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Dingwall Owners Club

My four string AB loves light strings. Payson set me up with a .090-.032 E-G. Nice thing about Payson and Dingwall strings is the taper at the ball end on the B and E, maybe even the A. The Dingwalls are way too heavy for my taste.

The saddle cap heads are just stainless metric cap head allen. Less than $1 each at my local Ace. I’ve replaced a few with shorter screws to get the action lower if I have untapered strings. If you, or someone else has screwed then all the way down, they can bind up in the bass plate. The screws will go all the way through the block and raise the block up until it binds in the slot, making it impossible to slide to intonate.

Watch for the block rising up as you try to lower the action. If that’s the case, you need shorter screws. Off to the hardware store you go. Take a screw with you and find the right screws and threads. You could grind off some of the length, but if that tiny screw goes shooting across the shop, it’s gone.

Also, you don’t need to overtighten the intonation block set screws, that can also raise the block off the baseplate. They just need to be snug, that block won’t slide around on its own.

The truss rod is the big concern, it needs to work perfectly. If there is more relief than you want, light strings could be the answer, but that is hardly an ideal fix. I’d smack the neck a few times with my palm and see if that breaks it loose. It could be bound up. And I’d be fairly aggressive with the adjustment, because it needs to work or it’s going back.

How much more adjustment does it need?
 
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My four string AB loves light strings. Payson set me up with a .090-.032 E-G. Nice thing about Payson and Dingwall strings is the taper at the ball end on the B and E, maybe even the A. The Dingwalls are way too heavy for my taste.

The saddle cap heads are just stainless metric cap head allen. Less than $1 each at my local Ace. I’ve replaced a few with shorter screws to get the action lower if I have untapered strings. If you, or someone else has screwed then all the way down, they can bind up in the bass plate. The screws will go all the way through the block and raise the block up until it binds in the slot, making it impossible to slide to intonate.

Watch for the block rising up as you try to lower the action. If that’s the case, you need shorter screws. Off to the hardware store you go. Take a screw with you and find the right screws and threads. You could grind off some of the length, but if that tiny screw goes shooting across the shop, it’s gone.

Also, you don’t need to overtighten the intonation block set screws, that can also raise the block off the baseplate. They just need to be snug, that block won’t slide around on its own.

The truss rod is the big concern, it needs to work perfectly. If there is more relief than you want, light strings could be the answer, but that is hardly an ideal fix. I’d smack the neck a few times with my palm and see if that breaks it loose. It could be bound up. And I’d be fairly aggressive with the adjustment, because it needs to work or it’s going back.

How much more adjustment does it need?


I’ll probably head to the hardware store tomorrow to get some back up screws just in case.
I don’t have much more that I need to adjust, but it’s still humid in Minnesota, so I expect I’ll need to adjust all my basses in a couple weeks.
My main concern is really the resistance that I’m encountering.
So how do the saddles lock in place? Are the screws pressing to the sides of the slot that they reside in? I assume it’s much like a Spector bridge, it I haven’t had a chance to dig into that.
 
ok... so it's not a dingwall, but I was at fret nation today and Jason had received this bass in a trade in. I just had to show it off! I want my next Z in this finish (i'm already in for another, help me - plz). Gotta make it happen, lolol!!

There's a killer video of it on FB and you can hear his excitement after we realized the darn thing glowed in the dark. We took pics outside and as we came back in, we noticed it was a different color, lol...
 

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To anyone using a 4-string in 5-string tuning. I would like to buy a dingwall and tune it to ADGC (that would be 5-string standard tuning but tuned 1 whole step down). I have a couple of questions.
1) does 36.25" scale work well for 5-string tuning?
2) with regards to the B string, is there a difference between 36.25" scale and 37" scale in terms of sound?
 
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To anyone using a 4-string in 5-string tuning. I would like to buy a dingwall and tune it to ADGC (that would be 5-string standard tuning but tuned 1 whole step down). I have a couple of questions.
1) does 36.25" scale work well for 5-string tuning?
2) with regards to the B string, is there a difference between 36.25" scale and 37" scale in terms of sound?

