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Dingwall Owners Club

#57,682
IvanBassist said:
What is everyone’s experience between using FDVs and a P-tone in the neck position of their bass?

I have the feeling the FDV - neck on my SJ has more top end extension than my Super P, even though according to Dingwall’s diagram the P-tone should have more treble.
Click to expand...
IvanBassist said:
Yeah. That’s interesting. To my ears my Super P has more present mids than the SJ, but I guess a lot of factors are in play there.
Click to expand...
It’s been a few years since I swapped my FDV for a P-Tone in the bridge of my SPJ, but my memories of the swap was that the P-Tone was beefier in the mids than the FDV which might’ve had more treble extension but less grunt. Both p’ups were wired the same (series).
The FDV seemed a bit thinner but wider.
The P-Tone seemed more focused but with more presence.
I left the P-Tone in and it’s been there for probably 3-4 years now.
But I have a set of SFII’s now (thanks Rev) so I’ll try one in place of the P-Tone soon.
 
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#57,683
IvanBassist said:
Cool! I’ll keep that in mind :)
Click to expand...

I did and swapped them back out and sold them ASAP. Tried them with a Tone Capsule, Anima Red, passive, glock
Lowendtech said:
It’s been a few years since I swapped my FDV for a P-Tone in the bridge of my SPJ, but my memories of the swap was that the P-Tone was beefier in the mids than the FDV which might’ve had more treble extension but less grunt. Both p’ups were wired the same (series).
The FDV seemed a bit thinner but wider.
The P-Tone seemed more focused but with more presence.
I left the P-Tone in and it’s been there for probably 3-4 years now.
But I have a set of SFII’s now (thanks Rev) so I’ll try one in place of the P-Tone soon.
Click to expand...

It was a tough call to let those go!
 
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#57,685
DeltaPhoenix said:
I don’t find the SF2 to be lacking in higher end content. It just has a lot of heft in its voice.
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Same. I find its top end to be higher and more airy sounding than the FDVs by comparison. The old Dingwall description of the SF2s even described them as having a sparkly top end, or something to that effect. I absolutely love them in my SJ.
 
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#57,687
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#57,688
Hey all, recent Dingwall ABI owner here. Bought it used and I'm really enjoying it. I have a couple of questions and observations which I need some insight on. Just for info, my bass is tuned ADGCF with a set of Pyramid Nickel strings (tapered) with gauges, .050, .065, 0.085, 0.110, 0.140.

1) Are tapered strings typically lower stiffness than non-tapered strings?
My current frame of reference is D'addario Nickel EXL strings on my Modulus Q5 tuned the same way but with a non-tapered .145. It feels quite stiff and I love it. Based on the Stringjoy string tension calculator, I was expecting a .135 to be great on the Dingwall but even a .140 feels a bit loose for my taste.

2) I've noticed that the lowest string (A string) is a bit lower volume (noticeable by ear but also verified in my DAW) than the rest. It also lacks the punch that the other strings have, as if the initial attack of the string is being softened by something. I've changed two strings at this point (from the same manufacturer). One was a .135 and one was is a .140 and I've noticed the same thing.
I didn't notice this with the Dingwall Nickel strings that the bass came with. I tapped the pickups with the steel allen key that came with the bass and I'm getting a response from all of the pickups under the shell, so it doesn't seem to be the pickups. Also, I tried raising the bass end of the pickups and it didn't make a difference. I only raised them by two quarter turns though.

3) I've noticed that if I hit the pickup housing with my fingers while playing, the sound comes through on the amp. Also, if the strings hit the pickup housing it also comes through on the amp with a weird scratchy sound. I've never experienced this before. Is it normal?

Sorry for the wall of text but I've tried to be quite descriptive. I figured I would ask here first before emailing Dingwall directly. Thanks all!
 
#57,694
Lowendtech said:
Sounds awesome.

How do you find the neck on the SJ vs the SPJ?
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Both necks are pretty awesome, but the SJ one feels smaller/narrower. The strings feel tighter together and it is very easy to move around the fretboard.

Still a bit undecided, but If I had the chance I would probably order a new Super P 4 string with a J neck.
 
