Dingwall Owners Club

[singlemalt]

My worry is all the complex shapes, corners, and huge super smooth planes. Sandpaper and scrapers can really change a shape. I’d lean towards a re-coat paint job, with the right product to bond with the clear coat. Getting a clear coated finish off is no mean feat.

The bodies are supposed to be some species in the Mahogany family tree. (See what I did there!). Probably a tan to reddish hue, with pores that will need a filler….

I’ve attempted a refinish on a mahogany body, but at that time my skills, equipment and patience were woefully thin. It did not turn out like I planned. Best lost to the mists of time.

There are a few shops that get great reviews here. And the prices are very reasonable considering the work.

Im all about DIY, but my skill set leans towards cab building. Fine finishes? Not so much.

Since I’ve got an airbrush, clear coat gun, compressors and sanders, I’ll probably have a go at flake finishes this summer. But I’ll learn on some kite foiling boards and parts I’ve got that I can live with less than perfect results. Like I need a stinky, flammable hobby… But I really want some sparkle!

There are some great online resources on YouTube. Roth flakes has some tutorials on their rattle can system. Lots of good painters demoing products. So many cool colors!

 

[kev451]

There are so few of the aqua sparkle d-birds out there it would be a real shame to refinish it.

Just not a fan of the color to be honest. This may end up being my main bass. So I’d like to give it my own touch.

 

[Waltsdog]

Just not a fan of the color to be honest. This may end up being my main bass. So I’d like to give it my own touch.

Fair enough, I personally love that colour and you certainly won't see another one very often if at all.
I had one of these original d-birds in the green but could never get comfortable with it and sold it fairly quickly the d-roc is magic though. I bought 2

 

[kev451]

Fair enough, I personally love that colour and you certainly won't see another one very often if at all.
I had one of these original d-birds in the green but could never get comfortable with it and sold it fairly quickly the d-roc is magic though. I bought 2

Yeah, I’m a huge fan of that body shape. My first real bass was an 86 Gibson Tbird which I still have. Seeing the DRoc and Dbird just hit the right spot lol. I’ve got a Droc and I love it as well. The only other thing I’d change is the pups on this Dbird. I’m gonna drop a set of FDVs in it. They seem to have a more raw gritty sound.

 

[Waltsdog]

I’m gonna drop a set of FDVs in it.

I'm the opposite on that, I much prefer the FD3s in my standard and I switched the FDV out for a P-tone in the neck in this one (I only ever use the neck pickup):

 

[Nuage420]

Good afternoon guys question, I am lucky enough to finally get my hands on a Dbird, via a trade. Now I’m not a huge fan of the color and have considered getting it stripped and repainted. I was just curious if anyone could tell me what color this is name wise and what is the paint job made of ?
I was considering stripping it myself but need to know what the paint is so if I take that route I can use proper methods without incurring any damages to the instrument. Thanks ! View attachment 4940140

Oof... I love those in that color

 

[shade_1313]

Good afternoon guys question, I am lucky enough to finally get my hands on a Dbird, via a trade. Now I’m not a huge fan of the color and have considered getting it stripped and repainted. I was just curious if anyone could tell me what color this is name wise and what is the paint job made of ?
I was considering stripping it myself but need to know what the paint is so if I take that route I can use proper methods without incurring any damages to the instrument. Thanks ! View attachment 4940140

Ah, you’re the fella on FB who was looking for a pickguard solution.

I have a D-Bird just like yours, but with PG, and another D-Bird that I got refinished in a most glorious and very R0 G255 B0 way by the most excellent Pat Wilkins. If you decide that self-refinish isn’t for you, I recommend him.

 

[seedokebass]

New pickguard day at my house! Thanks to @AB Nate for tipping me off to this. I like it on both, but especially the purple.

Sorry about the reflections, I immediately had to swap them after dinner!

 

[shade_1313]

I’m tempted to pick up one of those for a 6, just to have a template on hand for more…unconventional colors and materials.

 

[kev451]

Ah, you’re the fella on FB who was looking for a pickguard solution.

I have a D-Bird just like yours, but with PG, and another D-Bird that I got refinished in a most glorious and very R0 G255 B0 way by the most excellent Pat Wilkins. If you decide that self-refinish isn’t for you, I recommend him.
View attachment 4940679

Lol yes sir, that is me and send me his info I’m looking at various places. I’d like to decide on best work done and pricing as well. But yours looks straight up mint

 

[seedokebass]

I’m tempted to pick up one of those for a 6, just to have a template on hand for more…unconventional colors and materials.

Even for that purpose it's a good deal.