1) I think... 36.25" scale to do Drop tunings worked well (but it’s subjective so here’s a video for you to judge
2) there are other factors other than scale length when it comes to sound :bag:
personally I prefer 4 strings in low tuning more because they have more attack, maybe it's the neck & body size or other factors but they do.

and (shameless plug) I happened to have a 4-string in 5-string tuning AB1 on classified :bag:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/dingwall-afterburner-1-4-string-wenge-neck-luminlay.1626290/

hope this helps
 
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Hi Rufus, I've seen your video and it's great to get your perspective on this. Thanks!
Have you tuned the B down to A? How did it work out?

That's a beautiful bass and I've seen your advert on FB marketplace. Unfortunately, I need to sell something before I can get the funds to buy a Dingy but if I was to buy one now, yours would be the one :D
GLWS and can't wait to see the new bass you're getting!
 
Hi Rufus, I've seen your video and it's great to get your perspective on this. Thanks!
Have you tuned the B down to A? How did it work out?

That's a beautiful bass and I've seen your advert on FB marketplace. Unfortunately, I need to sell something before I can get the funds to buy a Dingy but if I was to buy one now, yours would be the one :D
GLWS and can't wait to see the new bass you're getting!

Thank you, I've tuned the B (.130) to A and even G.
some example here if this helps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDMkTU91paA&list=PLlvBb8LShVsq9CohlZkfjXGf5EPp10MO8

I have had 2 afterburners and they have the higher tension than the combustions and D-Rocs I've had. But generally I think any Dingwall with .130 gauge most likely can get away with A :bassist:
 
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I have a passive Super J with FDVs, it sounds great, but it is the lowest output volume bass I own (and I own quite a few). It has the series/parallel switches. If I flip them to the series mode the volume is ok. But in parallel, it is rather quiet. Is this normal?
Yes, that is normal.
 
I am needing to reset the intonation on my Combustion. I got out the Dingwall tool set that I keep in my case and none of the hex wrenches seem to fit. I got out my Ernie Ball setup kit and none of them seem to work either. Any idea what size this is supposed to be?

I’ve been praying fretless 90% of the time. Wanted to play the Dingwall instead this Sunday at church. When we practiced on Wednesday, I kept hearing pitch issues. The A and B strings are flat at the 12fret. Is isn’t much. I am surprised that I even noticed.
 
Thank you, I've tuned the B (.130) to A and even G.
some example here if this helps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDMkTU91paA&list=PLlvBb8LShVsq9CohlZkfjXGf5EPp10MO8
I have had 2 afterburners and they have the higher tension than the combustions and D-Rocs I've had. But generally I think any Dingwall with .130 gauge most likely can get away with A :bassist:

Great playing and the G with a .130 sounds great in the mix!
Any idea why the afterburners have higher tension than the others?
 
Great playing and the G with a .130 sounds great in the mix!
Any idea why the afterburners have higher tension than the others?
Placebo effect because they’re more expensive. There is no reason supported by physics that identical scale lengths and identical string brand and gauges would have different tension.
 
Placebo effect because they’re more expensive. There is no reason supported by physics that identical scale lengths and identical string brand and gauges would have different tension.
Actually, construction materials would affect this while in use.

If there is less flex in the materials used (ie.wenge neck) that instrument could maintain tension under use stress better then a softer maple neck.

I don’t know how true this next part is not being an engineer but also things like the construction of the bridge and the way it is fastened to the body could also come into play as well as distance to the tuners after the nut and the break angle over the nut.

my Z definitely holds tension better then my NG(quite noticeable on the B) with identical strings and as close to the same set up as possible. This may be strongly due to the wenge neck. I do not know.
 
Not an engineer, not a physicist, I just haven’t experienced any of these effects and I’ve never read anything that convincingly explains how things beyond scale and string gauge/type impact string tension and feel.

Tried reverse headstock 4s with multi-piece necks compared to standard fare Fender necks and found no difference in tension or playability beyond the multi piece neck not shifting as much due to changes in climate.
 
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The Z made its debut onstage last night. Tons of compliments on the show and the bass. Waiting on video..

And no, I wouldnt wear this outfit anywhere but on stage, thank you for asking. :laugh: I'd probably get some quality looks in line though, "pardon me, is my prescription ready?" :roflmao:

Worst part, the guitarist and I wore matching outfits, lol.. :roflmao::roflmao:

image000006.jpg
 

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