Dingwall Owners Club

[CL400Peavey]

Testing the new uploader. Sorry you get to see my ugly mug.



Also, I dont mess around with soaking my strings. I am usually on to trying a new set of something else.

One thing that I will say works like a charm is this:

 

[BurningSkies]

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've had sets submerged for long periods of time...more than a few months. I've never had them rust. The thing to do is make sure you're getting alcohol that's not been watered down. Rubbing alcohol isn't the stuff to use, but if you go to the hardware store you can find the uncut stuff. I've never had a rust problem.

 

[groovaholic]

No rust for me either! The hardware store variety of denatured alcohol is key.

When I soak my strings, I use a 40" long piece of 1" PVC that is permanently capped at one end.
I minimize evaporation of the denatured alcohol by press-fitting another PVC cap onto the formerly-open end.

Because it's a long straight tube, I can put all 5 strings in there straight off the bass.
Soaking the strings as-is eliminates one common cause of string breakage; bending and unbending metal weakens it.

This "as-is soak" works better with Dingwalls than with other basses for a couple reasons:
With the different scale lengths, the tuning-peg wraps fall in different spots and don't get tangled.
The slot-loading bridge means you don't need to un-bend those tuning-peg wraps before you soak the strings.

I lean the filled tube up in a corner for a couple days.
(To avoid spillage -- I got one of those spring-loaded clips they make for attaching long-handled tools to the wall)

When I take the strings out of the tube, I pull them through a paper-towel, then I pour the denatured alcohol back into its container.

I really like the feel and sound of soaked strings, but they do hit a point of metal fatigue and then it's time to move on.

My cost for materials for this setup was around $15, and the denatured alcohol was the biggest part of that cost.

 

[groovaholic]

Another good place to hear a Dingwall:
soundcloud.com/miles-skoog/tracks

This was my band in Denver, and all of the tracks are Dingwall, with the possible exception of "(Don't) Leave" which is my P-Bass...

 

[Bocete]

No, I know strings shouldn't rust. It's basic chemistry. I am certain I just didn't use the right kind of alcohol.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Another good place to hear a Dingwall:
soundcloud.com/miles-skoog/tracks

This was my band in Denver, and all of the tracks are Dingwall, with the possible exception of "(Don't) Leave" which is my P-Bass...

Nice!

Cool 3 legged Dog.
I like Save Me and Primitive. I like Confetti, too. It sounds like it would have been great in the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Like the Organ sound in Wrong & Whatever.

What Model Dingwall fiver were you recording with? DI or mic'd cab?

 

[evilgus]

Hey folks,

Does anyone currently own an Afterburner with wenge neck, and can compare the tone to the standard maple neck? (Same body woods, of course!)

I'm currently speccing up a custom AB, to "reproduce" my long-lost ABII, that had a bubinga neck, so wondering which way to go. Will have mahogany body, bubinga top, FYI.

Cheers,

EG

 

[SemiDriven]

One thing that I will say works like a charm is this:

Will need to try this "slap the sh*t out of the strings" technique.

Hmm...wonder what my strings would sound like after having the sh*t slapped out of them and then soaked in denatured alcohol?

 

[spiritbass]

Nice!

Cool 3 legged Dog.
I like Save Me and Primitive. I like Confetti, too. It sounds like it would have been great in the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Like the Organ sound in Wrong & Whatever.

What Model Dingwall fiver were you recording with? DI or mic'd cab?

"Your dog he got three legs, my dog he got none"
(just kidding, I have no dog!)

 

[Granddesign]

putting a Glockenklang Pre in my AB1. I must say it made a huge difference in tone!

 

[Blues Cat]

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.

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.

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.

That is very accurate Singlemalt. I like both the PFNS-Reduced Core and the PFNS-Medium light, love the PFGWFlats too. The 1st round of PFNS's were a bit stiffer, my hands were really strong at the time. I'm playing a little less now and I'm enjoying the reduced tension.

I'm running a pre-order special on Facebook on the PFNS-Medium Lights for those interested, at a really good price. Just follow the link in my sig.

 

[ModuMan]

Exciting news, I got a heads up that my bass should begin construction soon and be ready in 6-8 weeks!

