You're still not safe. My first Dingwall was a Z2, my second was an ABI, and now I'm waiting on an ABZ.
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Dingwall Owners Club
- Thread starter FroggyOne2
- Start date
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
Mine has a passive/active switch...which gets used about .5% of the time. My onboard preamp has really become part of my setup. Although its nice that my treble control works as a traditional roll off when it is switched out.
The reality is that the AB of any passive bass I've played is an interesting beast. It fools you into thinking its active with the 'width' of those neo pickups and the amount of signal it can provide and the diversity of tones available in that 4 way. Yet it has the benefits tonally that a passive instrument has as well, just a bit more of a punchy slightly aggressive thing.
Last night I was working out a new iteration of our Led Zeppelin medley with the band. My guitard commented, "For an active bass, that sure has some really good growl to it." He was shocked to find out that I was getting all the tonal variation from a passive bass.
yes-Oh but we ARE nice...we've saved you from going through extra cycles of DAS!
That's one sweet Z3!
the most expensive bass is the one you bought INSTEAD of the one you were supposed to.
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Still a bit torn on the active/passive thing with my Super J/P4. It has an Aggie OPB-1. Thick lows and a nice zing on top, but passive has an awesome low mid punch that goes away in active mode...not sure there's a middle ground kinda pre for me, but so far I prefer passive most of the time
I think classic basses (P + J) and their cloned counterparts should be passive. just my two bits adjusted for inflation=nothing.
I don't want or need active electronics in my instruments. If I need a tone tweak, I'll use my amp, pickup switch, or hand position. I've never really found active electronics to help me get any of my sounds. But to each their own, some guys use those extra knobs.
I thought you Dingwall players were supposed to be nice.You trippled my outlay, by talking me out of the Combustion V4 and into buying this. Should get it tomorrow or Thursday. Now I just have a lot of stuff to sell to make up the difference in price. OK, so I think you actually did me a favour by skipping the gradual upgrades and going right to what I really want. It's everything I've been thinking would make the perfect bass, which for me, is one where the tone stays the same from string to string, only the pitch changes. I played it for an hour a few weeks ago and have been thinking about it since.View attachment 412917
Nice jump. You'll be glad you did. I love the spalt on that one.
Thanks for the welcome guys... I think. I'll be picking it up from the Australian distributor tomorrow.
I'm already selling multiple basses and guitars to pay for this one. One of the reasons for going for the Z3, was so I wouldn't need another Dingwall. This one does it all..... well all that I want anyway. I really just want a couple of basses. I currently have 8 and it's too many, although if your wives/partners ask, that's a typo, I said almost enough.
People barely notice me even when I am front and centre. I've been standing next to the singer all night and people have asked my wife where I am!
I'll be picking it up from the Australian distributor tomorrow.I'm already selling multiple basses and guitars to pay for this one. One of the reasons for going for the Z3, was so I wouldn't need another Dingwall. This one does it all..... well all that I want anyway. I really just want a couple of basses. I currently have 8 and it's too many, although if your wives/partners ask, that's a typo, I said almost enough.
People barely notice me even when I am front and centre. I've been standing next to the singer all night and people have asked my wife where I am!
Thanks
+1
I may be a bass player, but I dont ever want to be known as subtle.
See that sounds like you lucked out with both worlds. For me its the options on the fly. That is one thing I like about my AB1. A pick up switch, or the BluEQube really changes my tone. Other basses I have, a pick up switch is just a slightly different shade of the same color. I feel like there is more of a personality change on my Dingwall.
Previously in the cover band I play with I used several basses for different tunings. Standard, flat, drop D, drop C. I had the extra basses and I was lazy with tunings and prefered to pick up a different bass and play it like the guitards do. Now I have spent the last week relearning a large portion of our 50+ song list on my AB1, playing everything in standard B tuning.
Alessandro Stellano and his band Hangarvain on National TV
Check out the latest video of the song "Get On" from their latest album, this video is published on Repubblica.it which is the National italian TV Channel and News agency by the same name featuring their band playing on the training grounds of the Neapolitan American Football team called "Briganti Napoli". This is an amazing Dingwall exposure for what is a national TV channel.
