Dingwall Owners Club

[bassman1974]

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.

Sorry for you!

 

[AB Nate]

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"?
View attachment 7184280

View attachment 7184281


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:
View attachment 7184282


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

Yeah!!! Thanks for sharing that one again. I love bubinga. Looking forward to the samples.

That thing makes me lust.

 

[5StringPocket]

For anyone who has played both the NG3 and D-Roc, does the D-Roc have a warmer tone and different timbre? I haven't heard a good side by side demo. Both come loaded with FD3n pickups but the pickup location and body/fingerboard woods are different. I'd like to hear a D-Roc 5 with P-tone in the middle position...

 

[wavemaker]

For anyone who has played both the NG3 and D-Roc, does the D-Roc have a warmer tone and different timbre? Both come loaded with FD3 pickups but the pickup location and body/fingerboard woods are different. Wondering how a D-Roc 5 with P-tone in the middle position would sound?

I'm pretty sure that option is not on the table because of pretty much the exact phase issues I’ve encountered recently:

The P-Tone 5 string doesn't work with the D-Roc switch in a 3 pickup config. Somehow the A string output is much lower than the other strings. Confirmed with Dingwall, it's on this thread a couple of dozen pages back.
The only workaround was to disconnect the neck pickup, and then you lose the all pickups position. You can also custom order a 6-way switch but that is hard to fit in the skinny DRoc body. Or maybe install an NG3 switch.

… but maybe things changed, as there are obviously "bridge" P-tones out there in Super PJ, which would be what you’d need for a D-Roc middle position.


Apart from that:
You're mostly right in your description of timbre.

I primarily play both a custom D-Bird and custom D-Roc (these come with FDVs, though) and I had an NG-2 for a couple of years. I liked the NG (it’s still in my avatar), I just didn’t bond with it.

But: From this experience, I still maintain that any longscale Dingwall is closer to any other longscale Dingwall than it is not. They are different horses, but they are the same breed, imo. (Except for Zs, which everyone of course knows are zebras )
It‘s up to you whether you want to lean into the differences of character or blur the lines.

 

[5StringPocket]

I'm pretty sure that option is not on the table because of pretty much the exact phase issues I've encountered recently:


… but maybe things changed, as there are obviously "bridge" P-tones out there in Super PJ, which would be what you'd need for a D-Roc middle position.


Apart from that:
You're mostly right in your description of timbre.

I primarily play both a custom D-Bird and custom D-Roc (these come with FDVs, though) and I had an NG-2 for a couple of years. I liked the NG (it's still in my avatar), I just didn't bond with it.

But: From this experience, I still maintain that any longscale Dingwall is closer to any other longscale Dingwall than it is not. They are different horses, but they are the same breed, imo. (Except for Zs, which everyone of course knows are zebras )
It's up to you whether you want to lean into the differences of character or blur the lines.

I thought the 3-pickup phase issues were resolved by using N-B-N wound pickups for neck, mid, bridge? John Fox told me that neck position P-Tones should be N wound while mid position P-Tones should be B wound in 3-pickup basses to avoid these phase issues.

 

[Bassheart365]

My new Z was featured on the Dingwall Facebook page today. Sheldon personally approved of my specs

 

[Mr_BK]

My new Z was featured on the Dingwall Facebook page today. Sheldon personally approved of my specs

I can't get enough of this one. It is so perfect in its simplicity and beauty.

 

[wavemaker]

I thought the 3-pickup phase issues were resolved by using N-B-N wound pickups for neck, mid, bridge? John Fox told me that neck position P-Tones should be N wound while mid position P-Tones should be B wound in 3-pickup basses to avoid these phase issues.

It resolved the issue for me and John Fox usually knows his stuff, for sure.

Then again, I remembered the post I quoted from @macribas which was only from November 2023 - that is, fairly recently and from a time when bridge P-tones were readily available.

Maybe he can shine further light on the matter - I was under the impression he was in direct contact with Dingwall when he posted about it.

 

[spiritbass]

My new Z was featured on the Dingwall Facebook page today. Sheldon personally approved of my specs

Gold finishes rock. Congrats, enjoy that beauty!

