Dingwall Owners Club

[eloann]

This is on its way to me, should arrive tomorrow! I kinda dig the look without the control plate.

View attachment 453550

Nice. I got one of those in the pipe, except passive and Chrome Blue. Oh, and fretless.
I've been thrown off the matching headstock by the steep upcharge so far but I still think about it every couple weeks. Yours looks sweet with it.

 

[smeet]

I had posted earlier about this, wanted to get some more feedback.

I have a Super P5 which I'm very happy with. It has great clarity, even response, and punch. It's currently my #1 player.

However, compared to my Fender P5, it is much more round and mellow sounding. They are both alder/morado instruments, both with pretty new Chromes. The Fender is abrasively bright sounding when soloed with the tone all the way up, which I think is the traditional P sound, and it works well in a rock mix. In contrast, the Super P sounds perfect soloed, but in a thick mix it doesn't have much "bite" to it. I can hear every note (better than the Fender), but digging in doesn't give me that "clank" or "snap" that I get with the Fender. It sounds great, but a bit more relaxed and hi-fi than the Fender. Is this the sound of Super P's? Or are there different windings or variations on the Dingwall P pickup?

I don't want to lose the nice midrange and lows of the SP5, but it would be nice to get some of that clankiness which sounds bad soloed but good in the mix.

I know I can eq or change strings, but I'm looking to kind of change the "baseline" sound of the instrument a bit, tilt it away from polite, and toward aggressive (I like the flats, so I don't want to go roundwound if I can help it). Does anybody hear what I'm talking about? Is there a way to get that lo-fi aggression out of the SP5 without losing what makes it sound so great?

 

[BurningSkies]

I don't believe there are different or custom winding options with these. It may be a specifically 'mellow' sounding instrument (possibly a combination of the woods or the specific pieces used). I haven't had any experience with the P's so I'm probably not the best to ask otherwise. I also tend to find that alder bodied basses are a bit more polite than ash.

 

[eloann]

I had posted earlier about this, wanted to get some more feedback.

I have a Super P5 which I'm very happy with. It has great clarity, even response, and punch. It's currently my #1 player.

However, compared to my Fender P5, it is much more round and mellow sounding. They are both alder/morado instruments, both with pretty new Chromes. The Fender is abrasively bright sounding when soloed with the tone all the way up, which I think is the traditional P sound, and it works well in a rock mix. In contrast, the Super P sounds perfect soloed, but in a thick mix it doesn't have much "bite" to it. I can hear every note (better than the Fender), but digging in doesn't give me that "clank" or "snap" that I get with the Fender. It sounds great, but a bit more relaxed and hi-fi than the Fender. Is this the sound of Super P's? Or are there different windings or variations on the Dingwall P pickup?

I don't want to lose the nice midrange and lows of the SP5, but it would be nice to get some of that clankiness which sounds bad soloed but good in the mix.

I know I can eq or change strings, but I'm looking to kind of change the "baseline" sound of the instrument a bit, tilt it away from polite, and toward aggressive (I like the flats, so I don't want to go roundwound if I can help it). Does anybody hear what I'm talking about? Is there a way to get that lo-fi aggression out of the SP5 without losing what makes it sound so great?

My super P has an ash body and I've never owned a Fender bass, though I do have a cheap "patchwork" parallel precision.
Flatwounds were the norm (or shall I say the only strings available) when the Precision bass was first designed whereas Dingwalls were clearly designed with/for their roundwound strings so I think that has an impact on the voicing.
Other flats (possible half wounds / ground wounds) may get you closer to what you'd like - I enjoyed the Chromes least of all flats I've tried - but I'm still not sure you'd get 100% there. Worth a shot though.
What I'd really recommend you try is a Darkglass B3K / B7K. It's truly great at making your sound more agressive without taking over (unless you want it to).

Unfortunately I only used flats on the SJ (and fretless from the 1st clip) but it may still give you an idea. Go to 5:00 or a little before that if you'd like to compare with the more "polite" Vintage Deluxe.

 

[smeet]

BurningSkies:
Yes, it's an alder instrument, but so is the Fender, and there is a huge difference in the hi mid area (I think it's right around 2k). The Fender has way too much in that part of the spectrum, whereas the SP has a dip there.

eloann:
I've tried a lot of strings, and I want to stick with the Chromes for a while. I can always use a brighter string, but then I lose the character I like in the lows and the note attack.

