Dingwall Owners Club

[trevcda]

I've owned the natural wood Combustion in the image below for awhile now. And while I like the bass a lot, it never met my expectations, nor became my number one. Flash forward to last week and, after borrowing mine for a couple of months, a friend purchased the blue Combustion in the lower image. I played it at a rehearsal last night and it was everything I'd hope mine would be. They both play similarly, but the tone is vastly different. His has the piano string clarity tone that I love and mine is kind of dull without any zing. My strings and battery are brand new. I was hoping someone could explain the differences between these two instruments, both Combustions and possibly suggest modifications I might pursue to make mine to more closely approximate the tone of the blue one? BTW, these are not the actual basses, but they are the same models posed in the question being asked.

 

[AB Nate]

Totally agree.

Even a headstock overlay matching the fretboard would be a huge improvement. The maple sticks out like a sore thumb against the dark finishes and rosewood boards IMHO. A Pau Ferro or rosewood overlay wouldn't cost a ton, and they'd still only need one version of the neck rather than several matched to body colors.

If the line hits hard and turns out to be popular I could see them adding a few more or different features in the future.

I’d imagine price point is a strong factor in deciding what features are currently unavailable.

 

[AB Nate]

I've owned the natural wood Combustion in the image below for awhile now. And while I like the bass a lot, it never met my expectations, nor became my number one. Flash forward to last week and, after borrowing mine for a couple of months, a friend purchased the blue Combustion in the lower image. I played it at a rehearsal last night and it was everything I'd hope mine would be. They both play similarly, but the tone is vastly different. His has the piano string clarity tone that I love and mine is kind of dull without any zing. My strings and battery are brand new. I was hoping someone could explain the differences between these two instruments, both Combustions and possibly suggest modifications I might pursue to make mine to more closely approximate the tone of the blue one? BTW, these are not the actual basses, but they are the same models posed in the question being asked.
View attachment 7050538View attachment 7050539

Your bass has( I assume) the older FD3n pickups x2 and probably V/V/Bass/treble?

The preamp is a 2 band EMG also I assume

It is a first/second gen potentially made around 2010ish?

Assuming it’s stock The blue one has a 3 band EMG preamp, new FD3n pick ups x3 and a pick up selector switch.

The 3 band will be more HIFI and IIRC. The more recent pick ups were also a bit more refined.

That said, are you and your friend using the same strings? If not I’d find out what strings he is using.

 

[bassrest]

Your bass has( I assume) the older FD3n pickups x2 and probably V/V/Bass/treble?

The preamp is a 2 band EMG also I assume

It is a first/second gen potentially made around 2010ish?

Assuming it’s stock The blue one has a 3 band EMG preamp, new FD3n pick ups x3 and a pick up selector switch.

The 3 band will be more HIFI and IIRC. The more recent pick ups were also a bit more refined.

That said, are you and your friend using the same strings? If not I’d find out what strings he is using.

It's also likely your bass has the V1 (pre FD3n) pickups which sounded very different to the current pickups. Hit me up at [email protected], lets get this figured out for you.

 

[Lolingman]

Fast lane first sounds.

 

[Jay Dubiacie]

Hi
Can anyone tell me the correct hex key size for the truss rod nut on a Combustion? 4mm Allen wrench is a bit of a sloppy fit.
I've been told 9/64" , but this would be about 3.6 mm metric size and I'm sure it needs to be larger than 4mm, not smaller...

 

[japhy4529]

I just purchased a used D-Roc Standard 5. I'm looking for guitar stand recommendations. Thanks

Also, I was wondering for anyone who owns both a Combustion 5 and a D-Roc 5 Standard how easy is it changing between basses (mainly from a neck-feel standpoint) during a show? I know the Combustion 5 has 24 frets and the D-Roc 5 has 20. I know the scale length is the same for both basses...

 

[dazmond]

I'm looking for guitar stand recommendation

Are you looking for single or multi bass stand? I'm using a Hercules GS412BPLUS ( AUTO GRIP SYSTEM (AGS) SINGLE GUITAR STAND W/BACKREST ) for a single. Can't vouch for the d-roc shape but I like the way it holds my afterburner more than other stands I tried. Only minor wish is that it had 1 more notch of height, a cable will just barely touch the ground if plugged in.

 

[trevcda]

It's also likely your bass has the V1 (pre FD3n) pickups which sounded very different to the current pickups. Hit me up at [email protected], lets get this figured out for you.

Thanks, Bassrest. Email sent.

 

[shade_1313]

Are you looking for single or multi bass stand? I'm using a Hercules GS412BPLUS ( AUTO GRIP SYSTEM (AGS) SINGLE GUITAR STAND W/BACKREST ) for a single. Can't vouch for the d-roc shape but I like the way it holds my afterburner more than other stands I tried. Only minor wish is that it had 1 more notch of height, a cable will just barely touch the ground if plugged in.

I like the GS414BPLUS, myself, but either would work very well.

