Doing my best to insist that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with an import Dingwall, it still has to be mentioned that a Canadian model built in a small shop by well-trained craftspeople and master builders is going to be a more solid and cohesive effort that what will come out of a high-volume factory. This is exactly why a Lamboghini is a better car than a Ford Taurus - both will get you to the grocery store, but the difference lies in the experience of getting there, the standard of performance while getting there, and an appreciation and desire of the craft that makes “A” comparatively better that “B”.
It essentially boils down to the hours of personal attention that go into the build, the quality of the components, and the whole of that being greater than the sum of the parts. The less manual labor that goes into a build, the less it will cost. An inexpensive guitar may take 2 hours to build as a team effort between humans and machines. It might take at least two hours to cut a nut on a premium guitar. Builders like this build up to a high standard - not down to a cost. The difference in quality of the hardware is important - the Canadian builds have premier woods, the finest hardware, and build strategies that are costly. The woods are from the best sources, the finish work is art in and of itself, the electronics are top-of-the line, and the hardware is built where quality is of utmost importance even when it isn’t being made by Dingwall.
Once you expertly assemble an instrument of the best parts made by the best craftspeople, something happens. The lines are tighter, the execution more refined, the tolerances smaller, the quest for perfection gets closer to being met. The end result is a piece of playable art with potential to be an heirloom piece. It becomes more than an object - it’s an effort born of passion and thousands of hours of experience. Players can pick up on this right away. In the world of bowed stringed instruments, the finest orchestral players can hear the and feel the difference between student/intermediate models immediately. There’s a long history of blindfold studies on this. That’s why they commonly pay high 5 and 6 figures for their instruments.
There’s lots of levels of diminishing returns in boutique basses, and we might be only talking about 10 to 15 to 20 percent improvement over standard offerings. Some of of live in that 10-15-20 percent and appreciate it when an instrument can offer it. Some, but not all differences are immediately noticeable, even to a novice or non-musician. I’d cry few tears if a law was passed where I could only play my Combustion or even a Mexican P-Bass. I’ve been doing this a long time and I know most of the tricks to get this instrument to sound its best in an ensemble. Countless great recordings were made with inexpensive instruments. That said, a great experience with a mass-produced instrument can be made into a superb one with a premium quality instrument.
The very best instruments provide that little extra spark of inspiration and make it so I can’t possibly blame the instrument if I can’t play something right. You know you’re in the room with something special, and it’s tough to speak with authority on this until you’e spent time with imports as well as bespoke flagship models to know the difference. All this is easily worth 2-3 times the price of a standard Dingwall build to me. YMMV.
