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Dingwall Owners Club

#6,422
Smallequestrian said:
I like the idea of the reverse P in principle, but I feel like the extra length of the B string is enough to ensure that the lower notes are tighter and the nature of the shorter strings for the higher notes gets you a sweeter tone on those strings without needing to move those coils closer to the neck. Of course there could still be some further benifit and if I were to have a "standard" Pbass I'd probably go for the reverse setup (for instance, I had a Skjold Pbass type with a pickup that could switch between a reverse and standard setup and mostly used the reverse setting), but I feel the Super P doesn't really need it, plus aesthetically I don't care for the reverse look on the Dingwall, but of course that's just my opinion.
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A couple of very important considerations and while I didn't like the appearance of the reversed arrangement either, I was locked up in the thinking of tonality imbalance on standard single scale-length instruments.

Definitely interested in seeing how the reviews from players come in as some of the reverse setups start showing up.
 
#6,423
BurningSkies said:
In general (with my non P-style Dingwalls), I find the pickups in parallel are a bit 'wider' in frequency response. They reach deeper on the lows and higher on the highs, but have a bit of scoop to the mids and a slight emphasis in the upper mids to higher end. To me its closer to what you get from a traditional Jazz bass tone.

In series, you get roll off in the highs a bit earlier and less emphasis on that range of high-mids. You don't get as deep on the lows, but you get both more overall volume and you get a bit of a low mid emphasis. I happen to find that setting a bit more appealing. Its fuller sounding although I found that if not careful, you can 'overload' a busy mix.
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If the 4 position knob broke and stuck on the series position, I'd never know. It is my favorite of the bunch.
 
#6,424
spiritbass said:
If I had the coin, I'd be investing in a Super J with two of 'em. They are wonderful pickups. :cool:
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So riddle me this Ken. What do the FD 3's bring to the party versus the current pick ups.

Heck, I don't even know which pick ups are in my SJ 5. I could have sworn the Dingwall card said P tone and that confused the heck out of me.

I still may take the SJ to SJP. I'll get to play Mark's in the next couple of weeks. I can play back to back through identical rigs in Mark's studio. that will tell me what I need to know.
 
#6,425
For anyone who cares. I was chatting with Barry last night regarding the Nolly Pro. All of them are specced maple neck maple fret board. Color choice is the only variable. Do not let the pics floating around of the Ferrari Yellow NG 2 with rosewood fake you out.
 
#6,426
Smallmouth_Bass said:
I agree with SmallEQ. I don't feel my SP5 is lacking in any way and I think the fanned scale length helps to even things out across the strings. I also prefer the look of the standard P pickup configuration.
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I think that the standard config verses reverse P really is a personal choice and a convoluted one for some.

I went with reverse at GW's recommendation because his and Dave's take of the differences were consistent with my tonal tastes. By virtue of the fact that my SJ5 has enough edge to cut people in half with a slight turn of the tone knob, balance, a slightly more focused B, and a slightly warmer D and G appealed to me.

That said, I don't believe there is a single thing wrong with standard config. Had I gone with standard placement, I am all but certain that I would be extremely happy with the instrument.

I do find it interesting that with the exception of Ken who appears to have tonal tastes that lean toward all the edge and clarity he can get, any commentary regarding a preference for standard config almost always includes aesthetics. As I recall, Sheldon himself stated that he really likes the sound of the reverse P but feels it screws up the Super P's lines/aesthetics.

In the end, I suspect that many of those that favor standard are really asking themselves what they are potentially giving up by sticking with what looks best to them.

Like it or not, we are ALL bound by aesthetics. Heck, I was the guy that delayed my Super P order by months because Baltic amber pick guards were unable for a time.

Just making conversation here. Not implying anything whatsoever. Nor am I saying there is a right or a wrong answer.
 
#6,427
Zoomie said:
So riddle me this Ken. What do the FD 3's bring to the party versus the current pick ups.

