I was thinking the same thing. Potential leak(?) But somewhere in the back of my head I kind of recall something about this, just haven’t seen any supply.
with the mention of 2 new finishes coming up thou perhaps that is a leak?! We shall see
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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
I was thinking the same thing. Potential leak(?) But somewhere in the back of my head I kind of recall something about this, just haven’t seen any supply.
with the mention of 2 new finishes coming up thou perhaps that is a leak?! We shall see
Maybe after they built the Shell Pink ABI I used to have they realized how excellent of a color it is and put it into production.
One very minor downside to wenge being denser - it is also heavier! I got a passive 4-string Super-J with a wenge/wenge Super-P neck, which is awesome, but unexpectedly heavier than the other featherweight passive Dingwalls I've tried. The wenge/wenge is a lot of... wenge... and also the P neck is wider than the J on a 4-string. If I could do it over, I might go maple/roasted ash to shave a few ounces...
Regarding the neck wood convo…
I’m feeling a bit confused on some of the comments here.
maple is definitely smoother then wenge! The grain is tighter without pores. I find it can have a bit of a more forward mid presence than the wenge. Wenge being very tight, even and articulate.
Wenge is more stable and handles the seasonal and weather changes better being a harder wood BUT it does have pores and the grain is a tangible feel. The necks slide easy and feel amazing but it is NOT “smoother” than maple.
Generally I prefer wenge (I have had wenge warwicks as well) but if I was to do another fretless build I’d go maple or perhaps try some Ovangkol for tonal purposes.
It does seem the new roasted ash necks offer a very nice dark appearance and a nice bring snappy tone. I have yet to try one.
One other thing I will say about wenge when compared to maple necks of the same or similar model is that the strings seem to hold a higher tension. I have no science to back this but in comparison model to model on a few occasions I’ve always felt the wenge necks to be…. More precise(?), quicker to respond and return back to rest(?). This could just be perception but I’m not biased in a way that just makes me want one over the other. Ultimately my desires are based on a playable goal vs a look.
Here are some pretty direct comparisons I’ve experienced.
Wenge neck under the maple board on the green/purple.
I’m feeling a bit confused on some of the comments here.
maple is definitely smoother then wenge! The grain is tighter without pores. I find it can have a bit of a more forward mid presence than the wenge. Wenge being very tight, even and articulate.
Wenge is more stable and handles the seasonal and weather changes better being a harder wood BUT it does have pores and the grain is a tangible feel. The necks slide easy and feel amazing but it is NOT “smoother” than maple.
Generally I prefer wenge (I have had wenge warwicks as well) but if I was to do another fretless build I’d go maple or perhaps try some Ovangkol for tonal purposes.
It does seem the new roasted ash necks offer a very nice dark appearance and a nice bring snappy tone. I have yet to try one.
One other thing I will say about wenge when compared to maple necks of the same or similar model is that the strings seem to hold a higher tension. I have no science to back this but in comparison model to model on a few occasions I’ve always felt the wenge necks to be…. More precise(?), quicker to respond and return back to rest(?). This could just be perception but I’m not biased in a way that just makes me want one over the other. Ultimately my desires are based on a playable goal vs a look.
Here are some pretty direct comparisons I’ve experienced.
Both in series is loudest, then each pickup solo, and then both in parallel is quietest.
Can someone with experience with both FDV and FD3 pickups offer a comparison? There's what's written on the Dingwall site, but I'm curious if anyone can expand on that. Are the FD3s simply wider in their frequency response, or is there a less present midrange as compared to the FDVs, which is a common trait among wide response type pickups.
Where did you get that notion? My Droc has Madagascar Ebony and it's fretted
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Thanks. Is the volume difference "manageable" in a live setting? (Like on a passive jazz bass, for example)
Wenge is the best neck wood.
I'll die on that hill. Dingwall wenge necks are amazing.
I'll die on that hill. Dingwall wenge necks are amazing.
I think this is a result of what you said earlier about it being a harder wood. A long with the extra rods common these days it should hold tension better as it's a sturdier platform.
I was thinking about why I love playing Stingrays with lower tuning more than other four strings, the Droc included. And I started to wonder if it was able to ring out so well because of the chunkier neck holding tension better than a thinner longer neck.
I might have mixed up some things I‘ve read. Glad to be corrected - great to see the option exists and congrats, your D-Roc is killer!
Lowendtech
Happily trending in my own peculiar direction.
I think you mean Macassar Ebony, which is from Southeast Asia. Madagascar is an island off the coast of Africa, and although it does have its own ebony, it’s heavily endangered and regulated by CITES.
perhaps you got confused in regards to the fact that ebony is the only fretless option, not that it’s only available as fretless
I think you’re mistaken about who said what, OR… I am loosing marbles. I think it was someone else who mentioned the hardness factor of Wenge
I think you are right about chunkier necks my tree trunk Spector has a different magic to it then the dingwalls.
My perception, having removed FDVs from the purple/green Z3 above and installed FD3s and having played multiple sets in different basses is that the FDVs have a more open presence. Less low end and less to sizzle. I like the FD3s as they seem to do humbucker better. For fast music I find this really noticeable when it comes to the attack of the notes. FDVs sound great, perhaps better for many genres that don’t require a “fast” presence. I find the FD3s tighter with a better bottom presence if that makes sense.
This probably helps not but if I was to compare them to Mesa heads:
FDV = walkabout
FD3 = carbine.
Thank you, this is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm not as concerned with aesthetics as I am functionality.
Thank you for all the replies. I think for the time being I'm going with Wenge/Wenge.