I use two setups depending on which band I'm playing with - one is my big pedalboard, which has a B7K as an always-on pedal (almost 100% clean, but lots of clanky character). With the pedalboard setup, there is no problem getting as bright or abrasive as needed, so good call on the Darkglass.

My other setup is bass straight into amp. I'm looking to get that clean but clanky P sound in the mix without any pedals or excessive eq if possible. If I can't, I'll just use my amp eq.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

This was the inspiration that sparked my custom order:

However due to the ordeal with the latest batch of wenge, I drew new inspiration from a SPZ I had and these:

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Hey, that one in the middle looks somewhat familiar!!

I really like the PJ with BEM board. I couldn't decide between that and the wenge for a few agonizing days, but went with the wenge and damn glad I did. I also agonized over whether to add the FD3 and decided not to. I'm sure it sounds awesome, but not a fan of the way it looks. I like the classic P only look better. Looking forward to seeing yours!

 

[Feral Feline]

How about this one.

Funny how the first pic looks like the pups are angled toward the fb0ard, and in the second pic, straight-up pups just looks plain weird after being so accustomed to the current angles.

...
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Hubba wubba!

Just got an email from Barry and Dingwall Candy Tangerine basses have a silver base. I am super excited!!

Very CL!

So many ideas, so little ¢a$h...

 

[Kessian]

Question for people. I have a decision to make between a 5 and 6 string ABZ (3 fd3 pickup on the 6, p-tone on the 5). Does the P Tone pickup make a huge difference over the standard fd3 pickup. Basically, is this pickup alone worth losing the extra string?

 

[Soulvaccination]

Also, I'm going to ask YOU to post your inspirational Dingwall choices...with the caveat that they can't be basses that YOU own.

Great thread idea! I first heard of Dingwalls in 1995 or 1996, when his Zebra bass was reviewed in Bassplayer magazine for the first time. I was blown away by the engineering, the novel ideas, and the looks. I kept following Sheldon's progress and when he next came to Alberta I spent a lot of time at Axe music in Edmonton talking to him about basses, innovation, and life in general. The first Dingwall in my hands would have been Barry's Zebra, which was a blue/green quilted maple 5'er with an intricate dragon inlay on it. Sheldon brought it along because Zebra's were not something any stores were making it a habit of keeping on hand in their stock. It was stunning and played like a dream.

It took me longer than I wanted to finally get my own, but the decade of waiting made it all the sweeter. I spent many hours talking to Sheldon at various bass events around western canada, and he always took time to discuss options and recent innovations he was playing with at the moment. I remember when he decided on the battery covers, input jacks, and lots of the little touches we all take for granted in current designs.

It's fun to re-live some of those early products. My only regret is I don't have the old cello cut on my more modern Z3. I'd love to find a pre-fire zebra/prima sometime but they don't come up for sale often...

 

[progmanjum]

First recording with my lovely new (used) SJ4. Man that's a crazy bass part !

Awesome job!!!! I'm jealous of your bass and your playing abilities. Dave Meros is The Man. Did you learn that by ear? There's not a lot of tab for The Beard from what I've seen. And could you please tell us how you got that sound? Any pedals involved?

 

[BurningSkies]

Pre-fire you say? How about...

Yum! That belongs to one of the guys around here...

While we're at it, this one is always a bit of eye candy for me. An all time favorite:

 

[eloann]

Awesome job!!!! I'm jealous of your bass and your playing abilities. Dave Meros is The Man. Did you learn that by ear? There's not a lot of tab for The Beard from what I've seen. And could you please tell us how you got that sound? Any pedals involved?

Thanx a lot !

I did learn it by ear but you don't have to : there are links (either .GP5 or .PDF) to the tab I made under the video in Youtube.
I did the same for Game face, Thoughts pt. II and When she's gone - you can find them on my channel.

That sound is the SJ's neck pickup into a Darkglass B7K, then straight to the computer.

 

[progmanjum]

Thanx a lot !

I did learn it by ear but you don't have to : there are links (either .GP5 or .PDF) to the tab I made under the video in Youtube.
I did the same for Game face, Thoughts pt. II and When she's gone - you can find them on my channel.

