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Dingwall Owners Club

#47,821
IvanBassist said:
I’ve noticed that thin necks cause me to do strange things with my thumb on the fretting hand, leading to discomfort.

What has worked for me is to try playing something without using the thumb and then looking at how my hand is positioned on the neck. Then you can place the thumb back again without putting pressure on it, because you already got used to playing something using only your “fretting strength” and not by gripping the neck
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I did a technique course with Scottsbasslessons and he had us do an exercise where we played without placing our thumb on the back of the neck to get used to the minimum pressure required to get the string to sound cleanly. You'd never play regularly like that but some simple scales every day with no thumb significantly reduced the 'death grip' I used to have on the neck.
 
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#47,822
beatdatthang said:
Question for D-roc/ D-bird standard owners, is the “pick guard” just a decal? I have a D-bird on the way and I was curious if it is removable if I get the inclination to do so. It has such a beautiful finish that it seems a waste to cover it under a guard that serves no purpose.

I understand it keeps with the traditional look of the firebird/thunderbird aesthetic to have a guard on the lower horn, I just prefer it without one. I haven’t received my bass, yet (looking at you UPS - was supposed to be delivered yeasterday :mad:) I was just curious.
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On the standards it’s a vinyl decal, should be easy to remove.
The customs have a wood veneer pickguard.
 
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#47,823
Tim Skinner said:
I did a technique course with Scottsbasslessons and he had us do an exercise where we played without placing our thumb on the back of the neck to get used to the minimum pressure required to get the string to sound cleanly. You'd never play regularly like that but some simple scales every day with no thumb significantly reduced the 'death grip' I used to have on the neck.
Click to expand...

That's a great suggestion. I'm a classical guitar teacher IRL and I do similar exercises with my students. The realization there is that the most ergonomically effecient source of fretting power is really a combination of arm weight and the muscles of the upper back, which are exponentially stronger than anything in the hand. In this paradigm the thumb's role is only to stabilize, with limited exceptions. With the greater physical demands of their instruments, this is something that upright bass and cello students usually learn early on, but guitar and bass guitar players often never hear about.

An "arm weight" approach will often do much to solve other technical issues that may be symptoms of squeezing with the hand like a bent wrist, poor thumb placement, etc.

Speaking of thumb placement, I do find a healthy, pressure free location for the thumb can very depending on neck size, strap height, etc. I once had a music education professor who was much less experienced on guitar criticize my thumb placement on steel string. But even though it was partially visible over the top of the fretboard I was applying no pressure to it, which I believe is the most important thing. I just have big hands, the guitar had a narrow neck, and with a straight wrist that's just where my relaxed thumb ends up with the guitar on a strap. No way it would happen on a classical though.
 
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#47,824
20220317_133841.jpg

NBD!
 
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#47,832
monsterthompson said:
Goodness

View attachment 4624897
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Are they calling that a reverseburst? If so, it's the most attractive one I've seen yet because it's a little more understated, the colors aren't garish (sorry green+purple crowd, but eww), and the top has a crazy sense of depth... it kind of reminds me of a those river tables but not in a tacky way (sorry epoxy "river table" fans, but also eww).
 
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#47,833
20220317_164918.jpg

Sorry for the flood I've had this idea in my head fir a while. These are just mock ups but I'd like y'alls input. Is the top wing too much?

I want the bottom horn cut so there is an equal border of black around it in the cut out and down then side until about the top edge of the neck pickup.

And the top horn portion to have the same size border as up top. And extend up to neck pick up as well.
 
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#47,834
Nuage420 said:
View attachment 4624969
Sorry for the flood I've had this idea in my head fir a while. These are just mock ups but I'd like y'alls input. Is the top wing too much?

I want the bottom horn cut so there is an equal border of black around it in the cut out and down then side until about the top edge of the neck pickup.

And the top horn portion to have the same size border as up top. And extend up to neck pick up as well.
Click to expand...
Maybe if you could give it the appearance that both covers are (or were) connected? Kinda like how the body already looks like 2 pieces forming an X. Gives it some flow.
 
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#47,835
Derek Williams said:
Maybe if you could give it the appearance that both covers are (or were) connected? Kinda like how the body already looks like 2 pieces forming an X. Gives it some flow.
Click to expand...
Yes that's exactly what I would like. I'm far from an artist lol. The bottom horn I just traced what was there and cut it out. The top was an extra piece from the trimmings I just shaped a little and tossed on.
 
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#47,837
beatdatthang said:
Question for D-roc/ D-bird standard owners, is the “pick guard” just a decal? I have a D-bird on the way and I was curious if it is removable if I get the inclination to do so. It has such a beautiful finish that it seems a waste to cover it under a guard that serves no purpose.

I understand it keeps with the traditional look of the firebird/thunderbird aesthetic to have a guard on the lower horn, I just prefer it without one. I haven’t received my bass, yet (looking at you UPS - was supposed to be delivered yeasterday :mad:) I was just curious.
Click to expand...

yeah just a decal. Mine peeled right off. The guys at Dingwall told me that if it doesn’t want to come off, use some very slight indirect heat from a hair dryer to warm it up, and it will peel off.

7C95672F-5922-4DCA-97D5-4E9C4C148103.jpeg
 
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