Dingwall Owners Club

[Ryno1330]

Interesting video on the topic. I won't say anything else on the matter as I don't want to stir things up.

I understand his sentiment but look what he's got each end attached to - the biggest body and headstock you'll ever see (big pieces of wood).
This game has been played out many times. There is no doubt instruments sound different, but yes similar basses have way less variation than guitars do. But as mentioned before you can hear the acoustic differences alone in many. Otherwise there wouldn't be "dogs" out there. Ever had a nice instrument that was dead or didn't sound great? Anyway my 0.02.

 

[TTA]

I'm a believer that the same pickups and pres in two different instruments are going to sound nearly identical.

As an owner of a ng2 and ab1 i can say that they do indeed sound different. But my ab1 has a wenge neck and payson strings. Also fd3 vs fd3n pickups but i understand they are quite similar. I could swap fresh dingwall strings on both and ab/compare.

i will say i am confident that if i specced an ab1 with alder/maple they would be identical.

so why did i get an ab1… with a second ab on order? Cause i prefer the clean look of the ab (no puckguard) and wenge neck. And i do think the wenge neck adds more low mids/growl to the tone… but i need to take the paysons out of the equation. Plus… the ng was by far the best balanced/sounding/feeling 5 er i ever played. So i had to get an ab 5er… and 6 just for fun.

 

[shade_1313]

My Z3 and NG3 will have ALMOST the same electronics. FDV vs FD3N. Woods will be wildly different.

But because of the different pickups, I can’t really say that I’ll be able to attribute any sound difference to the wood.

 

[AB Nate]

Maybe there's only interesting differences down in interesting frequencies

interesting. I like this.

way more interesting frequencies

 

[Nuage420]

As an owner of a ng2 and ab1 i can say that they do indeed sound different. But my ab1 has a wenge neck and payson strings. Also fd3 vs fd3n pickups but i understand they are quite similar. I could swap fresh dingwall strings on both and ab/compare.

i will say i am confident that if i specced an ab1 with alder/maple they would be identical.

so why did i get an ab1… with a second ab on order? Cause i prefer the clean look of the ab (no puckguard) and wenge neck. And i do think the wenge neck adds more low mids/growl to the tone… but i need to take the paysons out of the equation. Plus… the ng was by far the best balanced/sounding/feeling 5 er i ever played. So i had to get an ab 5er… and 6 just for fun.

It's looking like I'll go with wenge neck and white pearl body on an AB1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the yellow and that green they posted as well but I've noticed the only basses that stay in the house are the black or white ones. I've yet to hang onto anything with color even though i love bright popping colors.

 

[libanass]

the 4th and 5th pieces you will see at the heel of the neck in the fiver, and headstock i believe.

interesting about cf reinforcements. Dingwall sales told me they were added to ng’s reciently. I asked them because my ng was a 2021 and i was curious (i was told mine had them). I need to dig up the email to see when they said it started.

Interesting about the 4th and 5th piece, that's exactly what I noticed, only down there near the body I can start seeing the 5th piece.. Not something I've seen on other 5 pieces necks before. Is that part of the magic?

Mmmh, about the graphite, we both may have understood the opposite, one of us would be right and the other would be wrong. This is the email I received, perhaps they made a mistake and meant 2018 and *younger*?

"Hi Elie,


2018 and older Combustions do have carbon fibre. The AB neck is even longer than the Combustion neck, which is why I suggest the Carbon Fibre. It’s not 100% necessary, just a precaution. "


Let me know what information you received. I am curious, because I do hear and feel there is carbon in there, but not entirely sure, especially because the trussrod is very easy to adjust compared to my Le Fays, which are carbon reinforced.

 

[gustobassman]

........There is no doubt instruments sound different, but yes similar basses have way less variation than guitars do. But as mentioned before you can hear the acoustic differences alone in many. Otherwise there wouldn't be "dogs" out there. Ever had a nice instrument that was dead or didn't sound great? Anyway my 0.02.