 

[AB Nate]

I thought the 3-pickup phase issues were resolved by using N-B-N wound pickups for neck, mid, bridge? John Fox told me that neck position P-Tones should be N wound while mid position P-Tones should be B wound in 3-pickup basses to avoid these phase issues.

I think the issue was something like, the P tone doesn’t pair with the FDVs but it was not an issue with the SF2s, when properly configured. .. I think.

 

[alecvbass]

For anyone who has played both the NG3 and D-Roc, does the D-Roc have a warmer tone and different timbre? I haven't heard a good side by side demo. Both come loaded with FD3n pickups but the pickup location and body/fingerboard woods are different. I'd like to hear a D-Roc 5 with P-tone in the middle position...

I'll chime in but as always this is just my experience - I'll be sure to explain as well as I can it though:

I had a NG2 5 from 2016 until summer 2023 and in the autumn of the same year I bought my D-Roc 5. My other basses in the meantime were a Squier VIntage Modified Jazz Bass 5, a Dingwall ABZ 6, a LTD Vintage 204, a Sire V5-4 and a Sire V7-5. The musical projects I've been involved from when I got my first Dingwall until now has been varied - from underground death metal bands to mainstream pop, dance and trap artists to cover bands and a country band on cruise ship.

The NG2 was amazing at doing the DingGlass sound for the metal bands I've played in but couldn't do anything else except a modern bright MusicMan impression. That was until I moved the middle pickup to its neck slot - it definitely made it more versatile but ultimately it was still to far away from what I thought was appropriate at the time, hence me ultimately letting go of both the NG2 and the ABZ6.

You can see I tried a few classic basses and while they were more in line with what soundguys and gear expect from a bass signal I still played the Dingwall 90% of the time because it was objectively the clearest sounding and best made bass I had.

I was intrigued by the D-Roc after hearing YouTube demos since it seemed obvious that it offers the best of both worlds both soundwise and lookswise. The Blue to Purple Colorshift looks amazing so I pulled the trigger.

It is absolutely insane how good this bass is. It sounds terrific on most if not all pickup combinations - I even swapped my neck and middle pickups to see how those combinations sound and it's even better.

The bridge+neck parallel is by far my favorite - as it was on the NG2; IMO it leans towards Spector a lot and is way more aggressive than a usual JJ setup but I will take it.
My second favorite is one of the stock D-Roc rotary options: bridge+middle in parallel all in series with the Neck - I used this mostly for pop since it's the darkest sounding but has the most sub bass of any pickup combination I've ever tried.
Third place goes to both of the P options that I had - one would be middle solo while the other is neck solo; they are both amazingly close to a P and it's very convenient to have two P flavours in the same bass if you equip it with a 6 way rotary from FretNation (which is what I'm planning on doing).
The bridge+middle parallel sounds very much like a MusicMan but a bit darker than on the NG2, just MMs aren't my cup of tea in general.
Same goes for the bridge solo.

A friend of was so amazed by how good neck solo sounds he took it home and compared it to his Fender Aerodyne P solo pickup - I'll attach the files below.

You probably know what to expect from everything else regarding build quality and stuff - only other significant thing I'd mention is the fact that the D-Roc balances a certain way and is more comfortable that way. For me it's a bit weird to play with a short strap but it's the only bass I've ever enjoyed playing low, with a med-long strap.

Regarding pickups I like everything so much I don't think I'll invest in a pickup swap since that's always a money hole. In a galaxy far far away where I'll be doing a custom I would like to try Super Fatty and a P-Tone just for curiosity.

As always gents,
YMMV

 

[Mr_BK]

I think the issue was something like, the P tone doesn't pair with the FDVs but it was not an issue with the SF2s, when properly configured. .. I think.

This was a problem with neodymium vs. AlNiCo magnets that should not be paired because the neodymiom ones could demagnetize (aka kill) the AlNiCos.
Thus p-tone should not meet FDV but SF II would be ok. Or so.

Which was the reason for me changing to 3 x p-tone

 

[IvanBassist]

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

Oh yes

 

[5StringPocket]

I'll chime in but as always this is just my experience - I'll be sure to explain as well as I can it though:

I had a NG2 5 from 2016 until summer 2023 and in the autumn of the same year I bought my D-Roc 5. My other basses in the meantime were a Squier VIntage Modified Jazz Bass 5, a Dingwall ABZ 6, a LTD Vintage 204, a Sire V5-4 and a Sire V7-5. The musical projects I've been involved from when I got my first Dingwall until now has been varied - from underground death metal bands to mainstream pop, dance and trap artists to cover bands and a country band on cruise ship.

