Dingwall Owners Club

[tombowlus]

2. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the frequency center on the treble knob of the Glock pre. I don't know where it is centered, but it is awesome in that you can cut the "edge" off the high-end without a loss of the articulation. It reminds me a lot of the VTC function on the Sadowsky basses. You take round off the top just enough that the clicks and squeaks aren't annoying but still have a nice, bright presence in the mix.

+1 That Glock preamp is really nice, and a great match for Sheldon's instruments. I recall suggesting that he look into the Glockenklang onboard preamp after reviewing that blue Z3, and I was thrilled when Sheldon told me that he was offering the Glock preamp! One of the cool things about that treble control is that in passive mode, I believe it does function as a passive tone bleed (VTC).

 

[Vic]

I am digging the preamp so much, in fact, that I fear remorse in not having it in the SJ5 that is on it's way. I guess it can always be added.

Fear not. Keep in mind what you like about that preamp is that it's mild. That's because the fundamental sound of the bass is "that good". That makes the preamp a great feature, but nowhere near a "necessity". I'm betting that's exactly the way Sheldon wants it and why.

IMHO...

In general, outside of special effects boxes for specific songs/purposes, any tone shaping we have in our signal chain shouldn't need to do much... it shouldn't be about fixing what's bad. It should only be about complimenting what's already good.

I rarely use much EQ on ANY of the basses I own, and generally run my amps close to "flat". I think 90% of "great tone" comes from your hands, and finding the particular instrument that "gets you there" right out of the gate. The rest is, and should be, just gravy.

 

[tombowlus]

I am digging the preamp so much, in fact, that I fear remorse in not having it in the SJ5 that is on it's way. I guess it can always be added.

And keep in mind that Sheldon has modified the Aguilar preamp in the SJ series such that the treble knob in cut mode is actually a passive tone rolloff (active boost, of course). Also hella cool!

 

[Vic]

And keep in mind that Sheldon has modified the Aguilar preamp in the SJ series such that the treble knob in cut mode is actually a passive tone rolloff (active boost, of course). Also hella cool!

True, except his SJ is passive.

 

[tombowlus]

True, except his SJ is passive.

Ah, good point. Duh.

Well, FWIW, I probably run my SJ4 in passive mode at least 50% of the time.

 

[Chasarms]

And keep in mind that Sheldon has modified the Aguilar preamp in the SJ series such that the treble knob in cut mode is actually a passive tone rolloff (active boost, of course). Also hella cool!

And, I believe the Glock is stock on the SJs now as well.

I am not going to worry about it too much. I tend to align with Vic's thoughts in that a lot of tweaking is typically doing more harm than good. As usual, he comes through as my TB voice of reason! (which is a bit odd coming from a guy with more gear than a lot of local guitar shops, but hey, this is talkbass.)

The only "issue" that may ever pop up is the absence of bass boost on the passive instruement. When I roll back on the bridge PU, I do tend to boost the bass a bit. But, it's not like you can't get a lot of that vibe with no adjustment by just moving your fingers closer to the bridge and digging in a bit harder. As I have mentioned, I have one of those Sadowsky stompbox pres, which has served me well in a variety of settings. If feel like I need something, I can use it. We'll see. I am just eager to get it and play it!

 

[Vic]

Well, FWIW, I probably run my SJ4 in passive mode at least 50% of the time.

I also played that bass in passive mode and yeah, it sounded just as awesome.

Sheldon makes insanely great instruments, but he is also one of my all-time great pickup heros. I literally have yet to hear one pickup made by him that I didn't totally love. He had several different pickup types (including different magnet types) in some different variations of basses a couple years ago at NAMM, had me try some of them, and they were all amazing.

 

[tombowlus]

And, I believe the Glock is stock on the SJs now as well.

Ah, cool.

I am not going to worry about it too much. I tend to align with Vic's thoughts in that a lot of tweaking is typically doing more harm than good. As usual, he comes through as my TB voice of reason! (which is a bit odd coming from a guy with more gear than a lot of local guitar shops, but hey, this is talkbass.)

Calling Vic the voice of reason is always scary, but I do agree that less EQ is almost always better, and hand position/pickup blends/playing styles can get you a whole lot of tonal variation without any EQ.

Tom.

 

[thesilence]

I don't own a dingwall but I am looking at buying one, the fanned frets really caught my eye but for those that switched from a bass without fanned frets to the dingwall how hard was it to adjust to the fanned frets?

 

[Vic]

I tend to align with Vic's thoughts in that a lot of tweaking is typically doing more harm than good. As usual, he comes through as my TB voice of reason! (which is a bit odd coming from a guy with more gear than a lot of local guitar shops, but hey, this is talkbass.)

Oh dude, that's only scraping the surface of all the oxymorons with me, but I don't wanna' fill up TB's hard drives with the rest, so we'll just leave it at that.

The only "issue" that may ever pop up is the absence of bass boost on the passive instruement. When I roll back on the bridge PU, I do tend to boost the bass a bit. But, it's not like you can't get a lot of that vibe with no adjustment by just moving your fingers closer to the bridge and digging in a bit harder. As I have mentioned, I have one of those Sadowsky stompbox pres, which has served me well in a variety of settings. If feel like I need something, I can use it. We'll see. I am just eager to get it and play it!

