Dingwall Owners Club

[NOLA Bass]

SF2s are my favorite of Dingwall’s pickups that I’ve tried to date. They’re much more balanced than the tone charts provided by Dingwall suggest. They’re just great.

Yes, I've got the SF2's in my new one and put a set in my DBird. I'm leaving the FDV's in my other ABZ because that bass sounds so good, why mess with it. Plus, it has FDV + DG and my new one has SF2 + Neve. Nice to have some variation between the two.

 

[spiritbass]

Thanks for your reply, Congrats!

Believe me, it sounds as good as it looks.

 

[alecvbass]

Here's probably the first video on YouTube with a SP1 in action - the title is wrong hence it flew under my radar for the past couple of days but the thumbnail popped out while browsing today. Enjoy.

 

[wavemaker]

I need to do some surgery on my ABHS

Surgery was a success. As someone who should only be half-trusted with a soldering iron, that’s a huge relief.

Now that my patient is safe, I can tell the story:
When I bought the bass from the UK in late summer 2023, I had the store put in series/parallel toggles. Orginal Dingwall part, a store well versed in all things Dingwall - piece of cake, right? Wrong.

What I received was a beautiful rare Dingwall that had an annoying electronic buzzing in certain settings and, what’s worse and what I actually only realized recently: A middle string that was weirdly out of phase sounding and had severely lower output.

Through several mails with Dingwall Tech Support - shoutout to Davis! - we finally found out that the store didn’t only solder through the toggle board instead of using the terminals but that they had apparently switched the order of the pickups, causing this "out of phase" issue.

Dingwall lables their pickups "neck" and "bridge" on the bottom, but as there are no pickups labeled "middle", 3X basses actually have "neck" pickups mounted in the neck and bridge position and a "bridge" pickup in the physical middle position.
If you ever run into this problem, now you know.

I‘ve exchanged bridge and middle pickups and both the toggle array and the pickup selector today and the bass now works as I am spoiled to know any Dingwall should: Perfectly.

Thanks heaps to @AB Nate and this thread as well, I very much appreciate all of you contributing to the knowledge of the group!

 

[bassman1974]

Here's probably the first video on YouTube with a SP1 in action - the title is wrong hence it flew under my radar for the past couple of days but the thumbnail popped out while browsing today. Enjoy.

Thanks! I have pre-ordered the same color. Can’t wait for it to arrived. Sounds good…

 

[bassman1974]

Here’s a question for you Dingwall’s Maple neck owner.

I have always been a maple/maple neck fan. Except for my Warwick, my other basses have Maple neck. I like their tone and feel.

I just finished reading the latest 500 pages of this club and I feel like I will make a mistake by ordering a maple neck. Wenge, and now roasted ash are all over the Club.

Are there and maple neck owners here who have regrets regarding their neck Wood?

 

[silky smoove]

Are there and maple neck owners here who have regrets regarding their neck Wood?

I don’t regret it on my SJ, and won’t regret it on my SP that’s in the build queue right now.

 

[Thumper]

I've got 2 maple/maple. They are not a lot cheaper than wenge. I love the look of all Wenge or roasted ash, but I've got 2 fantastic playing Dingwalls with no obvious dead spots. I'm happy with no regrets.

 

[Scott McArron]

Here’s a question for you Dingwall’s Maple neck owner.

I have always been a maple/maple neck fan. Except for my Warwick, my other basses have Maple neck. I like their tone and feel.

I just finished reading the latest 500 pages of this club and I feel like I will make a mistake by ordering a maple neck. Wenge, and now roasted ash are all over the Club.

Are there and maple neck owners here who have regrets regarding their neck Wood?

My Z3-6 is a maple neck with wenge board. If I ordered a second, I’d order the same. I love it!

Wenge necks look and feel great, but maple necks feel like home to me. It’s a very personal thing. YMMV

 

[Bassheart365]

Here’s a question for you Dingwall’s Maple neck owner.

I have always been a maple/maple neck fan. Except for my Warwick, my other basses have Maple neck. I like their tone and feel.

I just finished reading the latest 500 pages of this club and I feel like I will make a mistake by ordering a maple neck. Wenge, and now roasted ash are all over the Club.

Are there and maple neck owners here who have regrets regarding their neck Wood?

I've had both. You can't go wrong with either on a Dingwall custom. Go with what you know and like. I happen to be included in the sizable "wenge fetish" group, but most of that has to do with the look and feel of wenge rather than the tonal properties.

 

[bassman1974]

I've got 2 maple/maple. They are not a lot cheaper than wenge. I love the look of all Wenge or roasted ash, but I've got 2 fantastic playing Dingwalls with no obvious dead spots. I'm happy with no regrets.

It’s not a question of money, as you said, there is not a large price difference between the both of them.

It’s more feel or tonally wise!