The NG2 was amazing at doing the DingGlass sound for the metal bands I've played in but couldn't do anything else except a modern bright MusicMan impression. That was until I moved the middle pickup to its neck slot - it definitely made it more versatile but ultimately it was still to far away from what I thought was appropriate at the time, hence me ultimately letting go of both the NG2 and the ABZ6.

You can see I tried a few classic basses and while they were more in line with what soundguys and gear expect from a bass signal I still played the Dingwall 90% of the time because it was objectively the clearest sounding and best made bass I had.

I was intrigued by the D-Roc after hearing YouTube demos since it seemed obvious that it offers the best of both worlds both soundwise and lookswise. The Blue to Purple Colorshift looks amazing so I pulled the trigger.

It is absolutely insane how good this bass is. It sounds terrific on most if not all pickup combinations - I even swapped my neck and middle pickups to see how those combinations sound and it's even better.

The bridge+neck parallel is by far my favorite - as it was on the NG2; IMO it leans towards Spector a lot and is way more aggressive than a usual JJ setup but I will take it.
My second favorite is one of the stock D-Roc rotary options: bridge+middle in parallel all in series with the Neck - I used this mostly for pop since it's the darkest sounding but has the most sub bass of any pickup combination I've ever tried.
Third place goes to both of the P options that I had - one would be middle solo while the other is neck solo; they are both amazingly close to a P and it's very convenient to have two P flavours in the same bass if you equip it with a 6 way rotary from FretNation (which is what I'm planning on doing).
The bridge+middle parallel sounds very much like a MusicMan but a bit darker than on the NG2, just MMs aren't my cup of tea in general.
Same goes for the bridge solo.

A friend of was so amazed by how good neck solo sounds he took it home and compared it to his Fender Aerodyne P solo pickup - I'll attach the files below.

You probably know what to expect from everything else regarding build quality and stuff - only other significant thing I'd mention is the fact that the D-Roc balances a certain way and is more comfortable that way. For me it's a bit weird to play with a short strap but it's the only bass I've ever enjoyed playing low, with a med-long strap.

Regarding pickups I like everything so much I don't think I'll invest in a pickup swap since that's always a money hole. In a galaxy far far away where I'll be doing a custom I would like to try Super Fatty and a P-Tone just for curiosity.

As always gents,
YMMV

Thanks for your detailed account - quite helpful. I could see a 6-way switch with neck/mid solo, d-roc all 3, and mid/bridge combos bringing a lot of useful tones.

 

[macribas]

It resolved the issue for me and John Fox usually knows his stuff, for sure.

Then again, I remembered the post I quoted from @macribas which was only from November 2023 - that is, fairly recently and from a time when bridge P-tones were readily available.

Maybe he can shine further light on the matter - I was under the impression he was in direct contact with Dingwall when he posted about it.

The problem was verified by Dingwall but it was restricted to the D-Roc 5 circuit when wiring the 5-string P-Tone as the middle pickup.

 

[Nashrakh]

So, as of yesterday I'm a proud but lowly member of the Dingwall cult. I got an NG 3 6 string in Ducati White. I'll spare Talkbass the NBD because we all know what it looks and sounds like.

But a few words about it:

I'm a low action addict. And this is the first bass I've ever owned that allowed me to set the strings as low as I want them to ("on the other side of the fretboard", as Entwistle is often quoted as saying) without bottoming out on me. If I tried to go as low on other basses, the note would get choked and cut off in an unpleasant way, especially in the upper register. Not so on the Dingwall. I guess my NG is now unplayable to most of the world.

The whole fanned fret thing is new to me, but much to my surprise it's very intuitive. I gelled with it pretty much immediately. Even chording up high wasn't quite the problem others perceive it to be. But I'm a simple man. Roots and tenths. Oh, and did I mention the whole grind, clank and gank thing is so much fun to duck around with? I'm sure my bands will hate me now. But it's so good. (I mainly play Jazz Fusion...)

