Dingwall Owners Club

[AB Nate]

Based on a recent email I got from JF, yes. Don’t know how much, yet.

Inflation is high and it’s been a very cold up here

 

[Selta]

Inflation is high and it’s been a very cold up here

Inflation high up in CAN as well? Can respond in DM if you'd like - don't wanna get too far OT or political here.

 

[shade_1313]

Inflation is high and it’s been a very cold up here

Inflation has been kicking the crap out of us for nearly a year now.

 

[AB Nate]

I’ll just say you can look it up on YouTube and do my best to stay on topic.

 

[NaH]

I get pretty excited about glow in the dark stuff, and I love the Luminlay products. Huge bang for the buck, and an easy DIY if you’d like glowing side dots.

I’ve gone down the airbrush rabbit hole, and discovered Lumilor paints.

https://www.lumilor.com/

A paint that uses a power source. Turn it on, it glows. Power down and it can disappear behind airbrush art.

Here’s an artist I found on YouTube. The video is long, and a great airbrush tutorial, but you can skip to the last few minutes for the full reveal.


Ryan @ Bloodshot airbrush does amazing stuff, but this is over the top cool. I’ve learned a ton from this guy in just a couple weeks. Being snowbound does that.

Just think of the possibilities with the Dingwall artists and luminous paint.

It isn't really using a power source, is it? I'd want to know how that is wired. Looks just like luminlay, but in paint...

 

[gustobassman]

Before I answer that let me make it clear that I have never played a Combustion or any Dingwall with G&B pickups.

But, every time I've run across a G&B pickup, replacing it with something better has always brought a pretty big improvement. For example Lakland 44-01, various PRS SE guitars, various Godin guitars.

Sometimes a simple pot swap will make the G&B stock pickups sound MUCH better. I've swapped the stock pots in many PRS SE's - I always suggest this before changing pickups. 9 times out of 10 people are happy.

I just threw full size CTS 500k Volume Pots in my both of my NG's.. the one with FD3's sounds cleaner and bigger, the one with the stock FD-3N's sounds much, much better. It's like a blanket came off the FD-3N's. If you're handy with a reamer and a soldering iron, this is much cheaper than buying new pickups and makes a pretty big difference.

 

[singlemalt]

I read through the Lumilor paint process. It does indeed use a power source. It’s quite the intricate paint process. Not for the faint of heart.

It’s also fairly pricey.

You are building an electrical circuit in layers of material, all sprayed onto the substrate, which, if conductive metal like a gas tank, has to be isolated from the system.

Pretty cool, still.

 

[Sheldon D.]

Since we're on the subject of pickups.....

As a newer Dingwall convert, I'm curious about who makes their pickups. I see that Combustions use G&B pickups, which I've not had a lot luck with. Both of my Dingwalls are older Canadians. The 4 string has EMG40 sized pickups with Gold Dingwall wording printed in the corners. My 5 string has squared off soapbars with a large 'Dingwall' inset across the entire width of the pickups. Are both of these made in house by Dingwall?

And how about the newer rounded pickups in the Canadians? Who are those made by?

FD3, FDV, SFII and P-style pickups used in our domestic basses are made inhouse. FD3n pickups are made to our specification by G&B because they do high quality work. However, they are a Dingwall design, not a re-branded OEM design.

 

[donahue]

Hi all, just bought an NG3 and I like it alot but have a question for @Sheldon D. but it won't let me PM him? Idk why?

 

[Selta]

Hi all, just bought an NG3 and I like it alot but have a question for @Sheldon D. but it won't let me PM him? Idk why?

Honestly probably best to go through the shop you bought it through, or emailing Dingwall tech support, [email protected]

 

[donahue]

Honestly probably best to go through the shop you bought it through, or emailing Dingwall tech support, [email protected]

Thanks. I emailed tech support. I'm loving this bass so far but the bridge saddles are very sharp and pointy. I play with a pick and my hand is getting all poked up. I could maybe file them down but that might not look very nice on such a pretty bass.

