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Dingwall Owners Club

#7,922
BC82 said:
Just in case you haven't seen it, your awesome bass is on Dingwall's main page :bassist:
Click to expand...

To me this color will always be known as "GTO Green"

gto1969WA3886.jpg


31731320002_large.jpg
 
#7,926
I bought my SPZ5 on somewhat of whim in October of 2012. My wife and I went to Seattle for a kind of short honeymoon since we had both started new jobs and didn't have quite enough vacation to take the euro trip we wanted to. Stopped into BassNW to try the bass out thinking that if I liked it enough I would custom order one. I didn't think there was much risk of me taking it home as I don't like black basses and I'm a real big fan of shiny finishes, but the bass played and sounded so perfect to me that I ended up taking it with me. The SPZ has been my main bass ever since.

From the day I bought it:
AEAF2176-2B17-4624-AF70-10CFA64010FC-14318-0000091DF34B1A54.jpg


Late last year I picked up a used Super J5 and played it for a solid month. I liked it enough, but when I switched back to the SPZ after the first gig with the J, I knew that the J would never be my first choice. About the same time I was at NAMM and got to talking with Sheldon and Barry about the P w/FD3 and played the four string version they had and knew it was for me. At the time I asked Sheldon if he would be down to do a dark candy green and he seemed interested. Still it took me a few weeks after that to figure out exactly what I wanted. I almost went with a trans orange, but in the end I went with my original instinct. Sold the Super J and used some of the money for a deposit.

I knew that if everything worked out that this could be my only bass, so I splurged on the block inlays, but more importantly I wanted it to sound as close to possible as my existing SPZ, so I ordered it with the same ash body and maple neck/board. Just a few days under 6 months, here it is!

The P pickup solo'd on this bass sounds virtually identical, so job number one was accomplished. One of the things I've been wanting but not very satisfied with was a real growly/burpy tigh bridge pickup sound, maybe a bit of a cross of a Stingray and Jazz bass bridge pickup. The Super J didn't have it, the last couple of J basses I own didn't have the tone I had in my head either. One of the things that intrigued me was that Sheldon decided that the best balance for the P pickup involved moving the "J" pickup closer to the neck then one would normally expect. I'm not sure of the specifics, but the solo'd bridge tone has that tight sound that I've been wanting down.

I don't use that tone in my band, but I love using it at home when I'm just screwing around. That made it hard to justify a jazz bass in addition to my SPZ, so now I have that tone available to me whenever I feel like it. Of course that doesn't include the fun of the series and parallel tones availble when using the two pickups together. I'm going to have to keep exploring those tones to get a feel how I will use them going forward, but if this bass was only capable of the two solo'd tones, I'd rate it a huge success.

Weighs in at 8.8lbs compared to 7.8 of the SPZ. The SPZ was a real freak in that department so I was prepared for something a little heavier and below 9lbs is well within the acceptable parameters for me. The dark candy green is awesome, looks black about half the time and then like British racing green the other half. The finish is a much better match for my personal tastes. The black pearl blocks have some green in them so they make for a great match. I originally ordered this with black hardware, but thought with the maple blocked neck that chrome hardware was a better match and I think I made the right decision.

Since I've been playing a very similar bass for almost two years, it didn't take a lot of time to declare this one a winner. Here are a few pics:
25798E04-3DA7-4725-AFB7-5D99AF58E6F0_zpsafpbo7l7.jpg

45D23807-6B49-4AD2-8250-5E50DA34508F_zpsh94e69dt.jpg

Close up of the metalic sparkles:
7BD86B21-BEF5-4FF5-B70E-2C569EB45E57_zpse8qrmwxp.jpg

A23BFF44-E169-4594-A822-3E1566C4FD45_zpsw8qxmevv.jpg

Gratuitous Happy Dog Shot:
567569A6-EE77-4E93-8FA4-2FC03E19F89C_zps475lnqyx.jpg
 
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#7,929
Smallequestrian said:
I bought my SPZ5 on somewhat of whim in October of 2012. My wife and I went to Seattle for a kind of short honeymoon since we had both started new jobs and didn't have quite enough vacation to take the euro trip we wanted to. Stopped into BassNW to try the bass out thinking that if I liked it enough I would custom order one. I didn't think there was much risk of me taking it home as I don't like black basses and I'm a real big fan of shiny finishes, but the bass played and sounded so perfect to me that I ended up taking it with me. The SPZ has been my main bass ever since.