Compared to my old #1, a 2020s Yamaha TRB, the NG3 is light as a feather. I did NOT expect that after only knowing sixes that were as heavy as a bag of bricks. Classical guitar position is easy to play on the NG too, I was kinda worried about that. But the reach is no worse than on my old 35"er, and with a straight plug there's no chance of putting undue stress on the jack (something I was also very much worried about thinking my right leg might hit the plug, I'm usually a right angle user)

The bass is much more versatile than people give it credit for. I could recreate any sound I'd used with my other basses plus a lot more. The high mid EQ is very handy for that. Out of the box, the nickel strings are MUCH brighter than I thought. I'm a stainless steel fanatic, but I feel no need to change strings right away. Might do that later down the road, but it's good to know the nickels already have that distinct sound to them. Speaking of string adjustments, I really wish these basses came with a manual. Because the first thing I did when setting up the NG to my liking was lose one of those tiny, tiny screws for side-to-side string adjustment, a feature I've never had before and in my stupidity, I was screwing around without knowing what I was doing. Thankfully, I found it again and put it back in. Oh, and some of the string height screws at the bridge are really putting up resistance to turning (even with no string on them). But eh, setup once, and forget about it. I won't be doing that regularly.

One thing I found a bit puzzling (and maybe some of you can chip in on that) is that some of my effects pedals that track the input signal glitch out more than usual when in active mode, but behave as usual when in passive mode. That includes my BOSS OC-5 and my Source Audio C4. This perplexes me because my TRB, also an active bass, did not give me any problems like that. But I'm sure I'll find a solution for that.

Bottom line: I haven't had this much fun playing a bass in years. And I mean that quite literally - I've felt burnt out for quite some time. The Dingwall inspires me. A sensation I thought lost on me. Are even the entry level Dingwalls pricey? Compared to other basses, yes. But I feel this one will keep me happy for a long, long time. And then DAS hits.

 

[gklijs]

That sounds amazing. I also like a low action. Still need to get another bass setup with hopefully lower action. I likely have to wait at least one year still before joining the cult. A good thing is that it doesn't make sense to buy any other bass at least untill it's in my hands.

 

[IvanBassist]

So, as of yesterday I'm a proud but lowly member of the Dingwall cult. I got an NG 3 6 string in Ducati White. I'll spare Talkbass the NBD because we all know what it looks and sounds like.

But a few words about it:

I'm a low action addict. And this is the first bass I've ever owned that allowed me to set the strings as low as I want them to ("on the other side of the fretboard", as Entwistle is often quoted as saying) without bottoming out on me. If I tried to go as low on other basses, the note would get choked and cut off in an unpleasant way, especially in the upper register. Not so on the Dingwall. I guess my NG is now unplayable to most of the world.

The whole fanned fret thing is new to me, but much to my surprise it's very intuitive. I gelled with it pretty much immediately. Even chording up high wasn't quite the problem others perceive it to be. But I'm a simple man. Roots and tenths. Oh, and did I mention the whole grind, clank and gank thing is so much fun to duck around with? I'm sure my bands will hate me now. But it's so good. (I mainly play Jazz Fusion...)

Compared to my old #1, a 2020s Yamaha TRB, the NG3 is light as a feather. I did NOT expect that after only knowing sixes that were as heavy as a bag of bricks. Classical guitar position is easy to play on the NG too, I was kinda worried about that. But the reach is no worse than on my old 35"er, and with a straight plug there's no chance of putting undue stress on the jack (something I was also very much worried about thinking my right leg might hit the plug, I'm usually a right angle user)

The bass is much more versatile than people give it credit for. I could recreate any sound I'd used with my other basses plus a lot more. The high mid EQ is very handy for that. Out of the box, the nickel strings are MUCH brighter than I thought. I'm a stainless steel fanatic, but I feel no need to change strings right away. Might do that later down the road, but it's good to know the nickels already have that distinct sound to them. Speaking of string adjustments, I really wish these basses came with a manual. Because the first thing I did when setting up the NG to my liking was lose one of those tiny, tiny screws for side-to-side string adjustment, a feature I've never had before and in my stupidity, I was screwing around without knowing what I was doing. Thankfully, I found it again and put it back in. Oh, and some of the string height screws at the bridge are really putting up resistance to turning (even with no string on them). But eh, setup once, and forget about it. I won't be doing that regularly.