 

[SemiDriven]

Thanks. I emailed tech support. I'm loving this bass so far but the bridge saddles are very sharp and pointy. I play with a pick and my hand is getting all poked up. I could maybe file them down but that might not look very nice on such a pretty bass.
View attachment 4530568

I didn't know that ZZ Top made a boost pedal!

Nice lookin' bass!

 

[Derek Williams]

Thanks. I emailed tech support. I'm loving this bass so far but the bridge saddles are very sharp and pointy. I play with a pick and my hand is getting all poked up. I could maybe file them down but that might not look very nice on such a pretty bass.
View attachment 4530568

A bit pricey, but the Babicz SoloRails solve that problem nicely.

 

[donahue]

A bit pricey, but the Babicz SoloRails solve that problem nicely.

View attachment 4530627

Those are super sweet but yeah expensive. I think the very newest import models have the sharp saddles fixed from the photos I looked at but I don't know how to get a set? The tech support already responded and pointed me toward the USA hipshot ones but they are matte black and might look wierd on there with the black chrome everything else. And if I just file the existing ones it will look like crap, I know it.

I don't really want to drop another $280 on a set of babicz bridges for a $2k+ bass. Hmmm

 

[spiritbass]

Sometimes a simple pot swap will make the G&B stock pickups sound MUCH better. I've swapped the stock pots in many PRS SE's - I always suggest this before changing pickups. 9 times out of 10 people are happy.

I just threw full size CTS 500k Volume Pots in my both of my NG's.. the one with FD3's sounds cleaner and bigger, the one with the stock FD-3N's sounds much, much better. It's like a blanket came off the FD-3N's. If you're handy with a reamer and a soldering iron, this is much cheaper than buying new pickups and makes a pretty big difference.

Is 500k higher than the stock value?

 

[donahue]

@gustobassman sold these recently off a 2021 model and you can clearly see the saddles come much more rounded off.

How do I get a set of these @Sheldon D.

 

[gustobassman]

Is 500k higher than the stock value?

Stock is 500k. It's an Alpha Mini pot.

What I added and stock, respectively.

 

[spiritbass]

Stock is 500k. It's an Alpha Mini pot.

What I added and stock, respectively.

View attachment 4530807

Interesting. I would not have thought that a pot swap would have such a significant sonic effect. Somehow, the quality of the resistive path makes a difference. Something to reflect on.

 

[Selta]

Interesting. I would not have thought that a pot swap would have such a significant sonic effect. Somehow, the quality of the resistive path makes a difference. Something to reflect on.

I'm failing to understand how replacing a 500k with a 500k will result in a large difference. Granted, pots have a pretty wild tolerance (iirc +/- 20% ish), but even then I wouldn't expect drastic differences. Certainly sounds, to me, more like a possibly bad pot than anything, in that case.

 

[gustobassman]

I'm failing to understand how replacing a 500k with a 500k will result in a large difference. Granted, pots have a pretty wild tolerance (iirc +/- 20% ish), but even then I wouldn't expect drastic differences. Certainly sounds, to me, more like a possibly bad pot than anything, in that case.

Nope not a bad pot.

I wish I could express it in better terms, but you will hear a difference between an Alpha and a CTS. It's more noticeable with lower end import electronics, like the G&B pickups as mentioned previously. With a high end hand wound pickup, you may not notice as much.. I could see that maybe being the case.

From what I've seen, Dingwall is the exception - most "brands" cheap out on the import electronics. The mini pot I removed seems much higher quality than some mini pots that just "feel" cheap. A friend just had me swap the guts on a Brand New $1100 ESP LTD EC-1000 that had garbage little mini pots and very cheap stock wiring. Added full size CTS pots and it became a new instrument. Brighter, deeper, cleaner.. same pickups. Less than $20 in parts.