 

[gearhound22]

I've owned the natural wood Combustion in the image below for awhile now. And while I like the bass a lot, it never met my expectations, nor became my number one. Flash forward to last week and, after borrowing mine for a couple of months, a friend purchased the blue Combustion in the lower image. I played it at a rehearsal last night and it was everything I'd hope mine would be. They both play similarly, but the tone is vastly different. His has the piano string clarity tone that I love and mine is kind of dull without any zing. My strings and battery are brand new. I was hoping someone could explain the differences between these two instruments, both Combustions and possibly suggest modifications I might pursue to make mine to more closely approximate the tone of the blue one? BTW, these are not the actual basses, but they are the same models posed in the question being asked.
View attachment 7050538View attachment 7050539

I’ve owned two nollys and one old school combustión like yours and the nollys are long gone.

Saying that I did a couple of mods on it. I believe before there were two volumes so I nuked that put in a single and a 4 way selector switch as well as a killswitch and Roland gk pickup but the selector switch made a big difference. I’ve got three customs too and that bass is just as loved even more sometimes.

I absolutely loathe maple fretboards too asthetically .... to my eyes they only suit a few basses

 

[japhy4529]

Are you looking for single or multi bass stand? I'm using a Hercules GS412BPLUS ( AUTO GRIP SYSTEM (AGS) SINGLE GUITAR STAND W/BACKREST ) for a single. Can't vouch for the d-roc shape but I like the way it holds my afterburner more than other stands I tried. Only minor wish is that it had 1 more notch of height, a cable will just barely touch the ground if plugged in.

I’m looking for single stands. This is super helpful. Thanks

 

[IvanBassist]

I really like how the block inlays pop out on stage pictures

 

[TTA]

Not sure if you guys have seen this video. Pretty cool tour. Of note is Sheldon mentioning that Combustions and NG's will soon come with binding.

great video

 

[TTA]

<11lbs seems pretty good for a solid walnut body 6er. Did you request a relatively light piece for the body?

This might just sway me toward getting a solid walnut ABZ 6. That or black limba.

the real truth is i assumed i was getting alder (standard ab1 wood), but my original build was for a ab2 (walnut default). when i swapped to ab1/green i assumed the wood would swap… and never looked that close at that part of the build sheet. whoops. it was a busy time in life for me lol.

when i noted the issue of spec, i actually opted not to change it as I was more worried about the small possibility of neck dive with a big f#/wenge six string neck paired with something light like an ash body. I had never heard of a unbalanced dingwall… but for the wait/money paid… neck dive of any sort would be heartbreaking and a massive deal breaker. f# 6’s i dont see much. so keeping walnut was a no brainer.

Dingwall/sheldon liked the combo with walnut as they said the walnut is better for low end tone/sustain of the B/F# strings more than alder or ash. so for my low tuning bass use… it was theoretically the better wood. so my bass was a lucky accident in a way. i will just pretend i was thinking that deeply. lol.

i think dingwall always saw the benefits of the such woods with their z and past super heavy lines (i forget the name). but i dont think the super heavy took off due to player obsession with weight.

i say go for it.

mine remains my #1 bass. i would change nothing.

 

[TTA]

I really like how the block inlays pop out on stage pictures
View attachment 7051756

i thought about a glowing blocks build (still am), but there is no glow body paint. and i would need a custom lumenlay pickguard made elsewhere.

 

[TTA]

Also (I'm guessing I'm OK to post this here) - a friend and I got an update from our dealer today re: the SP1, and I'll summarise what I suspect might already be elsewhere.

- First batch of SP1's ETA - January 2025, which will mean about Feb-March for Australia
- 4 iterations:

• Ducati White, Pablo Pickguard, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, Standard Headstock
• Black Gloss, Gold Pickguard, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, Standard Headstock
• Vintageburst, Gold Pickguard, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, Standard Headstock
• Dark Candy Green, Gold Pickguard, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, Standard Headstock

- Full passive, no preamp (as expected)

Note these are pre-production/prototype photos, so the finishes may look a little different in production. The black in particular is a matte finish whereas the production version will be gloss.

I'm definitely keen on the Candy Green!

i want white/gold pickguard. :-(

 

[5StringPocket]

the real truth is i assumed i was getting alder (standard ab1 wood), but my original build was for a ab2 (walnut default). when i swapped to ab1/green i assumed the wood would swap… and never looked that close at that part of the final build sheet. whoops. it was a busy time in life for me lol.

Dingwall/sheldon liked the combo however as they said the walnut is better for low end tone/sustain of the F# string more than alder or ash. so for what i wanted for the bass… it was theoretically the better wood. so my bass was a lucky accident in a way. i will just pretend i was thinking that deeply. lol.

i think dingwall always saw the benefits of the such woods with their z and past super heavy lines (i forget the name). but i dont think the super heavy took off due to player obsession with weight.

Interesting comment about the walnut body. I’d think walnut/alder would work well as a dual density body.

 

[TTA]

Interesting comment about the walnut body. I’d think walnut/alder would work well as a dual density body.

good call. dingwall uses walnut for the bass side of the prima artist series.

 

[shade_1313]

i thought about a glowing blocks build (still am), but there is no glow body paint. and i would need a custom lumenlay pickguard made elsewhere.

Sadly, Luminlay don’t offer sheets of their material big enough for a pickguard. I have wondered if they’d accommodate a polite request for a sheet that big, though.