoos. I'm building a fanned fret bass and have found that Kahler still makes these bridges, but the mounting plates look completely different.

Does anyone know if Sheldon made his own, or perhaps had Kahler make them? On a Dingwall, they look WAY more angled than the stock five bridge.
I may have to just go to a shop and have the bridge plate machined.

Here's the Kahler stock bridge:

View attachment 4325252

Here's the Kahler Voodoo bridge:

View attachment 4325254

We made our own plates back in the day (still do actually).

 

[Jeff Roller]

Yeah, the baseplate is most likely proprietary no matter who made 'em, so if you're making your own and not doing a replacement/retrofit I'd look at a couple things...I'd hit up Kahler and ask just to rule that out... then I'd hit up Erwin Visser with measurements/tracings and details and have him machine you one in the metal (or rare metals) of your choice. Then at least you're keeping some of the project in the larger Dingwall family's hands and will definitely get high quality.

We made our own plates back in the day (still do actually).

Kahler already responded that they do not make another base plate, but will be happy to sell me the individual bridges.

@ BurningSkies, I googled Erwin Visser and found a guy who works for Microsoft. Pretty sure that's not who you mean. Can you PM me contact info?

@ Sheldon D., I would be ridiculously happy to buy a B stock base plate lol..... Or even a tracing....or if you can confirm it's roughly the same shape I can trace the one on my old Z2!

 

[BurningSkies]

Kahler already responded that they do not make another base plate, but will be happy to sell me the individual bridges.

@ BurningSkies, I googled Erwin Visser and found a guy who works for Microsoft. Pretty sure that's not who you mean. Can you PM me contact info?

@ Sheldon D., I would be ridiculously happy to buy a B stock base plate lol..... Or even a tracing....or if you can confirm it's roughly the same shape I can trace the one on my old Z2!

PM with email address sent.

Erwin has been a Dingwall guy since way back and was part of the original Dingwall message board on the old Dingwall site. He has an amber honeyburst AB1 with green LED markers and a Roland MIDI-Synth setup. I see him most often on FB, which is how I've communicated with him. We back and forthed a while back and he's made some precision machined bridge and other body parts for a few of us. I have a set of Super/AB bridge saddles & screws in titanium as well as a set of neck bolts, and I sent a set of saddles/screws to Sheldon so he could check 'em out as well. He can work in a number of metals. He literally is machining them 'on the side for pizza money'.

Assuming that other avenues aren't really viable for your needs, he'd do a good job for you.

 

[SemiDriven]

Deoxit is a great fix but it will eventually require more Deoxit. It is like drugs for your electronics. Ha ha. But yeah, if you tried to work it loose then I would use the Deoxit. It shouldn't be needed weekly though.

Great. My bass is now addicted to DeoxIT.

It’s bad enough that I’m addicted to Dingwall. Or is it?

 

[shade_1313]

Not directly Dingwall related, but today was my 10-year-old son’s FBD (first bass day). He’s seen me get back into it, fueled partly by my wonderful D-Roc and NG-3, and wanted to try it, so he has a brand new Squier Mini P-bass, which I’m doing setup on tomorrow.

Hopefully he sticks with it, and years from now I can get him his first Dingwall.

 

[J R Knots]

Not directly Dingwall related, but today was my 10-year-old son’s FBD (first bass day). He’s seen me get back into it, fueled partly by my wonderful D-Roc and NG-3, and wanted to try it, so he has a brand new Squier Mini P-bass, which I’m doing setup on tomorrow.

Hopefully he sticks with it, and years from now I can get him his first Dingwall.

Good for you!!!

 

[BurningSkies]

Not directly Dingwall related, but today was my 10-year-old son’s FBD (first bass day). He’s seen me get back into it, fueled partly by my wonderful D-Roc and NG-3, and wanted to try it, so he has a brand new Squier Mini P-bass, which I’m doing setup on tomorrow.

Hopefully he sticks with it, and years from now I can get him his first Dingwall.

Take now as the perfect opportunity to instill enthusiasm for it and learning it!

I wish someone had gotten me into it early. I started on guitar at 14, but that was only because I specifically pushed for it, not any parents/family being at all motivated.

And when I got my first guitar (Christmas 1984), my extended family on both sides all said "good luck, don't quit your day job...no one in our family has any musical ability or talent." Which was pretty encouraging. Also who TF tells a 14 year old not to quit their day job in a first world country. Because school every day is a major conflict for a day job.

It took me until 16 to start playing bass (lack of players in my friend group, where everyone played guitar), and even then it was a few years before I realized it was a better instrument for me anyway. The only other bass player in my town/school of similar age was a complete jerkhole so there was no bass-encouragement or community that way.

Even back in the early/mid 90's when I was starting to play some bigger shows in NYC, DC or Boston my family wasn't terribly encouraging though I was touring and we had a record deal at the time. But then again, most of them are dead now.

 

[muggsy]

I gave the old lady a facelift.

View attachment 4317284 View attachment 4317283

Nice! Did you get the knobs from Dingwall? I would love to put those knobs on my NG but they're sold out at the Dingwall web store.

 

[BurningSkies]

Nice! Did you get the knobs from Dingwall? I would love to put those knobs on my NG but they're sold out at the Dingwall web store.

If they're not in inventory at Dingwall, try a few of the dealers. I know that Fret Nation also usually has them on hand?

 

[dirkhh]

Take now as the perfect opportunity to instill enthusiasm for it and learning it!

I wish someone had gotten me into it early. I started on guitar at 14, but that was only because I specifically pushed for it, not any parents/family being at all motivated.

I learned other instruments as a kid, several of them including private lessons (piano, trumpet). The first time I picked up a bass I was in my 50s (beginning of the COVID times). I cannot tell you how often I have wished in the past 15 months that I had started 40 years earlier

 

[BurningSkies]

I learned other instruments as a kid, several of them including private lessons (piano, trumpet). The first time I picked up a bass I was in my 50s (beginning of the COVID times). I cannot tell you how often I have wished in the past 15 months that I had started 40 years earlier

Young brains are so thirsty and spongy though...I feel like it would take 1/3rd the effort to learn both physically and mentally if I'd started when I was...like 8 or something.

 

[AB Nate]

Agreed

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Nice! Did you get the knobs from Dingwall? I would love to put those knobs on my NG but they're sold out at the Dingwall web store.

Yes I did. I called it in while I also ordered a pickup. They said they were low on stock and that's why they were marked as sold on the website. I assume they make them in batches and have to cover production as well. I ordered only 3 (and used one from my Super P that I previously replaced with something else).

 

[TheLowDown33]

For Canadian builds, is there a consensus on what the best avenue of design and purchase may be? I'm thrilled with my NG3's...but seeing some of the AB-IIs makes me want to see how feasible one would be.

 

[Selta]

For Canadian builds, is there a consensus on what the best avenue of design and purchase may be? I'm thrilled with my NG3's...but seeing some of the AB-IIs makes me want to see how feasible one would be.

I'm not sure what you mean by design in this context. You basically have a list of options to work through. Pick your favorite dealer and start the dialog there -- they'll guide you through the entire process.

 

[AB Nate]

For Canadian builds, is there a consensus on what the best avenue of design and purchase may be? I'm thrilled with my NG3's...but seeing some of the AB-IIs makes me want to see how feasible one would be.

Looks like your in NJ. talk to Johnfoxbass. that’s where is is as well and he’s a top notch human