Dingwall Owners Club

[SoVeryTired]

Okay, so it was a partly tongue-in-cheek comment, but only partly from what I've read from you guys. I see very little evidence of modifications as the basses are built so well to start with. I read much more of people getting a different model, either something more expensive or something slightly different (like the Super series).

My favourite Dingwall to date is the ABZ. If I'd tried a Combustion only I'd have thought it was the best thing ever - until I tried the ABZ. If I'd bought the Combustion I'd then be feeling like I wanted to 'upgrade'. That's based on my own personal preferences, but the store owner said that whilst the Combustions are his best sellers for mail order, it's the ABZ that sells most in store once people have tried them.

 

[el murdoque]

why is it that my mouth waters and my heart can't hold a steady beat whenever i see a Dingwall. Any Dingwall. No other bass does that - sure there's one of this brand and one of that ... but EVERY single Dingwall.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

What are some of the more popular upgrade options for the Combustion?

ABZ pickups? Thanks to a generous TB'er, I just snagged a pair of FD3-5a's for a very reasonable price. Auditioning them in my conventional bass at the moment, to pass the time while I wait for my ABZ to be delivered. One of the nice things about them, is that you have easy access to all four coil wires. At the moment, it looks like I prefer the neck pickup in series.

A P-tone for the neck would be an interesting upgrade IFF you find the stock pickup too dry.

You could also look at past threads for a "Z2" conversion, or an ABXXX-style three-pick arrangement. The trouble with those mods is that you have to make some sawdust, and your woodwork skills ought to be up to Sheldon's standards. That's a tall order indeed.

 

[spiritbass]

Okay, so it was a partly tongue-in-cheek comment, but only partly from what I've read from you guys. I see very little evidence of modifications as the basses are built so well to start with. I read much more of people getting a different model, either something more expensive or something slightly different (like the Super series).

I've been playing Dingwalls for six years, and the Super P-4 that will arrive before Christmas will be my fifth. The only one I modified was my first, and the mods were not absolutely necessary. I installed a Redeemer Circuit buffer preamp in my AB-1 so that I could retain full tone and booty when rolling back on the volume knob during quiet passages. I also put a P-tone pickup in the neck position just for curiosity's sake (sweet!).

An observation based on a comment of Barry Lamb's: According to him, the ABZ has the slimmest profit margin for Dingwall. I'd say that officially makes it the best quality-per-dollar invested bass in the line.

 

[Sheldon D.]

That bass from GC used arrived. Definitely aftermarket preamp, no idea what though. A minor bump knocked it loose in the cavity and there's some hum. I'm going to open it up and see what I can do. Other than that the bass is wonderful, I can see myself loving it for a long time. I'll post in detail more later.

One thing though, the knobs are not original, and they don't even match eachother. I'd like to buy a new set of knobs (5), but they cost 100 dollars on the dingwall store. Any particular reason for this? Can I get them cheaper?

Our knobs are hand cast and machined in-house. This is a very labor intensive process which is reflected in the cost. We just got the first production run of injection molded knobs in a few weeks ago. They look the same but have a softer feel. We're still working out the cost but they will be significantly less expensive than the hand-made ones.

 

[Sheldon D.]

I actually was able to make the Super J5 sound average by playing through my old cabs. It was the longest rehearsal of my life.

I've had the same experience with strings. What cabs were those? We should start a recommended gear list.

 

[KodyAudette]

Well it certainly wasn't a fEARful cab, the only guy who owns one in my state was kind enough to bring his by for me to try out and it was heavenly. I also gave him the chance to play my Combustion. I expect he'll be ordering one any day now. Hehe.

 

[Zoomie]

I've had the same experience with strings. What cabs were those? We should start a recommended gear list.

The horrible sounding cabs ? My orginal Carvin BRX's. I used to really like them............until I moved to Greenboy. Now everything sounds horrible.

I bleed Greenboy fEARful now.

I run two, and the third is in the making. All Greenboy designed cabs built by Mark Robertson (TB er dukeorock) @ BNA Audio. He was the guy that was asking about the Super P 35 in BEAD a few posts back.

Big Boy Rig

Greenboy fEARful BNA Audio built Dually. Loaded with twin Faital Pro 15PF400's. 65 pounds. I run a 3000 watt power amp for massive headroom and the cab can take more than I can dish on the Gain and Volume, without coming close to farting out. Plenty of warmth and can drive for focused break up, but I can't make it sound ugly in spite of trying. Not a single sound guy has asked me to run a DI after a sound check.

Coffee House Rig that sounds bigger than most big rigs.

Greenboy F115. Smaller one hander. 3 way. switch on back to switch crossover EQ curves as well as a juicer dial. 45 pounds. Can eat a tremendous amount of watts and sounds monster with both slab basses and high volume uprights. Mark lent one to Blast Cult for NAMM and personally, I don't think that he is going to get it back.

I have been fortunate enough to play through a lot of really nice gear. I have found nothing that comes close to these cabs in terms of really showing what a Dingwall low B is capable of. It is jaw dropping. I get just as many compliments from drummers and sound guys, as bass players. And trust me, I'm a hack.

I can't imagine what one of your big boys sound like through these. I'll get Jeff to light them up with his Prima next time there is a GTG.

Personally, I don't think that there is a Low B out there that sounds this good. I thought it was just my taste but I headed down to Mark's for a gear nerd day. He ran it through every cab and stack he had and it made his jaw drop.