I may have missed it, but is your SJ vol-vol or does it have the 4-way? If it's vol-vol, I wouldn't miss the bass boost as much, 'cause I could just favor, instead of solo, the bridge. But if it's got the 4-way, I agree... I'd really like to have a bass boost module in there for the bridge solo setting.

 

[Jeff Roller]

I don't own a dingwall but I am looking at buying one, the fanned frets really caught my eye but for those that switched from a bass without fanned frets to the dingwall how hard was it to adjust to the fanned frets?

I found it to be very easy, no adjustment at all to speak of. I tend to be a "groove" player and stay down on the first seven frets most of the time. Any adjustment period I've heard from players who make the switch from parallel to fanned frets occurs in the upper register, especially chording. But even then, it seems to be a successful translation for those who play a lot in the upper register.

I'm certain a Dingwall owner would be kind and offer to let you play their instrument to try for yourself if you are lucky and one lives nearby!

 

[Chasarms]

I don't own a dingwall but I am looking at buying one, the fanned frets really caught my eye but for those that switched from a bass without fanned frets to the dingwall how hard was it to adjust to the fanned frets?

There's a lot of info and commentary on this subject both here and at the Dingwall site, but as a newbie to the Dingwall experience, I will share.

How hard is it? Well I will give you a very clear answer: It depends.

Over the past several years I have spent a lot of effort in developing decent left-hand technique. I try really hard watch my wrist alignment and keep my thumb in correct position. I TRY to stay consistent with my fingerings and had some method and approach to my playing. So, for me I really didn't think the fanned frets were that big of a deal at all. In fact, when you are actually wearing the bass, they don't even look as odd as they do when looking at it on someone else or in a photo.

When actually playing, the fret spacing the frets 1-5 area is wide enough that you can pretty much use the same approach as a parallel fretted bass, and there is enough room that there are no issues. The only variance I noticed is that it can be a bit of a stretch down to the C on the B string. (With the SJ basses, it is probably less an issue because it's A 35" B verses a 37" on the rest of the Dingwall line.)

From frets 6-12, it is not really an issue because that's the area where the frets are most parallel. I haven't confirmed it, but I assume that there is one perpendicular fret somewhere on a Dingwall. To my eye, is seems to be seven or eight.

Above the 12th, is gets a bit touchy for a couple of reasons. One is that the fanning becomes more pronounced and, obviously, the frets are closer together. Further, I think that for most of us, above the 12th is where we tend to use our eyes on the fb more, and I agree with Sheldon D. that the fanned fret concern is more visual that anything. Although, there is some logic that that suggests the bass is more comfortable even in the higher resisters. I am one of those people whose pinky is significantly shorter than my ring finger. For me, my fingers tend to natural fall in the right places on the fanned fingerboard more so than with a conventional fb.

If you are interested in a Dingwall, I would not let the fanned frets be of concern. It is pretty easily argued that the benefits FAR outweigh any concerns. Once you hear the clarity and articulation of notes on the B and E strings, you'll figure out the fanned frets. No matter how you think it is, it's worth it!

 

[behndy]

if you end up in North Cali you can try out mine. are there any shops around you that stock any Dingwall models?

 

[Jeff Roller]

I don't own a dingwall but I am looking at buying one, the fanned frets really caught my eye but for those that switched from a bass without fanned frets to the dingwall how hard was it to adjust to the fanned frets?

Auburn plays UT in Knoxville this year, if you happen to make the trip let me know, you would be welcome to try out my Z3.

 

[Chasarms]

Auburn plays UT in Knoxville this year, if you happen to make the trip let me know, you would be welcome to try out my Z3.

Might want to do it before the game. Once it is over, Vol fans may not be so friendly!

Chas -- University of Tennessee, College of Communications, Class of '94

 

[Jeff Roller]

Might want to do it before the game. Once it is over, Vol fans may not be so friendly!

Chas -- University of Tennessee, College of Communications, Class of '94

Tru dat. I can meet him somewhere neutral like GC. Wear something in generic orange.

 

[metalstorm]

Regarding not having a bass boost in the passive SJ5 I find that rolling back the tone thickens the sound of a soloed bridge pickup nicely.

 

[BurningSkies]

I don't own a dingwall but I am looking at buying one, the fanned frets really caught my eye but for those that switched from a bass without fanned frets to the dingwall how hard was it to adjust to the fanned frets?

Lets be honest. At some point in time, we ALL had to switch from parallel frets to fanned, didn't we?

 

[Chasarms]

Lets be honest. At some point in time, we ALL had to switch from parallel frets to fanned, didn't we?

I would say that there is a reasonable statistical likelihood that at least bass player on the planet started on a Dingwall bass. But, for the rest of us, your point is well taken.

 

[BurningSkies]

I would say that there is a reasonable statistical likelihood that at least bass player on the planet started on a Dingwall bass. But, for the rest of us, your point is well taken.

The point being that, unfortunately, a number of different factors make it so that very rarely do any bassists start out on a fanned fret bass. Pretty much everyone came from somewhere else!