Can anyone with experience with ordering a custom Dingwall and knows their pricing estimate how much this thing cost?
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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
it’ll depend on a couple things.
-If that’s a wenge neck vs blacked out maple.
- pre amp. DGTC VS glockenklang.
- of course if you change any other specs like fretboard wood it can significantly impact your cost.
-body woods. Assuming this is dual density swamp ash.
For this exact bass I’d ballpark it around $10K CAD.
Probably weighs about 10lbs
Z3, X-top, toggles, wenge neck... $10K CAV / $8k USD sounds about right IMO.
I think a base 5 string (what I'm having built) starts at $4600 USD. X-top is like $900. Wenge neck something like $450. Custom colors (if needed) are something like $300. Inlays another $200? Matching headstock is like $150? This all guesses based on memory, and based when I ordered as well (2019), so you'd have to take that into account, plus 6st vs 5st etc.
I think a base 5 string (what I'm having built) starts at $4600 USD. X-top is like $900. Wenge neck something like $450. Custom colors (if needed) are something like $300. Inlays another $200? Matching headstock is like $150? This all guesses based on memory, and based when I ordered as well (2019), so you'd have to take that into account, plus 6st vs 5st etc.
The weird thing is the bass sounds the exact same no matter which way the switch is pressed.
Hey Dingers, it’s been a bit since I have been in this thread (or a member of this club). I went on a bass adventure that included an Alembic Series 1 and a Wal MK. 2. I really, really loved the Wal but I had to make some other studio choices and it was an easy target with the way they have taken off in price.
Anyways, I figured I could live with an EBMM 25th Anniversary BFR all rosewood neck 4 HH bass. It has a really powerful 4 band eq, can do passive, series/parallel - it has a total of 16 pickup possibilities. I had one in the past (and some Big Als with the same preamp) and loved it with an Orange AD 200B amp.
I haven’t been in love with this bass though. It feels compressed somehow, something a bit unnatural. IDK if an all rosewood neck is emphasizing certain harmonics or if it is the preamp or what. I do use a different amp these days as I am not gigging (piecing a modular synth based studio together), it’s an Ampeg PF-50T. The bass sounds best passive to me.
SO, I let my heart wander, starting looking on Reverb and other places and I am close to picking up a Super PJ 4 string.
I like grind in my tone, lots of attack. The tubes do their part for the tone but the bass has to bring it too. This PJ is Alder, maple neck and wenge finger board with a FDV in the bridge (the price is alright considering everything is more expensive these days).
Am I barking up the right tree for that Grindy tone?
Anyways, I figured I could live with an EBMM 25th Anniversary BFR all rosewood neck 4 HH bass. It has a really powerful 4 band eq, can do passive, series/parallel - it has a total of 16 pickup possibilities. I had one in the past (and some Big Als with the same preamp) and loved it with an Orange AD 200B amp.
I haven’t been in love with this bass though. It feels compressed somehow, something a bit unnatural. IDK if an all rosewood neck is emphasizing certain harmonics or if it is the preamp or what. I do use a different amp these days as I am not gigging (piecing a modular synth based studio together), it’s an Ampeg PF-50T. The bass sounds best passive to me.
SO, I let my heart wander, starting looking on Reverb and other places and I am close to picking up a Super PJ 4 string.
I like grind in my tone, lots of attack. The tubes do their part for the tone but the bass has to bring it too. This PJ is Alder, maple neck and wenge finger board with a FDV in the bridge (the price is alright considering everything is more expensive these days).
Am I barking up the right tree for that Grindy tone?
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Quite possibly. With the Canadian builds it can be a bit hard to tell as they are often quite unique. It does sound like something more like an NG is up your alley. That or maybe a Spector. Not trying to steer you away of course. I’m sure with the right settings/strings/setup you could get where you want to with that PJ.
I remember watching this one on Kijiji.
The paint looks better in your photos then it did in the add. Congrats and welcome aboard.
It is a modded bass so it is tough to say what’s happening with the electronics. With the 4 way selector you should get significantly different tones even in passive mode. If it sounds the same that is quite unusual. IMO.
Edit: I can see for sure the jack is not factory.