 

[J Posega]

Lol yes sir, that is me and send me his info I’m looking at various places. I’d like to decide on best work done and pricing as well. But yours looks straight up mint

You can also reach out to Mo. He's got a guy that used to do paint for the Fender Custom Shop. He painted my Super P5.

 

[AB Nate]

I’m tempted to pick up one of those for a 6, just to have a template on hand for more…unconventional colors and materials.

I know a guy with one for sale

 

[beatdatthang]

Well I figured I’d see what the wood color is underneath the paint job and go with a black burst or just maybe do a dark taint job. Nothing fancy just something dark.

Don’t forget that you have to do the accent bevel on the headstock, too or it won’t match!

Yes, that’s my old bird. I’ll be getting my ABZ in trade tomorrow, hopefully. Can’t wait! See post #51538 for details.

 

[MachinesUK]

Long time lurker here (since apx 2006). Here's my D-Roc 5 and NG-3 both in Aqua. I got the D-Roc at the Liverpool Show last year after spending 2 days on the BassDirect stand with Sheldon. Absolutely awe inspiring guy and can't wait to see what they come out with next.

The NG followed 6 months later when I saw it for a great price on Facebook Marketplace. It was missing the battery cover and pickguard, however the lovely people in Saskatoon sent me a new cover and all is well.

Here's Sheldon & the BassDirect crew with the D-Roc behind before it had hypnotised me:

 

[Derek Williams]

Did a big electronics upgrade to my NG2 that was almost completely successful.

I've been running FDV pickups in this bass for about 6 months now, and almost always run it in passive mode. I thought a Glockenklang preamp would be better, as it should be more transparent than the Tone Capsule, and I gain a tone control in passive.

Along with this, I added a third FDV. The Kyle Konkiel Signature inspired me to use the (now useless) switch for additional pickup options. So I kept the middle and bridge connected to the 2x switcher, and wired in the neck pickup through a 3 way switch to get more options: neck only, 2x only, and both in parallel.

Got it all done last night, and it works 100% in passive mode with no batteries. Plenty of great options, I especially like being able to easily switch between neck and middle/bridge in series (and neck in parallel with middle/bridge in series is great).

If I put batteries in, I get a bit of crackling in passive mode, and a lot of loud crackling in active. I reached the limit of my troubleshooting skills, so will need to find someone that can fix this for me (or determine that the preamp is faulty, which is always a possibility).

But still happy with the result, it went smoother than I expected (other than the hours of troubleshooting afterwards). Hopefully I can get it fully functional soon.

 

[retroXvertigo]

New pickguard day at my house! Thanks to @AB Nate for tipping me off to this. I like it on both, but especially the purple.

Sorry about the reflections, I immediately had to swap them after dinner!
View attachment 4940718
View attachment 4940719

That purple and tort looks sick!

 

[seedokebass]

That purple and tort looks sick!

Thanks! I think it works well with a maple fretboard.

I was hoping the holes would line up better though.. I can only get one screw in no matter how I position the pickguard.

 

[beatdatthang]

So, I got my new (to me) ABZ in yesterday. I’m gonna miss the D-bird, but the ABZ is phenomenal! Both my ABZ and AB1 are a little older with the older style rectangular pickups and are both passive which I’m just fine with (most of my other basses are active). Just waiting for the detuner for the ABZ to arrive.

 

[AB Nate]

Did a big electronics upgrade to my NG2 that was almost completely successful.

I've been running FDV pickups in this bass for about 6 months now, and almost always run it in passive mode. I thought a Glockenklang preamp would be better, as it should be more transparent than the Tone Capsule, and I gain a tone control in passive.

Along with this, I added a third FDV. The Kyle Konkiel Signature inspired me to use the (now useless) switch for additional pickup options. So I kept the middle and bridge connected to the 2x switcher, and wired in the neck pickup through a 3 way switch to get more options: neck only, 2x only, and both in parallel.

Got it all done last night, and it works 100% in passive mode with no batteries. Plenty of great options, I especially like being able to easily switch between neck and middle/bridge in series (and neck in parallel with middle/bridge in series is great).

If I put batteries in, I get a bit of crackling in passive mode, and a lot of loud crackling in active. I reached the limit of my troubleshooting skills, so will need to find someone that can fix this for me (or determine that the preamp is faulty, which is always a possibility).

But still happy with the result, it went smoother than I expected (other than the hours of troubleshooting afterwards). Hopefully I can get it fully functional soon.

So you ran the 3rd pick up parallel to existing switch to the volume pot? I’d start here

If you have crackling in passive I wouldn’t think it would be the preamp.