Dingwall Owners Club

[AB Nate]

Nice one @wavemaker !

Obligatory pic for @AB Nate ...

View attachment 5252580

Thank you!!!

That’s a cocobolo top if I’m not mistaken

Ebony I believe

 

[Katoosie]

Gotta be a Viking to wield that hey!

Yeah, seriously. I need to start working out or something, for bass and just general health

 

[james81bong]

Hi to all !!

I'm new to this thread since I'm actually acquiring from the first time a Dingwall ABZ
I'd like to ask counseling to the more experienced members (and @Sheldon D. if he read this about 3 pickup configurations and wirings.

I'm intrigued (but haven't played yet) by the 3x pickup configurations, I can't wait for my ABZ to come home to start digging into it !!

I'll be starting with 3xFDV with the stardard wiring, but I'm also interested by the hi-fi sound of the FD3-N and I have the chance to easily procure 1 additional FD3-N to replace one of the FDV to add a little bit of sparkly hi-fi tones.

I need your help understanding more the 3 PU config sounds and possibilities and how they could serve obtaining my sound in the band.

Consider that I own as my actual main axe a NS Design Radius CR5 with a blended piezo (that I use always-on and in mid-freq and high-freq boost position obtaining a pick-like tone even using fingers); I'm not scared by hi-fi highlightingmy bad technique, I'm used to that .
I'm looking for the best PU config and wiring to take the best from all PU types and position and obtain a warm, aggressive tone with also an hi-fi feel and additional clarity in both the high- and low-end: I often use the low B to support piano and keyboards in the band, but need also cut-through high/mids to let fast articulations be heard in a busy 7-members symphonic progressive rock band (2 voices, drums, keyboards w/ roli, violin & 2 guitars, one is 7-strings MM Petrucci thru a Mesa o.o).
We're Melting Clock, you can listen to us on YouTube and Spotify to get the idea
https://www.youtube.com/@meltingclock8545

I'm open to suggestions about which FDV replace with the FD3-N and which wiring will support my needings better. I'm usually playing my NS CR5 with both bridge and neck EMG balanced 50% + high/mid-boosted piezo.
I would like to have within the configurations:

1 dedicated to aggressive slap/palm muting (DarkGlass gent sound)
1 for gentle, warm and full tapping/finger arpeggios
1 for mid-aggressive finger-played rock sound
1 for a balanced but deep sound that can support and be heard even in fully orchestrated arrangement
(my keyboard player is a talented arranger and sometimes we have 10-20 tracks arrangements featuring orchestral and synth sounds)

Please let me know your toughts and suggestions !!

Alessandro

 

[Flabzilla]

It’s likely been mentioned but I can’t find the reference - what’s the lovely dark top wood on the bass on the bottom? I’m still finalizing mine and gathering ideas as my build slot has yet to come up.

From memory it's macassar ebony, as is the fretboard.

I think...

I looked up the original order and it just had the number from the wood collection on the Dingwall site.

 

[reddavid]

Guys and gals, it’s been more than two months coming, but it’s finally here with me. Believe it or not: After seven and a half years in the fanned fold, I bought my first Dingwall five string. Bear with me, please, while I take you on a little ride.

"Umm … Dude. What took you so long?", is your first question, and rightfully so. Well, I don’t necessarily need fivers for my band, as BEAD works really well for me. But then I stumbled upon a few songs I‘d like to try my hands at which actually do make use of a five string. So … I had to, right?

For a few brief months over the summer, I was hemming and hawing what fiver I would like next to its passive four string stablemates from Saskatoon. I considered a guardless Combustion ("a solid workhorse made from ash and maple"), an Ibanez SR5005 ("wenge neck and top and back - that’s just lovely!"), a Stingray Classic Five ("an active five might be a nice addition, right?"), but most of all: A masterbuilt Warwick Thumb ("those woods! that build quality!")

But during this thought process, something else happened.
A faded memory of a picture awoke in the back of my mind and climbed back up into my conscience.
Something I had almost forgotten, honestly given up on, and which actually combines all of the coveted elements above.
It was in July 2016, when I had been a Dingwall player for only a few short months, that I first stumbled upon this picture:
View attachment 5252022

"Dingwall meets Warwick? Is this the best crossover episode ever?" were my immediate thoughts back then and I had been looking for one of these ever since. Had, because there’s a slight problem, there: These are rare. Like, really rare - and that’s coming from someone who regularly plays a D-Bird Custom: Dingwall made exactly eight of these basses, four in 2014 and four in 2015.

I came close to acquiring one once before, in 2021, when it was offered over on Link Removed - a unicorn sighting! and even in europe, where I live! - and for a really good price. But, as it is with used Dingwalls: You snooze, you lose - I wasn’t quick enough to gather the funds and the bass sold to someone else in a matter of three days. Three days. That’s my personal "the one that got away" and it still hurts a bit.