From the day I bought it:
Late last year I picked up a used Super J5 and played it for a solid month. I liked it enough, but when I switched back to the SPZ after the first gig with the J, I knew that the J would never be my first choice. About the same time I was at NAMM and got to talking with Sheldon and Barry about the P w/FD3 and played the four string version they had and knew it was for me. At the time I asked Sheldon if he would be down to do a dark candy green and he seemed interested. Still it took me a few weeks after that to figure out exactly what I wanted. I almost went with a trans orange, but in the end I went with my original instinct. Sold the Super J and used some of the money for a deposit.

I knew that if everything worked out that this could be my only bass, so I splurged on the block inlays, but more importantly I wanted it to sound as close to possible as my existing SPZ, so I ordered it with the same ash body and maple neck/board. Just a few days under 6 months, here it is!

The P pickup solo'd on this bass sounds virtually identical, so job number one was accomplished. One of the things I've been wanting but not very satisfied with was a real growly/burpy tigh bridge pickup sound, maybe a bit of a cross of a Stingray and Jazz bass bridge pickup. The Super J didn't have it, the last couple of J basses I own didn't have the tone I had in my head either. One of the things that intrigued me was that Sheldon decided that the best balance for the P pickup involved moving the "J" pickup closer to the neck then one would normally expect. I'm not sure of the specifics, but the solo'd bridge tone has that tight sound that I've been wanting down.

I don't use that tone in my band, but I love using it at home when I'm just screwing around. That made it hard to justify a jazz bass in addition to my SPZ, so now I have that tone available to me whenever I feel like it. Of course that doesn't include the fun of the series and parallel tones availble when using the two pickups together. I'm going to have to keep exploring those tones to get a feel how I will use them going forward, but if this bass was only capable of the two solo'd tones, I'd rate it a huge success.

Weighs in at 8.8lbs compared to 7.8 of the SPZ. The SPZ was a real freak in that department so I was prepared for something a little heavier and below 9lbs is well within the acceptable parameters for me. The dark candy green is awesome, looks black about half the time and then like British racing green the other half. The finish is a much better match for my personal tastes. The black pearl blocks have some green in them so they make for a great match. I originally ordered this with black hardware, but thought with the maple blocked neck that chrome hardware was a better match and I think I made the right decision.

Since I've been playing a very similar bass for almost two years, it didn't take a lot of time to declare this one a winner. Here are a few pics:
Click to expand...

Nice. I really like the FD-3's especially with series switching. I think the combination of them with the P-pickup which is close in spirit to the FD-3 sounds like a great choice.
 
#7,930
BurningSkies said:
Great looking ABZ, @sarsippius787 ! Sheldon always does such a nice job with green...I wonder if he has a 'soft spot' for doing that color in general. That tuning sounds pretty huge too, although it always weirds me out a bit to see a 4-string Dingwall!

We don't issue numbers anymore (go back a page or two and you can find a posting I made about why we don't). But you can rest assured you're 'part of the club' with us anyway. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot @BurningSkies ! I guess I really went out there with a non-standard color (for an ABZ), tuning and string configuration! That green Dingwall you posted is very beautiful. I'm pretty sure this will not be my only Dingwall bass.
 
#7,931
sarsippius787 said:
Thanks a lot @BurningSkies ! I guess I really went out there with a non-standard color (for an ABZ), tuning and string configuration! That green Dingwall you posted is very beautiful. I'm pretty sure this will not be my only Dingwall bass.
Click to expand...