I've had this exact thing happen to me. I had bought a NYC Satin Sad used, loved it so much I had a second one custom built to to the EXACT same spec, they were even kind enough to try and match the weight. Only difference was color of the satin finish. They ended up sounding VERY different. I wouldn't call the custom one a "dog", but I was hoping for the same vibe as the one I bought used and it didn't have it.. not at all.

 

[TTA]

It's looking like I'll go with wenge neck and white pearl body on an AB1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the yellow and that green they posted as well but I've noticed the only basses that stay in the house are the black or white ones. I've yet to hang onto anything with color even though i love bright popping colors.

Green, yellow, turquoise/aqua, platinum gold, and white are on my shortlist for colors on my ab2. Green is winning out as i have yellow already on my ab1 and i will be selling my green ng2.

never thought i would get a bass in these colors… but i bought into the sports car aesthetic. Some of my favourite colours are on 911 gt3rs’s lotus exige s2, etc. With sports cars and a bass i want to see it and go “f#%k yes!!!”

 

[TTA]

Interesting about the 4th and 5th piece, that's exactly what I noticed, only down there near the body I can start seeing the 5th piece.. Not something I've seen on other 5 pieces necks before. Is that part of the magic?

Mmmh, about the graphite, we both may have understood the opposite, one of us would be right and the other would be wrong. This is the email I received, perhaps they made a mistake and meant 2018 and *younger*?

"Hi Elie,


2018 and older Combustions do have carbon fibre. The AB neck is even longer than the Combustion neck, which is why I suggest the Carbon Fibre. It’s not 100% necessary, just a precaution. "


Let me know what information you received. I am curious, because I do hear and feel there is carbon in there, but not entirely sure, especially because the trussrod is very easy to adjust compared to my Le Fays, which are carbon reinforced.

I can try to dig it up later. I should add that i specifically asked about the ng models. Not sure if that matters.

in regards to the 5 piece neck… i wonder if a four is three piece… and likely a 6 is obviously 5 piece.

i bet they cnc the same quarter sawn 5 piece blanks for all.

 

[libanass]

i bet they cnc the same quarter sawn 5 piece blanks for all.

Fodera does that too, same pieces of quartersawn cut in 3, and then the edge are installed in the opposite direction, I think that's a clever method that makes the neck twisted "proof", but Fodera is still not nearly as stable as my Combustion Dingwalls, they often require small adjustments while Dingwall can hold on for months, if not seasons.

I should add that i specifically asked about the ng models. Not sure if that matters. .

I asked them about NGs, but they are combustions as well.
Mainly my question was about an Afterburner order, and since my action is really low, they recommended me graphite reinforcement. But I told them that I prefer without, because it does affect the tone, but also the neck would be much harder to move in case of quick needed adjustments.

 

[Sheldon D.]

Oh, you're comparing different songs, but also different pickups positions, here you go:








The Z is a SICK instrument, enjoy it! Wish I kept mine. The string does not go out of the fretboard if you're careful, you get used to it within a week or so.. Bending mostly happens inward on any bass anyway, wether it is close or not



Thanks!



Totally love my NG!
Is your NG before 2018? Dingwall told me they ditched the carbon reinforcement in the Combustion since 2018, but I have doubts, because it's probably as solid as my Le Fays and Modulus necks
I have another recent 4 strings NG3 which doesn't move one bit. For this 5 strings one I recently got it, so it's a bit too soon to tell, but it seems to be as solid as well. Wonder what is their magic.. Can hardly notice the 4th and 5th pieces in the quarter sawn neck but it is spec'ed as a 5 piece neck.

We added carbon fiber to Combustion necks in 2018. Previously they did not have reinforcements.

 

[AB Nate]

Fodera does that too, same pieces of quartersawn cut in 3, and then the edge are installed in the opposite direction, I think that's a clever method that makes the neck twisted "proof", but Fodera is still not nearly as stable as my Combustion Dingwalls, they often require small adjustments while Dingwall can hold on for months, if not seasons.



