And I'm spent !
First the disclaimer's.......
The owner of this bass is all hopped up on that new Dingwall smell. Because he is clearly under the influence, no one should assume that his definition of dream tone will match yours.
OK. Not even sure where to start.
I know that everyone knows this but still it must be said. Fit and finish are stellar. Tolerences are so tight, it's ridiculous. I scanned the bass for 10 minutes looking for a paint / finish flaw and there are none. The paint looks as if your staring into a bucket of wet paint. It's like a mirror.
So, I ran down to the church, kind of like a giddy school girl. I knew they were having a staff meeting. That did not slow me.......until I found out we had guests. So I was unable to run any louder than church limitation of 95 db.
I plugged it in to the crappiest rig I own. Well, crappy is a strong word. My least favorite rig consists of an Ampeg PF800, 115 HE, and 210 HE. I made no amp changes because I do have it dialed in for the SJ5. I figured by leaving my normal amp set up, I would get a better feel of the differences.
I know I mentioned it earlier but I must state yet again that I am head over heels upside down over the tension of the nickel strings. The are tighter, for lack of a better term, but don't require any additional pressure or energy. You may be irritated if your one of those folks that runs a 95 E. Otherwise, the best way I can describe it is that string tension allows a quicker finger attack. I don't have a tensionometer or whatever they are called, but they have to be darn close to a Fender P running 105 DR Low Riders. Maybe a hair less.
It took all of 10 notes to hear the tone magic that makes we P lovers, P lovers. No it does not sound like my Fender P. It sounds way better. Obscenely better. And all those undertones and harmonics are there.......or at least the important and recognizable ones to my ears. I have to think that Leo himself would approve.
Tonally, it is to die for. The Low B, E and A sound like they have three foot butts on them. They are amazingly fat but do not sound muddy at all. Crystal clear but not sterile. D and G are as they should be. See more about them below.
The tones you can get out of this thing are impressive, incomprehensible even considering passive electronics. Center detent sounded fantastic. I started rolling it back. I found a funk tone that was so nasty it made me wanna smack my greasy, greasy grannie. I also found a Jamerson/motown thing that sounded more like Jamerson's tone than Jamerson himself.
Rolling the other way starts to scoop mids. While I am not a slap freak, whatever freq was chosen to cut for scoop makes it sound as if The House of Dingwall wanted to preserve bass voice in the mix. I'll run scooped for a song or two at rehearsal on Thursday just to see if I get buried. Highly unlikely.
The Nickels sound simply amazing. I dont know that I have ever heard a set of nickels this good. So much so that I am now confused trying to figure out how much P bass goodness is coming from the strings and how much is coming from the Super. Frankly, I wont be able to answer this question until my curiosity gets the best of me and I slap on the new stainless set.
Now the million dollar question........what does the reverse P sound like? Setting aside the fact that I have not heard a standard PU Super P, I absolutely love it. So much so, that should I decide to order a four banger (Pathetic, I know) , it too will be reverse.
I cant possibly imagine wanting anymore warmth ie traditional P position. As far as I am concerned this IS the sweet spot. The D G are so sweet anywhere on the neck. I can cut someone's head off for the Super J by running the bridge wide open. There is no need for that on the Super P. Don't get me wrong, pick tone on the Super P has all the edge I can handle, so it's not like any thing was left on the table.
Going back to Grand Wazoo's comments, there is an eveness of tone when running reverse. By this I mean that you don't have to fight between bottom mud on low strings and gank on the upper end. They sound perfectly balanced EQ wise. Very tough to explain but if you hear it, you'll know exactly what I am talking about.
I couldn't help but introduce the Super P5 to my 1967 B-15N. Holy Smokes ! Every note sounded incredible. I caught some guy peaking through the window.......twice ! Finally, I oped the blinds and yelled, "Pino ! If I catch you in my yard again , I'm going to have to call the police."
I'll comment again once I get a few rehearsals and gigs under my belt.
If you have ever had the slightest love for P basses, this thing is a must own. I have already packed up my 63 AVRI and put it in the closet. It is the best P bass that I have ever owned and I have owned a bunch. TO put it in perspective, I could sell it tomorrow and not miss it.
Um Ken? You're gonna pee your pants when your baby shows up. Really looking forward to your comments. Feel free to tell me I am nuts or that you disagree.