Yeah the Jack doesn’t sit smooth with the body. I’m gonna try it out a bit deeper today. Maybe I’m just not used to an active bass. But the bass itself sounds really good for smooth RB style music. I’m not sure how to beef it up for harder styles of music. I’m gonna have to sit down with it and my pedals and see what works.
these basses can do smooth but it’s not really what they are known for.
I wonder what strings it has on it or if it’s the factory preamp(dark glass tone capsule). I am a bit concerned when you say the switch doesn’t seem to do much. That’s weird.
just in case you don’t know. The controls from neck to bridge are: vol/ pick up selector/ bass/ low mid/ high mid, with the toggle switch being active/passive.
Those low and high mid controls can really make a significant impact on your tone and add a lot of aggression when dialed in.
I remember seeing that one up fat sale locally in Canada. Personally I would highly recommend you take it to a good tech and get it checked over if you’re not too familiar with preamps and wiring, that bass has been extensively messed about with so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the wiring is all wrong.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
Yeah, I remember this one from a ways back. The original owner did post pictures of the custom paintjob online (FB group I think).
Obviously there's more going on here than just the refinish and whatever is going on with the neck (are those blocks stickers, painted, or actual inlays?). It should DEFINITELY sound different in the 4 different switch positions, assuming you mean the 4-way rotary vs. the passive/active switch. If you're referring to the passive/active then it may indeed sound pretty close to the same if the controls are set flat and you're toggling between up and down.
My first instinct would be to open it up and see what's been done in the electronics area. Does it still have the Darkglass Tone Capsule? Does it still have a functional 4-way switch or has the original owner just wired it for a single pickup setting.
The 4 way should give you a variety of tones that go from pretty smooth and traditional to a bit more low-mid-heavy modern right out of the box. Beyond that, I'd be looking at how the individual pickups are wired. Since they're 4-lead, the split coils in each pickup can be wired in series or in parallel. Series gives a bit more volume and punch; parallel gives a bit wider and more traditional.
As has already been stated, the jack-plate is ad-hoc. I personally like the electrosocket jack that comes standard on these, so if it were me, I'd go back to that...otherwise (and some don't love 'em because they're harder with an angled cable connector), leave as is.
Just did a quick dive on the FB group and I did find the original owner's post from 2020 about this one. Originally a Ferrari green NG. The inlays are African ebony salvaged from an old piano. He doesn't list any details on the electronics, unfortunately.
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Pretty sure they are inlays, from the other pictures I've seen the neck was modded for sure.
I have never tried a Spector but I have liked their recorded tone. Yeah, I bet the NG would check the box tone wise. I just am not into the styling of either those basses. I will probably just get the Super PJ and see what happens. At worse, I sell it too. If I dig the bass but need something tonally, maybe I hit Sheldon up for a build with my "tone goals" in mind.
Ivan has a whole bunch of videos with his PJ through various amps and effects most of them have the direct sound in there somewhere too, have a scan through and see if it's in the ballpark:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkq09QOJMWOLBMR-38ZeXgQ
His one is an ash body and wenge neck so it'll give you an idea but won't be the same as the one you're looking at. As Nate says everything is a bit up in the air with the Canadian stuff as there are so many different wood combinations.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
Sounds like a day-trip to Bass Central is in order...less than 2 hours away and they currently have plenty of NG, Combustion and D-Rocs in stock. You'd probably be able to compare to a Spector as well as some others. I honestly love my Super-P but don't find that it does the grindy-modern vibe as natively or effectively as the longer scale Dingwalls.
sounds like a great start at least. Perhaps you get it right, right out the gate !!
Can you post me the FB post on this bass. Because it does have issues with the preamp. There’s def an issue. I opened It up and there is one preamp which looks like an older DG pre but, maybe it’s gone bad? I’m not sure I’m so new to these basses.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
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A few things to consider... there are two discrete things in the electronics that create tonal change.
1) The 4-way rotary switch. This is a passive switch that sits before the preamp in the signal chain (Pickups->Switch->Preamp->Output). If that switch isn't changing the tone noticeably there's an issue with how its wired or how it's not wired.
2) The Preamp. You should easily hear the difference in tone with any of the 3 EQ controls. They have lots of boost/cut that will be noticeable, especially in the extremes (watch out for your speakers when testing!). If your EQ controls aren't doing anything, you've got a preamp issue.
...or it could be both together.
it sounds like to me it is probably reaching back out to the seller and get some info from him on the modifications.