 

[Thumper]

It’s not a question of money, as you said, there is not a large price difference between the both of them.

It’s more feel or tonally wise!

Not a lot weight wise either, but for me every little bit counts. I have found that all-wenge can get you a pleasant bell-like tone for tapping and such, but I personally don't use that in my playing.

 

[bassman1974]

I don’t regret it on my SJ, and won’t regret it on my SP that’s in the build queue right now.

What are you SP’s specs?

 

[Selta]

Not to put other people down, but, I just cannot get along with maple necks. I don't even have really great reasons why, just every one of them that I've played I felt like I was "tolerating" it rather than enjoying it. Including numerous combustions, NGs, an AB, and even a Z. I honestly wish I could convince Dingwall to re-make my AB's neck in Wenge or roasted ash, but, when I asked last year they said they wouldn't... so it unfortuantely sits unplayed more than not. It's my F tuned bass, which gets the call once or twice a year. If it had wenge or roasted ash, I think I'd play it a ton more.

 

[silky smoove]

What are you SP’s specs?

4-string, single P, no J, passive, maple/maple, alder, shell pink, white 3-ply pickguard, black hardware.

 

[Gopherbassist]

Not to put other people down, but, I just cannot get along with maple necks. I don't even have really great reasons why, just every one of them that I've played I felt like I was "tolerating" it rather than enjoying it. Including numerous combustions, NGs, an AB, and even a Z. I honestly wish I could convince Dingwall to re-make my AB's neck in Wenge or roasted ash, but, when I asked last year they said they wouldn't... so it unfortuantely sits unplayed more than not. It's my F tuned bass, which gets the call once or twice a year. If it had wenge or roasted ash, I think I'd play it a ton more.

Mail it to me, I'll play it.

 

[AB Nate]

Surgery was a success. As someone who should only be half-trusted with a soldering iron, that’s a huge relief.

Now that my patient is safe, I can tell the story:
When I bought the bass from the UK in late summer 2023, I had the store put in series/parallel toggles. Orginal Dingwall part, a store well versed in all things Dingwall - piece of cake, right? Wrong.

What I received was a beautiful rare Dingwall that had an annoying electronic buzzing in certain settings and, what’s worse and what I actually only realized recently: A middle string that was weirdly out of phase sounding and had severely lower output.

Through several mails with Dingwall Tech Support - shoutout to Davis! - we finally found out that the store didn’t only solder through the toggle board instead of using the terminals but that they had apparently switched the order of the pickups, causing this "out of phase" issue.

Dingwall lables their pickups "neck" and "bridge" on the bottom, but as there are no pickups labeled "middle", 3X basses actually have "neck" pickups mounted in the neck and bridge position and a "bridge" pickup in the physical middle position.
If you ever run into this problem, now you know.

I‘ve exchanged bridge and middle pickups and both the toggle array and the pickup selector today and the bass now works as I am spoiled to know any Dingwall should: Perfectly.

Thanks heaps to @AB Nate and this thread as well, I very much appreciate all of you contributing to the knowledge of the group!

Happy to hear you have it sorted. I’ve seen enough sub par work locally that I really try and do anything on my own within my means. I’ve been working with tools and involve soldering, fusing, braising, welding my whole adult life so I find drilling small holes scarier then any of the above….

I mostly get it right. Digging into basses isn’t intimidating the way diggin into a head is!!

I think you’ll have to remind us with some pics of what bass you’re speaking of!!

 

[AB Nate]

Mail it to me, I'll play it.

Beat me to it… maybe it could make a pitstop on its way!!! I’d love to give that sexy beast of a bass a run!!

 

[AB Nate]

It’s not a question of money, as you said, there is not a large price difference between the both of them.

It’s more feel or tonally wise!

I’m a wenge fan but I’ve had multiple Canadian and production Dingwalls with maple necks and have appreciated them all for what they were/are.

If maple is your jam dingwall will make you one for the best necks you’ll ever lay hands on.

 

[wavemaker]

Happy to hear you have it sorted. I’ve seen enough sub par work locally that I really try and do anything on my own within my means. I’ve been working with tools and involve soldering, fusing, braising, welding my whole adult life so I find drilling small holes scarier then any of the above….

I mostly get it right. Digging into basses isn’t intimidating the way diggin into a head is!!

I think you’ll have to remind us with some pics of what bass you’re speaking of!!

Agreed on drilling into instruments, that’s absolutely work to delegate as far away from myself as possible. That part of the job was actually done beautifully by the UK shop, btw.


Did someone say "pictures"?

I almost like the bubinga back better than the wenge top - but then again, the way neck and top flow into into each on this bass is second to none.


It‘s a beast - my band named it "Little John", after the meme:

I‘m so happy to now be able to make use of all switching options. I‘ll post some samples in the future.