Heck, I don't even know which pick ups are in my SJ 5. I could have sworn the Dingwall card said P tone and that confused the heck out of me.

I still may take the SJ to SJP. I'll get to play Mark's in the next couple of weeks. I can play back to back through identical rigs in Mark's studio. that will tell me what I need to know.
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I enjoyed playing the FD3's for years on my Afterburner. Sheldon characterizes the Fatties as 'humbuckerish' compared to the FD3. I obviously have not had the opportunities to compare and contrast the pickups on a long versus medium scale instruments as he has. It seems impossible to my mind to make a Super J sound exactly like a classic Fender, but the redesign was intended to take it in that direction. With the 'less thick' sound of the FD3 compared to the Fatties and moving the bridge pickup to the '60's' position, it would surely move the tonal palette closer to the neighborhood of the classic Fender Jazz tone. Knowing Sheldon's thorough and relentless pursuit of perfection, he surely tried a Fattie as well as an FD3 in the bridge position on the SP/J. For he and Barry to say it's the best combination so far, they must play very well together! :bassist:

I too would not be upset if my SJ pickup selector somehow got stuck in series mode. :D
 
#6,428
Makes sense Ken.

That said, I have never had the desire to try and force either of my Dings to be Fenders. Sure, I looked for general characteristics.

So the real question here is, do I just add the P's to the SJ or ask Barry to toss an FD3 in the box while he is accosting my credit card?
 
#6,429
Zoomie said:
Makes sense Ken.

That said, I have never had the desire to try and force either of my Dings to be Fenders.
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Amen to that. I've been assuming that Sheldon is accommodating requests for more 'traditional' tones with the changes to the SJ. I don't worry about tradition. I try not to worry, period. ;)

Zoomie said:
So the real question here is, do I just add the P's to the SJ or ask Barry to toss an FD3 in the box while he is accosting my credit card?
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Are you thinking of replacing the Fatties with a P and FD3?
 
#6,431
Zoomie said:
I am thinking about adding a P for sure. Not sure if the FD3 is a good answer or not.
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Hmmm. Installing an FD3 at the bridge would involve a bit of routing, as they are slightly larger than a Fatty. I truly don't know if the result would be worth the expense and effort for you. My best advice would be to consult the dynamic duo (Barry & Sheldon).

I did try the Stormy Sunday SJ/P5 in series mode this past Sunday, but quickly switched back to soloing the P. With my amp/cab settings it was over-powering and I wanted everyone's head to remain on their shoulders. ;) At last night's practice, I switched the mid/tweeter section on my cab to the darkest (-6db) setting instead of the brightest (0db) setting. I'll have to try the SJ/P5 series mode again with the new settings. As usual, I was playing in active mode - it would have been more tolerable in passive...
 
#6,435
Clearly my two favorite new models, the NG-2 Combustion. In my and Larry Hartke's colors.

Enjoy...
 

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#6,437
I think I've got the Super J sold, so I should be ready to place the deposit in a couple of days.

Right now the struggle is deciding between going all out with some extras or keeping it somewhat subdued. Tempted to add blocks, but my cheap inner self has a hard time with it, espescially since I would do a maple board and blocks.
 
#6,438
Smallequestrian said:
I think I've got the Super J sold, so I should be ready to place the deposit in a couple of days.

Right now the struggle is deciding between going all out with some extras or keeping it somewhat subdued. Tempted to add blocks, but my cheap inner self has a hard time with it, espescially since I would do a maple board and blocks.
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Well giddy up horsey!

The blocks/maple is stunning but I'm kind of with you. Both of my Dings are subtle or bare bones and I love them.
 
#6,440
Sheldon didn't make very many of these, I know that much. It's a nice wood combination - the same as my old Indigoburst AB-1 that you offered a trade for. The string spacing is 18mm, not 19. They are usually light - mine was eight pounds even. I like the naked fretboard look and the finish - it looks pretty minty also. :cool:
 

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