I told Mark that he can't afford NOT to demonstrate Greenboy cabs without a Dingwall. And I suspect vice-versa may apply.

 

[singlemalt]

It seems like there is a significant overlap of the Dingwall and fEarful sets.

I've taken my fEarfuls to local jams to share with the other bassists. Now they bring their own fEarfuls. That's saying something, since you generally can't just buy one. You have to take the DIY trip in one form or another.

It's just a matter of time before another Dingwall player shows up.

I put a new set of Payson medium light nickels on my AB-1 sixer last week and got to take it for a spin at the jam last night. They felt great and sounded better, very solid and very defined.

 

[Zoomie]

It seems like there is a significant overlap of the Dingwall and fEarful sets.

I've taken my fEarfuls to local jams to share with the other bassists. Now they bring their own fEarfuls. That's saying something, since you generally can't just buy one. You have to take the DIY trip in one form or another.

It's just a matter of time before another Dingwall player shows up.

I put a new set of Payson medium light nickels on my AB-1 sixer last week and got to take it for a spin at the jam last night. They felt great and sounded better, very solid and very defined.

I really try to avoid being a gear zealot and preaching that my gear is the only way to reach the mountain top. Still, and I know that I am preaching to the choir here Singlemalt, the Dingwall/Greenboy combo is the best that I have ever heard. Flinging more money won't get me anything better.

Not surprised at all about them continuing to show up. If you hear it, you must have it, checkbook and disposible income be damned !

 

[Sharknose79]

My fEARful stack....

15/6/1 from Leland. I suspect it was from one of the 1st flat-packs.
15sub from Mark Robertson @ BNA.

The STM 900 can really move some air, but I'll be moving to a pre & power amp soon.

This rig sounded good with my Spectors.
Now it sings with my AB1.

 

[Zoomie]

My fEARful stack....

15/6/1 from Leland. I suspect it was from one of the 1st flat-packs.
15sub from Mark Robertson @ BNA.

The STM 900 can really move some air, but I'll be moving to a pre & power amp soon.

This rig sounded good with my Spectors.
Now it sings with my AB1.

Sweet Daddy ! I bet that brings the thunder.

You know, JGR (Reiner Amplification) is in MD. I'd set up a tent in his front yard until he agrees to build you one of his babies.

 

[Sharknose79]

Sweet Daddy ! I bet that brings the thunder.

You know, JGR (Reiner Amplification) is in MD. I'd set up a tent in his front yard until he agrees to build you one of his babies.

I'd does OK.
My sound has never been better, really.



But....Holy Mother.... I had NO idea I am that close to JGR.

....and YES.....that is THE pre-amp I'm wanting do.

 

[singlemalt]

I labeled this the "Burningskies angle" in my photos.

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BNA is doing beautiful work! I love all the color and grill options.

Speaker Hardware has totally streamlined the DIY route with one stop shopping.

I've used these 15/6/1's and my 12/6 in an all the possible combinations. The 12/6 gets most of the playing time. IMHO the 12/6 with the alpha 6 mid is the biggest bang for the buck fEarful.

Doesn't matter what I hook up to the fEarfuls, GK 1001 rb2, Genz Benz Streamliner 600, Acoustic Image, Ashley pre and Carvin Power amp, they all sound better with the fEarfuls.

I'd been on a cabinet quest for quite a while and was pretty proud of my DIY TL 606's with the 3015's. A buddy of mine slipped a fEarful 12/6 into the lineup when we were doing a shoot out of 1-15's at a GTG. The little 12/6 fEarful smoked them all. It was back to the garage to build some fEarfuls after that.

As soon as the first fEarful was complete I A/B'd it against my other cabs, and sold everything else to fund another fEarful build. I'd never really heard what my Dingwalls and amps could do before the fEarfuls. Greenboy has given us quite a gift by making these designs available to DIY bassists.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Anyone else seen Nolly of Periphery on the cover of BassPlayer Magazine for this month sporting his Ferrari Yellow Dingwall AB-6 three pick-up model?

I tried to find a link to the cover online, but haven't found one. Other pics inside as well.

Yeah! Dingwall!

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Yup. I saw the cover with the yellow ABXXX 6-string. Nice!

 

[Espresto]

Does anyone here know anything about the older AB5T model? A serial check said that's what my bass is, and that it's from 2003.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Does anyone here know anything about the older AB5T model? A serial check said that's what my bass is, and that it's from 2003.

Your best bet is to post questions about your bass on the Dingwall Forum. It's mostly Dingwall owners (some from waaayyy back) and so you will greatly increase your chances of getting good answers if you post them there.

Have you been there? If not, the web site is www.dingwallguitars.com and once there, just click on the forum.

 

[NaH]

Anyone else seen Nolly of Periphery on the cover of BassPlayer Magazine for this month sporting his Ferrari Yellow Dingwall AB-6 three pick-up model?

I tried to find a link to the cover online, but haven't found one. Other pics inside as well.

Yeah! Dingwall!

There is a pic of the cover in this thread:
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[steve_rolfeca]

There's a nicely-recorded clip of Nolly's ABXXX in that thread:

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This is what makes me such a die-hard Dingwall fan. When I listen to the clip, even with good gear, there's a noticeable tonal difference between the bottom string and the top 5.

The thing is, he's tuned to F#. The fifth string that sounds exactly as even and as tight as the fourth, is tuned to a low B! Try to get that kind of tonal consistency out of anything hanging on the wall at your local GC...