New body style SJ 5 in Fiesta Red with a Parchment pg (extra BP pg),Glockenklang 3-band preamp, Maple neck and a Maple fb w/ White Pearloidblock markers and Matching headstock.

I'm glad the timing allowed me to get the 3-band pre.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Exciting news, I got a heads up that my bass should begin construction soon and be ready in 6-8 weeks!

New body style SJ 5 in Fiesta Red with a Parchment pg (extra BP pg),Glockenklang 3-band preamp, Maple neck and a Maple fb w/ White Pearloidblock markers and Matching headstock.

I'm glad the timing allowed me to get the 3-band pre.

Congrats. Very exciting! That will look killer.

Black or Chrome hardware?

 

[Feral Feline]

... his strings are: E - A - B - G - C

Just to clarify, did you mean E - A - D - G - C ?

 

[ModuMan]

Congrats. Very exciting! That will look killer.

Black or Chrome hardware?

Ha, I forgot to mention the hardware - after all the other changes I stuck with chrome hardware.

Should look like this but with a parchment guard in addition to the black pearl guard.

 

[pmad_bass]

Exciting news, I got a heads up that my bass should begin construction soon and be ready in 6-8 weeks!

New body style SJ 5 in Fiesta Red with a Parchment pg (extra BP pg),Glockenklang 3-band preamp, Maple neck and a Maple fb w/ White Pearloidblock markers and Matching headstock.

I'm glad the timing allowed me to get the 3-band pre.

I'm reasonably close to being in the same boat with regards to wait time on my SP5 order. I haven't checked in but I'm just about at the 5 month point of the 6-to-7 month wait period. Time is about to start standing still.

With regards to the Glockenklang 3-band preamp, I have been wanting to mod out my SJ5 with something like that. Wonder if it is possible to just buy/order just the mid band pot and add it to my current configuration. I'm guessing I could change out the 4-way series/parallel pot for a 4-way switch and put a mid pot on in it's place. Actually...I'd move the treble pot there and and put the mid where the treble used to be. Anyway...that is something I've been thinking about/wanting to do for a while now.

-PM

 

[eloann]

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Cold windy outdoors gig this weekend as our keygirl's outfit gives away. Went well considering I couldn't feel my fingertips or hear myself.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

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Cold windy outdoors gig this weekend as our keygirl's outfit gives away. Went well considering I couldn't feel my fingertips or hear myself.

Well, at least the keyboard player is cute!!

Oh, and that Super P is nice as well.

 

[Bocete]

What a beauty. The SuperP body shape is just perfect.

You should get some fingerless gloves too

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Ha, I forgot to mention the hardware - after all the other changes I stuck with chrome hardware.

Should look like this but with a parchment guard in addition to the black pearl guard.

Chrome pretty much looks good with everything.

However, because I went with a wenge neck and board, in combination with a trans white over ash body, I decided that black was probably the better way to go. I like black tuners with wenge, and a black bridge goes well with white as well. And then of course the Dingwall nobs and Pups are black, so it all works.

Funny though, I got a message from Saskatoon that let me know that it was taking time to get a shipment in of the black clover leaf tuners from Hipshot, so I could either wait (possibly additional weeks), go with the black "Y" tuners or go with regular chrome. I decided to put it in the hands of the Expert, and let them know I would go with what Sheldon recommended.

The response back was that Sheldon, along with the ENTIRE Dingwall staff, unanimously believed that black was the right color, BUT to go with the "Y" tuners. It kind of surprised me at first, because it departs from that trad look of the cloverleaf tuners for a P. However, I believe that recommendation is consistent with Sheldon's more modern re-imagination of the P bass, and the general "think outside the box" Dingwall thinking anyway.

So my Super P will be an interesting and unique animal for sure. It will have the rather non-traditional wenge neck and board, it will have the decidedly non-traditional fanned fret paradigm of a Dingwall, and it will have non-traditional black hardware with modern "Y" tuners.

BUT, it will have a trans-white body over ash, a split pickup, pearloid dots and one of my pickguards will still be a traditional tort color!

Should be hearing that it has shipped any day now.