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#57,695
IvanBassist said:
Both necks are pretty awesome, but the SJ one feels smaller/narrower. The strings feel tighter together and it is very easy to move around the fretboard.
Click to expand...
When I got my SJ I was suprised by how thin the neck was, both in terms of fretboard width and the depth of the neck profile. I was used to modern Fender neck sizes, and the neck on an SJ is more akin to something skinnier like a 90s Ibanez. This is most apparent at the nut. After playing it for a while I realized the logic in the design. Since your hand splays out a bit when playing near the nut due to the angle of the frets, a skinnier neck ends up being comparable to a Fender width if you measure along the length of the frets. As a result the ergonomics end up feeling quite familiar to those already used to playing single scale Jazz basses. I think it was a smart decision by Dingwall to do that. I find the SJ neck to be wildly comfortable and quite effortless to play.
 
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#57,696
silky smoove said:
When I got my SJ I was suprised by how thin the neck was, both in terms of fretboard width and the depth of the neck profile. I was used to modern Fender neck sizes, and the neck on an SJ is more akin to something skinnier like a 90s Ibanez. This is most apparent at the nut. After playing it for a while I realized the logic in the design. Since your hand splays out a bit when playing near the nut due to the angle of the frets, a skinnier neck ends up being comparable to a Fender width if you measure along the length of the frets. As a result the ergonomics end up feeling quite familiar to those already used to playing single scale Jazz basses. I think it was a smart decision by Dingwall to do that. I find the SJ neck to be wildly comfortable and quite effortless to play.
Click to expand...
I think they’ve made small tweaks to the neck over the years. My former SJ didn’t feel as comfy as the new one.

…or it might be the new bass factor :roflmao:

In any case, I agree with tour statement :)
 
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#57,698
Bassinga said:
Hey all, recent Dingwall ABI owner here. Bought it used and I'm really enjoying it. I have a couple of questions and observations which I need some insight on. Just for info, my bass is tuned ADGCF with a set of Pyramid Nickel strings (tapered) with gauges, .050, .065, 0.085, 0.110, 0.140.

1) Are tapered strings typically lower stiffness than non-tapered strings?
My current frame of reference is D'addario Nickel EXL strings on my Modulus Q5 tuned the same way but with a non-tapered .145. It feels quite stiff and I love it. Based on the Stringjoy string tension calculator, I was expecting a .135 to be great on the Dingwall but even a .140 feels a bit loose for my taste.

2) I've noticed that the lowest string (A string) is a bit lower volume (noticeable by ear but also verified in my DAW) than the rest. It also lacks the punch that the other strings have, as if the initial attack of the string is being softened by something. I've changed two strings at this point (from the same manufacturer). One was a .135 and one was is a .140 and I've noticed the same thing.
I didn't notice this with the Dingwall Nickel strings that the bass came with. I tapped the pickups with the steel allen key that came with the bass and I'm getting a response from all of the pickups under the shell, so it doesn't seem to be the pickups. Also, I tried raising the bass end of the pickups and it didn't make a difference. I only raised them by two quarter turns though.

3) I've noticed that if I hit the pickup housing with my fingers while playing, the sound comes through on the amp. Also, if the strings hit the pickup housing it also comes through on the amp with a weird scratchy sound. I've never experienced this before. Is it normal?

Sorry for the wall of text but I've tried to be quite descriptive. I figured I would ask here first before emailing Dingwall directly. Thanks all!
Click to expand...
1) As far as I know, no. Tapering is more a function of movement, not tension. They may have a small impact on feel though since they seat better in saddles and allow for more movement.

2) I've not heard of such a big volume difference between strings on a Canadian Dingwall. My initial hunch would be battery if it's active, if you haven't checked that. I'm also not familiar with Pyramid strings -- I didn't even know they made ones that would fit Dingwall long scales.

3) I haven't really sat down with mine to test tapping with my finger, but that doesn't seem right to me. How hard are you tapping? Do you know which pickups are in it? Have you tried different pickup combinations (at least the four it should have on the rotary), and if so, is there any differences?

Overall I'd probably go through and set it up to factory spec. Sheldon has a small pile of setup videos on YouTube that go through it. That would at least get you a baseline (heh) to setup to and then diagnose problems with.
 
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