One thing I found a bit puzzling (and maybe some of you can chip in on that) is that some of my effects pedals that track the input signal glitch out more than usual when in active mode, but behave as usual when in passive mode. That includes my BOSS OC-5 and my Source Audio C4. This perplexes me because my TRB, also an active bass, did not give me any problems like that. But I'm sure I'll find a solution for that.

Bottom line: I haven't had this much fun playing a bass in years. And I mean that quite literally - I've felt burnt out for quite some time. The Dingwall inspires me. A sensation I thought lost on me. Are even the entry level Dingwalls pricey? Compared to other basses, yes. But I feel this one will keep me happy for a long, long time. And then DAS hits.

Congrats and welcome to the family!

 

[Bassheart365]

The bridge+neck parallel is by far my favorite - as it was on the NG2; IMO

This is what I use 90% of the time, aka jazz bass mode. When I use my octaver I’ll switch to b-m aka music man mode.

 

[AB Nate]

So, as of yesterday I'm a proud but lowly member of the Dingwall cult. I got an NG 3 6 string in Ducati White. I'll spare Talkbass the NBD because we all know what it looks and sounds like.

But a few words about it:

I'm a low action addict. And this is the first bass I've ever owned that allowed me to set the strings as low as I want them to ("on the other side of the fretboard", as Entwistle is often quoted as saying) without bottoming out on me. If I tried to go as low on other basses, the note would get choked and cut off in an unpleasant way, especially in the upper register. Not so on the Dingwall. I guess my NG is now unplayable to most of the world.

The whole fanned fret thing is new to me, but much to my surprise it's very intuitive. I gelled with it pretty much immediately. Even chording up high wasn't quite the problem others perceive it to be. But I'm a simple man. Roots and tenths. Oh, and did I mention the whole grind, clank and gank thing is so much fun to duck around with? I'm sure my bands will hate me now. But it's so good. (I mainly play Jazz Fusion...)

Compared to my old #1, a 2020s Yamaha TRB, the NG3 is light as a feather. I did NOT expect that after only knowing sixes that were as heavy as a bag of bricks. Classical guitar position is easy to play on the NG too, I was kinda worried about that. But the reach is no worse than on my old 35"er, and with a straight plug there's no chance of putting undue stress on the jack (something I was also very much worried about thinking my right leg might hit the plug, I'm usually a right angle user)

The bass is much more versatile than people give it credit for. I could recreate any sound I'd used with my other basses plus a lot more. The high mid EQ is very handy for that. Out of the box, the nickel strings are MUCH brighter than I thought. I'm a stainless steel fanatic, but I feel no need to change strings right away. Might do that later down the road, but it's good to know the nickels already have that distinct sound to them. Speaking of string adjustments, I really wish these basses came with a manual. Because the first thing I did when setting up the NG to my liking was lose one of those tiny, tiny screws for side-to-side string adjustment, a feature I've never had before and in my stupidity, I was screwing around without knowing what I was doing. Thankfully, I found it again and put it back in. Oh, and some of the string height screws at the bridge are really putting up resistance to turning (even with no string on them). But eh, setup once, and forget about it. I won't be doing that regularly.

One thing I found a bit puzzling (and maybe some of you can chip in on that) is that some of my effects pedals that track the input signal glitch out more than usual when in active mode, but behave as usual when in passive mode. That includes my BOSS OC-5 and my Source Audio C4. This perplexes me because my TRB, also an active bass, did not give me any problems like that. But I'm sure I'll find a solution for that.

Bottom line: I haven't had this much fun playing a bass in years. And I mean that quite literally - I've felt burnt out for quite some time. The Dingwall inspires me. A sensation I thought lost on me. Are even the entry level Dingwalls pricey? Compared to other basses, yes. But I feel this one will keep me happy for a long, long time. And then DAS hits.

Welcome to the cult.

Regarding the height adjustment screws, they have loctite on them which is why they are quite difficult to move. Once that “loc” is broken they will move more easily moving forward.

Enjoy!