I asked them about NGs, but they are combustions as well.
Mainly my question was about an Afterburner order, and since my action is really low, they recommended me graphite reinforcement. But I told them that I prefer without, because it does affect the tone, but also the neck would be much harder to move in case of quick needed adjustments.

I don’t believe you get an option. They construct them as they construct them. With or without is more of a set standard then an option.

 

[Selta]

I'm having a little difficulty understanding why someone wouldn't want the reinforcement. The stability and rigidness they add is amazing.

 

[Nuage420]

FWIW, some years back, I reviewed two Fodera Yin Yang's (their "Standard" and "Standard Series II" models) with identical pickups/preamps, but different woods, and you could definitely hear a difference between the two.

"Somewhat to my surprise, neither bass had the expected “EMG tone.” In other basses equipped with EMG pickups, I have noticed a particular “burp” or “bark” – which can sound fantastic in the right bass or in the right setting, but which is kind of always there. In these basses, I heard no such thing."

That's very interesting, EMGs are one of those pickups I think of when I think of a consistently recognizable voice.

 

[libanass]

We added carbon fiber to Combustion necks in 2018. Previously they did not have reinforcements.

Aha! Now that answers why I could notice some slight tone shaping due to carbon reinforcement somewhere in there! I was still in doubt even though the email told otherwise (honest mistake)

You did a wonderful job leaving the neck very easy to adjust as well! I've had carbon reinforced necks that were extremely hard to adjust!

 

[silky smoove]

I'm having a little difficulty understanding why someone wouldn't want the reinforcement. The stability and rigidness they add is amazing.

Not specific to Dingwall but in other threads I’ve seen comments indicating that CF stiffening bars or rods add weight to the overall structure. If weight savings was your primary concern then leaving out the reinforcement would be preferable. My one and only Dingwall is plenty light and balances just fine, so I’m perfectly happy with whatever Sheldon is doing

 

[libanass]

Not specific to Dingwall but in other threads I’ve seen comments indicating that CF stiffening bars or rods add weight to the overall structure. If weight savings was your primary concern then leaving out the reinforcement would be preferable. My one and only Dingwall is plenty light and balances just fine, so I’m perfectly happy with whatever Sheldon is doing

Never thought of it as a weight problem, but only as a tone difference problem, and as a harder to quickly adjust on stage problem as well (if ever needed)

I'm having a little difficulty understanding why someone wouldn't want the reinforcement. The stability and rigidness they add is amazing.

Carbon reinforcement do shape the tone to slightly more metallic, that's basically why many luthiers are against them, especially Fodera

 

[NKBassman]

Not specific to Dingwall but in other threads I’ve seen comments indicating that CF stiffening bars or rods add weight to the overall structure. If weight savings was your primary concern then leaving out the reinforcement would be preferable. My one and only Dingwall is plenty light and balances just fine, so I’m perfectly happy with whatever Sheldon is doing

Steel bars, definitely. But I'd be surprised if CF bars weighed a lot more than the equivalent amount of wood.

 

[AB Nate]

Never thought of it as a weight problem, but only as a tone difference problem, and as a harder to quickly adjust on stage problem as well (if ever needed)



Carbon reinforcement do shape the tone to slightly more metallic, that's basically why many luthiers are against them, especially Fodera

It’s a good thing that doing a neck adjustment on stage is a rare problem with a dingwall in hand. Presuming you’re walking in with your bass in a prepared state. The weather shifts we have in Western Canada can be quite significant and Sheldon builds to handle that.
Our humidity and temp changes can be absolutely nuts in calgary and my wenge necks hood firm. The maples need more attention but not substantial compared to other brands of basses.

 

[Nuage420]

It’s a good thing that doing a neck adjustment on stage is a rare problem with a dingwall in hand. Presuming you’re walking in with your bass in a prepared state. The weather shifts we have in Western Canada can be quite significant and Sheldon builds to handle that.
Our humidity and temp changes can be absolutely nuts in calgary and my wenge necks hood firm. The maples need more attention but not substantial compared to other brands of basses.

Mmmmm I'll be a wenge with a macassar ebony fretboard could be used to pound in tent stakes between songs.