I came across another one on reverb a little more than a year ago, but not only would it have had to travel all the way from south east asia, it also had a badly chewed up and corroded bridge. I thought about, but ultimately decided against it - if the metal parts were that worn out, possibly by being close to saltwater and breeze, I didn’t want to take a gamble with the condition of its timbers.

And thus, I almost forgot about the existence of these heavy unicorns (rhinos?) …

… until the stars finally aligned.

You‘ve already endured far too many wordy paragraphs, so you deserve it: I present to you, in all its glory, my new-to-me Dingwall ABHS, which of course stands for Afterburner Heavy Solid.
View attachment 5252026

And yes, it is indeed heavy solid. Very much so. We‘ll get to the details, but let me tell you the rest of the story first.

When the ABHS came up for sale september first, I didn’t even have to think about it: As I have learned about myself,


- so, what better purchase to make than a Dingwall with not only a wenge neck, but an actual wenge top, as well? It’s a beautiful dark wenge top, by the way, which doesn’t fully come across in pictures, unfortunately. In reality, it matches the much deeper and more uniform chocolate brown of the neck perfectly.

And it get‘s better: Not only does this ABHS have the beautiful wenge neck many of us here came to love through our Dingwalls:
View attachment 5252028

Its neck has also been topped with a beautifully streaked macassar ebony fingerboard - a very pleasant surprise, as I had expected the familiar wenge/wenge neck. But no:
View attachment 5252029

It also has FD-3 pickups and a Glockenklang 3-band, both of which I‘ve had in an AB-I 4 before and which I really enjoy having back in the quiver (all my other current forever Dingwalls have FDVs or P-Tones). As I want to use this bass for recording, I had the shop also add on the individual s/p-switches (using the orginal Dingwall part) and the nuances available from this setup are really just astounding.

The next bit I’m about to say, I do so completely aware of my being ridiculously spoiled for years by my expertly carved D-Bird and D-Roc, but as much as the FD-3s and the Glock, if not more, I missed having the refined body shape of an AB at my disposal:
That heel joint / fret access! That back contour going far up into the upper horn and thereby actively hugging you when wearing the bass just below the rib cage!
View attachment 5252038

And while it’s not exactly part of the body, those recessed tuners and the counterbored headstock are still one of my favorite Dingwall elements:
View attachment 5252042

I know, I’m gushing a little, but I really do love these little details that show just how much care went into the Afterburners‘ design.

Having spent a little time with the ABHS by now, I’m most surprised by how easily I can maneuver the ABHS’s fretboard and its neck in general: I had imagined a much longer transition period coming from my four strings, as I definitely didn’t feel that comfortable on the Strandberg Boden 5 I had for a while (it was okay, but to me, not great) and I actually really struggled with a Super-J 5 I could try out about a year ago: I wanted to love that one but yikes, that fretboard was far too wide for me.

The ABHS sounds, just as I had hoped, absolutely crushing: There’s a sense of immediacy and heft to the notes no matter which pickups are in use and as you can expect, it also growls - even more so when the tuning is dropped to A - like it was built not in Saskatoon but in Markneukirchen. Still, there’s lots of variation to be found.

Also, it actually took me a couple of days until I changed the strings and the ABHS responded remarkably to a new set: Usually, I enjoy a slightly worn-in set of nickels the most - highs have mellowed a bit (which in my experience works well with distortion), mids are doing their thing beautifully, string noise is of minimal concern - and the ABHS came this way, so everything was fine and a change didn’t seem too necessary. But when I did change to a new set of Dingwall Nickels, the ABHS simply came alive in a whole other way. It’s an overused analogy, so let me try to tweak it a little bit: If my D-Roc and D-Bird have the weight and articulation of a piano, the freshly strung ABHS feels like a concert grand.

As massive as it sounds, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart and spine: With a weight of 5,5 kg (12.125 lbs), practice with the ABHS will mainly take place seated for the time being - but I knew that going in, of course, and I‘ve never been more motivated to keep strengthening my back muscles than I am now with the prospect of actually wielding this beast.

What’s most mind-blowing to me about this whole story, though, is that, after all these years of looking merely for one of eight, I’m actually now playing the first ABHS ever made.

If you’re looking for me, I‘ll be in the shed, most likely sitting down, grinning from ear to ear.

Fantastic bass, congratulations! Here’s mine…(solid/not solid?!)

 

[Geddyfleaharris]

Six weeks ago I did not know the D-Roc standard T-bird series existed. Saw a 5-er for sale on TB. Ended up purchasing a new 5-er here in Canada. About 2 weeks ago I wandered into my local music store and lo and behold, there was a blue purple shift 4 string hanging on their wall. You don't see that everyday I thought about it for a couple of days then went back and brought the 4 string home. Very happy with both basses. Here is a pic of each. Lighting isn't great and ignore the walls. My son started a reno project but did not complete. haha

FYI - I sold one of my Rics and a small drum kit that financed the first purchase. Otherwise, I would be sitting with one Dingwall. At least that's how I reasoned buying 2 within 4 weeks of each other.