Well done Alessandro and Hangarvain
Check out the latest video of the song "Get On" from their latest album, this video is published on Repubblica.it which is the National italian TV Channel and News agency by the same name featuring their band playing on the training grounds of the Neapolitan American Football team called "Briganti Napoli". This is an amazing Dingwall exposure for what is a national TV channel.
Well done Alessandro and Hangarvain
Anyone who wonders if you can get a fat rock tone out of the ABZ should listen to that track.
Sent from my iPad using TalkBass
Sent from my iPad using TalkBass
Indeed and also more of a merit to the ABZ 5 since Alessandro doesn't use a low B because he strings his bass like a 6 strings without the low B and his strings are: E - A - B - G - C
- Nov 18, 2005
- 475
- 87
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Dingwall Guitars, Ashdown Amps
Sansone Strings of course! Hand made in Italy and soon to be imported worldwide with a little help from my friend Mark Stickley of Bass Direct UK
https://www.facebook.com/sansone.strings?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/sansone.strings?fref=ts
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- Nov 18, 2005
- 475
- 87
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Dingwall Guitars, Ashdown Amps
Yes of course you might need to re adjust the trussrod and string height a little but otherwise the Dingwall 6 string set will work just fine
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Pick up a D'Addario XLB032 C string for a couple bucks at Bassstringsonline.com and give the E-C a try. Most of the string sets I'm getting these days don't include a C string.
I put the new Dingwall nickel roundwounds on my sixer this past Sunday. I was changing out a set of Payson Reduced Cores which had been on for many months. Before the Reduced Core, I had a set of Payson Medium lights that I really liked.
So here's the skinny: The Payson medium light nickel rounds were very nice. I really liked them, they were much easier, and softer than the first nickel rounds Payson offered. The gauges ran: .130, .100, .78, .58, and .44. I was pretty much dialed in with the medium light. Then I put on the Reduced Core. Gauges .130, .105, .85, .65, and .45. I liked these even better. The slightly beefier outer wrap was balanced by a slinky feel.
I'm not talking huge differences, but I preferred the Reduced cores. Either set works for me, but if we're splitting hairs it's the Reduced Core. I think I've found my set with these.
The new Dingwall nickels are getting dialed in. By the numbers: .130, .100, .080, .055, and .045. I think they are stiffer, and have higher tension, than either the Payson medium lights or the Reduced Core. I'm basing that on about a half turn tightening on the truss rod to bring the B string side of the neck to what I am used to. The C string side of the neck is already almost dead flat, so I'm very careful with the truss rod. No rattles or buzzes and a very low action. Of course, the Dingwalls fit perfectly and the tapers are very close to the Paysons. Other than a slight truss rod adjustment, no other set up was really needed. I did raise the pickups slightly, but I've been using a lighter and lighter touch so this might not be a string change adjustment.
All of these sets have been using the XLB032 C string.
You can see by the numbers, that the Dingwalls are closer to the Payson medium lights in size, but I felt like the slightly larger Reduced Core were a bit softer. The Dingwall nickels are starting out feeling stiffer than either of the Payson sets. The new Dingwalls are very fast and lively, bright on top, with a nice solid thunk and beefy midrange. I'm happy with the strings, and making the adjustments to the differences. I'm hoping they mellow out and soften up as I get some hours and gunk on them.
I'm giving the Payson sets a soak in denatured alcohol. We'll see how everything compares once the Dingwalls have a few months of playing and they get a soak. Right now, I've got the new string thing going on. They sound really bright and feel kind of stiff and grippy. Not stainless steel grippy, but like new, clean strings. I'm watching to see if the neck relaxes a bit with playing, but we're also going from dark, cool, damp and rainy to hot and dry here the Pacific NW. It hit the mid 80's today, but snowed to 3000' last week. Spring time in the Columbia River Gorge.
No word on Sansone strings in the US yet. Maybe if enough of us bug Jason at BSO.com, we'll be able to add to our many, fine choices.
Disclaimer: I don't do stainless, so my compare and contrasts only describe nickel or alloy strings I've found to work on my Dingwall AB-1 series basses. Also, I'm much more interested in how strings feel. Sure, they need to sound good, but I want a fairly soft string with a smooth, slick outer wrap. As a yardstick, my favorite string is the TI jazz flat. YMMV.