That sound is the SJ's neck pickup into a Darkglass B7K, then straight to the computer.

You wrote out tab...Suhweeeet. Thank You!!!!! Looks like that will take me a long time to learn.

 

[Sheldon D.]

BurningSkies:
Yes, it's an alder instrument, but so is the Fender, and there is a huge difference in the hi mid area (I think it's right around 2k). The Fender has way too much in that part of the spectrum, whereas the SP has a dip there.

Send a photo of your tone fusion board to tech at dingwallguitars.com. Also check the value of the volume pot. There might be something that can be done easily.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Pre-fire you say? How about...

Yum! That belongs to one of the guys around here...

While we're at it, this one is always a bit of eye candy for me. An all time favorite:

Pre-fire it is!!

This is my baby!! I keep debating whether to replace the Barts, as the signal output is significantly lower than the current Dingwalls. But the build quality, the feel in my hands, and that damn sexy cello cut are to die for.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

Nice. I don't know how I'd like an all Wenge neck. The grain is pretty open and it's a pretty dense wood. I did like the wenge board on my old AB-1 and it seemed to give some mid-presence to the instrument. That maple/blonde is a really nice compliment and I bet it sounds great with an FD-3 in the bridge spot.

Sheldon puts some kind of "thin but tough" (Sheldon's words) satin polyurethane coating over his wenge necks that makes 'em feel as satinee smooth as silk. You really don't feel the open grain at all.

 

[ModuMan]

Nice. I got one of those in the pipe, except passive and Chrome Blue. Oh, and fretless.
I've been thrown off the matching headstock by the steep upcharge so far but I still think about it every couple weeks. Yours looks sweet with it.

Yeah, the matching headstock was kind of an "ouch" moment. Especially since it wasn't originally on my invoice and got added when I settled! But I was determined to have it and I'm glad I did.

The bass arrived today and I'm taking a break from playing it for a minute. I'd like to take a pic or two but the one from Dingwall is going to be better than anything I can do! I also got a black pearl guard so maybe I can show that as well.

I haven't played a Dingwall since I ordered this bass about nine months ago. But within a minute or two I was comfortable and shortly after that I wasn't even looking at the fretboard! The neck feels so good, thin profile and great satin finish. Right up there with Lakland necks in terms of how much I enjoy the feel.

Nice that the strap parts of the straplocks are included! Is the battery cover still magnetic or is it screwed down? I remember being able to pull it off of the one I played before but I tugged on this one and it didn't budge. EDIT: never mind, got it!

 

[smeet]

Send a photo of your tone fusion board to tech at dingwallguitars.com. Also check the value of the volume pot. There might be something that can be done easily.

Thanks Sheldon, I'll do that!

 

[Smallequestrian]

Yeah, the matching headstock was kind of an "ouch" moment. Especially since it wasn't originally on my invoice and got added when I settled! But I was determined to have it and I'm glad I did.

The bass arrived today and I'm taking a break from playing it for a minute. I'd like to take a pic or two but the one from Dingwall is going to be better than anything I can do! I also got a black pearl guard so maybe I can show that as well.

I haven't played a Dingwall since I ordered this bass about nine months ago. But within a minute or two I was comfortable and shortly after that I wasn't even looking at the fretboard! The neck feels so good, thin profile and great satin finish. Right up there with Lakland necks in terms of how much I enjoy the feel.

Nice that the strap parts of the straplocks are included! Is the battery cover still magnetic or is it screwed down? I remember being able to pull it off of the one I played before but I tugged on this one and it didn't budge.

What color is that one exactly? Is it the fiesta red or something else? Looks a bit more orange than the other fiesta red basses I've seen. Looks killer though. Mine is arriving tomorrow!

 

[ModuMan]

What color is that one exactly? Is it the fiesta red or something else? Looks a bit more orange than the other fiesta red basses I've seen. Looks killer though. Mine is arriving tomorrow!

Yes, it's Fiesta Red. It looks "right" in person. Fiesta Red is a little funny and I own and have seen a few different interpretations, some more red or pink or orange. Some are more faded, some a bit brighter. The best description I have heard so far is "tomato soup".