 

[Just Wrong]

Hello - I'm looking into a new bass and Dingwall piqued my interest after seeing Lee Sklar play one. There are a few NG3s for sale in Canada, but unfortunately I can't try them beforehand. I know these are not for metal only, but I'm wondering if that's the case for the NG3 as well. I also recall reading that you can't use any strings but Dingwall's on them? Is that correct? Also, how's the build quality on them?

Thanks,

 

[PRS-Man23]

Hello - I'm looking into a new bass and Dingwall piqued my interest after seeing Lee Sklar play one. There are a few NG3s for sale in Canada, but unfortunately I can't try them beforehand. I know these are not for metal only, but I'm wondering if that's the case for the NG3 as well. I also recall reading that you can't use any strings but Dingwall's on them? Is that correct? Also, how's the build quality on them?

Thanks,

I’ll just speak from my own, first-hand experience. I use my Combustion 3X, which I also added the Darkglass preamp..so it’s basically an NG3. I use it for multiple projects, including a cover band that covers a ton of sonic ground.
With that being said, just get one. You won’t regret it. Build quality is incredible, everything is so well thought out it’s just an absolute joy to play.

I sold most of my other basses, including 2 PRS Gary Grainger sigs. Don’t get me wrong, they were incredible instruments, but the Dingwall is right up there.

Tone is in the hands, ultimately. These basses can be used in any context, they just have a huge following in the metal community (for good reason).

Also keep in mind, that they don’t lose a lot of resale value…so worst case scenario you won’t lose your shirt on it.

Lastly, there are a decent amount of string options out there for these! Some great info in this very thread..
GO FOR IT!
-Mike

 

[singlemalt]

I bought my first Dingwall, used, from a fellow TB member. No test drive. Never seen one in real life.

I was blown away, and never looked back. All the “straight” basses are long gone. That was in 2009.

The import models are top notch.

You’ll be able to get a sound you like, the 3 pup basses with active pre amps, plus passive modes.

There are plenty of string choices.

 

[Derek Williams]

I also recall reading that you can't use any strings but Dingwall's on them? Is that correct? Also, how's the build quality on them?

Thanks,

If you go for a 4 string you will have much more options for strings. It's that 37" B string that can be hard to find strings for. I personally prefer Dingwall steel strings, but I've previously used multiscale sets from Payson, Newtone, and GHS and they all work well.

 

[Just Wrong]

If you go for a 4 string you will have much more options for strings. It's that 37" B string that can be hard to find strings for. I personally prefer Dingwall steel strings, but I've previously used multiscale sets from Payson, Newtone, and GHS and they all work well.

I was looking at the 6-string and I really like La Bella's white nylon tape wounds... I guess I'd be out of luck?

 

[Katoosie]

I was looking at the 6-string and I really like La Bella's white nylon tape wounds... I guess I'd be out of luck?

I'm actually gonna look into ordering some multiscale tapewounds from Pyramid. They're in Germany and I know they make custom strings. Will post an update here once I got sumfin'

 

[Geddyfleaharris]

Hello - I'm looking into a new bass and Dingwall piqued my interest after seeing Lee Sklar play one. There are a few NG3s for sale in Canada, but unfortunately I can't try them beforehand. I know these are not for metal only, but I'm wondering if that's the case for the NG3 as well. I also recall reading that you can't use any strings but Dingwall's on them? Is that correct? Also, how's the build quality on them?

Thanks,

I bought my first DW 6 weeks ago with no test drive. Online from a store in Ontario. After playing Rics for literally more than 4 decades, I now own 2 offshore DWs, both purchased over the last 6 weeks. The build quality is excellent and playing them is even better. I have tried EBMMs, Fenders, Jacksons, Squires etc. etc. etc. over the years only to eventually sell them all and go back to the Rics. I have only had Rics for the last 12 years. The DWs I bought are game changers for me. I have never been in love with the feel or sound of 5-ers. My DW 5-er changed all that. Jump in. You will not regret it.

 

[retroXvertigo]

Hi to all !!

I'm new to this thread since I'm actually acquiring from the first time a Dingwall ABZ
I'd like to ask counseling to the more experienced members (and @Sheldon D. if he read this about 3 pickup configurations and wirings.

I'm intrigued (but haven't played yet) by the 3x pickup configurations, I can't wait for my ABZ to come home to start digging into it !!

I'll be starting with 3xFDV with the stardard wiring, but I'm also interested by the hi-fi sound of the FD3-N and I have the chance to easily procure 1 additional FD3-N to replace one of the FDV to add a little bit of sparkly hi-fi tones.