Don't you know, that's how it works? ;)
 
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#7,932
I'd love to play one of these Super P/FD3's in series mode. When Sheldon said that it was the best pairing yet, it got my attention. I'm always running my two-pickup basses in series. Not because it's louder than the other settings, but because it offers my favorite 'tone palette'.
 
#7,933
Smallequestrian said:
.... I almost went with a trans orange, but in the end I went with my original instinct. ... The dark candy green is awesome... The black pearl blocks have some green in them so they make for a great match. ... with the maple blocked neck that chrome hardware was a better match and I think I made the right decision.
...
45D23807-6B49-4AD2-8250-5E50DA34508F_zpsh94e69dt.jpg

Gratuitous Happy Dog Shot:
567569A6-EE77-4E93-8FA4-2FC03E19F89C_zps475lnqyx.jpg
Click to expand...

Trans-orange would've been good, but you definitely made the right choices all the way along. Those block markers are so deep looking they're more like 3-D portholes into another space-time-continuum, a rift through to Kelewan perhaps.

So, what's the name of your Chief of Dingwall Security ?

Oh yeah, the GTO pics. Very slick! I've always wanted a '66 Goat with Tri-power with Muncie four/floor, though I'd more than happily wheel an Orange 69 Judge around!
 
#7,936
Alright guys, before anyone freaks out, I am putting my SP5 up for a fishing expedition trade/sale. While I love the thing and jump on it/get stuck on it for weeks at a time, I sleep with my SJ. Cant explain it.

I'll try and trade it for another Ding, SJ, etc. Just didn't want anyone wondering what the heck was up, and then receiving 850 PM's asking what was wrong with the SP5. Nothing absolutely nothing. But in the end, the SJ gives me exactly what I use, day in and day out.
 
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#7,937
Zoomie said:
Alright guys, before anyone freaks out, I am putting my SP5 up for a fishing expedition trade/sale. While I love the thing and jump on it/get stuck on it for weeks at a time, I sleep with my SJ. Cant explain it.

I'll try and trade it for another Ding, SJ, etc. Just didn't want anyone wondering what the heck was up, and then receiving 850 PM's asking what was wrong with the SP5. Nothing absolutely nothing. But in the end, the SJ gives me exactly what I use, day in and day out.
Click to expand...

You know you want two music mans....
 
#7,938
CL400Peavey said:
You know you want two music mans....
Click to expand...

Would love to try and help you out but I just cant do it. I have owned a couple of Stingrays, 2 or 3 Bongos, and an amazing fretless. The weight on all of them killed me. And I am the busiest that I have ever been. I remember wishing I spent half as much time on bass that Mark Robertson does. Now I am ALMOST sorry I asked !

If something breaks loose for you let me know. I would much prefer it goes to someone I know or someone in the group. That said, the problem is that the bar is very high and if I cant find something that potentially blows my dress up, I will happily keep it.
 
Last edited:
#7,939
Zoomie said:
Alright guys, before anyone freaks out, I am putting my SP5 up for a fishing expedition trade/sale. While I love the thing and jump on it/get stuck on it for weeks at a time, I sleep with my SJ. Cant explain it.

I'll try and trade it for another Ding, SJ, etc. Just didn't want anyone wondering what the heck was up, and then receiving 850 PM's asking what was wrong with the SP5. Nothing absolutely nothing. But in the end, the SJ gives me exactly what I use, day in and day out.
Click to expand...

I viewed you ad for the Super P and spotted the problem immediately - someone put the pickup on upside-down & backwards... ;) You know you've got it bad when you're sleeping with your Super J! :roflmao:
 
#7,940
spiritbass said:
I viewed you ad for the Super P and spotted the problem immediately - someone put the pickup on upside-down & backwards... ;) You know you've got it bad when you're sleeping with your Super J! :roflmao:
Click to expand...

Ha!

Nope that's not it. It sounds just as good as the SJ in it's own right. It really comes down to a feel thing. After spending a good couple hundred hours on both, it may just be that the SJ is The One and that nothing will equal it.

It will likely stay as I am unwilling to gamble unless I think I found an additive tool to the tool box. And that's not very likely.
 

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