This is my first try at soaking in alcohol. I used to be a boiler, but I'm not so broke anymore. How long do they need to soak?
I put the new Dingwall nickel roundwounds on my sixer this past Sunday. I was changing out a set of Payson Reduced Cores which had been on for many months. Before the Reduced Core, I had a set of Payson Medium lights that I really liked.
So here's the skinny: The Payson medium light nickel rounds were very nice. I really liked them, they were much easier, and softer than the first nickel rounds Payson offered. The gauges ran: .130, .100, .78, .58, and .44. I was pretty much dialed in with the medium light. Then I put on the Reduced Core. Gauges .130, .105, .85, .65, and .45. I liked these even better. The slightly beefier outer wrap was balanced by a slinky feel.
I'm not talking huge differences, but I preferred the Reduced cores. Either set works for me, but if we're splitting hairs it's the Reduced Core. I think I've found my set with these.
The new Dingwall nickels are getting dialed in. By the numbers: .130, .100, .080, .055, and .045. I think they are stiffer, and have higher tension, than either the Payson medium lights or the Reduced Core. I'm basing that on about a half turn tightening on the truss rod to bring the B string side of the neck to what I am used to. The C string side of the neck is already almost dead flat, so I'm very careful with the truss rod. No rattles or buzzes and a very low action. Of course, the Dingwalls fit perfectly and the tapers are very close to the Paysons. Other than a slight truss rod adjustment, no other set up was really needed. I did raise the pickups slightly, but I've been using a lighter and lighter touch so this might not be a string change adjustment.
All of these sets have been using the XLB032 C string.
You can see by the numbers, that the Dingwalls are closer to the Payson medium lights in size, but I felt like the slightly larger Reduced Core were a bit softer. The Dingwall nickels are starting out feeling stiffer than either of the Payson sets. The new Dingwalls are very fast and lively, bright on top, with a nice solid thunk and beefy midrange. I'm happy with the strings, and making the adjustments to the differences. I'm hoping they mellow out and soften up as I get some hours and gunk on them.
I'm giving the Payson sets a soak in denatured alcohol. We'll see how everything compares once the Dingwalls have a few months of playing and they get a soak. Right now, I've got the new string thing going on. They sound really bright and feel kind of stiff and grippy. Not stainless steel grippy, but like new, clean strings. I'm watching to see if the neck relaxes a bit with playing, but we're also going from dark, cool, damp and rainy to hot and dry here the Pacific NW. It hit the mid 80's today, but snowed to 3000' last week. Spring time in the Columbia River Gorge.
No word on Sansone strings in the US yet. Maybe if enough of us bug Jason at BSO.com, we'll be able to add to our many, fine choices.
Disclaimer: I don't do stainless, so my compare and contrasts only describe nickel or alloy strings I've found to work on my Dingwall AB-1 series basses. Also, I'm much more interested in how strings feel. Sure, they need to sound good, but I want a fairly soft string with a smooth, slick outer wrap. As a yardstick, my favorite string is the TI jazz flat. YMMV.
This is my first try at soaking in alcohol. I used to be a boiler, but I'm not so broke anymore. How long do they need to soak?
My only experience is leaving a set of strings submerged in alcohol until a fresh set gets old. Several months for sure. Closed the lid tight so that the alcohol doesn't evaporate. Anyway, by the time I took them out, the strings got rusty. The alcohol was denatured, meaning that it's alcohol mixed with some poisonous chemicals, but apparently there might have been some water or something oxygen-based.
I haven't done the soaking since, and eventually I learned that I just like fresh strings anyway. It could be that my previous basses made the 'zing' sound nasty as I used to use dull-sounding flats particularly to avoid fret noise. Or maybe my technique improved. Or taste. I'm rambling now.
I haven't done the soaking since, and eventually I learned that I just like fresh strings anyway. It could be that my previous basses made the 'zing' sound nasty as I used to use dull-sounding flats particularly to avoid fret noise. Or maybe my technique improved. Or taste. I'm rambling now.