I need your help understanding more the 3 PU config sounds and possibilities and how they could serve obtaining my sound in the band.

Consider that I own as my actual main axe a NS Design Radius CR5 with a blended piezo (that I use always-on and in mid-freq and high-freq boost position obtaining a pick-like tone even using fingers); I'm not scared by hi-fi highlightingmy bad technique, I'm used to that .
I'm looking for the best PU config and wiring to take the best from all PU types and position and obtain a warm, aggressive tone with also an hi-fi feel and additional clarity in both the high- and low-end: I often use the low B to support piano and keyboards in the band, but need also cut-through high/mids to let fast articulations be heard in a busy 7-members symphonic progressive rock band (2 voices, drums, keyboards w/ roli, violin & 2 guitars, one is 7-strings MM Petrucci thru a Mesa o.o).
We're Melting Clock, you can listen to us on YouTube and Spotify to get the idea
https://www.youtube.com/@meltingclock8545

I'm open to suggestions about which FDV replace with the FD3-N and which wiring will support my needings better. I'm usually playing my NS CR5 with both bridge and neck EMG balanced 50% + high/mid-boosted piezo.
I would like to have within the configurations:

1 dedicated to aggressive slap/palm muting (DarkGlass gent sound)
1 for gentle, warm and full tapping/finger arpeggios
1 for mid-aggressive finger-played rock sound
1 for a balanced but deep sound that can support and be heard even in fully orchestrated arrangement
(my keyboard player is a talented arranger and sometimes we have 10-20 tracks arrangements featuring orchestral and synth sounds)

Please let me know your toughts and suggestions !!

Alessandro

I think you should be able to achieve most of what you're looking for with the stock 4 way pickup switch.

You could also look into a custom 6 way selector switch from Mo's shop ([email protected])

He can build you a switch to get you a lot of different combinations.

 

[Just Wrong]

I'm actually gonna look into ordering some multiscale tapewounds from Pyramid. They're in Germany and I know they make custom strings. Will post an update here once I got sumfin'

Ah! I forgot about Pyramid's custom orders. Please let me know -- I love Pyramid's tape wounds as well!

I bought my first DW 6 weeks ago with no test drive. Online from a store in Ontario. After playing Rics for literally more than 4 decades, I now own 2 offshore DWs, both purchased over the last 6 weeks. The build quality is excellent and playing them is even better. I have tried EBMMs, Fenders, Jacksons, Squires etc. etc. etc. over the years only to eventually sell them all and go back to the Rics. I have only had Rics for the last 12 years. The DWs I bought are game changers for me. I have never been in love with the feel or sound of 5-ers. My DW 5-er changed all that. Jump in. You will not regret it.

Where in Ontario? I didn't bother looking at Long & McQuade. Realized they can order the Combustion model which could fit my needs better. Thanks.

 

[AB Nate]

Ah! I forgot about Pyramid's custom orders. Please let me know -- I love Pyramid's tape wounds as well!



Where in Ontario? I didn't bother looking at Long & McQuade. Realized they can order the Combustion model which could fit my needs better. Thanks.

Long and am quads is the primary dingwall distributor. Some of the bigger locations usually have a small stock of production Dingwalls. They also carry dingwall strings.

Personally I’m hooked on Payson strings. They arrive quickly and IIRC shipping is free. I just try and watch the dollar if I’m positioning to make a bulk order…. Not that it moves in the right direction very much.

 

[Nuage420]

I'm actually gonna look into ordering some multiscale tapewounds from Pyramid. They're in Germany and I know they make custom strings. Will post an update here once I got sumfin'

Oooo please give me a reason to buy a second droc

 

[Waltsdog]

Where in Ontario? I didn't bother looking at Long & McQuade. Realized they can order the Combustion model which could fit my needs better. Thanks.

The Markham store is the one to call (you will need to call). I’m sure there are a couple dealers in Montreal as well so you should be able to find one to try fairly easily

 

[Geddyfleaharris]

Ah! I forgot about Pyramid's custom orders. Please let me know -- I love Pyramid's tape wounds as well!



Where in Ontario? I didn't bother looking at Long & McQuade. Realized they can order the Combustion model which could fit my needs better. Thanks.

Long and McQuade is the store that had my 4 string hanging on the wall. I was surprised.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Ah! I forgot about Pyramid's custom orders. Please let me know -- I love Pyramid's tape wounds as well!



Where in Ontario? I didn't bother looking at Long & McQuade. Realized they can order the Combustion model which could fit my needs better. Thanks.

There's a 5-string D-Roc at Long & McQuade in Vaudreuil. At least there was on Sunday.

And my 1st Gen Combustion is on loan with a friend at the moment, but you're welcome to try it out when I get it back.